Splendid Stitch opens in Sag Harbor with needlepoint supplies and classes

Elizabeth Redleaf is in the business of keeping hands — and minds — busy at her new needlepoint store in Sag Harbor.

The Splendid Stitch is a "full-service shop that provides everything you need and education," says Redleaf, who’s in her happy place with a needle and thread. Those supplies, plus hand-painted canvases and more, fill up the store.

"I’ve been needlepointing for over 50 years," says Redleaf. "I started when I was a teenager and became serious about it when I was in my 20s." In her 30s, she opened a shop for the craft in Libertyville, Illinois.

Redleaf eventually closed the store and put aside stitching to become a film producer in New York City. Filmmaking and needlepoint may seem worlds apart and have little in common, but they share a bond. They both involve creativity and threading together a detailed and textured work of art. She credits pandemic downtime for rebooting her passion for the pastime.

Redleaf, who bought a home in Sag Harbor after "falling in love with the place," says she’s delighted to be back in the needlepoint world. Customers run the gamut from Gen-Z-ers to grandmothers.

Canvases with every motif under the sun run from $25 to $600 at the shop. There are 60-plus lines of thread. They cost between $2 and $7. "You can do one small section of a canvas at a time," says Redleaf. "You don’t have to buy supplies all at once."

Redleaf shares more tips in her beginner’s class ($80), which includes everything you need to stitch your first project. Check @splendidstitchhamptons on Instagram for the schedule.

"The whole needlepointing industry has changed, not only in terms of the beautiful and contemporary designs available now, but also in the amount of threads to use," said Redleaf. "It’s much more exciting than it was."

11 Bridge St., Sag Harbor, 631-899-3363,  thesplendidstitch.com.