Nesting Blog: Community: Cookiemag.com

You might have seen the clever needlepoint maps from our contributing editor, Rory Evans, in our May issue. We know the word "needlepoint" might translate to you as "horrendously tedious craft I have no time for," but Rory shows below just how easy her quick needlepoint method is.

I'm largely self-taught, and I think I have a rogue (though others might call it savage) style of needlepointing. My dirty little secret is that I use plastic canvas, 10 spaces per inch. (Since the spaces are larger than those in cloth canvases, I double-thread the needle.) Also, I stitch back-and-forth in rows, almost like eating corn on the cob "typewriter-style." (The classy, usually older, usually WASP-y women who live and die by needlepoint tend work in a diagonal pattern.)

1. GATHER SUPPLIES

You'll need a 10x10 plastic canvas, size 22 needlepoint needles, several twists of Silk & Ivory needlepoint yarn, a pair of scissors, a photocopy of your map, sized to fit the canvas (Google maps works perfectly).

2. TRACE THE MAP

Lay the map underneath the canvas, and with a black ball point pen, trace the outline of the land mass (and any landmarks or features you wish to include).

3. THREAD THE NEEDLE

I learned this handy threading technique when I was six: Cut a length of yarn about two feet long, and loop the yarn around the pointy end of the needle and pull it very tight. Firmly pinch the yarn right next to the needle, and, still pinching, slide the needle out. Now feed that tiny little nubbin of thread through the eye. Pull one end all the way through. Even the ends of the yarn, and knot them.

4. FILL IN INTERIOR LANDMARKS

Push the needle though one square of the canvas, and stitch back through one square up and one square over (to make a very short little diagonal stitch). Stitch back through the square that's immediately beneath that square, and repeat. (Click here for more instruction.) Go back and forth in horizontal rows, filling in a block of color.

5. KNOT THE END OF YOUR THREAD

This is perhaps the most unorthodox thing I do. When I get near the end of my thread, I push the needle through to the wrong side, snip the needle off the thread, and double-knot the little loose ends.

6. STITCH THE BORDER

Outline the land mass with your chosen color, using the stitch method described above. (You might end up working more vertically than horizontally.) Be certain that as you're stitching the one-stitch thick parts of the border, your stitches are in the same direction as the other ones you've already done--your diagonals should start lower left, end upper right.

7. FILL IN THE LAND MASS

Again, using the back-and-forth typewriter/corn cob method, fill in the land mass. Then, fill in the background color. Start an audio book or the first season of The Wire on DVD. This is meditative work, and though it's relatively speedy, it still takes a while, and it helps to have a little story going on in the background. BONUS TIP: Having needlepoint in my hands keeps me from snacking, especially around televised sports.

8. MARK YOUR HOME WITH A FRENCH KNOT

Using regular sewing thread or a single strand of embroidery floss, thread a regular needle and knot the end. Consult your map print out for exact spot location, and stitch through. On the "right side" of the finished needlepoint, tie a knot in the thread and press down with your index finger as you pull the stitch, so the knot ends up right on top of the canvas. Send the needle back through to the "wrong side," knot it, and cut the thread. Repeat for each spot of interest on the map.

Still need help? Here's a great basic how-to site, and we love this modern beginner's kit. But when in doubt, seek out a boutique that specializes in needlepoint, and ask the owner or clerk if she can offer you some advice and pointers.

And when you're all done, Target has a great selection of inexpensive simple frames.