{"id":1435685,"date":"2026-01-16T12:28:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1435685"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:28:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T09:28:45","slug":"the-story-behind-needlepoints-modern-day-renaissance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1435685","title":{"rendered":"The Story Behind Needlepoint\u2019s Modern-Day Renaissance"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Living<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Story Behind Needlepoint\u2019s Modern-Day Renaissance<\/h1>\n
\n
By <\/span>Payton Turkeltaub<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n
\n
<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Photo: Courtesy of Penny Linn designs<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

There are plenty of ways to spend a brisk Saturday evening in the West Village. But on this particular night, instead of grabbing dinner or a drink, I\u2019m en route to a different function: a needlepoint event, where West Village Knit & Needle is expecting a full house. Nevertheless, owner Kiana Malekzadeh has graciously let me sit in on the Stitch and Sip, where, over the next two hours, women pack in the LNS (for the uninitiated, that\u2019s shorthand for \u201cLocal Needlepoint Store\u201d) to enjoy complimentary pours of prosecco and bites of Two Boots pizza. Everywhere I look, guests are using candy-colored threads to stitch canvases hand-painted with a cannoli, or a bow, or a caviar pan, which they can one day turn into a patch or an ornament\u2014or a pillow, if they\u2019re feeling fancy.<\/p>\n

For a needlepoint novice like myself, it\u2019s a shockingly wholesome weekend scene\u2014even more so considering the majority of those in attendance are not yet 30. But for those in the know, it\u2019s no surprise that the fiber art has drawn such a crowd. A welcome reprieve from scrolling, the high-society craft is the latest centuries-old hobby making a major resurgence among those willing to spend hours hand-stitching and hundreds of dollars on the classes, canvases, and threads required to create their very own future heirlooms.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Image<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

A needlepoint event hosted by Le Fil.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo: Mia Szeitz<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Needlepoint has been having a moment over the past few years, Malekzadeh tells me\u2014so much so that the business she projected to do in eight years she\u2019s done in five. Uptown, Annie & Co.\u2019s manager Olivia Lipnick and Rita\u2019s needlepoint owner Alyssa Hertzig use words like \u201cskyrocketed\u201d and \u201cexploded\u201d to describe the recent renaissance. \u201cWe cannot stock beginner kits fast enough,\u201d says Hertzig when we speak on a Saturday morning. \u201cWe probably have 30 or 40, and they’ll be gone by Monday.\u201d<\/p>\n

And while needlepoint may still carry a mature association, in Hertzig\u2019s opinion, that old-school charm is the very thing to thank for its rising popularity. \u201cWe live in a time now [where] everything is very ephemeral,\u201d the self-described \u201clate-in-life stitcher\u201d explains. \u201cWe don\u2019t write on paper anymore. We don\u2019t send letters. Everything is digital. There are so few physical, tangible memories. But needlepoint is something that is physical, that is tangible, that you can see, that you can look at.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as craft hobbies go, needlepoint might just be one of the first. Centuries before Gen Zers took to TikTok to swap stitch tricks and talk canvases, historians have traced the practice all the way back to ancient Egypt. In the 16th century, it evolved into a beloved pastime of European royals, and over the course of the 20th century, it became a mainstay leisure hobby thanks, in part, to its meditative nature. \u201cIt\u2019s very relaxing\u2026 I call it the adult version of coloring,\u201d 68-year-old Greenwich Village local Ren\u00e9e Klein tells me, who’s been stitching for the better part of the last 50 years. \u201cThe act of putting the needle through the hole is almost like breathing,\u201d says Hertzig. \u201cIt goes in and out, and it really forces you to slow down.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"Image<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Needlepoint creations by Le Fil.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo: Chase Hall<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

While needlepoint\u2019s popularity has waxed and waned in past decades, the stitchers I speak to unanimously point to the pandemic as the catalyst for its comeback, during which crafting soared (alongside a slew of affably-named grandma hobbies) thanks to a newfound need for time-consuming projects. And time-consuming it is: a canvas can take anywhere from days to months to complete. Though that\u2019s not necessarily a negative, says 27-year-old law student Kelsey Bacinett. \u201cIt’s really beautiful to engage in a craft that is slow on purpose,\u201d she explains. \u201cYou can pick it back up when you have time to return to it, instead of just mindlessly scrolling.\u201d (I\u2019m told it\u2019s physically impossible to scroll and needlepoint, which makes it all the more enticing to those looking to lower their screentime.)<\/p>\n

Around the same time, a burgeoning crew of needlepoint devotees began sharing their projects online (where else?), creating a community that\u2019s only continued to grow. Today, TikTok is the \u201cprimary driver\u201d propelling needlepoint, says Krista LeRay, who founded the uber-popular needlepoint store Penny Linn Designs in 2020. Hertzig agrees: \u201cIt used to be like people were watching people unbox their Sephora hauls. Now, people are unboxing their needlepoint canvas hauls.\u201d Indeed, those videos were what influenced 23-year-old Lilly Donnelly to pick up the craft two years ago. And while she stresses she\u2019s no expert, the hobby allows her to unwind while still feeling satisfied. \u201cI definitely feel productive after,\u201d says Donnelly. \u201cOnce you finish a project and you get to really see it and enjoy it, the possibilities are endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Image<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Needlepoint works in progress by Lilly Donnelly.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo: Lilly Donnelly<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Modern canvases have also caught the attention of needlepoint newcomers. If traditional needlepoint is characterized by florals and intricate scenes, new-age, in-demand designs are instead bold and zeitgeisty, drawing in the needlepoint-curious with the power of Taylor Swift lyrics and tequila bottles. \u201cI wanted cute, fun, kitschy stuff,\u201d says LeRay. \u201cAnd nobody had it.\u201d Malekzadeh too focuses on stocking trendy, colorblocked canvases for her younger downtown demographic; her dive bar exclusives are amongst the most coveted. In comparison to the needlepoint of yore, these canvases are well-suited for beginners\u2014and, when completed, add an amusing, personalized touch to a home. Jamie Meares, the founder of needlepoint-focused home decor brand Furbish Studio, likens needlepoint throw pillows to the sprinkles on a cake when we speak.<\/p>\n

If all this stitch talk has you ready to dive in, be warned: it\u2019s an expensive hobby. Canvases can range from $50 to upwards of $300 (this accounts for the hand-painted designs most feature: \u201cYou\u2019re buying a piece of art,\u201d says Hertzig), and that\u2019s not including the threads, which will be anywhere from $4 to $9 a piece. Then there\u2019s the cost of finishing\u2014turning the project into a usable item\u2014which typically exceeds the price of the canvas itself. But for those committed to the craft, it\u2019s a small price to pay for a product that\u2019ll last a lifetime. \u201cI hung up our needlepoint ornaments for my sons on the Christmas tree, and I know that that is going to be valued for years and years to come,\u201d says LeRay. \u201cIt\u2019s $100 an ornament. I would never pay that myself, but the fact that I was able to do it and say I made that helps [soften] the blow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\"Image<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

A selection of designs at the Penny Linn store in Rowayton, CT.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo: Julia D\u2019Agostino<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The community element is also appealing, and needlepoint is increasingly being enjoyed by groups. Crafters can attend stitch nights, classes, and even weekend retreats dedicated solely to the hobby, LeRay explains. As she sees it, the popularity of these events speaks to people\u2019s desires for third spaces. \u201cWe crave connection and that almost sorority-like vibe,\u201d she says. But even for those soaking in the solace of solo needlepointing, the craft can still be bonding; if you meet a fellow stitcher, you\u2019re immediately \u201cthree steps up\u201d in the friendship, LeRay jokes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

That was true for 26-year-old Ashley Badin and 33-year-old Alexandra Bonvouloir, who serendipitously met when Bonvouloir recognized Badin from her needlepoint TikTok while the two were dining at I Sodi. Five months later, the two co-launched Le Fil, a modern needlepoint store. Next on their agenda? Opening a full-service, in-person studio where people can come not only to stitch, but to mingle, using the craft to break the ice. \u201cIt allows you to get in a room with someone and do something with your hands and have a conversation,\u201d says Bonvouloir. \u201cBut you don’t necessarily need to be sitting, staring at them across the table.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little warmer, a little lower-stakes. It gives you the ability to be part of something,\u201d says Badin. \u201cThat\u2019s what a lot of people are attracted to [with] needlepoint: this sense of belonging. Like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m a needlepointer. I\u2019m in the needlepoint community. I go to stitch night. I have stitching friends, I have a community that I follow.\u2019 It really is this warm hug of a hobby.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/needlepoint-revival-trend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Living The Story Behind Needlepoint\u2019s Modern-Day Renaissance By Payton Turkeltaub January 16, 2026 Photo: Courtesy of Penny Linn designs There are plenty of ways to spend a brisk Saturday evening in the West Village. But on this particular night, instead of grabbing dinner or a drink, I\u2019m en route to a different function: a needlepoint […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-1435685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1435685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1435685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1435685\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1435685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1435685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1435685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}