Me & The Needlepoint Book

Needlepoint has accompanied my life since 1970. The Needlepoint Book has accompanied it since it was published in the mid-70’s.

My early needlepoint education was from the lovely ladies who owned my LNS and from my grandmother, but even back then I was mostly self-taught. This was, in part at least, because I was in High School and didn’t drive.

By the mid-70’s I was in college and was known in our small community for stitching constantly. I even got to know the wife of our most respected tutor because she was a stitcher too. A lovely German woman with the improbable name of Dodo, she was so delighted that in our highly intellectual world there was a student who thought it made perfect sense to quilt instead of going to lectures with her husband.

BUt when I was home my needlepoint world also expanded. I roamed to find needlepoint shops. In one. near my Grandfather’s work I found The Needlepoint Book one summer’s day.

It literally rocked my world. So many stitches! So much information! So many ideas! I was entranced and emboldened. Making a stitch sampler of wools I had died myself from stitches in the book.

I have marked that copy up with notes about projects. I have replaced the original paperback with a hardbound copy (and transferred the notes). I’ve stockpiled used copies to give to new stitches.

The revolution wasn’t quite as large when The Second Edition came out, but still . . . more stitches, more inspiration, and everything I loved about the original book. It sits, rebound in a comb-binding above my desk, always ready as a reference. If I take it out and leave it elsewhere, my bookshelf looks unhappy.

Now the Third Edition has arrived for some shops and advance readers (mine arrived last week). I’m happily working my way through it. There are plenty of people posting on Facebook about it, or writing blog posts; I’m going to save most of my comments until April 27 (2 weeks) when I post my review). There will also be some surprises coming up as well.

Buteverything you loved about the other editions is here — and more! There are more color pictures of lovely needlepoint. There are more stitches. There are more techniques.

But there are two things I want to single out that make this book head and shoulders better than what came before. First Jo has reorganized the chapters. Now they make more sense for how we stitch and help us think about making our stitching great.

Second, she has added great stuff about picking out or creating your project and stitching it. I’m just getting into this section now and I wish someone had told me this stuff 40 years ago.

If you haven’t pre-ordered your copy — do it today. It will be worth it!