How can I be sure that when I bid I get an item which is a pleasure to stitch?

I’ve been doing needlepoint since 1970 and teaching and writing about needlepoint since 1997, I’m here to help you understand the terms so you can get the perfect needlepoint canvas.

Painted or Hand-painted canvas -- These terms mean that a person used a brush and paints (usually acrylic) to paint the design onto the canvas. In the United States, these canvases are the most popular.

Stitch-painted canvas - You see this term more rarely, but it refers to a hand-painted canvas where each individual thread intersection is painted.

Computer-printed - This is an emerging area of needlepoint canvases of quality equal to that of painted canvas. The difference is how the design is put onto the canvas. Extremely high-quality printers are used. Many people find it hard to tell the difference between painted and computer-printed.

Screened -- These canvases use silkscreening to produce the design. The paint used is oil-based and will look an feel different from acrylic paints. The paint it pushed through a screen so that only the correct areas of the canvas are colored. Generally only very high-quality kits use this method.

Printed - These canvases use rolls of canvas and printing presses to put the design on canvas. They also use oil-based paints. Because the designs are mass-produced, edges might not line up and colors may not change on the intersections. Printing is used for most kits and less expensive canvases.

Line-drawn -- These canvases are not colored, but have the outline of the design drawn onto the canvas from a template. Generally line-drawn canvases come with detiled instructions for stitching the design.

You can create wonderful needlepoint, no matter how the design gets onto the canvas, so buy the design you love and start to stitch!

Janet M. Perry is the author of Needlepoint Trade Secrets (Summer 2007) and specializes in mking needlepoint fast, fun and affordable! You can see her books and stitch guides at http://www.napaneedlepoint.com.