The Chicago Tribune, November 11, 1968

I found this interesting article profiling The Needlery from the Chicago Tribune's online archive while looking for something else.  I hope you enjoy the quote from Russell Lynes which is as relevant today as it was over thirty years ago.  I imagine it was from one of his articles but there is no footnote to tell us where it was said originally.  I am quoting it in full below.
http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1968/11/11/page/48/article/article-7-no-title

"For many years needlepoint has unfortunately been considered a genteel pastime (like china painting and pyrography--leather and wood-burning--a century ago) only for the otherwise unoccupied ladies--a sort of parlor version of occupational therapy.  It deserves better than that.  It is a medium exacting in its precision but relatively easy to control.  It can be extremely simple or extremely subtle."

"Wool has a built-in luminous quality that can not be imitated in any other medium, and the colors in which it is dyed or which it can create [it can be mixed almost like paint] are limitless.  Increasingly in recent years there have been needlepointers who have taken designs from from contemporary paintings . . . with excellent results.

Scroll up a bit to see all the photos illustrating the article. For some reason the link takes you to the text, not the beginning of the article.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 25, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Remembering Russell Lynes (A Trip Down Memory Lane)

Thanks to Sally who found a blog mentioning the late Russell Lyes and his needlepoint, I have a great little article for you to read.  A writer and editor of Harper's for years, he was a stitcher, too.
http://mrsblandings.blogspot.com/2010/06/redux-redux.html

You can see a bit more of his stitching here with this cushion worked with his brother.
http://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3992903

You can read about a pair of pillows his brother stitched that were sold at Sotheby's here.
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2012/photographs-n08885/lot.146.lotnum.html

If you own a copy of Celebrity Needlepoint, apparently his work is included.
http://www.amazon.com/Celebrity-Needlepoint-Joan-Scobey-McGrath/dp/B003TNK2VW

Mr Lynes wrote the introduction to Needlepoint for Everyone, a book I've never heard of before now.  It's by Mary Brooks Picken.  This 1971 newspaper article makes it sound pretty interesting, with chapters on needlepoint as therapy (with tips on stitching with one hand), men who stitch and their "special techniques," and a large section of ecclesiastical embroidery.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1979&dat=19710517&id=uIciAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hqoFAAAAIBAJ&pg=967,1957827&hl=en

I also found, courtesy of Google Books, an article from Life Magazine's May 28, 1971 issue that talks about male stitchers, including Mr. Lynes.  Scroll up a bit to see the header photo for the article before reading.  Needlepoint is the main focus but there's a bit about male knitters and dress makers, too.
https://books.google.com/books?id=OkEEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA81&lpg=PA81&dq=needlepoint+russell+lynes&source=bl&ots=367y2gwtcP&sig=ILLCuWS3ZUwUQl6zImrx1dWQWLo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jb0SVfG5KoSSyASMoYKAAw&ved=0CEgQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=needlepoint%20russell%20lynes&f=false

As Mr. Lynes says about needlepoint, "It's always there when you want it and doesn't hinder conversation."

Many thanks to his memory for giving us some history to talk about as we stitch today.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 25, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.