this is the face of one afflicted with an addiction. heed its warning.
Okay so I have this really dorky idea.
What iiiiif we started . . . wait for iiiiiit . . . a NEEDLEPOINTING CLUB.
It's sinking in, right? It's the most exciting thing you've ever heard of, right? It's like, Holy crap! Let's do it! Right? I know!!!!!
My friend Isabelle and I were talking about doing this like FOUR YEARS AGO, but, you know, life.
This is what is wonderful about needlepointing:
1. wrist cramps make you feel like you're being athletic
2. loose thread, like, everywhere. to drive your husband crazy
3. it's a million percent easier to sit and watch the power rangers with your kid when you're not actually watching the power rangers with your kid
4. they're really inexpensive, and they keep you busy a really long time
5. they look sort of pretty! and also sort of hideous. so they the Natalie Holbrook Kistch Test with flying colors.
find this sucker here
The first question we need to address is What exactly are you planning to do with these things once you're finished?!
Somebody obnoxious is going to ask you that question.
The answer is ANYTHING I DAMN WELL WANNA, OKAY??? So far I've been giving them all as gifts (pillow cases) (feel lucky you don't have a gift-receiving event coming up because this is all you're getting from me), but once I make one to keep for myself I'm planning on pinning it to the back of my oversized denim jacket like this picture here that I've been obsessed with for almost half a decade.
The second question we need to address is What exactly is the difference between needlepointing, cross stitching, crewel work, and embroidery?
The answer is I don't know! But Wikipedia does. So, they are all embroidery. Cross stitch involves making an X, half an X, and detail line work. Needlepoint is usually just half an X and is what makes up tapestries etc. Crewel work involves all sorts of fancy stitches, like, french knots. In my experience, crewel projects have the highest incidence of coming out all wonky and delicious.
The last and final question we need to address is Where exactly are we finding these amazing kits???
Well! Luckily this is the kind of question I excel at. Shopping questions!
As always, Amazon has a lot of amazing options. As does Purl Soho. Try one of these?
3. Cross Stitch Sampler (Alicia Paulsen's stuff is the BEST) (This one too)
4. The Last Supper anyone?
5. Welsh Cottage and Moorlands crewel kits
6. Candy Cane Santa?
8. City Bridges + Mountains at Purl Soho
9. Four Seasons
10. Constellations
11. Chickadee Crewel
12. This one is the craziest counted cross stitch of all time
13. Wildflowers and Finches
14. This one is cute
15. Feasting Frenzy! (Sounds macabre, it isn't, haha)
16. HUMMINGBIRD DRAMA!
17. This pillowcase kit
12. This one is the craziest counted cross stitch of all time
13. Wildflowers and Finches
14. This one is cute
15. Feasting Frenzy! (Sounds macabre, it isn't, haha)
16. HUMMINGBIRD DRAMA!
17. This pillowcase kit
But don't forget eBay!!!!!!
Try these:
1. Strawflower Bouquet (those colors!)
4. Pansy Pillow
5. Christmas Stocking??
Before you order a needlepoint kit, be sure to check the description to ensure the canvas comes with the needed materials for completion--by which I mean yarn or floss in the appropriate colors and amounts--because getting just a painted canvas or a chart in the mail and then having to color-match your own floss is a pain in the tuchus. Every kit I've ordered has come with its own needle. I usually lose this needle five or six times over the course of a needlepoint project. That's fun.
If you want to play along on Intstergram, tag me! Use a hashtag? #hnjneedlepoint? I dunno. Let's make it happen!
Go team!
i love this. i'm currently in the middle of building a dollhouse for my daughter but maybe, just maybe, when i'm finished i'll give needlepointing a go!
ReplyDeletedude, i have been working on that hydrangea one for over a month and have completed approximately 2% of it. this is so hard! i feel like i'm going cross-eyed and blind at the same time.
ReplyDeletethis is so fun!
ReplyDeletei have good breadth of craft knowledge but terrible depth, haha XD
i'm known to rock a cross-stitch though :-p
i just bought a shaker style sampler kit on etsy, and will happily post updates on instagram #hnjneedlepoint :) :) :)
Its taken me almost a year, but I'm almost finished with my daughter's Christmas stocking. Can't wait to pick out my next project...
ReplyDeleteAaaaannd, there are needlepoint stores if you find a canvas without the threads. They can help you match up colors and pick fancy types like velvet or lame.
There's an etsy store that sells fine art cross stitch patterns- one of my life goals is to cross stitch Judith Beheading Holofernes :D (gotta love the juxtaposition of the grandma craft and super gory imagery!)
ReplyDeleteAre there beginner kits? This looks fun but i'm sooo not crafty.
ReplyDeleteYou DEFINITELY have to check out the Storyland Cross Stitch book. It doesn't come with any of the stuff, just a ton of patters, but they're the absolute cutest things I've ever seen. Hello! You can make a pencil case with a wolf on it. And a family crest thingy. And a fox pincushion! They're the best. You have to at least order it to look through! And thread is super cheap anyway, so it's not that hard to gather the things you need, since she tells you exactly what colors to get (no guesstimating!). Trust me on this one.
ReplyDeleteI would join this club! I have been needle pointing myself a Christmas stocking for approximately 2.5 years. Next up: a pillow! Sometime in 2017ish, I imagine.
ReplyDeleteI love this! I just started a crewel piece (my first and only experience with needlework on any real level), so I'd love to, you know, have a club or something.
ReplyDeleteYes! I will be posting tonight! I love that you share my love for this nerdy-grandma-hobby!
ReplyDeleteMe me me me me! ME!! I have resurrected this childhood hobby myself these last couple months. I'm going to go hashtag a photo from a few weeks ago because I decided it's allowed. YAY CLUB
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! -Hanna Lei
ReplyDeleteMy mom started a HUGE needlepoint before I was born. It was hydrangeas and I'm not sure if it was supposed to be art, a blanket, a giant pillow or WHAT. It was still sitting in a basket in our house when I was in high school, 1/4 finished. I think she finally threw it away, 20 years later. All of this to say, I don't think needlepoint is in my blood, but it's fun to see others doing it!
ReplyDeleteEmbroidery is the handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins.
ReplyDeleteCustom Embroidery Digitizing