They call it a comeback…Needlepoint style.

I nearly fell off the bed when I saw the big, splashy, upfront,  two-page advertisement titled:

DISCOVER 

-- THE ART OF -- 

STITCHING

from Elizabeth Bradley's English Tapestry Kits in the January 2014 issue of Martha Stewart's Living Magazine.                Vicki Callaway, Director of Marketing for Elizabeth Bradley Designs explained, "We are not yet sure if it was the high quality and beautiful designs of our needlepoint kits that are driving our growth, or if it is simply that the remarkable recent resurgence of the art and pastime of needlepoint itself." 

It was a call to arms, a signal and a sign. 

The ad was not tucked into the back pages of the magazine. No, it was bold and loud, placed in the front section of  expensive advertisements.  

To be honest, this was not my first clue that Needlepoint may be making a comeback. 

There were a few other clues:


- Jonathan Adler's pillows featured in home style magazines (mod love throw pillow $175)

- Purl Soho's Website with a Needlepoint Section selling Charley Harper's Needlepoint Canvases such as "Love on a Richter Scale ($135 for the canvas)

and...

- The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) adding a specific market research report called The State of Needlepoint 2013 .

"What? Is it possible? Has it finally happened?", I thought to myself. "Has there has been enough activity in this industry to warrant the investment in a separate market research report?" Dare I hope? Is it a sign? The report says the estimated size of the needlepoint markets $63 million compared to the $377 million for yarn! 



But it's not about the money…


Needlepoint was my first love. 

Needlepoint makes me nostalgic and sentimental for my childhood and especially my mother. As a young child in the seventies, I grew up when Needlepoint was in it's heydays. (More on that in later posts.) My mother, grandmother, aunt and, even my grandfather, did needlepoint. (More on him too in later posts.) My mother's friend owned Valley Handcrafters in Avon, CT and I remember visiting the store with her and getting to explore the treasures while she discussed getting a piece of work finished. I can't remember my Sunday School classes, but I still remember visiting her needlepoint store! 

I've often lamented that Needlepoint has been frequently associated only with wealth. To be fair, hand painted canvases are expensive and the few primary needlepoint stores are often located in communities that have populations able to afford the craft and the costly finishing. I've balked at the price tags on beautiful, but small canvases. I know that price does not often include the cost of materials and most importantly finishing or framing. 


I have come to appreciate that the crafts people who paint those canvases and finish the work deserve the price. 



But there are other more affordable paths to enjoy beautiful needlepoint through thrift stores, estate sales, eBay, Etsy, stitch and zip kits, or learning to design, paint or finish your own work. 


It is not any harder than knitting, blocking, seaming, finishing… all things many knitters do for themselves. 


Needlepoint, like other repetitive needlework, can soothe the soul, spark creativity, and enhance relationships through personalized gifts or time spent stitching together. 

Let's call this a comeback and embrace both the expensive, and the affordable, needlepoint practices.  

2014.01.8 Next Post: My Mother's Needlepoint U.F.O.s  (Un-Finished Objects)