Bougle’s Heart – Needlepoint from an Anatomical Heart Drawing

I am a woman newly obsessed with needlepoint, and this anatomical heart needlepoint is the first evidence I have to show of my obsession.

My work is based on an anatomical drawing by Joulien Bougle from a book of drawings published in 1899 called Le corpus humain et grandeur naturelle: planches coloriées et superposées, avec texte explicatif. The images are available online through the U.S. National Library of Medicine. I’ve recently started exploring anatomical drawings through needlework as a way to connect my love of science to my love of craft. This heart is my first finished project, but I’ve already started stitching another and scheming even more.

Some data: The design uses 11 colors which I hand-dyed. On standard 14 count needlepoint canvas, it makes a finished size of just over 8″ x 10″. The design is 115 stitches by 145 stitches. It used over 200 yards of fingering weight yarn and took me 78 hours of stitching.

If you are new to needlepoint but want to give it a shot yourself, tomorrow I’ll post 5 tips for Successful Needlepoint Projects. If you are interested in purchasing this pattern, which is a counted pattern and can be used for needlepoint or cross-stitch, you can find it on [Edit: Not currently for sale]. I also have for sale a kit of the pattern, my hand-dyed yarn, needlepoint needle, and needlepoint canvas so you can dive right in.