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Dyed and Gone to Heaven – An Online Magazine and Needlework Resource |
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The CARON Collection is pleased to feature one of the outstanding shops who so ably provide stitchers with not only supplies but guidance, technical expertise, and inspiration. We hope you'll support your local shops and browse through our extensive SHOP LISTINGS to find a shop near you.
We take you to...
Needle Nutz
In Colorado Springs, CO
by Rita Vainius
Pat and Jack Jackson and their daughter Meg Seddon are the proprietors of Needle Nutz. Yet, it was actually Meg's husband, Andy, who came up with the name for the shop. Meg explains, "We had decided to open a shop and we were throwing around possible names but nothing really felt like a fit. I looked at Andy and asked him if he had any suggestions. He just looked at all of us and said, 'I don't know about you Needle Nuts!' It was like a bolt of lightning hit us all at once. That sort of just fit us, the entire family! We did decide to make a small change, by spelling the Nuts with a "Z". Makes us a bit distinctive that way."
Pat was born in Wichita, Kansas. As a child one of her favorite activities was needlework - embroidery, knitting and crochet. She graduated from Southwestern College with degrees in Psychology and English Education and went on to teach High School English. In 1952, she married Paschal "Jack" Jackson. Jack had spent his childhood as a Navy brat, but upon growing up, enrolled in the Army instead - in the Chaplain Corps. Jack and Pat lived on Long Island, NY while he attended Seminary, and where their only child, Meg, was born. She grew up all over the world as her father's postings changed. Jack served in numerous locales: Ft. Carson, CO, Ft. Lewis, WA, Paris, France, Baumholder and Bremerhaven in Germany, and did 2 tours of duty in Vietnam. While they were in Germany, Pat studied various types of needlework, including Hardanger, adding further to her knowledge and lifelong interest in stitching.
As a child, Meg's favorite activities were reading and drawing. She learned to embroider in 6th grade, partly to improve her eye-hand co-ordination, since she is left-handed. Meg elaborates, "An aunt taught me how to do satin stitchon pieces of old sheets on which she had drawn pictures from coloring books. I did that and pre-stamp stuff until we went to Germany. There I began doing counted cross-stitch." Meg attended college acquiring a degree in Sports Medicine. After graduation, she was employed by the Microelectronics Company and stayed with them for 16 years, working in Customer Service for worldwide distribution.
Jack retired from the Army while Meg was in college; he and Pat settled in Colorado Springs. Pat opened a needlework shop there with a partner. Because her partner's husband developed M.S., they subsequently sold the shop. Little did they know, that there would be another needlework adventure down the road awaiting them, along with their daughter!
Needlework did not become an addiction for Meg until she was in college. As Pat owned the shop at the time, Meg was able to feed her addiction to excess! Afterward, she had to practice moderation, which did not suit her a bit! In 1995 Meg suffered a back injury that necessitated leaving her job. Several years later, Meg, Pat and Jack came up with the idea of opening another needlework shop together; Needle Nutz was established in October of 1997. A year ago, they moved to their current location because they had outgrown their initial space. They wound up relocating just 3 doors down, but doubling their space in the process.
When Needle Nutz first opened, Meg and Pat each had their favorite product lines. Meg says, "It was a bit of a challenge to get the 2 types to mesh. My mom has a real love for Hardanger; I'm your basic cross-stitch person. We decided to pick what WE liked." Since the store's inception, they have expanded dramatically in all areas. Needle Nutz now carries a broad range of fabrics and fibers, as well as a wide selection of counted cross-stitch, Hardanger, pulled thread, drawn thread and petit point patterns, in addition to stitchery supplies, tools and accessories.
Needle Nutz holds formal classes primarily for Hardanger, with Pat as instructor. Her vast knowledge, coupled with her previous teaching experience, makes her a natural. Meg teaches classes for Nutz Nite, which are more informal. She gleefully retorts, "It gets 'messy' when we do specialty stitches. I especially like doing ones that involve an overdye and Smyrna cross stitches or the woven stitch. Very cool effect."
One-on-one help in cross-stitch or any other technique is also available anytime a customer requests. To accommodate clientele further, they sell all the overdyes and solid color silks by the strand and finish the edges of all the fabric they sell. Meg adds, "I'm one of those people that when I get a new project, I want to rush home and start it right away, it was a pain to have to drag out the machine to finish the edges. We save our customers that problem, by the time they get home, all they have to do is thread the needle!"
Jack is a vital part of the business; he greets people, does some of the computer work, stitches models and does lots of the day-to-day "grind stuff." When not otherwise occupied, he sits and stitches on his floor stand. As a retired minister, he's very good with people, especially in keeping husbands occupied when their wives come in to shop.
The Bee's Garden by Meg Seddon Meg is the resident designer, with a nationally published piece to her credit - The Bee's Garden, published by "Something In Common." She also designs the projects for the Nutz Nite events and has launched a series of monthly designs that are mini samplers. Another design to her credit evolved from a visit by an E-group, entitled "Tea Time Stitching," also available as a shop exclusive.
Happy Holidays by Meg Seddon Nutz Nite is set aside for special projects. Meg clarifies, "The goal was to expand their [the stitchers'] horizons. Be a little more daring than just making a bunny fuzzy or adding that same fiber to Santa's Beard. Go for the gusto!" Projects are posted in advance on the Website so that mail order customers have a chance to sign up as well. Monday evenings are "UFO" (un-finished objects) nights, with prizes awarded when a stitcher finishes a project. Other special shop promotions include SANTA'S WISH LIST - stitchers can list needlework items they would like to receive. With some helpful hints, a stitcher can point her husband, children, friends to Needle Nutz and receive something she REALLY wanted. Another holiday special is the STOCKING STUFFER - a 2001 cross stitch calendar consisting of twelve monthly charts.
Needle Nutz is situated in Colorado Springs, home of the Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. It is an especially busy tourist center in the summer months, but because of the Academy, people visit year-round. Needle Nutz does a substantial volume of mail order business, shipping all over the world. Currently, they are compiling a comprehensive catalog for their Internet customers. Andy Seddon, Meg's husband, is responsible for designing and holding down the Website, while maintaining his own full time job and working towards computer certification.
As to how Meg and Andy met, she insists, "It's a weird story, but we basically started out as friends." She playfully adds, "We have no human children, but do have two furry, four-footed 'kids,' both of which are Old English Sheepdogs. Andy and I show them on the dog circuit on weekends and we currently have 1 champion, Bailey, and a puppy, Shaddo. The "baby" will begin his career in February." Pat and Jack own a Cockapoo named Misty and all 3 dogs spend the day at the shop also! Meg adds, "Sometimes we have to come up on a Sunday for just a few minutes because Bailey drives us nutz! He HAS to come to work!!! I guess being raised in a needlework shop is serious business!"
Andy and "the Champ," Bailey Meg's sentiments about Needle Nutz echo those of Pat and Jack also, "I love the business. I love to feel the fibers, smell the fabric." She continues, "Now that I am designing, I love to mix the colours and the fiber textures. I seem to always be in search of just the right fiber to get the look I want. I have yet to walk into my shop and NOT say to myself, I Love my Store! I used to have to convince myself that I loved my job - now I really do!"
Needle Nutz, Inc.
1822 Dominion Way, Colorado Springs, CO 80918
Phone: 719-265-6567
Fax: 719-265-6568
E-Mail: needlenutz@pcisys.net
Website: http://www.pcisys.net/~needlenutz
(soon to change to http://www.needlenutz.com© 1997 The Caron Collection Ltd. / Voice: (203) 381-9999, Fax: 203 381-9003
CARON email: mail@caron-net.com