Oval Box Class

This is a canvas that we purchased from DJ Designs. Helen will be teaching this class in January using ribbons to construct the flowers. After it is completed it will be made into a small oval bax approximately 3" x 41/2 ". It is a must for every powder room or ladies room.

Sorry Meredith - I didn't mean not to display the picture - I am still in the learning phase of blogging. I guess I would much rather be needlepointing.

I just wanted to say that I thought this canvas was really cute and I love the way she paired it with the ghost magnet to mind her needles.

Baby Canvas

How beautiful is this baby canvas - I hope Amy will send us a picture when she has completed it.

Fall Canvas Selection

This is a sampling of some of the canvases the ladies worked on. Many were small in the hope they would be finished in a day however with all the laughs, goodies and raffles nobody seemed to complete their project. Oh Well - there is always next year.

Fall Fun

Our Marathon Sunday Fall Fun Party was a huge success said all the ladies at the party. 

Ten ladies stitched the day away while making new friends and enjoying laughs as they worked on their Fall themed canvases. 

Lunch was provided by Whole Foods and the big question of the day was "When are you holding another stitching party?"


Cathryn talked up the class she will be teaching for us beginning in January called the Background Sampler. 

Mary Lynn's Stockings

Mary Lynn did this delightful pair of Christmas stockings for a wedding gift. The stitched parts are the toe, the heel and the cuff. Then the finisher creates the rest of the stocking from Velvet. They are fantastic looking but require much less stitching. They are also on #13 mesh.

Mary Lynn loves glitz so she used lots of Kreinik. The stockings are by Kelly Clark.

Baby Sampler

Amy had her first grandchild in July. Before the birth, we had seen this lovely birth announcement by Barbara Elmore. Then, we had our letterer do the lettering.

We just think it's just lovely. It could be done in just the plain stitch or one can embellish it with stitches. We are dying to see what Amy is going to do!

Nancy will be Ready for Halloween

Nancy Currey stitched this delightful bracelet. We hope she is wearing it this week so she gets the full use of it.

Happy Halloween!

Finished Pillow

Isn't this a beautiful traditional pillow? It was stitched in a tent stitch using wool. And although there are other options, the traditional approach remains an elegant one.

Because the stitcher used a tent stitch and wool, this pillow will be able to withstand a lot of use. Even the dog can lie on it.

Dottie's Wedding Cake

Dottie came in with her completed wedding cake. Her goal was to have a wedding gift ready for each grandchild, even though most were not getting married for several years.

She did an absolutely exquisite job embellishing this canvas. She used ribbons for the flower top. Don't the lilies of the valley look real? I love the way she did the cake stand.

This is a truly wonderful gift.

Threads Galore

We have at least 1000 skeins of yarn on sale for $1.00 a piece.  Please check the website under threads to see what threads are available.

Gail's Santa and Reindeer from DJ Designs

Gail bought this delightful canvas the last time we had the DJ canvas. She did an absolutely wonderful job on the stitching. Of course, if you know Gail, you know that she was thrilled to be able to find the perfect ceramic and holly leaves for Santa's head!

In the current DJ show, there are also some other winter whimsical canvases. And remember that during the trunk show, DJ canvases are 20% off.

Meredith is Ready for Halloween

Meredith was here yesterday for Stitch and Chat. Unfortunately for her, her finished Halloween decoration came in after she left. But if is really fantastic. The picture just doesn't do it justice!

The pumpkin glows and the haunted house is suspended above it. Come in early today before she takes it home.

Fall Fun

It's really fall today.  The leaves are starting to turn and the air is crisp in the morning.  I stitch with my cup of tea in the morning before I come to work. 

Because fall leads up to snow, come out and join us on November 6 for lunch and stitching at the shop.  We will be stitching from 10 AM to 4 PM with a break for a catered lunch.  You can check out the details at our website.

DJ's Midtown Manhattan

The picture above is a finished moon from DJ's Rockefeller Center Stocking.  This wonderful canvas comes as a stocking but also as two different sized panels (one with Santa and one without) plus a small oval ornament.  There is also a canvas on #13 mesh that just has Santa, the moon and the tops of the buildings.

I just found out that DJ's fabulous Rockefeller Stocking design is actually called Midtown Manhattan. That's just one of the things I've learned in the past month and a half. In the next few weeks, I will be reporting to you what I've discovered career about the needlepoint business.

Right now, we have the DJ Designs in house and they are wonderful.  The line includes lots of Christmas but also wonderful dogs, paisleys, flowers, great room canvases and a wide selection of chairs.
It's a truly wide range of canvases!

We are promoting the show with 20% off of any of his canvases.  So if you've been eyeing one, now is the time to get.

DJ Designs Trunk Show

We want to let you know that the DJ Designs Trunk Show has arrived.

Helen worked really hard all day getting it ready to open the show this Saturday morning.

During the show we will have regular store hours but remember we are always happy to accommodate our clientele by appointment if you can’t make it while we are open.

Even more exciting is the fact that all Trunk Show canvases will be 20% off as well as the threads if you purchase the threads at the same time as the canvas.

You will also be able to take the canvas home right away, so that you can get started on your new project while the excitement is in the air.

I hope to see everyone during the next couple of weeks while we hold this fabulous show.

Vanessa

Sales, Fall Fun & More

As promised, it is October 1st and I am making my first attempt at blogging. It has been a very busy month. First cleaning and organizing the store to my liking, getting familiar with the staff, hiring a new employee, learning the cash register, figuring out the copy/fax machine and then making all the administrative changes such as phone lines and payroll companies. My head is still spinning and now I am in Massachusetts on a college hunt with my daughter.



With all the changes we have going on we still had time for a sale. We marked down at least 500 skeins of thread to a $1.00 a piece. We also slashed prices on 300 canvases with drawers filled with $10, $20 and $30 items as well as a belts marked down to $40. One wall in the store is covered with still more mark downs as well and we have at least a dozen Christmas Stockings available for $75. If you have not had the opportunity to check things out please do so this week as we are only keeping things around until our first Trunk Show.


When stopping by the store check out our new windows which my college room helped decorate for the season. Which brings me to my next topic: Sunday November 7th we are holding our first ever Fall Frolic. It is a needlepoint party held from 10am – 4pm. Please check out the events page of our website for details and let us know if you are interested.

Move information another time and I promise pictures soon. I think I need to buy a new program for that. Eileen has told me hers was not the easiest to use and very time consuming.

Learning the Business

Hi! I'm Vanessa, the new owner of Ridgewood Needlepoint. I'm really looking forward to continuing the blog but this month, I need to concentrate on the day to day operations. I will continue to take pictures but will resume the blog in October.

Support Your Local Needlepoint SHop

During the last few weeks, I have seen so many customers.  I was thrilled to be able to help them because for me, needlepoint is about the people as much as it is about the needlepoint.

I just want you to remember how thrilled you were when you found us.  And how concerned you were when you thought we were closing.  If we want to have local needlepoint shops, we need to support them.

Change is Inevitable and Often, Good

Today is my last day as the owner of Ridgewood Needlepoint. It is certainly a bittersweet time for me.  I have loved owning Ridgewood Needlepoint.  But I am looking forward to having Vanessa take it over.  I know that she will bring new ideas which is exciting. I am looking forward to introducing all of you to Vanessa, the new owner.  So if you are around today from 1 PM to 4 PM, come and meet her.

But sometimes, other changes occur.  So although everyone knew I was leaving,  Suzanne has just announced that she will be leaving, too.  She has accepted a  fabulous offer to work with her old company --  it is a good time for her personally to return to the full-time workforce.  During the past nine years, Suzanne has organized our finishing process -- ensuring that your completed needlepoints have come back as finished pieces. In addition, she has worked with our customers.  As left-hander, she was invaluable to us all in teaching left-handers.  Suzanne is also a great stitcher.  She often reminded us that a canvas stitched in tent stitch is just as beautiful as one with many stitches.The picture above is one of her finished needlepoints.

Ridgewood Needlepoint will  miss her but it is a great opportunity for her.  We wish her well in her new position.  (She may come in occasionally on a Saturday while Vanessa settles in.) But if you are around this week, come in to say good-bye.