CRAFT Her needlepoint got to the seat of the matter

The work gives people the power to create their own pieces of history.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- Vivian Haulton stitched patterns on just about every throw pillow, foot stool and comforter in her house.
It was time for a project that would challenge her creative talents.
But when a friend suggested she needlepoint her six dining room chairs, Haulton was a little overwhelmed.
"I remember thinking, 'My God, that would take 10 years!'" she said. Instead, it only took her eight.
Haulton, 68, contracted an artist to design six individual patterns for the chairs. Then she picked up a needle and thread and got to work.
She finished her last stitch on the chairs this past March and is now needlepointing straps for a luggage rack.
History
Needlework is a craft steeped in history. Long ago, girls learned it to be good housewives. Now it's evolved into a timeless art form people indulge for escaping stress and creating heirlooms.
"These are one of a kind," Haulton said about her chairs. "There aren't any like them anywhere in the world."
Haulton began needlepointing when she was 40 years old -- introduced to the hobby by the same friend who would later suggest she stitch her dining room chairs.
"I liked it immediately," she said. "It's the kind of hobby you can throw in a bag and put away. It doesn't take up a lot of space and isn't messy."
The portable nature of needlework makes it appealing to a variety of ages. Many people keep a project in the car in case they get stuck in traffic, held up at the doctor's office or waiting for children after school.
"Baseball season is one of our busiest times," said Marilu Novy, owner of The Threaded Needle, a needlework shop and studio. "A lot of mothers come in to pick up patterns for when they're sitting through practice or watching a game."
Gwen Lewis, 33, works as a pharmacist at Fort Benning, Ga. She said finding the time to stitch between work and caring for children can be challenging.
"There's never enough time to do the things you want to," she said. "You do projects when you can -- 30 minutes after dinner, 15 minutes before you go to bed."
There are even stories of a woman in the local Embroiderer's Guild who stitched an entire piece while waiting at traffic lights.
"It looked pretty good," said Mary Ann Hughes, 70. "She's the kind of person who never wastes a minute."
Hughes began stitching needlepoint when she was 5 years old. Her mother started her on a stamped design of Little Miss Muffet and she was hooked ever since.
"I don't think I can explain the love I have for needlepoint," she said.
Hughes, along with a group of about 10-12 women, meet at The Threaded Needle every Friday to stitch.
More than just a casual get-together, the women bring homemade pound cake, casseroles and Kentucky Fried Chicken in case their needlework leaves them hungry.
"It's a great social outlet," said Pam Reddy, 59. "Whenever we move, the first thing I do is see if there's an Embroiderer's Guild. Everyone there speaks my language."
Releasing tension
Hughes just finds it relaxing.
The repetitive motion of weaving a needle and thread through canvas patterns relieves tension, she said.
"I lose all my ugly thoughts wherever I put a stitch," said Hughes. "Some people think pulling weeds is relaxing and I disagree. That's work."
Jody Adams has been teaching at the Callaway School of Arts for 32 years, where more than 500 people attend the two-week needleart seminar. She believes needle art is popular because it's therapeutic.
"It's cheaper than therapy," she said. "Now more than ever, women need to do something for themselves. Needlepoint is a beautiful, creative process. There's love in every stitch."
And the end result is something to be treasured.
That's what Haulton hopes will one day become of her chairs -- heirlooms to be passed down for generations. Underneath the upholstery fabric of each one, she's affixed a typed history of how the chairs came to be.
"So one day if they end up in an antique store, someone will know what went into making them," she said.
Haulton, originally from Endicott, N.Y., is a collector of pineapple art objects -- a colonial symbol of hospitality. She hired a needlepoint artist to replicate five pineapple designs found in her hallway wallpaper and one from her brocade sofa.
Each canvas cost $350 to design. Combined with yarn and upholstery, they're worth about $500 apiece.
Because they were designed by an artist, they aren't your typical Hawaiian pineapples. They have geometric shapes and flowery curves.
"I wanted something elegant," she said.
She used Jasper blue, gold and cream wool for the 100,000 stitches on each seat. But Haulton maintains it wasn't difficult."It's very soothing," she said. "You get into a rhythm."