Meet Dogwood Needlepoint

ABBIE LILLY, OWNER OF DOGWOOD NEEDLEPOINT SHARES HOW SHE BEGAN DESIGNING AND HOW SHE'S MANAGING SUCH FAST GROWTH

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How did you first find needlepoint and when did you realize design was part of your path?

Needlepoint has always been in my life without really realizing it - my grandmother did it, my mom did it. Remember those plastic needlepoint Christmas tree ornaments? I hang a bunch of those from them every year! I called my mom and said, "I picked this thing up called needlepoint," and she said "Abbie, you don't understand your grandmother is a huge needlepointer!" My husband was going out of town and I wanted to try a new hobby, so I walked into our LNS (I go every week now) and got a little wedding cake canvas [to stitch for my brother] and  asked  the women there to teach me. I stitched that in like a day, even before my husband had  a chance to leave for his trip.

Then, my gears started turning because I grew up painting in high school, but I didn't end up going to school for art. My mom was a facilitator for painting canvases though. She asked me to paint her a Santa dachshund, so I give her all the credit for the Santa animals I have in the collection. I really wanted to design a stocking, so that was my first big design project - a stocking for my husband. After I started posting about it on social media, people started to really like my designs and that was the beginning! The positive comments on my posts led me to start selling, but really I just design things my mom and I want to stitch.

How would you describe your art style?

I try to go for whimsical, playful and timeless. I really don't gravitate toward trends.

What inspires your style?

I have a playful personality and am pretty easy- going, so I want something that I enjoy stitching and isn’t just a monotonous stitch. I like to do canvases that come to life once they’re stitched up.

What are you most proud of at this point in  your career?

Golden Gate Bridge

Design wise, the Golden Gate Bridge was kind of an "aha" moment for me. I remember posting about it and people loved it. I really like it, but it feels good that y'all really like it too! I live in San Francisco and my LNS is now carrying my design. I take a lot of my stuff to that shop before it comes out to see what they think, and one of the owners was telling me it reminds her of when she was a kid coming back from going on a camping trip with her family. I've heard so many touching stories. It's a needlepoint canvas, but somehow it evokes all this emotion - just the viewpoint of driving under the bridge in the fog - and I have the same feeling every time I drive under the bridge. So, it's cool to put the memory in needle art form.

Walk us through your design process. How does something go from idea to canvas?

I would say everything is in my head somewhere, but I do a lot of photography,. The Golden Gate Bridge came from a photo I took. If I'm on a walk or talking with friends and I get an idea, I will note it down. I have a notes app on my phone, and if I think something will make it to canvas some day, I type it in there, and then, either physically sketch in my sketch pad or I'll go directly to Stitchly on my iPad, or MacStitch on my computer. It just depends on how I'm feeling that day. I'll use those programs to translate my design to needlepoint canvas because the grid system can be tricky with all the dots and intersections. After that, I'll paint it and start stitching it and and have my iPad up as I go in case I need to make any edits. If it's a hard stitch it's not fun.

What is your desert island fiber?

I feel like it's a controversial one - but I love DMC. My store here isn't very big and they carry a lot of DMC. I was raised on it so why would I choose anything else? The color range is so good! If it's a 13 count mesh, I'm doing silk and ivory though.

Do you listed or watch anything while you're designing?

When I'm painting I go through movies and shows like no one's business. It's like a podcast though because I'm not really watching it, I'm listening. If I'm doing computer or design work, I love listening to all kinds of music, My Spotify Wrapped is always so random. My go-to shows right now are Palm Royale and Traitors.

What's been the biggest learning curve with building a business?

Learning how to meet the demand of everything, especially inventory. I stopped taking custom orders for a while because I was getting too burnt out. I have to learn to say no to make sure my bandwidth isn't too taut. Learning to say no to people when I love pleasing people was really hard. Needlepoint has blown up even more from 2-3 years ago when I started doing this, so it's hard to have inventory to meet the demand, especially when doing both wholesale and direct to consumer. But we need to respect that needlepoint is a slow hobby. It's not Amazon. We can't fulfill it right away.

Is there a design that surprised you once it was actually stitched?

A recent design of a flying pig turned out so much cooler once it was stitched. It's such a flat canvas but once I stitched it with some long random stitches for wings and Fuzzy Stuff for the clouds, it came to life. That's why I like stitching samples because the customer can see how cool the canvas can really be. Being a visual person myself, I like to make sure customers have an opportunity to see it finished.

What's one thing you wish you'd known when you started designing?

Not every design needs to be groundbreaking. I got caught up in that when I did the bridge and it did so well, I was concerned about what to do next. But I don't think everything has to be super well-received every time for it to be a good design. If y ou like it, someone else out there will probably like it too. I wish I'd known not to put so much pressure on myself to feel like I have to roll out all of these piece all the time. If I'm silent for a couple months, that means something's brewing. Or if I do put out "simple" designs, it's because I like it.

How do you stay energized to keep your creative juices going while meeting that demand?

Simple things like going on walks. We live really close to Golden Gate Park and it's so nice to be in nature. And I hate to say it but stitching. If I want to decompress, I stitch. My husband jokes "you're always working!" Yes, but this is a different side of work. I'm happy and I'm at peace when I stitch.

What's next for your brand?

I'm getting my branding fully revamped right now and I'm bringing a second friend this spring to the collective. But I don't think it'll grow beyond those two friends to keep inventory manageable. I also really want to try designing a trifold bag. I want to have "wearable needlepoint" in the collection. I'm going to my first market this spring. That was a 2-year business goal which would have been next spring, but I applied this year and I got in! I'm so amped. I got that call when I landed at home from Europe so I got to celebrate with my parents right away. It felt like a stamp of approval, industry-wise, to be acknowledged and be let in.

What do you hope stitchers feel when they work on your designs?

I hope it brings others joy. Needlepoint should be restful and peaceful for people. I also love stitching for friends and family, so a lot of my designs can be gifts like "baby sleeping" or a newlywed canvas. I stitch a lot of those and while I'm stitching I like to think about the people I'm gifting then to. Right now I'm stitching a "baby sleeping" sign, and I think about how this is going to my freshman year roommate's first child. I hope that the designs bring that same sentiment for other people.

Who inspires you?

Reiko and Caroline, the owners of Golden Gate Needlepoint. I call them my needlepoint fairy godmothers. I can call or text them whenever, and they've helped me so much. They have decades of knowledge about needlepoint and have been such a good resource for me - and they encourage people to invest in the local community.