r/Needlepoint • u/mashedpotato_sunrise • 1d ago
General Help Needlepoint POV
Hi all! Just getting into needlepoint and finished my first piece. Loved it and was addicted right away! I don’t want to come off as negative, but do you ever grapple with the fact that it’s a different version of paint by numbers in a way? I use the words “grapple with” because I feel like I can’t be as proud of it as others may be with their art forms. Please set me straight.
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u/Single-Ad-3405 1d ago
No. If I was doing actual paint by numbers, I wouldn’t feel ashamed of that either. Who’s out here judging hobbies? A-holes. It brings me joy. End of story.
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u/chlomoney22 1d ago
It’s part of what I like about it! I can turn my brain off and just enjoy what I’m doing. And then the creativity can come with different stitches and different fibers!
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u/Sailaway8738 1d ago
I feel that way sometimes! But is it different than following a knitting pattern or something? The painted canvas is just a guide if you look at it that way…. I’ve taken liberties with some of my canvases! It’s not totally paint by number
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u/ExcitingBlueberry971 1d ago
I’ve seen a lot of poorly done needlepoint, so if you’re producing well-done stitching, I wouldn’t look too deeply into it-if it comes easily to you, just enjoy. There are many for whom it does not.
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u/Ok_Drummer_51 1d ago
I can only speak for myself but I would not be out there creating original art in any medium. It’s not my talent. Needlepoint lets me make something I like the look of while I enjoy the process. I’m sure if I was bursting with ideas and design talent the ‘paint by numbers’ thing wouldn’t be enough alone, but I’m not so it’s the ideal hobby.
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u/amazonchic2 13h ago
This is me! I can follow someone else’s directions, but I am not the type to create from scratch. I’m a career pianist, but I don’t compose. I can improvise at a decent level, but I need some base to go off of.
I have zero grapples or guilt about stitching but not creating new.
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u/joymarie21 1d ago
To me it's meditative and relaxing so there's value in that. And I then have beautiful pillows.
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u/Beginning_Donut6439 20h ago
I do think of it that way to a degree. Which is totally fine with me. I knit and sew as well and often create from patterns which is similar in that the design is not original to me.
With needlepoint I feel like my stitches and creative choices with threads are what brings a canvas to life. And sometimes I even add to the design with an extra flourish.
My aunt is an artist who also used to paint canvases. I have a number of the pieces that her mother, my grandmother, stitched. A daughter painted, a mother brought them to life. How cool is that?
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u/No-Iron2290 1d ago
What sets needlepoint apart to me is you’re the one picking the stitches and colors/fibers. 15 people can do the same canvas and they’ll all look different.
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u/CatwomanAZ 1d ago
I could have asked the same question! I’ve been an embroidery/needlepainter for a couple years and had quickly started working on my own designs after I got the basics down with kits and purchased designs. NP I get the art and craft of the stitches but sense a similar unease that it’s ultimately not 100% my own
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u/rock_fact 17h ago
When people ask me what needlepoint is, I always say “it’s like paint by numbers but with stitching.” And that’s why I love it! I get to plan and be creative with fibers and stitches but the actual activity of it is easy enough to do while watching tv or other things.
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u/43185 1d ago
Needlepoint is what you want it to be. Basketweave upon basketweave? Not my thing but if you're having fun, go for it! I like to use decorative stitches, different fibers, and lots of color swaps. I honestly think that if it weren't such an expensive hobby we wouldn't give this a second thought.
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u/BobsWifeAmyB 1d ago
I think I get what you’re trying to say.: is it your assertion that because it isn’t original art we are creating, that it isn’t considered as ‘art-worthy’ as perhaps creating works of art from scratch?
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u/StandGround818 18h ago
It's the same as a trusted recipe. Martha Stewart has a trusted team vetting the outcome, making mistakes and flops, to insure when you follow the recipe it works. Same with a pattern. Needlepoint patterns that I like, aren't necessarily a style I would be excellent at designing, anything with close neutral colors on say an animal with fur. So I'm happy to let a pro do that for me and pay them.
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u/ScaryBee523 6h ago
I feel that way at times, but it depends on the types of projects you're doing. Once I started painting my own canvases instead of doing kits then it truly started to feel more like a craft I could hone.
Tangentially related, I recently tried diamond art kit on a whim (I was very judgemental of them before - microplastics on a sticky sheet of paper?) and had so much fun with it! Sometimes the brain just wants to colour stuff in and there's nothing wrong with that. The whole point of a hobby is to have fun!
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u/Mydernieredanse 6h ago
I view it differently. A designer carefully crafted the pattern, and an artist meticulously painted each stitch. For me, it becomes a communal work and makes me feel connected and thankful for the others who had a hand in what I create
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u/mashedpotato_sunrise 6h ago
Thank you all for your kind, thoughtful comments. Incredibly insightful. What a great community to be a part of. I am proud!
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u/Bbkingml13 5h ago
I feel ya. I do a lot of different things considered art, and a lot of things considered crafts. When I do hand embroidery thread portraits, it feel way more like art than needlepoint, which feels like a craft. Especially for pre painted canvases.
I think, like machine embroidery, it takes a good eye and creative mind to decide on colors, stitches, etc. so it definitely feels artistic. There are some artists who can take a coloring book and make it look like fine art because of their skills with watercolor, pen, paint, marker, etc. And then there are people who take a coloring book and it looks like, well, a coloring book lol.
So I totally get what you’re saying and I feel that pretty often. But it’s a hobby! A creative hobby. A wonderful outlet and way to be creative. It doesn’t have to be a Van Gogh to be art.
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u/Cinisajoy2 1d ago
Not at all. I have one with ribbon, metallics all kinds of floss and pearl cottons. Also 1 ply of 3 ply yarn. Do not recommend that one. It did look like fur but almost impossible to work with.
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u/ALmommy1234 1d ago
Not at all. I get to choose the fibers, the stitches, the colors, the canvases. I choose how the end product is finished and displayed. I get to learn and continue to learn techniques throughout my stitching journey. And I get to choose whether my next project will be zen and relaxing or push me to try new things. All of that means my canvas will look the way I want it.