The ups and downs of needle and thread

Remember a few years ago when everyone -- meaning even teenage boys -- was knitting? A few years before that, stitched samplers were all the rage. Now, the needlecraft of the moment appears to be beading. But that could change in a moment.

"I don't know how these things start," said Marilee DesLauriers of the Needlework Guild of Minnesota, chuckling as she recalled people gathering in "knitting bars" in California not long ago.

Needlepoint, for example, has gone through several cycles. This is how actresses once killed time on movie sets, she said, before switching to knitting. Now, Ehrman Tapestry, with an international reputation for imaginative, even wild, needlepoint kits, is branching out from the United Kingdom and building a U.S. market, placing ads in high-end magazines. A resurgence may follow, although needlepoint is among the spendier pursuits because of the need for a painted canvas.

Beading has been building in popularity for the past 10 years, DesLauriers said, adding that the Twin Cities area is well known for the quality of bead stores such as Bobby Bead and the Bead Monkey. "I have a girlfriend who comes here from South Carolina to do all her bead buying," she said.

Tina Lilja has owned the Bead Monkey, with stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul, for 16 years and has seen trends come and go.

"People are moving beyond just making jewelry and into more personalized gifts," she said. "And this time of year, there are lots of ornaments being done."

Lilja is enthused about their new classes that explore metal work. "It's about getting women back to using tools," she said. "We're working with sheet metal and metal shears, making our own components.

Among needlework art, DesLauriers is a champion of samplers, which began generations ago as a way for girls to practice the various stitches. "It was your reference cloth," said DesLauriers, adding that it evolved into being a decorative art in and of itself. "It was your diploma of your accomplishment as a young lady."

Needlework faded as sewing machines came to the fore, then experienced a resurgence during the Bicentennial in 1976, but also as a result of feminism, she said. "There was this interest in, and respect for, what women did. This was something that grandmothers and aunts had always done."

The broad umbrella of needlework encompasses "work by the threaded needle," which includes cross-stitching, smocking, counted thread, embroidery and more. DesLauriers doubts that many young girls are embracing such work, which may be why beading is rising to the fore.

"I think people are doing stuff, but we're kind of those people who aren't seen; we're in a church basement, someone's home. They don't know what we're doing," she said, laughing again. "But make no mistake: These women are an economic force. We spend a lot on this work."