Meet Jenny Henry Designs

Jenny Henry shares her unique journey from canvas painter to designer — and why mindfulness and mental health are an integral part of her canvases.

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

I had just graduated from college. My friend and I wanted to move to California, and we chose San Francisco. So, we packed up all our stuff and drove cross country. I needed a job and a place to live. So, I answered an ad in the San Francisco Chronicle for Needlepoint Inc.. I had a BFA in painting, and I wanted to work with my hands. I didn't really know anything about needlepoint or painting onto canvas, but I learned on the job. It wasn't my chosen path. It found me. I worked at Needlepoint Inc. for five years, and by the time I left, I was their head designer. In Fall 2002, just after getting married and moving back to the East Coast, I decided to establish my own needlepoint design company that would focus on a more modern aesthetic. Jenny Henry Designs was born in October 2002 with the tagline: "Timeless Needlepoint For A Modern World." It was then that I really started to put my own mark and style on the designs I was creating.

How would you describe your art style?

Vintage English Cottage Core. I love a rose garden, a classic rose chintz floral, and antique markets. I like the Victorian style of collecting bugs and botanicals and have a few sketches queued up to add more bugs and botanicals to my needlepoint line. I'm drawn to natural objects, vintage textiles, things like that.

What inspires your style?

I love going to museums, looking at artifacts and historical things. I love vintage textiles. I love a good thrift store run. In my studio, I have huge bins of vintage fabrics. A lot of the time vintage china patterns will inspire me. If I go on vacation and I see a bird, a bug, or a frog, I take a picture, and usually, it ends up becoming a design.

How does something move from an idea to a canvas? Walk us through your design process.

As a painter, I am all about big bold strokes and exploring as I go, but with needlepoint design my process is much more measured. I’ll often work designs from a photograph I take. I usually start with some sketches and then move to using design software to translate my ideas into needlepoint designs. 

daughter, now grown, plays with the

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

Talk about a throwback! Jenny's daughter, now grown, plays with the finished boombox canvas as a toddler

The fact that I've been able to have a creative job and stay home with my kids. I had a studio before my son was born, and I gave it up so I could be home. They're both artists and creative people, and they saw mom working and trying to exercise that part of herself, and hopefully, they thought it was okay for them to do the same for their lives. 

What is your desert island fiber?

Tapestry Wool. I like its durability, timelessness and economy.

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

Audiobooks are great for when I am doing something that doesn’t require my full concentration.

I love murder mysteries and psychological thrillers, especially ones set in England. I also like opening the studio doors and listening to birdsong.

Has there been any design that you've done that really surprised you once you stitched it?

I only really use basketweave, so usually my finished items end up looking pretty much like what I designed. For me, stitching is for relaxation, and basketweave helps me into the flow state. 

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

To trust my gut more. The industry can be really tough and I have had lots of people give me bad advice over the years. I would tell my younger self to trust her instincts, be brave, and know that she has everything she needs inside of her to make it happen.

How do you stay energized to keep your creative juices going?

The best thing I did to protect my creative life and mental health was to take a step back from “the industry” and instead focus on my direct to consumer relationship. I unplugged. I don't do trade shows. I isolate myself in my studio and just focus on my designs. I learn so much from the people that buy my kits and designs and have really enjoyed the direct relationship aspect of having an online shop. If I am really in a rut, I plan some exciting travel. Traveling is one of my favorite ways to renew my creative spirit. I love teaching needlepoint design and painting classes and always choose where I am going to teach based on the destination, helping to feed my travel desires. 

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

I try to create designs that leave room for the stitcher to leave their own mark. I also try to create designs that have an element of nostalgia, so that they can resonate with the stitcher in their own personal way. My Cardinal is a big seller for me. I like to think of Cardinals in my life as a spiritual messenger, and I get a lot of emails from people that tell me their personal stories. It's really beautiful. So I'm hoping when I create a design that it resonates for people on a personal level and that while they're stitching and relaxing, it's bringing some of those feelings through.

You have several designs in your mindfulness connection. What inspired you to design specifically with that in mind?

It was something I had been working toward for years. I’ve struggled with anxiety myself, and I've always used creative things as a coping strategy. Stitching in particular had become something that I was turning to — to keep my hands busy and keep calm. Sharing this with others became more important to me in recent years as our family has endured some struggles with mental health. I wanted to use my work as a force for good, and hopefully, to help make a difference in the lives of others. The imagery that I choose for the designs in my mindfulness collection connect to some deeper meaning.  For instance, the Stag Beetle is a symbol of strength. It is my hope that stitchers will find meaning and explore their own strength or grief as they stitch these.

Have you always considered needlepoint to be an integral part of maintaining your mental health?

Probably not on a conscious level. But when my kids were little, I remember scrunching up in the corner of their bedrooms and frantically stitching. I was trying to find my quiet place. Now, I use it intentionally as part of my daily mindfulness practice. I find it very helpful to start my day with a simple routine of making myself a cup of tea and stitching in my cozy corner in the sun room with the windows open on nice days. This keeps me off my phone and in my head working through the thoughts that need processing and bringing to light the things that I had not been able to see.

The exclusive chart you’ve designed for us is a beautiful tea tray. Tell us more about why you chose this design.

I was so excited about the theme of your issue and trying to think what I could create that would speak to that. My own mindful routine has always involved tea. My dad's British, and we grew up with tea all the time. When I went off to college, my dad got me this little single-serve teapot, and he showed me the proper way to make a cup of tea. This was the most important life skill I was going to need. Whenever I'm feeling anxious, I crave that tea and it calms me down. So, I thought, Maybe readers can stitch something to not only be mindful while they're stitching it. I loved the idea of creating a design that the stitcher could later finish into a tray to serve tea to themselves or to have with a friend when they were in need of comfort.

What’s next for your brand?

I am working on leaning more heavily into the mindful aspects and mental health benefits of stitching. I'm coming up to 29 years in the industry and 24 years as Jenny Henry Designs. I do eventually want to retire. During that time, I want to use my business as an opportunity to travel and get out there and connect with stitchers, through retreats and mindfulness.