stockist | Mr X Stitch

As someone who loves having an arsenal of embroidery techniques under my belt I jumped at the chance to try out one of Needlepoint.com's awesome kits. Needlepoint isn't too dissimilar to cross stitch. You follow a pattern and stitch through predetermined holes, except you aren't making crosses but an array of different decorative stitches that make up jazzy patterns. Despite being a COMPLETE newbie I dived straight in and scouted their website to learn more. I soon stumbled across their amazing Youtube channel with loads of easy to follow advice videos that would help me out. Learn needlepoint in 5 minutes? Challenge accepted! A Kirk and Bradley project Out of the hundreds (really, maybe even thousands?!) of designs Needlepoint.com offer, this project by Kirk and Bradley caught my eye. I’m a magpie when in comes to anything pink and a lover of monstera plants - a match made in heaven. Oh and of course I was totally drawn into the fact that this would become a clutch bag with a snazzy tassel. If foliage isn't your thing then you will find plenty more designs from an array of top designers. From geometrics to more tongue in cheek numbers (hello Thorn Alexander), there is quite literally something for everyone. The online store caters for all levels of expertise and has everything you would possibly need to see a project from start to finish. Needles? Of course. Scissors? You betcha. Stitchers Salt Scrub to keep those hands soft? This one stop needlepoint shop has you covered. Inside the kit. Opening my kit I was super excited to see all the beautiful fibres I was about to get my mits on. The kit included hand overdyed cotton by Threadworx, 100% silk skeins from Pepper Pot Silk and hand painted silk from Planet Earth Fibre. These are top of the range in the world of threads and you can really tell by their vibrancy and luxurious feel. The canvas itself is painted which makes working up the design pretty foolproof. The project uses a variety of specialty stitches to give different finishes to the leaves. At first sounded a bit daunting to a newbie like me but my fears were quickly quashed by the handy guides that come with the kit. I already had a Tapestry frame at home from some of my larger cross stitch projects but if you are new in the game I would highly recommend purchasing the stretcher bars and brass tacks to make stitching a complete breeze. Look at those colours. Maybe it is just me but I so often start projects that don’t really have an ‘end use’ and tend to get chucked in a box for a rainy day. One of the main things that stood out to me whilst browsing the website were all the projects available to purchase that become useful, usable objects (aka ‘makeables’). They would make amazing gifts and you know, Christmas IS right around the corner. Yep, I said it! If you ever think about dipping your toe in the world of needlepoint I would highly recommend checking out the Needlepoint.com website as it has so much to offer. You’ll find a bounty of resources. If (like me) you are pretty useless with a sewing machine, the website offers a professional finishing service for a very reasonable fee and you can rest assured that the piece just created will stand the test of time. If you already know a thing or two about needlepoint then check out the This Is Needlepoint blog. It has loads of interesting articles such as interviews with designers to tips on traveling with your work. You never know - you might learn something new! Why not keep up to date with new releases by following Needlepoint.com on Facebook or Instagram. You can follow my needlepoint clutch adventure on my Instragram.