Appeared in the Spring/Summer 2024 Gazette
By Joan Evanich

Needlepoint – just an ancient craft performed by your grandma or great aunt? Well, that may have been the perception but today, it is a vibrant art form practiced by people of all ages.

The earliest historic evidence of needlework (c. 1323 BC) was discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter in Tutankahamun’s tomb. Needlepoint later appeared in ecclesiastical vestments and became an extremely popular form of upholstery on 17th century European furniture. Embroidery and needlepoint were taught to young girls in many early America homes as a way of teaching letters, numbers and the necessary needlework skills to run a household. By the 20th century, needlepoint was a more leisurely pursuit that made a huge resurgence in the 1970s.

Eilene Issacs, current owner of The Canvasback.

In 1974, two North Shore women, Sally Volkert-Bissell and Mary Gee, found a way to combine their passion for handwork with their livelihood by purchasing an existing shop in Northfield. They worked tirelessly and made the shop a destination for “stitchers” in the greater Chicago area. Sally retired from The Canvasback in 2016 and the business was acquired by Eilene Isaacs, a former VP of Operation Services at Saks. While quite different from her previous position, owning a needlepoint boutique appealed to Eilene’s artistic side, one that was nurtured by her youthful summers at Interlochen’s Art Program. “I could knit and needlepoint before I could ride a bike. The customers, color and creativity of The Canvasback really appealed to me!”

Eilene brought some changes to the business by listening and learning from her customers. In addition to the more traditional canvases and fibers, she brought in new contemporary designs and a variety of synthetic and sparkly fibers that appealed to a new generation of stitchers. The Canvasback website and social media presence created a digital footprint attracting national and international customers. This became particularly important during the recent pandemic when the store was closed to the public due to quarantine mandates. Eilene worked alone from 7:00am-7:00pm daily processing phone and internet orders. Considered an “essential service,” transactions took place via a basket that sat outside The Canvasback door. Other staff members came in individually during evenings to wrap and pack orders for shipping all over the world including one to a princess in Morocco.

After 50 successful years, The Canvasback of Northfield is still a destination shop. It provides many services including custom design, blocking and finishing. Classes and workshops are available as well as special events including trunk shows from national designers every month of the year. Most important are the benefits instilled at The Canvasback, pride in handiwork, peace of mind and camaraderie. And remember, this is not your grandma’s needlepoint!