Needlepoint Excursion

I have a LONG way to go.

Y\’all know I don\’t knit. So what is a non-knitting girl to do between projects/when all her zippers are temporarily installed in wedding dress muslins? NEEDLEPOINT OBVI.

I sort of know how to cross stitch poorly, and (now) I sort of know how to needlepoint. I totally assumed these were the same thing, but they are not. FYI.

Because I live in The South (of America, for international readers) I am making a needlepoint belt for my lovely fiance. It\’s a thing. Because I am also sewing my wedding dress, this gift for him is not a secret–I already have one task that requires me to be locked up in the sewing room! Therefore, he helped me pick out the design. I got it from the Needlepoint by Laura Etsy shop. She was great to work with and helped me create this custom design.

It has the main buildings of our university, the Colonnade, in the middle. Its fitting to post this today since it\’s Homecoming Weekend at the moment. Wish I were there!

I think it is pretty accurate! They will do any college campus just based off internet images. It also has the Washington and Lee Trident (our school symbol), and one side says \”W&L\” and the other has his monogram (again, because its the south and everything gets monogrammed. you should see my wedding registry, ha). You can buy belts (and coasters and keychains etc etc) with just the trident on it at the school store but not with your initials on it!

Since I have never needlepointed before, I don\’t reeeeeally know what I\’m doing. This photo of the backside shows my technique, If you can call it that. I used the Needlepoint for Fun (haha) website to learn some basic stitches and then I\’ve just mashed them together however seems right. I\’ve been doing the detail pieces in a tent stitch, and then doing a basketweave stitch to fill in the background. The basketweave stitch is worked diagonally, which is why you can see all those bits criss crossing diagonally across the parts I already did. Is this right? I don\’t know! I\’m figuring it out as I go!

So this is what I have been doing in the textiles area. Have you ever done needlepoint (needlepointed)? Do think needlepoint belts are for old people?

xoxo,

allie

P.S. More shots of that particular brand of prep that Americans call \”Ivy League style\” (I think Brits have a different name for it?) and our beautiful campus here, including lots of needlepoint belts.

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