I was in Philadelphia Thursday evening and knew I needed a few fibers for my SOTM and another project I’m doing as well as a few other items like magnets.  Since I was right around the corner from Rittenhouse Needlepoint and had about 1/2 hour free, I just needed to stop in.  What a great experience.

The shop is on the 2nd floor and you must ring a bell to be admitted to the building.  The space is packed with tons of fibers, canvases, and ideas for finishing projects.   I was immediately greeted by one of the shopkeepers whose name I didn’t get and Russell, one of the owners.  The woman helped me find the fibers I needed and offered to order what they didn’t have.  Meanwhile she encouraged me to spend time and just look around; she was leaving but Russell was there if I had any questions. Russell then gave me a “back room” tour where they do custom finishing on-site and custom painting of canvases.  While not large, they have made wonderful use of the space they have.

For finishing, they have lots of ideas and you can either take your piece in to be finished or send it to them.  They make custom wood trays that are gorgeous.  If finishing with fabric, they have lots of fabrics to choose from.  If you take the piece in, they will work with you testing out different fabrics, cording, etc.  If you send it in, they will select some ideas and email you photos so you can decide what you really want.

They have a lot of canvases and I did not have time to really look although I did pick a few I’m really interested in doing – next time I’ll be sure to allow more time!   They have a stitch notebook with samples they let you peruse if looking for ideas.

Their website (http://rittenhouseneedlepoint.com)  is wonderful; their canvases are grouped by type rather than by designer.

I could have spent  a lot more time (and money!) if I hadn’t had another commitment.  It was definitely worth the stop and I know I’ll be going back!