Introduction to Needlepoint

The first time my mother took me to the Needle House she shuffled me around the shop, showing me all the different canvases and projects. I had seen needlepoint before, my mother is an avid stitcher, but I had never seen so much of it in one place. I looked through what felt like thousands of canvases, all of them different, some I liked, and some I loved! My mother was there to get more thread for a project; you can never really have enough anyway, so we went back to the thread room. I had never seen so many beautiful colors at once! The sight of it was inspiring to say the least.


As my mother was choosing her threads and getting advice on her project, I stood there watching women come and go through the shop. All of their projects were different but every one of them mentioned that they were stitching it for their son, or their daughter, or their grandchild, or their sister. I began wondering why none of them were keeping their work; I was baffled. Why would they invest so much time in learning and perfecting this craft just to give their projects away? It took some time, I was very young during this first encounter, but I soon grasped the charm of needlepoint.

Receiving a needlepoint piece is very special. I’ve seen all kinds of different projects made to be given as gifts for loved ones such as a family member or dear friend, or as a way to welcome someone into the family, whether by birth or by marriage. Regardless of the reason, receiving needlepoint is precious. It’s inspiring to see so many women of all different ages gather together to learn such an impressive craft. It certainly is a skill that requires a lot of time and creativity, but in the end it is totally worth it to create such charming pieces as well as pleasant memories. 

Written by: Jennifer Reed