Needlepoint & Champagne on a Beer Budget
For the last year or so there has been plenty of talk about economic hard times. The term “recessionista” pops up in fashion magazines. Most days an economic headline is on the front page of our newspapers. People in all walks of life are seriously struggling. And, of course, crafts and hobbies struggle more than many industries because they are bought using discretionary income. If more and more of your money is going into the necessities (food, clothing, housing, and basic transportation), it should come as no surprise to anyone that hobbies suffer.
But being on a tight budget is not a new thing. But we’ve forgotten something that my parents and grandparents knew — you don’t HAVE to spend lots of money to live well. They talked about champagne on a beer budget, and we talk about living richly. What this means is spending small amounts of money well so that your home, your clothes, your life, and, your needlepoint don’t suffer in looks for the economies you make.
Conspicuous consumption gets jettisoned for “depression chic.” And with that needlepoint has gotten jettisoned by many as well. I think that’s because people think needlepoint is too expensive for them.
Needlepoint doesn’t have to be expensive.
I’m frustrated at the moment because this message hasn’t gotten through. Needlepoint showed a double-digit loss in people doing it last year. While the survey I read didn’t look at why, I think this misperception of needlepoint as being for rich ladies is at the heart of the problem.
I’m going to be even more blunt than that. While I know that shops are struggling, I don’t think they are doing themselves, their customers, or our art any favors by their seeming disregard of more affordable ideas for doing needlepoint over a hand-painted canvas with lots of expensive threads.
Think about it, when was the last time a shop featured a project like the ones I’ve been featuring this month, that take advantage of what’s in your stash? When was the last time they suggested floss instead of silk for a project? When was the last time they showcased a budget project that cost less than $25 for everything?
Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful hand-painted canvas and I will gladly spend big bucks on something beautiful. I think surrounding oneself with beautiful things is important. BUT that doesn’t always mean spending lots of money. And both our shops and ourselves as stitchers can be in the forefront of changing this perception.
What would you do to change this perception of needlepoint? How have you changed the needlepoint you do to keep up with economic changes?
Related posts:
Well, my way of keeping costs of needlepoint down may be a bit drastic for most: live outside USA!
It seems to me that the high costs of needlepoint are the various specialty threads, and the finishing. Here in NZ at least, few of the specialty threads are available and so I tend to use DMC floss a lot. Sure, the look may not be quite as exciting in some instances, but when it is simply substituting cotton for silk I think there is not enough difference to justify the cost of using silk.
And the finishing? I don’t think there are any finishers, such as you have in USA, in NZ at all (except for picture framers of course), and so we just finish things ourselves. It may not be quite as ‘perfect’ but heck, there is enormous satisfaction in saying “yes I made this bag” and meaning th WHOLE bag. Let’s face it, we can all use a needle and thread – and if we can do it with silk or floss and needlepoint canvas, then we can also do it with a sharp needle and fabric. There are lots of tutorials around on the internet.
I would really like to encourage everyone to sub threads if they feel so inclined, and to try finishing things themselves. Give it a go, try it out, believe in yourself!