In Winter Park’s Hannibal Square, a comfy shop that spotlights the art of needlepoint has created quite a buzz. Behind the success of Novella Needlepoint is Faison Weiss, the thirty-
something who started the business in 2022 after her Zoom stitching tutorials exploded—thanks to locked-down millennials who tuned in and got hooked during the pandemic.
Although the art form may be most associated with just about everybody’s grandmother, the younger generation has truly embraced the old-school craft, says Weiss of her customers, who range in age from 5 to 91. Now that’s a range.
In fact, Weiss herself became a stitcher when she was a bored 5-year-old on summer vacation. Her grandmother thought she needed something to do and taught her how to wield scissors, measuring tape, seam rippers and hand-sewing needles.
That opened the door to what became the youngster’s passion as an adult. As a needlepoint artist and businessperson, Weiss has designed canvases and worked threads of all textures and colors into decorative works that become pillows, trays, framed art, jewelry boxes and holiday stockings. With so much time and effort required, it’s no surprise that completed works often become family heirlooms, says Weiss.
Anybody can learn the basics, she adds. The pattern on a canvas, say a floral bouquet, serves as a guide. Then you select colors and textures, choosing from threads of cotton, silk, silk-wool blends, rayon and such novelties as velvet, metallic sparkles and even hand-dyed variegated thread.
Next you decide on the stitch, often using the basic single-diagonal tent stitch and adding decorative stitches for more tactile interest. Weiss’s most recent project is a Santa Claus stocking for her son, which she has been working on for more than a year.
Santa’s beard is chain-stitched in wool and his coat is pleated by use of a fuzzy velvet. The Christmas tree has ribbons, created with random long and short stitches to give it its own texture. “There are no rules,” says Weiss about needlepoint art. “It’s what makes you comfortable and happy.”
Novella Needlepoint is located at 411 West New England Avenue, Suite 1, Winter Park. For more information, call 407.840.3858 or visit novellaneedlepoint.com.
