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S H O P S & W E B R E S O U R C E S
F I N I S H I N G
A L I T T L E H I S T O R Y
NEEDLEPOINT AND/OR KNITTING SHOPS
In our travels, we have found some places that are worth visiting! Find the city according to the country and state!
CANADA
- Montreal Way back in 2001, this city was so poor in the needlework department, we found NO places to report on! I figured that the Canadians didn't need wolly love, but instead stay in to watch hockey all winter...but then a Canadian Betty named Melissa e-mailed us about a quilt shop called La Maison de Calico just a bit west of Montreal. She said to keep in mind Jeannette's and Les Lainages de Petit Mouton too.
Also, Eleanor e-mailed in suggestions for knitting: Tricot quartier - "la knitterie moderne", Mouline Yarns, and Effiloche
UNITED KINGDOM
- London - Where they take their needlpointing & knitting QUITE seriously (what else are they going to do in that weather)!
Tapisserie - not too far from Harrod's, this place focuses on needlepoint pillows, rugs and purses. They have original work you can't find anywhere else, and show off some fine finishing (especially with their purses!) Don't ask for belts, because they will tell you that belts are, "An American thing." Prices include wool yarn. They work in wool, pure silk, or DMC cotton. You can see just a tad at www.tapisserie.co.uk/
Debbie Bliss Knitwear - For any knitter; this woman is the Martha Stewart of knitting. She has everything from yarns to books -- all over the world! We hear her store has closed, and she works out of home, where she occasionally runs classes. Here is her web site: www.debbiebliss.freeserve.co.uk/
- Liberty’s on Regent Street - We hear that this is "great for knitting and all needlecraft items. The best bit though is that it’s “home” to a group of 35 knitters who meet up on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays in each month from 5.30pm. All visitors are welcome and if anyone is going to be in town on other weeks we can usually get a group together!"
UNITED STATES
- CALIFORNIA
San Francisco
Elaine Magnin - Great needlepoint shop owned by a man (forgot his name), which is unique in and of itself... He bought it a few years ago from the real Elaine and has moved the majority of their products online. You MUST check out www.elainemagnin.com.
Needlepoint Inc. - 800-345-1622. In the heart of Union Square, this overstuffed needlepoint has it's own finishing room. They are QUITE expensive and NOT particularly nice there. Also online: www.needlepointinc.com
Britex Fabrics - "This fabric store, just off Union Square, has been around since the 50's. It's 4 stories high and when my little Betty is ready to marry, we'll be driving 450 miles north to shop for fabric for her gown. Britex Fabrics is a destination for all things sewing and millinery, although quilters may wonder where the cotton floor is. They have such pedestrian stuff, but not nearly as much as couture fabrics, home decorating fabrics, trims/notions/embellishments (a whole floor of this stuff), and more!" Colleen Kayter Online: www.britexfabrics.com
Los Angeles
La Knitterie Parisienne - 12642-44 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 - Phone 818-766-1515, 800-2-BUY YARN
Suss Design - 7354 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 - 323-954-9637
Knit Cafe - 8441 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, Ca 90069 - 323 658-5648, M/F/Sa 10-6, Tu/W/Th 10-830, Su 11-3
Knitting House - 9459 Charleville Blvd. (east of S. Beverly Drive), Beverly Hills, CA 90212-3017 - 310-275-6438, M-F 1030-6, SS 12-4
L'Atelier - 1202-A Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403, 310-394-4665
Wildfiber - 1453-E 14th St, Santa Monica, CA 90404, 310-458-2748, 800-382-7067/Fax 310-458-9000; www.wildfiber.com
Yarns Unlimited - 828-1 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405, 310-395-3880, 310-395-4267, 800-660-6745/Fax 310-395-2038
- COLORADO
Boulder
Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins - Like its hometown, this store - which is the only true one in Boulder - is a little crunchy. No Debbie Bliss here! Given their big space and their lack of competition, there is great potential here! www.shuttlesspindlesandskeins.com
Denver
The Lamb Shoppe - A new shop that has become a Betty all-time favorite. Owners Anita and Mary Carol couldn't be more friendly and helpful. Not only do they have a TON of cool, quality yarns, but they have great samples of knitted pieces all over the store. To boot, they serve a mean latte. Truly the shop of choice in Colorado. 12th Ave at Madison. www.thelambshoppe.com
The Strawberry Tree - Rude, rude, rude. Nice selection, though.
Posh - Supposed to be stellar - How can you not love a store that has a 'stitch therapy' knit-in each week to watch Grey's Anatomy?! Highlands. www.poshayarnboutique.com
Greenwood Village
Knittycat - Arapahoe and Quebec. Small, but helpfull staff. www.knittycat.com
- CONNECTICUT
Old Greenwich
The Village Ewe - Our dear old Ewe. A Betty favorite, and the only place in the Tri-State that we consider our needlepoint shop of choice. www.thevillageewe.com
- DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Actually in Virginia
G Street Fabrics - Heaven for sewers. A high-end craft store that will turn you into a betty in no time. Classes, notions, inspiration...
- LOUISIANA
New Orleans
The Quarter Stitch - 630 Chartres Street; (504) 522 4451; The inspiration behind The Betty Club, this lovely knitting/needlepoint store will kit any of their canvases (which range from folk artists to the traditional Melissa Shirley) with thought, care and zest. Quite a selection of high-end yarns.
- MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
The place next to the Ritz Hotel on Newbury - BIGGEST RIP-OFF. They offer overpriced threads and kits. Just walk down the block to a REAL, NORMAL store... On the other hand, this place probably deserves the award for the most inventory in the smallest space. Another lover-of-wool store.
The other place on Newbury Street
(closer to Lilly) - This place is laid back (not
as snobby as the one near The Ritz) and full of nice people.
They also have some great purse canvases!
- NEW YORK
New York
needlepoint:
Annie and Company - 1325 Madison Ave (93rd/94th) - We've heard this is the best needlepoint shop in the city. See for yourself! www.annieandco.com
Erica Wilson - 717 Madison Ave (63rd) - Well known needlepoint designer with her own store - in NYC and in Nantucket. VERY traditional stuff (wool and old-fashioned canvases). Everything seems to be pretty much kited, and is all 18 point. She seems to have some kind of licensing agreement with the Metropolitan Museum of Art for their designs... www.ericawilson.com
The Lion & The Lamb Ltd - 1460 Lexington Ave - Nice, small store with some stunning canvases. www.lionandlambshop.com
Rita's - 150 E. 79th Street. Small store that has Silk & Ivory for $4.25, which is the best deal we've found yet!
sewing:
Fashion District - Just walk the streets, baby. From 28th to 41st, between 6th and 8th Aveneues. It's a sewer's paradise.
The City Quilter - 133 West 25th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues) - This place has some very hip fabrics that you will undoubtedly see as high-end, downtown baby clothes.
Manhattan Sewing Machine Company - Random location, random place, but ask for Heshe and you will get the best deal on a sewing machine out there...
trimmings / notions:
MJTrim.com - Fabric and Trim - Buttons, triming...beyond your wildest dreams! The AMAZON of its category. http://www.mjtrim.com/
Tender Buttons - 143 East 62 Street (212) 758 7004;
Buttons & garment closures. If you are looking for museum-quality finishings, this is your place!
Mokuba - 55 W. 39th St.
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knitting:
Downtown Yarns, 45 Avenue A. Small place with nice yarns. They offer all kinds of classes.
Gotta Knit - I won't even mention any more about this place. They are SOOO SOOO vicious, you wonder how they could even stay in business. They give knitting a bad name!
Habu 135 West 29th St - Suite 403. I haven't been there yet, as I know I'd spend a fortune. It's not supposed to be cheap, but full of unique Japanese threads. I hear they will sell you a sample pack for a reasonable price.
Knit 3-2-1 East 75th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues. A wonderful small shop. They have a lot of great yarns, and a nice large table to sit at and knit!
The Lion & The Lamb Ltd - 1460 Lexington Ave - Nice, small store with a wide range of brands. www.lionandlambshop.com
Magry Knits, 80 East 7th Street http://toomanythings.blogspot.com
Purl 137 Sullivan St between Houston and Prince. Small store.
Seaport Yarn 135 William St 5th Fl 212-608-3100. Haven't been there, but I hear it is a bit of an awkward retail experience.
School Products Co., Inc. - Unfitting name for a great knitting resource. 1201 Broadway 3rd floor (betw 28th & 29th Streets); (212) 679 3516. Also at www.schoolproducts.com. Betty's second favorite NYC knitting store.
String Small but nice. Think Madison Ave botique. www.stringyarns.com/
Stitches East - 52nd between Madison and Park. Rude people. And thus their nickname...Witches East...
The Woolgathering - 318 East 84 St; (212) 734 4747. Small store with nice yarns.
The Yarn Company - 2274 Broadway (81st and 82nd St.- 2nd floor); (212) 787 7878; http://www.theyarnco.com/
Wide selection of imported and hand dyed yarns. Large pattern selection. Custom patterns available as well. Knitting classes available. This happens to be Betty's favorite New York City knitting store (they have a small selection of needlepoint in the back). They are very helpful and have quite a wide inventory...Also, they welcome you to come in, take a seat and knit, knit, knit.
The Yarn Connection - 218 Madison Avenue (between 36th and 37th); (212) 684 5099; A very small store with good prices.
MAKE workshop - 195 chrystie street #502 by appointment only; 212-533-9995; www.makeworkshop.com
Knitting Hands
- Brooklyn. This is one of the many reasons to go
to B'lyn. They have high-end and low-end yarns. But
be warned: the last 2 times we've visited, while they
have had a breadth of inventory, they haven't had
the DEPTH we needed. http://www.knittinghands.com/ |
TEXAS
NOTE: Texans don't really knit. It's too hot down there!
Houston
The Needlehouse - Bammel Lane (near Kirby) and Westheimer. Nancy is the super-sweet owner. They have an amazing inventory (one of the best I've ever seen) of both canvases and threads. The canvases are mostly pinned to the walls, so they are nicely displayed. You can just spend hours and hours in this place...Their web site is full of broken links, but maybe it will be fixed by the time you click on www.needlehouse.net.
Chandail on West Gray, just east of Sheperd.
Chaparral on the corner of Alabama and Timmons. Thanks to Nancy Touchstone for updates!
THE WONDERFUL WORLD WIDE WEB
NEEDLEPOINT FINISHING
Finding the right place to finish your work is like finding a decorator for your home or a dressmaker. You can give them as much guidance as you want, but GOD IS IN THE DETAILS!
One thing to remember is when you are having needlework finished into a pillow, it will come out MUCH smaller than you think if you have it finished to the edge of the canvas. Have fun with matting the canvas with fabric, playing with depth, cording, and fun back fabrics...
As for pricing, don't event THINK about having it done in New York. Erica Wilson told one Betty that a fabric-backed key chain would be $100.
The most beautiful finishing I've seen in my limited Betty experience is at Elaine Magnin. I've also had a nice result come out of The Needlehouse. However, you really have to go into a place, see their fabrics, and talk it over with them unless you know EXACTLY what you want.
A LITTLE HISTORY
The first electric washing machine in 1907 would free women from arm-wrenching laundry -- as soon as they could get electricity. In the rare leisure moments between housework Meanwhile, well-educated young ladies learned to tat and crochet exquisite edgings. Other girls were leaving the farms for the city to work in the many burgeoning factories.
By 1910, crazy quilts were the rage, as women traded, patched, and embroidered recycled clothes and scraps. They also bought direct-mail, stamped embroidery kits, which offered sentimental sayings and mottoes to stitch.
By the mid-1920s, more than 60 percent of American homes had electricity. Sewing machines and refrigerators now allowed mom to spend less time on housework and more time on handwork. Home decorating became the priority: matched linen sets, embroidered pillows, bedspreads, and curtains were embellished with flowers, teacups, and quaint cottages.
The Depression forced already-thrifty homemakers to stretch their resources even thinner. "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" was the motto of the time.
Seamstresses altered clothes to get as many seasons' wear as possible, and recycled flour sacks became durable daywear. Quilters made double-wedding-ring quilts. Fabric colors were soft and faded from being washed, worn, and handed down.
Mom crocheted and darned socks as the family listened around the radio to Franklin Roosevelt's encouraging words. Crafts like re-covered lampshades, quilted potholders, and table skirts emphasized streamlined designs and practicality.
When World War II broke out, thousands of women learned to knit and crochet socks, scarves, and sweaters to send in care packages to soldiers overseas. While big-band music blared at the USO, college girls embroidered tea towels, crocheted purses, and resewed gabardine skirts inside out to extend their wear.
By the 1950s, families were being raised in wholesome suburban neighborhoods, where stay-at-home moms formed sewing circles, hemmed children's clothes, and gathered together to create friendship quilts.
In the 1960s, knitters rejoiced in fuzzy mohair yarns. Crocheters added to greeting cards or bleach bottles, and people made exquisite Faberge-style eggs from beads, pearls, and broken eggshells. Often a retreat from the unsettling times, crafts became common at the kitchen table.
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