SCENE & SEEN
Getting To The Point
At Henley’s Needlepoint in Edgartown, visitors are greeted by tables covered with creative ideas as they step into the entry room. Projects range from canvases of familiar Martha’s Vineyard sites from the lighthouses that guide sailors to the Island’s shores to a series of canvasses each representing the famous signature of one of the six towns on the Island. For the sports lover, a doorstop illustrating a favorite sporting arena is a natural choice. Talented painters affiliated with Henley’s will custom paint canvasses of shoppers’ favorite things – most often, these are their homes or their pets.
Henley’s takes needlepoint projects far beyond such traditional items as pillows and doorstops. There are tabletop decorations, carryalls, unique hatbands designed to the specifications of the purchaser, and Henley’s Edgartown belt, woven with images of the town’s familiar buildings, waterfront scenes, boats and lighthouses. Many of Henley’s projects are Vineyard-specific, and virtually all are unique.
At Henley’s shoppers can buy an existing item or order a custom crafted canvas. Their talented stitchers will complete the project, or the purchaser can take on the task. If needlepoint is not your craft of choice, the shop offers needlepoint classes for beginners or “Sit & Stitch” sessions that are open to all.
Susan and John Henley, the owners of Henley’s, retired to their Martha’s Vineyard vacation home 23 years ago from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Susan’s interest in needlework began when her German grandmother taught her to embroider when she was six years old. She became more involved with the craft after her daughters were born, wiling away the hours with needlework while they napped. Now living on the Vineyard and her daughters grown, becoming the proprietress of Henley’s was the logical next step for Susan.
Stepping into the shop’s materials room, visitors find themselves surrounded by blends of fibers – wool, silk, cotton – in a rainbow of beautiful colors that are ready for their projects. With her vast knowledge of needlework, Susan helps her customers to select the colors they want to use for their projects and the quantities they’ll need.
“We offer our canvases with or without wool to avoid waste,” Susan said. “We even encourage stitchers to use what they have at home.”
Asked if her husband John had ever taken a stitch, Susan replied that, although he’s had many ideas for canvases, he’s yet to pick up a needle. “We do have many male stitchers, though,” she said. “We’ve had quite a few who were doctors or musicians. The work definitely helps with dexterity.”
44 Main Street, Edgartown
508-627-3959
Henley’s takes needlepoint projects far beyond such traditional items as pillows and doorstops. There are tabletop decorations, carryalls, unique hatbands designed to the specifications of the purchaser, and Henley’s Edgartown belt, woven with images of the town’s familiar buildings, waterfront scenes, boats and lighthouses. Many of Henley’s projects are Vineyard-specific, and virtually all are unique.
At Henley’s shoppers can buy an existing item or order a custom crafted canvas. Their talented stitchers will complete the project, or the purchaser can take on the task. If needlepoint is not your craft of choice, the shop offers needlepoint classes for beginners or “Sit & Stitch” sessions that are open to all.
Susan and John Henley, the owners of Henley’s, retired to their Martha’s Vineyard vacation home 23 years ago from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Susan’s interest in needlework began when her German grandmother taught her to embroider when she was six years old. She became more involved with the craft after her daughters were born, wiling away the hours with needlework while they napped. Now living on the Vineyard and her daughters grown, becoming the proprietress of Henley’s was the logical next step for Susan.
Stepping into the shop’s materials room, visitors find themselves surrounded by blends of fibers – wool, silk, cotton – in a rainbow of beautiful colors that are ready for their projects. With her vast knowledge of needlework, Susan helps her customers to select the colors they want to use for their projects and the quantities they’ll need.
“We offer our canvases with or without wool to avoid waste,” Susan said. “We even encourage stitchers to use what they have at home.”
Asked if her husband John had ever taken a stitch, Susan replied that, although he’s had many ideas for canvases, he’s yet to pick up a needle. “We do have many male stitchers, though,” she said. “We’ve had quite a few who were doctors or musicians. The work definitely helps with dexterity.”
44 Main Street, Edgartown
508-627-3959