I grew up cross-stitching. My mom always has a handwork project going, and she’s exceptional at English paper piecing. Making things with my hands has always been part of my life.

As I navigated life with two small kids, I found myself needing a handwork activity I could pick up and drop at a moment’s notice. For me, that’s where needlework comes in.

What is Needlepoint?

If you’re not familiar, needlepoint involves covering a mesh canvas with various threads and stitches. The result is a textured, dimensional piece that feels both timeless and personal.

What I love about needlepoint (at least how I do it) is that the design is already printed on the canvas. There’s no counting squares like in cross-stitch. You can see exactly where each color goes, which makes it much easier to set down mid-project and pick back up later without losing your place.

A Note on Methods

Traditionally, you can buy hand-painted canvases or paint them yourself. Some people place a scaled image behind the canvas and paint over it.

As a serial hobbyist, I have access to a sublimation printer. I print a properly scaled version of my design, line it up, and sublimate it directly onto the canvas. You can copy the pattern, paint it on, or do whatever works for you.

I’ve had really good luck using 12-mesh canvas from Michaels. There’s apparently a canvas shortage happening in the US right now as this hobby grows in popularity, so that’s where I’ve been getting mine.

I’m sure I’m doing this in a way that might bring great offense to seasoned stitchers. Hopefully it brings you joy instead.

A Free Public Health Needlepoint Pattern

For those of us who work in public health, I wanted to create something just for our community. This free needlepoint pattern has been scaled for three common canvas sizes:

• 12 mesh
• 13 mesh
• 18 mesh

You can sublimate the design directly onto your canvas or print it to place behind your canvas as a guide.

Share Your Work

If you stitch this pattern, please share it! I would love to see public health needlepoint out in the world.

Happy stitching.