Thrifted Vintage Needlepoint Art Refinishing

Thrift shopping can be both fun and addictive, especially when you stumble across a store with great prices and hidden gems. There’s something about the hunt that keeps you coming back, and when you find a steal of a deal, it becomes addictive.

We have a local antique store that’s a real treasure trove, as long as you’re willing to take your time. It’s the kind of store where you have to search every booth and peek into every little nook and cranny, but the finds are worth it.

Since Easter, I’ve been on the lookout for new artwork to replace the framed Easter Bunny print I had up from Temu. I specifically wanted something with a vintage look, preferably in a gold or ornate frame to go with a cottage core or eclectic style.

I did find a few blank frames that I’ll probably makeover down the road, but let me start by sharing my favorite find from that day.

Vintage Needlepoint

If you enjoy a cozy cottage-style home or vintage decor, needlepoint art is beautiful. Needlepoint is a beautiful handmade craft that’s easy to overlook, but it fits so well with the cottage core vibe. It’s stitched by hand, one tiny thread at a time, usually on a stiff canvas, and the pictures are often feminine with homey subjects like teacups, florals, or cozy little scenes.

I love that someone likely spent weeks or months making this one, and now it gets a second life in my home. That’s what cottage core thrifting is all about to me: giving handmade things a place to shine again while keeping me on budget. I am so thankful to the woman who made this.

Hand-done needlepoint is perfect for cottage-style home décor, especially when it’s truly handmade and not machine-stitched. This one is even more appropriate thanks to the teacup theme stitched into it. It’s going into my dining room, country kitchen combo.

The “Before”

The needlepoint was professionally framed, and the style of the dark green wood makes me think it was probably done in the 70s or 80s. The glass was dusty, and the piece looked a bit dingy overall, but thankfully, the frame was real wood, and it didn’t smell smoky. I instantly wanted to give it a second chance, and I’m so glad I did.

How to Update and Clean Vintage Needlepoint

Step One – Dismantle the Frame

The first step was to take the whole picture apart and see how it had been framed originally. It had a brown paper backing glued to the frame, glass on the front, and the needlepoint itself was stretched over a wooden board. The whole piece was held together with those small black metal tabs (not sure what they’re called, but I kept as many in the frame as I could). Once it was disassembled, I was ready to start cleaning.

Step Two – Cleaning the Needlepoint

I started by wiping down the glass, crossing my fingers that it would be all it needed. It helped a little, but the picture still looked dingy. So I gently vacuumed the surface of the needlepoint and moved on to cleaning the fabric itself.

The needlepoint was stretched tightly over a board, and it looked like it might even be glued down, so sending it to the dry cleaners was out. I decided not to risk removing the needlepoint from its backing and washing it. Instead, I cleaned it while it was still mounted.

My go-to for tricky fabric spots is Dollar Tree carpet cleaner. I’ve used it on everything from fabric placemats to my car seats, and it always works great. I sprayed a bit onto a clean white rag, then gently rubbed the white background areas of the needlepoint. It wasn’t difficult, just time-consuming.

You want to avoid getting the fabric too wet or stretching the aida cloth background. To avoid this, I’d spray the cleaner onto my rag and then rub a small section with my finger, check the rag for dirt, then shift and repeat until the whole white area was clean. It took about 45 minutes.

It worked surprisingly well! I let the piece dry overnight, and by morning, it looked fresh and clean again. Since I applied the cleaner to the rag instead of spraying directly, I was able to avoid touching the needlework itself.

Step Three – Refinishing the Wood Frame

I wanted the frame to have a softer, more natural look that would blend with the rest of my decor. I started by sanding off the old green paint, hoping to expose the raw wood underneath. But some areas ended up with a faint green tint that just wouldn’t come out.

To whitewash the frame, use 1 tbsp of white latex paint mixed with 2 tablespoons of water. Give it a good mix and then brush it on. I let my whitewash dry for 2 minutes before softly wiping the paint off. It took two tries to cover the green. The light white wood frame did lighten the look of the needlepoint

The original green mat that came with actually worked well, just as it was. All it needed was a quick wipe-down with the same Dollar Tree carpet cleaner I used earlier, and it looked good as new.

Note: You can change the color of a good-quality mat with paint, using a dry brush technique, so try that if your mat color doesn’t work for you.

Step 4 – Reassembling the Needlepoint Wall Art

Once everything was clean and dry, I reassembled the artwork. I had to bend back the little metal tabs to make room for the glass. When replacing the clean glass, be careful. It’s fragile, and you don’t want to force it into place and accidentally crack it.

1 – Next, add the mat, then run double-sided tape around the edge of the mat opening.

2 – Add the needlepoint centered over the tape, double-check from the front side for placement. Press it down gently but firmly.

3 – I was unable to reinsert several metal tabs that had fallen back into my frame, so after adding the cardboard backing, I secured it with clear packing tape around the edges.

4 – Next, I applied double-sided tape to the back of the frame and attached a cut-to-size piece of brown paper from Dollar Tree. It helps to start by pressing the paper in place at the center of each side, then smoothing it out toward the corners.

Finally, I added the hanger and hung the needlepoint.

Loved how this vintage needlepoint and frame came back to life? Go ahead and pin it so you’ve got the idea saved for the next time you come across an old frame or stitched piece that deserves a fresh start.

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