Deciding to try needlepoint is the easy part — then you open a page of beautiful designs and wonder where on earth to begin. Choosing your first needlepoint kit is really about setting yourself up for a happy, unhurried experience, and a few simple pointers make all the difference. Here is what we suggest thinking about, in order of importance.
Choose a design you genuinely love
This matters more than anything technical. You will spend many contented hours with this canvas on your lap, so pick a picture that makes you smile every time you see it — a favourite flower, a beloved animal, a painting you have always admired. Motivation finishes more projects than skill ever does, and a design you love will call you back to your armchair evening after evening.
Look for a printed colour canvas
Kits come in two broad styles: charted (a blank canvas plus a paper chart to count from) and printed (the design is printed in full colour directly on the canvas, and you simply stitch over each colour). For a first project, printed is by far the friendlier choice — there is no counting, no chart-reading and no fear of losing your place. All Brvsk kits use printed colour canvases for exactly this reason.
Pick a comfortable size and mesh
A 16″ × 16″ pillow canvas is a lovely first size: big enough to feel substantial, small enough to finish in a few weeks of relaxed evenings. Mesh count — the number of holes per inch — matters too. A larger mesh (around 10–12 holes per inch) means bigger stitches that are easy on the eyes and quick to grow. Save the very fine meshes for later, when your hands know the way.
Check what's in the box
A good kit should contain everything you need to start the moment it arrives: the printed canvas, plenty of sorted wool or acrylic yarn in every colour, a suitable blunt-tipped needle and clear instructions. If backing fabric for a pillow isn't included, it is easy to add — we keep matching pillow backings for exactly that moment when your stitching is done.
Don't overthink it
Here is a small secret: nearly every design becomes a wonderful first project if it is printed on a generous mesh. Needlepoint is a forgiving craft — one stitch, repeated calmly, over and over. If you would like a helping hand, we have gathered our most beginner-friendly designs in one place. Have a browse through the Start Here collection and see which canvas smiles back at you.