Crafts and handmade projects unite the women in my family across five generations — none more so than needlepoint, a skill that was taught to us as children and then became a beloved hobby as we navigated adulthood. My mom, Katie Metheny, 53, and grandmother, Karen Perez, 79, both learned to needlepoint from my great-great-grandmother, whom we call GG. Both remember watching her needlepointing hour after hour in her chair, working tirelessly on projects to give to the family. My two sisters and I were introduced to needlepoint in a similar way, watching our mother and grandmother stitch away at projects while we played or looked on.
For my grandmother, the hobby has a meditative appeal. “It’s peaceful but productive,” she says, noting that much of her needlework is done while watching television or to decompress in the evenings. In more difficult times of life, the hobby has been a respite. “I call it therapeutic intervention because it’s repetitive, it’s portable, it’s [a] distraction.”
Needlework has been around for centuries as an art form, hobby and creative practice, taking on many forms throughout the years, including needlepoint, embroidery and other types of stitching. Needlepoint as we know it today, with designs hand-painted onto canvases and then stitched by hand, is a more recent invention. Needlepoint pillows and Christmas stockings might be the most recognizable outputs of the craft, but, really, everything from the seats of chairs to rugs to keychains, decorative trays, wall hangings and framed pieces of art can be made from needlepoint designs. “I particularly like it because I can’t draw or paint, and that’s my art — that’s the only art I’ve ever been able to create,” says my grandmother.
A new era for needlepoint
My relatives aren’t the only ones who have shared needlepoint across generations. The hobby is all in the family for Bonnie Cody Varney, who co-owns the Dallas shop Needlepoint This! alongside her mother, Sherry Cody. Cody learned needlepoint as an adult, introduced to the hobby by a friend, and then passed the tradition on to Varney, who has been stitching from a young age. The store on Lovers Lane has been around since the 1970s and came under Cody and Varney’s ownership in 2008.
While the needlepoint community has thrived in Dallas for decades, Varney says the store has seen an influx of new needlepointers over the last few years. Many people adopted the hobby during the pandemic, she says, but a second wave of younger needlepoint enthusiasts is emerging this year thanks to its growing popularity on the social media app TikTok. It’s not just young people who are interested, though. Varney, who teaches the beginner needlepoint courses at the store, says family groups spanning multiple generations come in to learn or refresh skills.
When Varney learned needlepoint in the ‘90s, it was common to focus on big canvases that looked like art, took months to finish and resulted in elaborate pillows. Now needlepointers are taking on more attainable projects that connect them to the hobby without requiring advanced skills or materials. “You’re seeing more and more people wanting to do smaller projects, things they can keep in their purse, things that can travel with them,” Varney explains.
Simplicity is one of the major appeals of needlepoint. The methodical nature of stitching a canvas little by little over time, with nothing more than a needle and thread, makes the craft accessible to many. You can create a beautiful design even with limited knowledge of needlepoint stitches and only a handful of materials. “It doesn’t take a lot of tools, it just takes time,” my grandmother says. All you really need to start are a canvas, threads (or “fibers,” as they’re more commonly known among enthusiasts), a needle and a sharp pair of scissors. In some cases, magnification may be needed, and good lighting is essential. “Often you don’t need as much correction or magnification as you need light,” my mother says from experience (though there are devices that combine a light with a magnifying lens).
You can learn to needlepoint by watching videos online or taking a class, like the beginner workshop Varney teaches. The most common needlepoint stitch, the basketweave stitch, is what beginners are usually taught first. While you can certainly learn other decorative and more complicated stitches, most projects can be completed with the basketweave stitch alone. Using unique stitches or selecting special fibers — like silk fibers or shimmery, metallic threads — gives the needlepoint artist room to make the canvas their own. “I like doing the decorative stitches, and you prefer to use different fibers,” my mother says to my grandmother, who nods in agreement.
It should be noted that needlepoint is not an inexpensive hobby. For a first-timer taking on a small project to learn the skill, Varney says you can expect to spend at least $100 to purchase all the supplies needed. Prices will vary depending on the size of the canvas you choose and the number of threads the design requires. Canvases and threads are typically priced separately, though some come in kits.
Projects can take months or even years to complete, depending on the size and your stitching pace, but it’s rewarding. Five generations’ worth of needlepoint creations decorate my home, my mother’s home and my grandmother’s home. The Christmas stocking my mother made for me when I was a little girl is my most prized possession. A needlepoint birthday banner made by my grandmother has decorated the table for every birthday dinner in the family for decades. For my mother, grandmother and me, each needlepoint piece carries a memory.
The real reward isn’t the final product, though. It’s the comforting, methodical process of needlepoint — and the way it connects us to each other — that keeps us coming back.
Where to get started
Head to a local needlepoint shop to buy a canvas, peruse threads or learn tips from an expert. You might even find a new community, too.
Needlepoint This!
4420 Lovers Lane, Dallas, 75225 | Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | needlepointthis.com
Creative Stitches & Gifts
12817 Preston Road, Suite 132, Dallas, 75230 | Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | creativestitchesandgifts.com
Chaparral Needlework
6445 Cedar Springs Road, Suite 200, Dallas, 75235 | Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | ndlpt.com
The French Knot
4706 Bryce Ave., Fort Worth, 76107 | Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | thefrenchknot.com
