AboutHenry Babcock Expertise I learned needlepoint from my grandmother over 30 years ago. I can answer most questions on the subject. I know about producing needlepoint as well as cleaning, repairing and restoring.
Expert: Henry Babcock Date: 7/7/2008 Subject: needlepoint yardage
Question How do I calculate the yardage of fiber I need to complete a needlepoint....is there a rule of thumb?
Answer Gloria,
There are several factors to take into account to precisely calculate how much thread you will need for a given project.
The most basic rule of thumb is one yard for every square inch of the project.
For more precision, start with a 18 inch thread, stitch a square half-inch (e.g. on a 12 count canvas, stitch 6 holes by 6 holes), and measure the length of the thread left over and subtract from 18. Multiply that length by 4 to get the coverage for a square inch, then multiply that number by the number of square inches in the project.
