I know exactly when I became a stitcher.  It was June 1987, and I had driven by the Needle’s Excellency in Evanston, Illinois every day for 7 years.  The shop drew me in, finally, with the colorful variety of needlepoint canvases on the walls and classes amenable to my schedule.  I started by stitching a sampler and jumped in whole-heartedly after that.   I’ve lost track of how many canvases I have finished and wish now I had kept an inventory.

Credit for my enthusiasm goes to the shop’s owners, Amrita and Edward Goldberg.  Amrita combines her artist’s background and interest in fiber arts into a business that has thrived with great taste and personal attention.  What sets the Needle’s Excellency apart is that Amrita creates individual stitch guides, section by section, piece by piece, for all her customers who attend workshops.  Thus, even those who are working on the same painted canvas will end up with unique pieces, differing in thread types and stitch patterns.  Most of us are seriously devoted to our projects and our individual stitching journeys.  As we often repeat:  Needlepoint is cheaper than therapy.   

I first started taking classes from Amrita in the mid-1970’s and I was so thrilled after the first class, that I decided to take them all, even if I couldn’t complete the projects immediately, because I knew that I wanted to eventually return to the home of my birth; the Pacific Northwest.

I subsequently completed most of the projects while enjoying the memories I had, learning from the most talented and skilled, needle artist I have ever met, i.e. Amrita Goldberg. The time I spent in her shop under her instruction is a highlight of my life, and I am most grateful for her friendship, albeit too short lived, and for the skills she taught me that I have used and enjoyed for years after I moved.

I am now at the end of my life, and I still remember with great fondness, her shop, her skill, and her immense talent that she so generously shared with all of us. Thank you, Amrita …and my God continue to bless you always.

This is by far the finest needlepoint store in the entire country. I’ve visited other needlepoint stores, both many other states, Illinois included, and The Needles Excellency is head and shoulders above all the others. This is due completely because Amrita Goldberg, artist extraordinaire teaches classes, sells canvases and fibers and anything a needle-pointer would ever need.