Please join me in welcoming the fabulously chic and kind Emily Vickers as Lycette's newest On Point Needlepointer!
Emily and I met through the Beacon Hill crowd that I met through my cousin Liz. It truly is a small world. A little over two years ago Emily and I met one afternoon for a needlepoint lesson at The Hillsboro Beach Club where all my Boston favorites were taking a vacation ( the effervescent and warm @asailorstitches was there too). Over a few stitches and a glass of wine we bonded over classic style and a shared sense of humor. Read on to learn more about Emily's love of needlepoint and sneak a glimpse into her charmed life.
When did you first learn to NDLPT and who taught you how to NDLPT?
My husband’s mom had framed canvases in their family home from when she dabbled in needlepointing many years ago. I always admired her work and my husband encouraged me to try it by gifting me a very outdated cityscape canvas (that took me 3 years to finish)! It wasn’t until two years ago when my dear friend Katy (@asailorstitches) invited me to needlepoint with her and friends at a local Boston watering hole where the group collectively taught me to “stitch & b*tch.”
Who or what inspires you when it comes to NDLPT?
I love visiting local needlepoint shops during my travels, my favorite being Lycette in Palm Beach! I also love following @nan.needlepoint, @sarafitzstudio, @pipandrooneedleworks and @thornealexanderstyle for inspiration when it comes to canvases and their interpretation on color combinations. These are just a few females who inspire me in the needlepoint world.
What does living with intention mean to you?
Living with intention means finding my own unique meaning and purpose. Sometimes that’s hard in the world of Instagram when you’re easily drawn to someone else’s life. Over the past 7+ years I’ve tried hard to be mindful of the products I put on and in my body and what that means for the environment. While it might sound small I'm passionate about finding new ways to live a nontoxic lifestyle.
I absolutely adore your aesthetic, what words would you use to describe it?
Timeless and classic for me, if it isn’t broken don’t fix it attitude…there is something gravitational to a style that’s generations old and still hits like new, maybe its Mad Men sentimental or Breakfast at Tiffany’s delusion but have always have honored tradition and subtle grace.
How do you apply those same words to NDLPT?
I love cheeky phrases on classic canvases - Something timeless that I can laugh with my girlfriends about now and something my future grandchildren will snicker about reading many decades from now.
What project are you currently working on? What has been your favorite project to date?
Currently working on a pillow gifted by my husband for my birthday (“My husband may wear the pants in the family...” canvas). I’d say my favorite project was my Lycette ‘Sunnies’ case. It was the second canvas I ever completed and I stitched the majority of it on the beach with my girlfriends (as opposed to the others that I stitched in quarantine).
Netflix & Needlepoint or Audiobooks & Needlepoint?
Netflix and needlepoint with a glass of wine.
Where is your ideal stitching location?
Coral Beach Club in Bermuda, Ladies Beach in Nantucket, Hillsboro Club in Florida and The Sevens in Boston. Always with girlfriends!
In addition to needlepoint I know you also love skincare. What do you consider the bread & butter AKA the silk and ivory of skincare?
As I mentioned earlier, I have been researching (and near obsessing!) over safer alternatives to skincare. I love offering advice to friends and family about nontoxic beauty alternatives to what they currently use. My goal is to help women feel more confident and educated in what they’re exposing their bodies to. After all, our skin is our largest organ! My current lineup of powerhouse nontoxic beauty products includes: Pleni Naturals cleansing oil, Indie Lee Toner, Tammy Fender Moisturizer (her spa is in West Palm Beach!), PlantGenius Eye Balm and always, sunscreen! I follow up with my favorite makeup by Westman Atelier, Ilia Beauty and Beautycounter - voila!
What is your dream canvas?
I once saw a pillow at a cocktail party in someone’s home that read “don’t do coke in the bathroom.” I’m still in search for this canvas to stitch! Haha But I’m also dying to complete a backgammon needlepoint canvas. Once my little ones are in school full-time I hope to tackle that one!
I know you are passionate about traditional sensibilities, how does NDLPT play into this passion?
As I mentioned earlier, I love the idea that my needlepoints will be around hopefully longer than I am. Maybe someday my great-grandchild will inherit my timeless yet fun needlepoints. My one hope is that perhaps one of my daughters or my nieces (who have already shown interest!) needlepoint because they want to follow in my footsteps and see what joy this pastime brings me.
Let's Get to the Point
Threader or no threader?
No threader
13 Mesh or 18 Mesh?
13 mesh - I finish these canvases quicker!
Favorite Pouch to hold products?
I love these Amazon pouches for storing my canvas projects and these containers for organizing my fibers by color and size.
Knot, Waste Knot, or tuck under?
Knot.
Fastidious about the back or not so much?
Who cares, no one sees. Or at least that’s what I have to tell myself because my backs are a work of art (in how to mess up a lot)!
A fabulous glimpse of Boston from Emily's Instagram.
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