The Needle Works

I did make it down to Austin with my dad (projects in tow). The first day we were in town, I was feeling antsy and decided I needed to get out over my lunch hour. I looked at places I could walk to get lunch… and then I looked to see if there were any local craft shops around. Sure enough, my aunt lives walking distance from a needlepoint shop! After checking that COVID precautions were in place, I set out.

The Needle Works is a lovely, well-organized shop. Right when you walk in, they have a wall of locally-flavored, hand-painted canvases and kits (I actually almost bought the Longhorn ornament, since my aunt is a UT grad, but I chickened out with the beads).

I have never seen so many needlepoint threads in my life. Probably two-thirds of the shop was any kind of thread you can imagine. So when their website touts that they “feature the largest selection of threads in the Texas Hill Country,” I’m inclined to believe them.

Long-time readers know I like to buy local stuff when I travel. That’s a little bit harder to do in a needlepoint shop, and even harder when you don’t feel up to stitching what they do have. So, mildly defeated, I did thumb through their Rebecca Wood trunk show. When I found this canvas, I made such a noise, it concerned the ladies working the shop…

But it is perfect! I bought this wool for the background I have never worked with before (because I like to live dangerously), and some old Rainbow Gallery friends I know I didn’t already have in the stash at home. I could’ve just bought the canvas, but my sister (who joined us later) also likes to needlepoint, and I figured she might work on it if I had threads for her to do so!

If you’re in Austin, and you have an opportunity to check out The Needle Works, I’d highly recommend it!