Hey! I Can Do That

I Can Totally Do That: My First Needlepoint Adventure

In true ADHD “Hey! I Can Do That!” fashion, I decided I needed a new hobby.

Enter: needlepoint.

I had been seeing all the TikToks, Facebook Reels, and videos of people creating these adorable needlepoint pieces, and I thought, Oh, that looks fun! I could totally do that.

Then I looked at the price of some of those gorgeous painted needlepoint canvases.

And thought…

Well, I CAN DO THAT MYSELF.

Because apparently my ADHD brain has decided that instead of simply buying the thing, I should learn an entirely new craft and make it myself. 😂

Choosing My First Project

I headed over to Etsy looking for a needlepoint chart that wasn’t too big, but was still something I would actually want to use.

I eventually settled on this adorable Jolly Santa Face Needlepoint Pattern from BFDesignstudioCo.

Get the Jolly Santa Face Needlepoint Pattern on Etsy

The pattern is designed for 18-mesh canvas, which finishes at approximately 4.8 x 5 inches, making it a really cute size for an ornament. It was also labeled as beginner-friendly, which sounded perfect for someone who had absolutely no idea what she was doing yet. 😂

My original plan is to use it for our annual Cookie Exchange Party, where we do an ornament exchange every year. I thought it would make such a cute handmade ornament.

And if that doesn’t happen?

Well, my newest nephew was just born, so it could become his first Christmas ornament.

See? I had options. 😂

Gathering My Supplies

Once I picked my pattern, it was time to gather everything I needed.

And because this is my first needlepoint project, I did a LOT of researching, shopping, and probably overthinking. 😂

Here is what I ended up using and what it cost me:

Supply	Cost
🎅 Jolly Santa Needlepoint Pattern	$6.00
🧵 DMC Thread — colors needed for the project	$7.90
📏 Stretcher Bars	$15.99
🪡 DMC Tapestry Needles — Size 22	$5.80
🎨 Acrylic Paint Markers	$9.99
⬜ 18-Mesh Needlepoint Canvas	$15.99
🎀 Painter’s Tape	$0 — I already had it
Total I Actually Spent	$61.67

If you don’t already have painter’s tape at home, you can pick some up at Walmart for around $5, bringing the estimated total to approximately $66.67.

Important: This total does not include finishing supplies. I’ll be covering those in another post once I get to the finishing stage.

Where I Got Everything

🎅 Needlepoint Pattern — $6.00

I purchased the Jolly Santa Face Needlepoint Pattern from BFDesignstudioCo on Etsy.

Get the Jolly Santa Face Needlepoint Pattern on Etsy

This is the pattern I used for my project, and it’s designed specifically for 18-mesh canvas.

🧵 DMC Thread — $7.90

I purchased the DMC colors needed to complete the project.

And let me just say—DMC has a PLETHORA of colors.

Seriously.

If you can’t find the color you’re looking for in DMC, I’m not sure that color exists. 😂

📏 Stretcher Bars — $15.99

These are what I used to keep the canvas stretched and nice and taut while painting and working on my project.

🪡 DMC Tapestry Needles, Size 22 — $5.80

Apparently, even needles have sizes I had never thought about before. 😂

For this project, I went with size 22 DMC tapestry needles.

🎨 Acrylic Paint Markers — $9.99

I purchased these from Amazon specifically for painting my canvas.

See the Acrylic Paint Markers I Used on Amazon

They worked pretty well, although I quickly discovered that 18-mesh canvas + thick marker tip = not always my friend.

I definitely wished I had a finer point for some of the smaller areas.

⬜ 18-Mesh Needlepoint Canvas — $15.99

This was another Amazon purchase.

See the 18-Mesh Needlepoint Canvas I Used

And yes, I knowingly chose 18 mesh for my first-ever needlepoint project.

My eyes would like to formally file a complaint. 😂

🎀 Painter’s Tape — $0

I already had painter’s tape at home, so this didn’t cost me anything for this project.

If you need some, you can grab a roll at Walmart for around $5.

But Let’s Do Some Girl Math…

Now, before we completely decide that I spent $61.67 just to paint and stitch one ornament, let’s do a little Girl Math. 😂

Because not everything I bought is a one-project-only expense.

I can get roughly four canvases out of the 18-mesh canvas I purchased.

The paint markers? I’ll be using those for the other canvases and probably several future projects.

The stretcher bars can be reused.

And the needles?

Well… I can use those until I lose them. 😂

So let’s spread those reusable supplies across four projects.

The 18-mesh canvas, paint markers, stretcher bars, and needles total $47.77.

Divide that across four projects, and that’s about $11.94 per canvas.

Then add the $6 pattern and $7.90 in DMC thread for this project, and we’re sitting at approximately $25.84 for this canvas before finishing supplies.

See? Girl Math. It works. 😂

And honestly, it gets even better.

The paint markers aren’t going in the trash after this project. Neither are my stretcher bars or needles. I’ll be using those for future projects, too.

So the more needlepoint I do, the more that initial investment gets spread out.

But What About Buying a Pre-Painted Canvas?

This is where I started to understand the needlepoint world a little better.

A pre-painted canvas for a similar-sized project could have cost me somewhere around $35–$60, depending on whether I purchased just the painted canvas or had it kitted with the supplies.

So did I save money?

Maybe.

Did I spend 5–6 hours painting it myself?

Absolutely.

And that’s the part that makes this whole experiment interesting.

Because while I can spread out the cost of my supplies over multiple projects, I can’t spread out those 5–6 hours. 😂

My time is worth something too.

And after spending an entire afternoon painting one tiny Santa, I suddenly understood those professionally painted canvas prices a LOT better.

But we’re not done with the math yet.

I haven’t even finished this thing!

The finishing supplies will be a whole separate adventure, and we’ll add those into the final cost once I actually figure out how to turn this painted canvas into a finished ornament.

So for now, we’ll call it:

Girl Math: $25.84

Actual Money Out of My Bank Account: $61.67

Hours Spent Painting: 5–6

Regrets: TBD. 😂

So… How Hard Could Painting It Be?

Back to my favorite phrase:

Hey! I can totally do that.

I gathered my supplies, pulled up the chart, and started painting.

And honestly?

And here’s where TikTok actually came through for me. 😂

After watching a few needlepoint videos, I learned something that I absolutely did not realize when I started:

Each square on the chart actually represents the intersection of the canvas threads—not the little square itself.

This may be completely obvious to experienced needlepointers, but as a beginner, I had to have this explained to me!

Once I understood that, it made SO much more sense when I was painting my canvas. I wasn’t just coloring in little boxes—I was marking the intersections where my stitches would actually go.

And honestly, that little bit of knowledge made painting the chart onto the canvas much less intimidating.

Then I got to painting.

Painting the canvas wasn’t difficult at all.

The biggest problem was that I chose 18-mesh canvas for my first project.

Apparently, my eyes did not get the memo that I was starting a new hobby.

The painting itself was straightforward, but OH. MY. GOODNESS.

It was time-consuming.

It took me roughly 5–6 hours just to paint the canvas!

Five to six hours.

Just painting.

And while I definitely saved money on supplies compared to purchasing a professionally painted canvas, I quickly realized something else:

My time is worth something too.

I completely understand the prices I was seeing on painted needlepoint canvases now!

There is a LOT of work that goes into them.

The Paint Marker Experiment

I purchased some acrylic paint markers from Amazon, and overall, they worked pretty decently.

My biggest complaint?

I needed a finer point.

Because I chose 18-mesh canvas, some of the areas were TINY. Trying to get paint into those little squares without accidentally painting three squares at once became an adventure of its own.

I did end up using some Sharpies in a few areas as well. As well as I tried one Oil Based Acrylic paint marker.

Now I’m just crossing my fingers that I didn’t create a future disaster when I start stitching and discover that the Sharpie or Oil Based Acrylic decides to transfer onto my thread.

We shall see.

That’s part of the adventure, right?

What’s Next?

Now that the canvas is painted, I have entered the next phase of this little adventure:

Actually figuring out how to needlepoint it.

I need to choose my stitches, figure out which areas need special stitches, and—most importantly—learn how to compensate those special stitches so everything works with the design.

Because apparently painting my own canvas wasn’t enough of a challenge.

😂

I’m thinking this is probably going to turn into a 2- or 3-part series, because there is no way I’m going to fit everything into one post.

So now I’m officially committed.

I started this project because I thought:

“Hey! I can do that.”

And now we’re going to find out if I actually can.

Follow along as I attempt my very first needlepoint project, learn as I go, probably make a few mistakes, and hopefully end up with a cute little vintage Santa ornament at the end.

Because that’s what Hey! I Can Do That! is all about.

Trying something new, figuring it out, and having a little fun along the way.

Wish me luck! 🎅🧵

Want to Try the Same Pattern?

If you’re feeling inspired to join me on the needlepoint adventure, this is the Jolly Santa Face pattern I used from BFDesignstudioCo.

Get the Jolly Santa Face Needlepoint Pattern on Etsy

This is the exact pattern I purchased and used for my project. I am not the designer of the pattern; all design credit belongs to BFDesignstudioCo.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we get into the actual stitching—and I figure out what the heck I’m doing! 🧵🎅