Atlantic Ave Magazine - January 2020

Stitches by the Sea
Needlepoint and Nurturing
By diane feen | photos by melissa korman
If you ask Leslie Abady what she thinks about Stitches
by the Sea she will combust with joy. The Boca
resident – and needlepoint newbie – spends every
Tuesday hunkered down with her needlepoint projects.
The family - “a family affair”
She came to this light airy creative juncture of stitches as a
matter of happenstance. But like most of us she found nirvana
in a Delray neighborhood surrounded by surreal canvases of
color and creativity.
“This is the most amazing place. I love coming here and look forward
to Tuesdays to work on my needlepoint projects.”
To Abady, Stitches By The Sea is about family, friendship and creativity.
“I came here to learn how to needlepoint. When I first went,
I did not even know how to hold a needle. Now I have a needlepoint
set-up at home, and I feel like I have a new family. The energy
here is so positive and when I am here, I forget about everything
in my life and just enjoy the creative endeavor of needlepointing.”
There are a lot of clients (who become surrogate stitching family
members) who depend on Stitches By The Sea to be their creative
purveyor of yarns, canvases and finishing. You can do your needlepoint
at home and bring the finished product to be made into a heavenly
creation, or spend time combining both at this shop by the sea.
Barbara Wiston is the latter. The avid needlepointer has made
some of her most cherished gifts for family members with the tools
of the trade from Stitches By The Sea. She recently brought in a
beautiful Tallit Bag in colors of the rainbow with satin lining and
a poignant inscription for her son Gregg. “I buy all my thread and
canvases here and they finish it for me. This is the 11th Tallit Bag
I’ve made. I embroidered a note to my son so he will remember me
some day and cry.”
Wiston has eight grandchildren, a husband and two sons who get
Tallit Bags as gifts from her. “They are wonderful at Stitches By The
Sea. They are helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and warm.”
Cynthia agrees. “This is a true family business with an emphasis
on customer service. They are helpful and friendly and have great
canvases and wonderful finishing. The best of the best!”
To be the best you must aspire to a lofty place. That is what owners
Judi, Dick and daughter Karen do. Judi has been in the needlepoint
business for over 46 years (in Florida and Long Island) and is
as friendly and unpretentious as a favorite aunt.
Karen cheerfully welcomes customers into this panorama of
color and beauty. She helps beginners get started on their first
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Karen and Randi planning their next class
Susan teaches Leslie a new stitch
a rockin canvas from a current trunk show
72 | January 2020 | www.AtlanticAveMagazine.com