Daisy’s Needlepoint Kits are inspired by mid-century and ’60s decor, drawing from my parents’ vintage apartment photos, as well as Danish design, abstract art, and the aesthetic of the Jetsons. These influences result in a variety of themes, including cityscapes, nautical scenes, and groovy, hippie-inspired designs. As a needlepoint enthusiast, I like sweet images of flowers and taxi cabs, which are great — I just bought a mini one of a can of fish from a store here in NY. But one reason why I started Daisy’s Needlepoint Kits is because I want all needlepointers, from novices to seasoned pros, to have the opportunity to use nontraditional designs with a reasonable price tag.
When I first learned to needlepoint, I was a child, maybe 7 years old. Back in those days, my old neighborhood in Washington Heights (northern Manhattan — check it out!) was filled with mom-and-pop shops. You could get buttons and ribbons at the notions store, dolls at the toy store, meat at the butcher shop, and so on. I wandered into the haberdashery we had on 181st street and bought a small beginner’s kit with acrylic yarn with my allowance money. I was hooked.
Over the years, fiber crafts got a little expensive. How do you balance offering a great kit, with everything included, at a price the average person can afford? It’s not so easy; production costs go up, suppliers can’t get materials or they can be very delayed, and sometimes even packaging can increase the cost you have to pass onto the customer.
One way to keep costs reasonable is to reduce the packaging, which also winds up being more sustainable. After all, what do we do with all the tissue paper in a box? We throw it out. What do we do with ribbons and linen pouches? We can reuse them but more often than not, they also add to landfill. That said, a client likes a nice package, and it feels so nice to get what feels like a Christmas gift. So what is best? We shoot for a healthy middle ground. After all, the more affordable a kit, the more needlepointing you’ll do. And that’s a win-win for everyone.
Daisy’s kits have the basics: a printed cotton canvas, needles, yarn, and instructions. Everything you need with less waste. We have a mix of canvases from 5″ x 5″ all the way to 14″ x 14″. Most are beginner friendly.