Blunt tipped tapestry needles work best when stitching Bargello needlepoint. Here is a handy chart to help you choose the correct size tapestry needle for your Bargello needlepoint projects [...]

I’m wearing out stretcher bars! I’m 25 days into the 2010 Bargello Challenge and I’ve got to change to a new set of 6″ bars. Luckily, I have several more sets in my needlepoint stash; so most likely, I will not run out of them. However, at this stitching rate, I’ll probably need 15 sets [...]

If you’re planning to design your own needlepoint, you will need a fine point drawing pen that does not feather or bleed. Pigma Micron Pens offer a waterproof quick drying and permanent pigment ink that is fade proof against sunlight or UV light [...]

Cut and snip…cut and snip; that’s the way it goes when stitching Bargello needlepoint. To avoid thread lint and fluff and to keep from making cutting mistakes, you need a quality pair of embroidery scissors with very fine points on both blades for trimming your Bargello needlepoint [...]

One of the best gifts I’ve ever received from my husband was a scissors sharpener. He knows that I love gadgets and figured that I would appreciate being able to sharpen my own embroidery scissors instead of getting them done professionally. He was right! Over the years I’ve invested in a dozen or more pairs of embroidery and sewing scissors and have taken particular care with keeping them sharp. You can imagine that it gets quite expensive. Here was his solution…Fiskars Scissors Sharpener.

A few years back, I expressed frustration to my husband about having to use the dining table for sewing and needlepoint designing and finished. He surprised me on my birthday that year with a Craft Table for my embroidery nook [...]

I use frames for all of my Bargello needlepoint projects, no matter how small or large they may be. Why? Because I like two-handed stitching, the kind I learned to do in Japanese Embroidery. In order to keep both of my hands free for stitching I use a floor stand to hold my frame [...]

When I lived in Salt Lake City, UT, Needlepoint & Other Things was my local needlepoint shop. Tucked away in a quaint little shopping center in the East Milcreek area of Salt Lake City, this needlepoint store offers a great selection of fibers, hand painted canvases and accessories [...]

In Bargello needlepoint, the tent stitch combines successfully with other Florentine embroidery stitches to create stunning designs. An area worked in tent stitch will be flatter than the surrounding Bargello stitches and therefore will provide quite stunning effects. Use the tent, continental and basketweave stitches to accent your needlepoint project when [...]

I learned to do bargello needlepoint from Margaret Boyles…well, actually from her book Bargello Florentine Needlepoint published by Colunbia-Minerva. Although dog-eared and falling apart, I still have my copy, which I refer to constantly when stitching bargello needlepoint projects.

Initially, I learned to stitch bargello needlepoint without a stretcher frame. But in recent years after getting formal instruction from experienced needlepoint artists, I’ve gotten used to framing my canvas with brass tacks and stretcher bars. Still, there are key advantages and main disadvantages to using stretcher bars and frames with bargello needlepoint. Here are a few for your consideration [...]

Tapestry needles with rounded, blunt tips and elongated eyes are used for Bargello needlepoint. This video tutorial discusses the size needles you should use for your bargello project as well as the variety of fibers that can be selected to make the needlepoint design come to life [...]

Bargello needlepoint is usually worked on mono or single weave canvas, a natural needlepoint ground fabric made of cotton or linen that has been stiffened with sizing. Any type of even weave fabric can be used for needlepoint, but canvas is specifically crafted to be used for bargello embroidery. Here are a few tips to use when choosing canvas for your next bargello needlepoint project [...]

This brief history of Florentine canvas work or traditional Bargello needlepoint is filled with many surprises and added bonuses including 26 patterns and project ideas. Dorothy Phelan writes from extensive personal experience crafting beautiful and unusual embroidered items [...]