Janet Perry of Napa Needlepoint started doing needlepoint almost forty years ago. When Janet was 13 years old she saw a kit in a magazine and fell in love with it. Her parents took her to the only needlepoint store around and they happened to have the very same kit. Her grandmother, who was a “phenomenal seamstress” taught her the basic stitches that very afternoon and she says she hasn’t been without a needle ever since!
Mostly self taught from books after that, Janet didn’t take a class on needlepoint until at least ten years later. She attributes being “fearless about fiber and art” to her grandmother and to her mother, an artist, and says she loves to explore with different threads and decorative stitches.
Because Janet is disabled by MS, she necessarily runs her business part-time, and although she started the business in 1997 she still classifies it as a startup since she’s constantly tweaking things.
Janet’s main goal is to show people how fun, fast, easy and inexpensive needlepoint can be, and to do away with the common misconception that needlepoint is boring or expensive. Her All About Needlepoint website does just that, covering everything from supplies and threads, basic stitches, advanced techniques, tons of free patterns and projects, and even an “Ask Janet” page where she invites any and all needlepoint questions. Visit Janet’s site where you can sign up for a free beginning embroidery course via email, and check out her Nuts About Needlepoint blog while you’re at it.
Janet is great! Her websites are very helpful and her book “Needlepoint Trade Secrets” is what got me into needlepoint in the first place. Thanks for the interesting article! Kathi
Janet has brought her needlepoint expertise online to enable the next generation of stitchers. Her blog is informative and can easily entice even the most skeptical beginner to dive right in and immediately get hooked. A wonderful article about a fabulous teacher and designer. Thanks for the great read! I’m twittering the link now!