Want to see the chaotic guts of one of my ornament projects? Well, here you go! I am not a professional finisher and fully admit that my finishing work is not perfect. However, I do think the outside looks decent in the end, and that's all that really matters, right?? :)

I use Nashville Needlepointer's free finishing tutorials on YouTube, which I think are pretty clear and comprehensive.

Some details on what I did:

Photo 1: Lacing the canvas around a board cut to size. I used baker's twine, which is a little thick but very strong and easy to work with. I laced the corners first (diagonally), then the sides (horizontally and vertically). I also tried to stitch the sides together at each corner, which I always find tricky to get as tight as I'd like it.

Photo 2: The front of the canvas, fully laced.

Photo 3: I attached a hanging ribbon by sewing it to the canvas on the inside. I used 100% cotton hand quilting thread for this, which is relatively thin but still very strong.

Photo 4: The trickiest and most annoying part! I pinned my pom-pom trim around the edge of the laced canvas using sewing pins. I tried to stick the pins into the side of the board for stability, but the whole thing was still a bit unstable.

Photo 5: The backing board. I didn't bother to lace the backing fabric, just taped it. My backing fabric was a bit thin, so I put a layer of quilting cotton underneath. I wanted extra stability in the fabric for when I sewed the front board to the back.

Rest of the photos: The finished ornament. If you zoom in on the last 2 photos, you can see my hand stitching around the edge, which secured the front to the back and attached the trim at the same time. I used a doubled length of cotton sewing machine thread (50 weight), but most people use invisible nylon thread. (Personally I hate working with that stuff because it's so unruly.)

There you have it! An imperfect but functional self-finishing job. And all it cost was my free labor!

All right friends, here is my progress since last week! I apologize again for being so off-schedule today.

I stitched the fruit and leaves on the bottom left, the little slice of fruit on the bottom right edge, and the hanging plant near the bird's head. This pattern is so thoughtfully designed with clean edges and fun colors, and I've been really enjoying it. It's a refreshing counterpoint to all the blatant AI needlepoint canvases that I've been seeing everywhere. Pattern is by Boomerang Stitches (I am not affiliated with them at all, just a fan).

I'm stitching this on 18 mesh "French Blue" canvas with 4 strands of DMC embroidery floss. I always separate the strands and then carefully put them back together before stitching. I'm using a size 26 tapestry needle, which is my preference for 18 mesh canvas.

I'm planning to fill in the background with white, perhaps with a small and/or subtle decorative stitch. If you have any suggestions for a good stitch, I'm all ears!

I'm so sorry this is late, folks! I'm at work and don't have an updated picture of my WIP, so I hope you'll settle for my stitching buddy. She is sending you good vibes for productive stitching and minimal frogging.

I have definitely been stitching and have completed a few more fruits and plants on my Fruit Dove Frenzy project. I'll share progress soon! I'm really happy with how that project is coming out.

If you'd like, share an update on your WIPs (or pets!) in the comments so we can all admire them!

Clutch your pearls, people! I am a blatant cheater, I admit it.

Many needlepointers send their projects out for finishing, but since I have been sewing my entire life and enjoy it, I finish all my own projects myself. For special projects, I'll go through the full process of making the "cookies" and hand-sewing fancy trim or cording around the edges. It's finicky and takes a while, but it comes out really nicely. (I use Nashville Needlepointer's free YouTube finishing tutorials, which are great - very clear and complete.)

However, for quick little projects that are not intended to be "heirlooms," sometimes I cheat. The horror, I know! This project was a little palette cleanser between bigger projects, and it's just intended to hang on the wall. Literally no one will ever see the back (well, I guess that's not true anymore since I'm posting it online, LOL). But you know what I mean.

Here's what I did:

• Cut out a piece of cardboard just a bit smaller than the finished piece
• Put 2 layers of quilt batting on the cardboard, then put the canvas on top
• Flip the whole thing over
• Use sticky artist tape to tape each corner of the canvas down, pulling a bit to make it taut
• Tape down each side, again pulling a bit each time

The whole process took maybe 30 minutes, as opposed to the 4+ hours it usually takes me for the full finishing process (admittedly I'm slow at that).

And if the tape wears out eventually, I can just re-do it, no big deal.

Please don't judge me for my scandalous ways. :)

(This project was my own design based on Stargate SG-1, an old sci-fi show. The names are the main characters. I used cross stitch for the letters to avoid gaps, and I used a variety of seed and bugle beads for the border.)

My bird has a head now, yay! Things are moving along! I'm still waiting to decide what to do about the background, but at least the design is really starting to come together now. Pattern is Fruit Dove Frenzy by Boomerang Stitches. I've been really enjoying it!

If you'd like, share an update on your project in the comments so we can all cheer you on!

Friends, I have stitched a headless bird! Sadly his head will have to wait until this weekend, LOL. Thanks for your advice about my background last week. I ripped out everything I had done, and I'm going to wait to make a decision about the background until I have more of the design stitched.

Pattern is Fruit Dove Frenzy by Boomerang Stitches. I'm only stitching the bottom left quadrant because otherwise I think it would take me forever.

If you'd like, share your WIP in the comments so we can all admire it and cheer you on!

I finished a little project - my first stitched 100% in silk floss! Pattern is Winter Thistle by Modern Folk Embroidery, but I changed the "Christmas" at the bottom to "Minnesota," my adopted home.

Flosses I used:

• Dark blue/purple is Dinky Dyes in Jindabyne
• Teal is Needlepoint Inc. (NPI) #483
• Pink is Classic Colorworks Belle Soie in Boysenbeauty

I enjoyed stitching with Dinky Dyes the most. It gave a beautiful shiny finish, hard to see in these photos.

Fabric is 36 count linen in "Milk Coffee" from XJuDesigns, stitched 2 over 2.

I added a few pale pink beads to the center of each snowflake, somewhat visible in the 2nd photo. I love how they came out! The beads are size 11/0 glass seed beads, Toho brand, "transparent rainbow." I attached them with 1 strand of 100% cotton hand quilting thread.

I love beads! I've been experimenting with adding more beads to my needlepoint projects, and it has been super fun. This is just a little scrap project where I was trying different things.

A few introductory tips for anyone interested in adding beads to needlepoint (note I am not an expert, just sharing my own experiences):

Bead types: Most small beads are made of either plastic or glass. I personally recommend Japanese glass beads because they tend to be the most uniform in size. Good brands are Miyuki and Toho. My LNS only carries plastic beads, so I buy my glass beads online. I've had good experiences purchasing from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads (they have everything) and Barrel of Beads (a seed bead specialist). There are lots of lists of reputable online bead shops on r/beading.

Bead sizes: For seed beads, size 11/0 fit nicely on 13 mesh canvas, and size 15/0 (and 14/0 if you can find them) fit well on 18 mesh canvas. In my sample (18 mesh), the larger seed beads are 11/0, and the smaller ones are 15/0. I also used 3 mm and 6 mm bugle beads, both of which worked well.

Beading thread: Choose something strong so any rough edges on the beads won't shred your thread. Most people recommend clear nylon beading thread, which comes in many thicknesses and brands. Personally I hate working with plastic thread because it is unruly, so I use a 100% cotton hand quilting thread. You can coat your thread with beeswax or other thread conditioner to strengthen it.

Beading needles: Most needle manufacturers make beading needles, which are very thin (to fit through the beads), sharp, have tiny eyes, and can be longer than typical tapestry needles used in needlepoint. They can be flexible, so be careful no to snap them in half. I also find that tiny embroidery needles (size 9 and smaller - meaning a higher number) work with most beads. If you're working with size 11/0 seed beads on 13 mesh canvas, a size 26 tapestry needle will probably work fine.

How to attach the beads to canvas: Lots of options! You can use a regular tent stitch, a cross stitch for extra security, couching, or trammed methods. (Tramming is when you attach a row of beads one by one, then run your thread back through the entire row of beads to secure them and line them up.) For attaching bugle beads, I always use a cross stitch, otherwise the beads will sit diagonally instead of parallel to the canvas threads.

Should you stitch the canvas intersection with thread first or not? Up to you! I always add my beads directly to the canvas (no thread underneath) because I like the beads to "sink into" the needlepoint. If you want your beads to "sit on top" of the needlepoint, stitch with thread first, then add a bead on top.

When to add beads: I recommend adding beads last. The beads may slightly overlap adjacent canvas intersections (depending on how big your beads are), so I like to have all the thread stitches in place before adding the beads. Otherwise you may have to carefully angle your stitches underneath adjacent beads, which is do-able but can be tricky to do neatly.

If you have any other tips, questions, or resources about adding beads to needlepoint, please share! Adding beads is really fun - I hope you give it a try!

Happy WIP Wednesday! Here's my progress on Fruit Dove Frenzy (pattern by Boomerang Stitches, 2nd photo). I'm really enjoying this project so far! The bright colors are so fun. I've got 2 passion fruits (or are they pineapples??) and a few leaves done.

I'm planning to stitch the background white, mostly tent stitch, but I wanted to add in a few decorative stitches here and there. My idea was to complement the design without overwhelming it. I tried a few leaf stitches in a subtle not-quite-white color, and now I'm filling in the surrounding tent stitch to see how it comes together.

I am REALLY on the fence about these leaf stitches. I need opinions! Do they look out of place? Too close to the fruit? Should I do them in plain white to help them better blend into the background? Skip them altogether? Stop worrying about it and just keep going?

Please share your current project in the comments! Can we get to 5 shared projects this week? Let's see those WIPs!! :)

Friends, it is my great pleasure to report that I started this new project and stitched one complete passion fruit this weekend. What's that you say? I didn't finish my old project yet? I am going through a tunnel and my cell reception is breaking up... sorry...

The pattern is Fruit Dove Frenzy by Boomerang Stitches (2nd photo). I'm using 4 strands of DMC embroidery floss on 18 mesh canvas.

I can't wait to start the birds!! Who knew birds and fruit were such a great combination.

I hope you've all had a great weekend!

Behold, a chaotic mess of decorative stitches! When I was first exposed to the wonderful world of needlepoint stitches (from a book), I decided I had to try them out right then and there. Since I didn't have any needlepoint canvas, I used some evenweave linen that I had in my fabric stash. I had a week off work, and the weather was nice, so I sat on my porch and "doodled" this concoction of stitches and colors. I had a blast! I even tried to create some colorful patterns within some of the stitches using multiple threaded needles at once. Apparently I dove right into the deep end, LOL.

When I got some canvas later, I realized how TINY my stitches were on this linen, and how much easier it was to stitch on canvas. Easier on my eyes, among other things!

I never finished this little sampler, but I've hung onto it for posterity. It reminds me of how enthusiastic I was when I first started, and how much I enjoyed the process of discovery.

Do you still have your first needlepoint project? Is it as chaotic as mine? :)

My improvised seascape is coming along! I'm making this up as I go along, which has been a fun challenge. Apparently the most challenging part is figuring out the colors, since I feel like I got the sunset backwards. I was stubborn and didn't want to look up any photos, assuming that I have seen the sun once or twice and knew what it looked like. Then I caved and looked online... turns out the sun is mostly white/yellow, with orange at the horizon, and I did the opposite. I had even started the sun with nearly white thread and then frogged it! It's ok, we learn as we go. My plan now is to add some pinks to the sky to blend it all together.

In terms of stitches, the sun is upright cross, and the sky is a blend of square-ish stitches including cushion, star stitch, oblong cross, Algerian eyelets, Norwich, Rhodes, etc. I am trying to keep them smaller scale at the horizon and larger toward the top.

If you'd like, share your WIPs in the comments! Even if it's your very first project, we'd love to see it and cheer you on. This sub is a judgment-free zone. :)

I'm so close to a finish on this one! I finished the main stitching, and now I'm considering some embellishments - maybe some outlining, French knots, or beads? My bead collection is growing... so I have to put them to good use, right??? Advice welcome!

I stitched this from a chart: "Magnolia" by Oksana Hohunska.

If you'd like, share your WIPs in the comments so we can all "oooh and ahhh" over them. :)

Hope everyone is having a good week!

A full yard of 18 mesh blank canvas! Turns out it's really hard to photograph. I got this from 123stitch, and there is more in stock if you are open to colors other than white. This is Zweigart French Blue.

What's that? You're asking if I draped it around myself like a cape and danced around the house when it arrived? Who can say, really...

The post flair is out of date because I already frogged it, LOL. I got lazy one night and stitched a vertical row of half cross stitch (in light blue, in the middle of the circle in the 1st photo). I wasn't happy with how it looked - I thought the canvas holes were too visible on either side of the vertical row. So I ripped out that whole area and re-stitched it with horizontal rows of continental stitch.

Can you even tell the difference?? Am I being too picky? Is this pattern so busy that it won't even matter in the end?

Part of me feels satisfied that I fixed something that was bothering me, but another part is like, just MOVE ON and finish this thing already! I am getting so close...

Oh, and a few disclaimers: Yes, my stitches are going in the opposite direction than usual (I'm a lefty). And yes, my back is a rat's nest... I am only showing it to you for science. :)

The end is in sight!! Just have to finish the big tree and fill in the sky. I'm stitching this from a chart: "Magnolia" by Oksana Hohunska. It's small - about 4 inches square. Any suggestions on how I should finish it? I'm leaning toward framing but open to ideas!