THE BEST NEEDLEWORK STAND EVER!!!
Almost 2 years ago now…hard to believe…
I asked my friend Joanie if her newly retired husband (who I knew was a wood worker) would be interested in building me a needleworks stand.
See 20 years ago I could barely lift my newborn baby because of shoulder and elbow pain.
I was referred to a bone and joint specialist and ultimately a MRI was done.
I had a very bad case of repetitive motion tendonitis. After going over what I do repetitively he made me stop stitching to see if it improved. There was drastic improvement within a week of my not stitching. So of course that was the culprit. I was told to stop stitching. And if I wouldn’t stop, only do it for no more than 15 minutes a day. Well that wouldn’t do at all.
So I began researching. I found out about needlework stands. I did some research on needlework stands and where I could source them. The closest place I found one was 2.5 hours south of me near my hometown in Evansville, Indiana at “Stitches From the Heart” needlework shop. (this was after weeks of research and hunting and Indiana really isn’t a Mecca for anything so there was that obstacle)
I called the shop, inquired about the price, components to get what I wanted. THEN I called my father and sweet talked him into going and retrieving it and bringing it up to me after I paid for it over the phone with my credit card. That all worked out great. I got a needlework stand and I made a delicious meal for my Dad and he got to visit with me for the day.
What I purchased was a floor stand: the Needlework System 4.
At that time (2005) I paid around $500 for it and for a young family with 4 kids that was a chunk to pay.
I got the floor stand itself, with the Qsnap Head.
And I’m happy to tell you learning to stitch two handed on that stand resolved my tendonitis. It was miraculous. I NEVER stitch without a stand - if I do for any length of time at all…back comes all the old issues. I still have the stand. It’s still useable (albeit a little beaten up) and the $500 was well worth it.
After my kids were grown up a bit and I had started working not only my weekend lab job but also my finishing business, I had a little more “mad” money. So I purchased the lap stand Needlework System 4 with the Qsnap Head. Then I bought: a K’s creation lap stand, a Elan table clamp stand, a fanny stand, 2 Rolaframe floor stands, K’s creation floor stand (side loading) and finally I bought a wooden lap stand made by a lovely older gentleman who sadly passed away just a couple of years ago making his stands in his workshop. If you are keeping track of how many stands I own (yes, still have all of them) that is 8 stands.
To say I know a lot about needlework stands, is an understatement. I’d say YES! YES I DO know a lot and have first hand experience. The stands were all purchased by me for me. I was not given any of them and am not trying to sell any of them.
The stand I liked the best for the versatility and ease of use was the homemade stand by the elderly gentleman, Mr. Mike. But although I loved his stand, there were some issues. Having all the stands I have, each one had its pluses and each one had some minuses. I wanted to combine all the things I loved into one stand. Thus….why I originally asked Dave if he’d be interested in creating a stand incorporating all I loved into one stand addressing all the issues I have had with the various stands above.
He said yes! And the result was “It’s All About The Wood” Needlework stands.
Photographed here in the foreground was THE original Oak prototype that he made addressing all the points I wanted in a stand.
I got it in the late winter of 2024 and I was instantly smitten. It was perfect! Dave told me to stitch on it for a couple of weeks and then we’d talk about if it was working like I wanted. I could tell after stitching on it one day it was exactly what I wanted. I started posting pictures of my WIPS and people started asking what stand I used. Finally there was so much interest that Dave started making them full time.
This fall I asked Dave to make me another one so I can keep one upstairs in my upstairs stitching nook and one downstairs in my downstairs stitching nook. After my hip replacement surgery I had to ask Keith (or one of my kids) to move it up and down wherever I decided to be for the day. Yesterday my brand new WALNUT stand arrived and OH MY! It is beautiful! Stunning! And I can see all the improvements immediately that Dave has incorporated after the very first prototype. I have made a series of pictures so that I can share with you all of the things that I asked for in a stand and how this stand is superior to any stand on the market. I also want to thank Dave for this stand as it was his personal gift to me. He’s a dear and a very talented man. I am blessed to call him and his wife as dear, dear friends. Although I have never met either of them in real life. I have “known” them now for many, many years (back to when I started my first blog in 2005). Joanie (Dave’s wife) truly is one of the best friends I have ever had in my life. I am blessed.
“It’s All About the Wood Needlework Stands” Let’s learn about
Here is the stand straight on:
Here is the stand from above:
Dave’s Logo:
Handy Dandy Magnet Needleminder right on the base:
Fully customize the width you want to accommodate your project by turning the knobs and moving the arm holder within the metal channel, turn the knobs down to tighten. The wood base with the arm channel comes in different widths. My stands are both the largest widths, but they come in smaller widths too (look at the beautiful wood and the workmanship):
Here is what makes these stands so wonderful AND it’s one of my customizations that I asked for….it’s the tilting feet. With my joint issues I want my work close to me. A flat lap stand didn’t work for me. So the janky thing I did on my other lap stands was: take non-slip stick on patches that you typically put on the bottom of a chair or table legs so furniture won’t move on wood floors and I stacked them on top of each other sticking them together to make a stack and then I glued them to the bottom back corners of my lap stands. That surely gave it a tilt that I was looking for, but it wasn’t pretty and they would fall off and I’d have to remake a stack every so often. Dave came up with this solution using a completely customizable foot on the back corners AND the rubber feet rotate 365 degrees:
All of Dave’s stands come with the tilting feet, but if you don’t want them, NO WORRIES, just totally twist the screw out and viola no tilt and Dave adds little bumpers on all 4 corners to make your stand secure/nonslip and also protects your tabletop surface. Also the tilt feet are customizable by height so that you can get the full tilt the way YOU want it. Just screw the bolt in or out to the height you want. Once you get it to the height that you like, move one nut up to the base and that locks it in. Note the following pictures show the protective bumper if you choose not to use the tilt feet, the tilt feet at zero additional tilt and a photo of the tilt feet bolt with a higher degree of tilt:
Also the stand arms are fully customizable by the slotted arm project holder. The slot at the highest position brings the project closer to you, as you go down the slot, it takes the project further from you. Also the slant of the arms are completely customizable as well, meaning you can stitch with the piece horizontal and any degree of your choosing:
With just a twist of these knobs, it tightens and holds TIGHT (another feature I requested) so that the arms never drop or fall down when stitching. Why is this important to me? Because I lean my non dominant hand on the project arm. And in my other stands, the arms or head of the stand would drop. Meaning I’d have to stop stitching and reorient to the position I wanted constantly. ALSO I asked for an arm that was flat and the piece that held the arm in place did not poke out the top causing a bump. Dave again addressed that issue and the arms are held in place by a “U” shaped arm holder so that the arms are nice and flat, holding my scroll rods flatly against them. And the “U” shape once tightened in place holds the arms firmly at the angle I want. I have stitched on Dave’s stand for 2 years. NOT ONCE has the arm ever dropped and to this day on my original model, still tight as ever!
Here’s a couple of shots showing the metal channel allowing for width changes:
Isn’t it beautiful?
So that’s what I have to share with you today! If you are struggling with stitching comfortably consider a “It’s All About the Wood” Needlework Stand and teaching yourself to stitch two handed. People say I am a fast stitcher, well if so it is because I stitch two handed.
These again are useable on a flat surface, table or on your lap - I have stitched both ways but prefer mine just sitting on my lap.
Hobby House Needleworks is the exclusive dealer of Dave’s stands. You can see them here:
I have a final word about this stand:
“Artisanal” is a word thrown around a lot these days. It means: made in a traditional and non-mechanized way. These stands Dave makes with his own two hands. Sourcing the wood and all the components that he puts into them, himself. Lovingly creating each stand with just his two hands. This stand is an artisanal stand. I absolutely love it and I will NEVER stitch on any other stand again. I look at other stands - the ones I own and the ones that others tout online and I immediately see all the flaws, as I have 8 stands now stored in our basement that I bought and used over 20 years and saw the flaws and points of them that did not work for me OR I knew could be improved. This stand was built especially for me incorporating all the things I wanted. Dave took all my suggestions and made them even better. Take it from me: THIS STAND IS THE ULTIMATE, THE PINNACLE, THE HEIGHT OF STITCHING PERFECTION!
I’m serious. It’s the best. I also want to say: I am not getting kick backs, any money or anything out of this, other than the satisfaction of telling your that this original stand - and that NO OTHER STAND on the market or otherwise - has all of these points incorporated into ONE single stand, and it simply is the best! Dave DID give me the stands in thanks for getting his retirement business started but I am telling you: I would have bought both of them gladly because they are EXACTLY what I wanted and exactly, no even better than exactly, what I asked him to make me. This is not a schmooze job!
P.S. and if you buy one of these stands you need to treat it as you would a prized piece of wood furniture. The wood needs to be nourished so a good occasional rub down with Howard’s Feed and Wax wood conditioner is just the thing to keep this fine piece of workmanship looking it’s very best!
