Keeping the Art of Needlepoint Alive at the Studio of Fancywork Finishing
Hands-On Instructional Videos. On-Site Consultations. Instructive Presentations.North Excedra at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington DC
Needlepoint is an enduring and beautiful textile art form with a rich history
Many stitchers consider needlepoint a spiritual practice and know how satisfying it is to create or restore a beautiful piece of needlework. At Fancywork Finishing, we work with church ministries and needlepoint enthusiasts to help them take their craft to new levels so they can create gorgeous, handcrafted works of art.
Looking to start a needlepoint ministry or project at your church? Our on-site consults and classes help altar guilds and church worship committees create, design, and restore ecclesiastical needlepoint. Looking for instructional videos on how to take your art to the next level? Look at our instructional videos below.
Look for my emails in February 2023
announcing the release of several “How To” videos.
Nancy holds instructional videos for every level of needlepoint enthusiast — from the beginner to the advanced. She teaches finishing techniques for personal pieces such as knife-edged pillows, boxed pillows, Christmas stockings, and Christmas ornaments that can save you hundreds of dollars in finishing future projects. In every instructional video, Nancy teaches her time-tested techniques to help you finish your personal pieces and learn new methods to deepen your skills.
Instructional Video: Finishing a Knife-edged inset pillow
Instructional Video: Blocking Series I
Instructional Video: Blocking Series II & III – Blocking older and damaged canvases.
Instructional Video on Finishing Knife-Edged and Boxed Pillows
Painting canvases “Painting-To-Point”
Needlepoint consulting & instructional videos for churches
Our founder and owner, Nancy Lukoskie, began her apprenticeship 38 years ago learning finishing techniques for churches. These consultations and instructional videos are designed to help you begin, restore and learn how to finish your ecclesiastical pieces, and learn new methods to deepen your skills.
Guidance & support for church needlepoint ministries
Founder and owner, Nancy Lukoskie, specializes in ecclesiastical needlepoint and has helped bring more than 400 needlepoint projects to life for churches, schools and individual clients over her career. She is a renowned expert and serves as the Washington National Cathedral’s needlepoint specialist. Her work can be found throughout the U.S. and adorns some of the most prestigious and beloved churches in the U.S.: the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C., Trinity Church in Manhattan, and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah. She is passionate about supporting needlepoint ministries and enjoys bringing people’s dreams to fruition. Learn more about Nancy and Fancywork Finishing and how she can help your ministry find an instructional video that will meet your needs.
Care, maintenance & restoration consultations
Needlepoint restoration and preservation takes an experienced hand. It’s a delicate, demanding process with many steps. Knowing how to work with old materials and being able to embrace modern techniques is essential. Founder and owner, Nancy, has more than 38-years of experience and will come on-site to your place of worship to evaluate the condition of your needlepoint furnishings. She will also provide:
- Hands-on demonstrations of onsite repair-work, cleaning, and regular maintenance.
- Customized conservation plans with written instructions, schedules, and a list of the materials needed.
Professional ecclesiastical finishing instructional videos
Nancy’s instructional videos are designed to teach and provide hands-on experience in ecclesiastical needlepoint. In this professional-level and customized instructional video, she offers step-by-step guidance through everything you need to know to professionally start, fit, and finish your needlepoint project. Our founder and owner, Nancy, is a perfect mentor for anyone wanting to start a needlepoint business to support churches. She offers week-long training to professionals seeking to learn the business and craft of ecclesiastical needlepoint planning and finishing.
Guest speaking & presentations
Nancy is a highly-sought speaker on ecclesiastical needlepoint and her talks are designed to educate and empower needlepoint ministries and groups. Some of her most popular topics include:
- Slide presentations showing her body of work.
- The process of designing a needlepoint project.
- How to incorporate symbolism in your artwork.
Contact us for more information or to feature Nancy at your next event.
James W. Shepherd, AIA, LEED
Director of Preservation and Facilities
Washington National Cathedral
“Fancywork Finishing has been a wonderful partner in assisting with the care and stewardship of Washington National Cathedral’s large and important needlework collection. Over the last 34 years, under the direction of Nancy Lukoskie, Fancywork Finishing has assisted with the restoration of hundreds of needlework cushions in the Cathedral’s Great Choir and various chapels. Many of these pieces had to be disassembled, cleaned, repaired, repadded and reassembled and Fancywork Finishing provided those services. In some cases, the cushions needed to be completely restitched and Fancywork Finishing provided the painted canvases and threads to make that happen. These repair and restoration efforts were handled with a high level of expertise and professionalism. Ms. Lukoskie is always willing to share her knowledge through workshops to educate the Cathedral community on how to care for these valuable pieces into the future. The Cathedral is delighted to have her continued engagement with the oversight of our needlework pieces.”
Recent articles
Hand Made Needlework Trim
Watch my demonstration video on making Monk's Braid: https://youtu.be/3dwJtpDl-6E Use Monk's Braid as a substitute for Twisted Cording, Fabric Cording, or Binding Stitch.
Finishing touches on Ecclesiastical Needlepoint
We use monks braid instead of fabric cording mostly on church kneelers and cushions. Most of the pieces that we receive for restoration will have a separate boxing (gusset) and they were originally finished with a fabric cording. Monks Braid is a great alternative to...
Needlepoint Blocking
My blocking experience and training started back in 1979. My job description was a “Blocker”, I blocked hundreds of canvases my first year. No exaggeration! We were the finisher for many needlepoint shops and numerous churches along the East Coast. This is where I had...
A proven 7-step process to repair damaged stitches on your needlepoint artwork
By Master artisan Nancy Lukoskie Do you have stitches that are popping out of your canvas because the thread was not anchored securely, the fibers have worn away, or a bug decided to nibble on your canvas? Download my 7 simple (and time-tested) steps to fix this problem - and the best part is that you will not have to disassemble the finished piece!
