Welcome back to NeedlePoints of View, a monthly column brought to you by Emma of The Maker’s Marks and Hannelore of Hedgehog Needlepoint, where we’ll be sharing our love of all things needlepoint. Whether you’re new to the craft and want to learn what it’s all about or you’ve already fallen under needlepoint’s spell, we hope to inspire you to pick up a needle and get stitching.
The needlepoint scene in the UK feels like it’s having a bit of a renaissance. Fresh new talents are joining the modern trailblazing designers like Emily Peacock and Hannah Bass, adding their voices to a championing of colour and contemporary aesthetics.
In fact ‘Renaissance’ was the title of ALBION’s, a new UK based needlepoint collective, first design challenge. ALBION’s goal is to “promote and inspire the colourful, calming and sublime craft of needlepoint, bringing it to a wider audience.” Music to my ears!
It’s exciting to see new designs and kits becoming available to the stitching community, encouraging stitchers to add needlepoint to their skill set. It’s something I’m personally passionate about and a driving force behind my writing ‘Needlepoint – A Modern Stitch Directory’
In the book I share over 101 decorative needlepoint stitches. They’re such a great way to explore your own creativity on a canvas and an area of needlepoint I think needs exploring more in the UK.
Someone else bringing something new to the UK needlepoint scene is Frances Able, a US designer now living in London. Frances specialises in hand painted canvasses at affordable prices. It’s so rare to see hand painted needlepoint pieces in the U.K. Her designs are incredibly cute and many offer a custom option!
I’m also finding a lot of UK based designers reaching beyond the confines of the tapestry cushion, and looking for more variety in the ways to show off your finished pieces. On show at the recent Stitch Festival Emily Peacock launched her new box based kits, whilst on my stand I launched my new stitchable earring collection.
Studio Paca has a huge range of badge based needlepoint kits and 3d pieces, incredibly cute ones at that.
And it’s not just the designers bringing the new. Appleton’s Wools recently released an amazing set of neon wools, something I’d never seen before.
If exciting threads is what you’re after to add to your canvasses then let me also direct you to Lakeside Needlecraft. They offer a huge range normally only available in the US local needlepoint stores. Stocking the likes of Rainbow Gallery, Kreinik and the Caron Collection.
A round up of the exciting modern needlepoint scene in the UK would not be complete without a mention of the rather fancy Lowery Stands. Lowery have brought sewing stands right up to the minute with their glorious range of colours. I have my eye on Violet!
Next month join us as Hannelore shows us what’s fresh and exciting over in the USA.
