Updated 1/26/18
I started needlepointing in 1970, right at the beginning of the last needlepoint craze. Needless to say in the decades since I have taken advantage of that popularity in many ways. My shelves are full of vintage books, i learned to use many different threads, and ideas that popularity spawned still fuel much of my work. You can probably say the same thing.
In spite of all that I have gained from that popularity, I still long for needlepoint to become really popular. While knitting is no longer the fad it once was, it still has a vibrant on-line presence and lots of creativity.
A few years ago I was at a local knitting shop with a friend. This shop sells a small bit of needlepoint as well. We were talking about business and she said that she hoped knitting would pick up again after the “scarf craze.”
Several years ago Cheryl posted a comment about my blog and needlepoint saying, “Kudos to you for bringing awareness of needlepoint back again. I am so concerned that it is going to become a lost art as young people have little time nowdays and tend to go to the hobbies that give instant results.”
This got me thinking about what we want hobbies to be. We live busy lives, so we want a hobby which fits into our lives. It should be:
-
simple
portable
easy to do in little bits
stress-relieving
substantial (there is something made at the end of the process
beautiful
modern, not stuffy
Let’s quickly look at needlepoint in these terms.
Is it simple? Yes! You can teach someone the Bargello Stitch in two minutes, and Continental in about five. With those two stitches, you can make so many wonderful things.
Is it portable? Yes! Unlike many other crafts, you don’t need to bring a pattern with you, and you don’t need a flat surface to do your work.
Is it easy to do in little bits? Yes! A stitch here and a stitch there and pretty soon it’s all done. I’m sure many of us keep needlepoint in the car, and drive our spouses nuts by taking a project with us everywhere, “just in case.” In fact I think it’s easier to do needlepoint in little bits of time than any other craft I know.
Is it stress-relieving? Yes! Like many other crafts, it puts you into a meditative state where you relax, let go of the problems, and take a mental vacation.
Is it beautiful? Yes! Adaptation, charted canvas, original project, kit, or painted canvas, the result is something which is beautiful, a work of hands and heart.
Is it modern and unstuffy? Yes! But this is where the perception of needlepoint has problems. People think it’s for ladylike buttoned up society people (I always think of Cosmo’s wife in Topper when I think of this). Needlepointers are not like that. And one of my goals is to show that to the world.
I’d love to see people in the indie crafts movement take up needlepoint and see what they can do with it. I’d love to see people breaking the boundaries of what can be done. And that means doing something more than Tent Stitch an avant garde image or thought.
I’d love to see needlepoint as part of reuse and recycle projects. (Heck, I am so thrifty in using my thread stash that I do whole projects from what is there and did this even before it got huge.)
In this blog, I’ve pointed out many people and projects which break our perceptions of what needlepoint is. If you’ve done something fun or different with needlepoint, let me know about it and I’ll show it off. If there is something you’d like to see people do or an idea you want to bring out for getting needlepoint more noticed. Let me know as well.
All this helps but let’s think outside the box. What do we need and want to make needlepoint popular again? We are going to need to do this ourselves as stitchers. What would you like to see?
Shake up the world, do some needlepoint!
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
I agree with you whole heartedly. Unfortunately you cannot do needlepoint on the bus with all the bumpy street of pittsburgh. I will keep crocheting on the commute. But needlework is the perfect craft at work on your lunch hour. I work in a hospital phone room and telephones ringing all day can bring on the tension headaches.
I started a counted cross stitch and work it on my lunch hour. My stress level goes down so much that I do not have the headaches anymore.
I Love it!
“Is it stress-relieving?” Yes! The AMA did a study on the effects of needlework of all kinds on blood pressure and found that once you got past the stress and frustration of learning – be it the art form itself or a new stitch – that doing needlework on a consistent basis lowers (and helps maintain) a lower blood pressure…..so, keep stitching, knitting, and crocheting!
While I agree with you completely, now that I have started knitting and understand both worlds a bit more, the reality is that needlepoint on average is more expensive and less portable than knitting. The startup costs are much steeper in needlepoint as well. I think you could be reasonably up and running on a nice project in knitting/crochet for 20-30 dollars whereas you would be hard pressed to do more than a small Dimensions kit in that price range in needlepoint. If you walk into a local needlepoint store, even very tiny painted canvases run about $50 – I know this because I was shopping for a small valentines project last week.
I would love to see needlepoint have the same level of online presence that knitting does – in fact, one of the reasons I got started in knitting was trying to use Ravelry to sort my needlepoint stash. It would be great if someone could develop a Ravelry like platform for needlepoint. I think another other reason knitting is more appealing is that you can make a project faster, and the projects are more practical than needlepoint. Needlepoint is VERY slow – it takes me about an hour per square inch to stitch. Now that I have made a couple of large pieces (that took me months and are waiting to go to the finisher and will cost me $$$ to have done properly), I am kind of burnt out – because really how many pieces of framed needlepoint can I really hang in my home or have made into pillows. My friends see my handmade hats and ask for one. No one is asking me to make them needlepoint pieces.
I still love needlepoint, but I can definitely see how knitting and crocheting is much more popular across all ages and I am not sure how to bridge these issues.
I too started needlepointing in the early ‘70’s
And still have my first piece – a clenched fist in the center of the Women symbol. All done in shades of burnt orange. LOL
While needlepoint has all those characteristics you pointed out – one you missed: costs. In the last 20 years I have noted that painted canvases have become very expensive. A Christmas ornament will cost $50 to buy and $20 in threads and
Another $50-75 to have made up. Go for
A larger canvas and pillow and now it is
Hundreds of dollars. We do not make it easy for novices to start on start on a whim.
We like to show everything with super fancy stitches. The young don’tknow To pick up cheap canvases on eBay or other sites.
We need less expensive canvases and to do more honor to tent/basket weave. I love the new Movie coasters but at $60 a pop plus finishing that is one very expensive coaster.
That is one reason so much needlework is moving to charted geometrics. Much cheaper. But it is not needlepoint as we know and love it.
Janet, there is a wonderful blog called Glam Pad that has been created by a young woman, Andrea, it is mainly about putting the pretty back in decorating. She has featured Needlepoint many times and has even learned to stitch and loves it…she also features many famous Decorators who have always used Needlepoint in their designs. I had stopped stitching in the late 90’s and after getting hooked on the GP blog decided to take it up again and I am so glad I did! Needlepoint has changed so much in the years I was away and is very exciting, not that I don’t still love what I stitched back then but learning new applications is always fun….
I agree with Gail and Darcy – the cost of needlepoint is prohibitive for most people. While I completely understand the difficulty and hard work that goes into a handpainted canvas and understand the high cost, we as a group should be promoting lower cost needlepoint. I’ve done several printed canvases and while they aren’t as easy to stitch as a handpainted canvas, I can buy them for less than a quarter of the price and that matters! Additionally, we stitchers need to be more inclusive. There are many stitchers who look down their noses at a project done simply in tent stitch or basketweave. It seems if you don’t put 28 fancy stitches into your work, it’s not appreciated. We also need to be more open to beginners who paint their own canvases and/or go outside the lines of “traditional” meaning a fancy designer with a fancy price. I love needlepoint both as a stress reliever and a creative endeavor but I no longer post much of my work online as I’m tired of being “damned with faint praise.” If I question the cost of a canvas or finishing, I’m called “negative” and “complaining.” Most of the time, I’m just trying to understand why the cost is so high.
I started needlepointing 35 + years ago with one of those lovely Herrschners Christmas stockings. I enjoyed doing it as I recall and did some other projects but then let it fall by the wayside for cross stitch and quilting.
Two years ago on vacation I went in a knitting shop in Maine that had a small needlepoint section. And the obsession started. I came home with several projects. One was an ornament that I finished in a month. SInce then I have found the most wonderful people and shops all over. I met a lady last fall (on vacation again) who had designed and needlepointed a wing chair with birds. She was so inspiring to talk to. So we are out there. More of us everyday. I ran into a 30 something in a shop in Houston who was with a friend. The friend needlepointed and was encouraging her friend to start. She was hesitant. I had to say something so I said,” of course you can do this”. It’s relaxing and easy. There are holes in a canvas you put thread through. And it’s cheaper than therapy……SHe bought an entire kit and was on her way. This needlepoint is not needlepoint from years ago…….more stitches……..more threads…..more patterns…….more canvases. I hope we can keep all crafts going for the next generation regardless if it is knitting, crocheting, cross stitching, rug hooking, quilting or needlepoint. In all crafts you will have a saturation point. Take a break and then come back. None us need 100 quilts, or 15 knitted hats or 20 needlepointed pillows. Just enjoy it!!!!!!
I’ve been needlepointing since I was a child and still very much feel like an outsider. The industry/community itself has to recognize that it puts up many of its own barriers. Cost is certainly one, but, honestly, friendliness and openness is another one. I’ve kept up with needlepoint for many years despite the support from local needlepoint shops and others who needlepoint. I’m pretty fearless, but over the years, I’ve ventured into many shops to be glowered at by older ladies who wanted to know my skill level before they’d speak to me. It’s *not* a community friendly to beginners. And also an industry that tends to be defensive about costs. And then to see what wins at state fairs — some really surprising choices, and of course, it’s very political. I think that in order to look at whether needlepoint can be the new knitting, folks need to look at how open and friendly knitters are for all levels — and regardless of budget. Not surprisingly, when I’ve met other needlepointers in person (or online) they are very excited about their art and eager to share and learn.
Renee —
I agree and think often the attitude of shop folks is our worst advertisement. I have plenty of stories of horrid things I have seen throughout the industry at every level, including stitchers.
While by and large needlepoint is full of wonderful, helpful, and caring people, those that are not make it hard for those who are.
Keep stitching,
Janet