Blocking Needlepoint

Now that the lovely needlepoint is complete, it is time to learn how to block the needlepoint canvas to ready it to be finished!  Once the needlepoint is blocked, take a look at our page for needlepoint finishing ideas!

What does blocking mean in needlepoint?

After completing a needlepoint piece, the warped canvas must be straightened.  Working the stitches on the canvas stretches it and distorts it, so the canvas must be blocked to restore it to its original shape. 

All finished needlepoint projects should be blocked.  Although the main point of blocking needlepoint is to straighten the canvas and put it back to the original size, the act of blocking will fluff up the stitches as well.

Blocking needlepoint is an important step in finishing all needlepoint projects. 

What can I use to block needlepoint?

Learning how to block a needlepoint canvas is very important to complete the finishing step of needlepoint.  There are various ways to block needlepoint.

For most pieces, the way to do so is to use a needlepoint blocking board.  These boards that are used to stretch the canvas are commercially made and can be purchased.  

They have some type of material such as foam and a floating vinyl grid that can be pinned.

The needlepoint canvas is easily stretched to the lines of the grid and pinned through to the foam below.

This page has several links to purchase commercial blocking boards.

A much less expensive option is a DIY wooden blocking board.  To make one at home, a smooth piece of wood is used to hold the tacks or pins.  

Be sure the wooden board is very smooth and clean!  It would be a shame to dirty or make pulls on the beautiful needlepoint work. 

For smaller and less distorted needlepoint projects, the needlepoint blocking board can be made of cork board and pins or tacks.

There is a link below to purchase pins that work well for needlepoint blocking. 

If the needlepoint work is both small and the canvas is hardly pulled out of shape, a steam iron can sometimes be used to block the needlepoint.  The iron is set to the wool setting and held above the canvas which is covered with a damp cloth.

Traditional needlepoint is often stitched using wool, but our page on needlepoint threads has other options as well.

Making sure the iron does not touch the canvas, the canvas is gently pulled into shape as it is steamed.  Be careful not to burn fingers in the process!

Scroll down below to find many ways to efficiently and effectively block needlepoint. This important step should not be skipped!