Following our mission to showcase our customer’s creativity, we turn our focus to beautiful hand-stitched needlepoint pillows. Color Crazy customer Harriet loves creating pillows by stitching on canvas or needlepoint fabric with a variety of fibers. Starting a creative project often comes from personal experiences and inspiration, and Harriet tells us she derives her inspiration from nature around her—whether it’s local plants, or pets and animals in her neighborhood. In addition, she likes to incorporate storytelling in her designs—turning her creations into treasured collections and unique handcrafted gifts.
Harriet discovered her love for stitched pillows when she was young. Yet, it wasn’t until she was in Scotland in the late 1990s that she reignited her passion for needlepoint. She saw a window seat decorated with a detailed botanical design that was truly inspirational.
Choosing Materials for Pillows
Harriet uses different sizes of mesh canvas and needlework fabric ranging from #14 mesh to Color Crazy’s 5-mesh canvas, and various stitching techniques to bring her own designs to life. She uses high-quality wool, which adds texture and warmth to her creations. When working on larger canvas sizes, she chooses chunky knitting wool for the textured designs. Her current favorite is Brown Sheep’s chunky wool yarn. For the 10 and 12-mesh, the finer canvas, she likes using Alice Starmore’s Virtual Yarns. She uses curved tip, blunt point needles for stitching on the larger mesh, and lately she’s been experimenting with Color Crazy fabric strips, which has opened up new possibilities for her designs. She says she loves finding new sources for wool yarn and is always on the hunt so be sure to share ideas in the comments below.
We asked Harriet what was next on her project schedule and she shared she is currently working on a few designs using needlepoint. She’s incorporating storytelling, working on a botanical inspired piece, and also using ribbons for framing a large mesh design.
Stitching pillows on mesh canvas is a great way to express creativity. It combines talent, inspiration, and dedication into a beautiful art form. Harriet’s designs have become not only treasured gifts but also a tribute to the timeless tradition of needlework.
