Needlepoint from America’s Great Quilt Designs

Mary Kay Davis and Helen Giammatei, Workman, 1974 ISBN: 0-911104-41-0

This classic needlepoint book is one I’ve treasured since I bought it more than 35 years ago. Looking through my dog-eared copy, my second one, I realize I’ve made so many of these projects, several of them more than once.

Needlepoint had a huge flowering in the 1970’s and many books were published. Quilting also began its resurgence then. This book takes the two and melds them together into motifs and projects that are classic in design and therefore easy to customize to suit your tastes.

If I look at what I’ve stitched from here, you’ll find pincushions made from small motifs stitched in pearl cotton, pillows made from wool I dyed myself, other pillows made to show off a variety of threads. Every one of these I could see stitching again right now. The colors would be different, but they would look just as good.

The book is simple in format. After a brief introduction, most of the patterns are given two-page spreads. The first page has a black and white picture of the block or motif, This page also has information about the quilt block, followed by stitching instruction. The facing page has a large, clear chart for stitching. Unlike smaller charts, these have symbols that are easy to distinguish and stitches where it’s easy to see where they stop and start. If you’ve been frustrated by needlepoint charts in the past, try these, you’ll love them!

The stitching notes are different from the ones you might find in current books. First there are few thread suggestions. That’s because most stitchers only used wool at the time. But today it allows the stitcher to create the design as desired, freeing us to follow or tastes, preferences, and stashes. You also will only find information about mesh and coverage at the back of the book. This also reflects taking these patterns and using them as you like.

The designs are grouped into chapters that are somewhat connected by subject. The quilt block and motif designs are followed by a chapter on borders (these are great), as well as several pages on background stitches.

You might wonder why I’m gushing over a book that’s 42 years old — that’s because it is a timeless book, that is still widely and inexpensively available.

Buy this book and its companion, More Needlepoint from . . ., you will find so many ideas for great projects!