You know when you have a week, and you get to Friday and you take a deep breath and think, WHAT HAPPENED? That was me at 10am this morning. Like where did the week go? By all accounts it was a good one - we had a fun date night, I went to a great book club and got to float in a pool while chatting, and I got to go into the office and be energized by my colleagues - but I felt a bit off kilter all week, and am looking forward to a weekend reset.
If you’ve listened to the podcast or followed on Instagram, you know I am a hobbyist - in the winter it’s knitting, and in the summer it’s needlepointing. My mom has always been incredibly good at crafts (knitting, needlepoint, basket-weaving) and I remember her teaching me how to needlepoint when I was young, and it’s been something I’ve been doing for well over 25 years. I have made all sorts of things, belts, pillows, framed items, and hanging things, but I think my favorite projects to needlepoint are ornaments. Ornaments are shorter projects, with tangible outcomes quickly, and I have ~20 for our tree and want to continue to grow the tradition and stitch some for my kids each year. Some of my favorites are from Silver Needle - I try to get one when we do big trips and have the date embroidered on the back.
This week’s Five Faves is more a set of resources and tools that I use for needlepoint, and I hope you enjoy!
Five Friday Favorites:
Local Needlepoint Store - With any craft, I think finding your local store is so helpful. I know this isn’t possible in all areas, but we are fortunate to have a number of good stores near us - In RI I go to Needlepoint By The Bay, in Boston I go to The Stitch Boutique. It’s so helpful to see the threads and canvases in person as I’m deciding on a project, I am a visual person so having all of the thread options out on the canvas helps me. Also, the needlepoint experts at the store usually have great recommendations. I just picked up a canvas at The Stitch Boutique, and the threads they recommended are nothing I would have picked myself but I love how it’s going to turn out.
Online Stores - There are plenty of online retailers to get gorgeous needlepoint canvases and tools, a few of my favorites are Lycette Designs, Penny Linn Designs, and Greystone Needlepoint. I love how they will kit everything for you (meaning canvas and thread). I bought these cheeky coasters from Lycette a while ago for my next project. I also love how Krista of Penny Linn Designs has designed her own accessories to help you use your needlepoint creations. I purchased these bags for my sister and myself, and I love mine. I use my ornaments in mine and change it out seasonally. I also want some of these coaster covers.
How to Get Started - If you don’t have a friend who needlepoints (because every needlepointer loves to help a new one out), there are some great resources out there. Penny Linn Designs has some great instructions and beginner kits on their website, as does Greystone and the Stitch Needlepoint Club has monthly “Stitch Alongs” where I am sure you’d be able to find support, resources, and even a friend to stitch with.
Getting Fancier - Once you’ve mastered the basics, there are WAY more needlepoint stitches than I ever even imagined. I use these books, Stitches to Go and Needlepoint - A Modern Stitch Directory as my guides for trying different stitches, and the ladies at the needlepoint store always recommend some great ones I’ve never tried!
Getting Really Fancy - Once I got really comfortable with stitching and canvases, I started designing/painting my own canvases. I did this with our wedding monogram and other monograms, just by buying blank canvas and tracing over it. I don’t have any great pictures, but it’s super easy. I also have used MobiStitch (an app for the iPad) to design a larger pattern from uploaded images of trucks I painted for my son. I am excited to see how those turn out!
Your favorite link from last week - Abercrombie Shirts for the Olympics!
What’s for Dinner
Honestly this week was a wash - don’t even remember what we ate 😵💫
More A Day In Her Life:
ICYMI this week’s episode with Alison McGrath was so fun! Alison is a school adjustment counselor, mom of three, and new children’s book author. Alison shares how she gets her kids (and herself) to school on time, how she savors some alone time and how that’s dwindling in the evenings as kids get older, and how she wrote a children’s book! Give this one a listen
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