The majority of women tried needlepoint at some point in their childhood. Some men may do it too, but I will only speak of the women I know.
A small round frame is used to segment and hold taut a section of cotton mesh (with an imprinted design) so that you can perform a series of stitches. You use wool to create your piece of art. It’s like color-by-numbers.
You may remember that it didn’t lay flat after you finished. You probably made it into pillows to smooth out the unevenness. You could also frame it. It might not be noticeable if the piece was small, but it became more difficult to maintain even tension when you worked with larger pieces. The pressure of hand-made products is always uneven.
You can buy needlepoint rugs. Some are pretty large. They are done by hand or machine, and each has its own “challenges” and unique characteristics.
Even before the first wash of the rug, it has some buckling around the edges. It’s the same as your old needlepoint pillow.
You can also see that some areas must be doubled and other colors tied off. This will not give the rug an entirely smooth back.
These characteristics lead to some must-knows when it comes to needlepoint.
Rarely are they perfectly symmetrical or straight.
Rarely do they lay flat on the floor.
If they are placed over the carpet, it is easy to kick the edges up.
If they are placed on a hard floor, it will be easy for them to slide.
When cleaning the mesh or cotton, you should be careful if it is your first time. If you’re a professional carpet cleaner, there are two options: 1) bath the rug and then tack it to a floor while it dries, or 2) tack out the rug on a floor before cleaning and clean it using a hand tool as you would with tricky upholstery.
Although I’ve seen many beautiful needlepoint rugs, I prefer to display them on a wall rather than the floor. Because of their thin structure, placing them on carpeted walls and furniture on top would result in a rug disaster. As rugs are designed to be placed on hard surfaces, you will eventually tear the foundation.
I attach a strip of Velcro to the back of the rug BY HAND. I will post photos in my next post, so you can see exactly what I mean.
You can display your needlepoint rugs or tapestries on the wall if you have them. If you own some old rugs and have old dogs at home, you may be able to save them by mounting them on the wall – pet urine is one of the worst things that can happen to rugs.