Party Mask in Needlepoint

The items you will need are:

  7 Strands black Persian yarn

  10 Strands red Persian yarn

  1 Gold Kreinik #16 braid #200

  1 Gold Kreinik #8 braid #oo2HL

  1 Kreinik cord #205C

  1 Rainbow Gallery Plastic Canvas 10

  1 Skein #5270 DMC red metal floss

  8” X 12” 14/1 Canvas

  8” X 12” Stretcher bars

  #20 Tapestry needle

  Beading needle

  120” Strand black seed beads

  39” Strand gold oval beads

  3 Large black beads

  6” Gold ribbon 1” wide

  Black and red feathers

  Red felt

  ¼” Dowel 18” long

  Masking tape

  Thumbtacks

  Marking pen

  Beeswax

  Black paint

  Glitter



  1. Bind raw edges of canvas with masking tape.
  2. Using the illustration on the right, mark your canvas with permanent or water soluble marking pen.  Mount on stretcher bars.
  3. Stitch Continental with 2 strands black Persian yarn in area marked 1.
  4. In area marked 2, stitch Jus. The perpendicular lines are 2 strands black Persian. Two strands red is used for the diagonal lines and 3 strands DMC red will be the crosses. Stitch one strand Rainbow gold for the large crosses.
  5. Edge will be in the areas marked 3. Use 2 strands for the pi stitches. Diagonal lines are 1 strand black and the crosses are gold #8 braid.
  6. In areas marked 4, place Sturgeon Trail. The long diagonal stitches are in 2 strands red and Continental is in 2 strands black. One strand gold Rainbow will be in the upright crosses.
  7. For each eye, cut a 10” strand of #16 braid. Make a cord. Couch the cord around each eye with 2 strands DMC gold.
  8. With 1 strand #16 braid, couch diagonal lines from the center out. Couching will be with 2 strands DMC gold.
  9. To make the tassels, cut a piece of cardboard 1” square. Make 75 wraps with Kreinik #205C around the cardboard. Finish the tassel with 2 strands DMC gold. Attach to each corner of the eyes. Trim each tassel to measure ¾”.
  10. Cut mask out leaving ½” raw canvas on all sides.
  11. Clip raw canvas at a 90 degree angle around all sides of the mask.
  12. On a flat surface, pound the bare canvas to the underside of the stitches with a hammer. Do not let any bare canvas show. Cut away any bulk.
  13. With sewing thread and needle, stitch the raw canvas to the back using Herringbone stitches.
  14. Along the bottom of the mask, sew seed beads. You will make each fringe with 20 beads. Use beeswax to strengthen your sewing thread.
  15. Using the template, cut your felt to the exact size of the mask. Stitch onto the back of the mask with matching thread.
  16. Cut 1 ½ yards of #16 braid. Fold this in half and make a cord. The finished length will be ¾ yard.
  17. With 2 strands DMC gold floss, couch the cord along the edge of the mask. Start couching where the stick will be placed. The cord will be in front of the bead fringe.
  18. Paint your stick black. When dry, glue on glitter.
  19. Using bees waxed sewing thread, 2 strands, make a long stream of oval beads measuring 12”. The end will be a large bead and a small one tying off the end.
  20. Repeat step 19 making one stream 13” and another 14”.
  21. Attach the feathers and streamers to the stick. Feathers are under the ribbon pointing upward. Bead streamers are also under the ribbon but hanging down.
  22. Attach the stick to the mask.