I first came across Ali's Instagram account when she tagged us while stitching our "5 Gingham Bunnies" canvas. I immediately went down the rabbit hole and checked out all her posts. She has such a wide range of different canvases, all stitched perfectly, and you can see she truly enjoys each and every one of them. As often happens in the needlepoint community on Instagram, I sent Ali a DM about something, and we've occasionally communicated over the last couple of years. Ali has one of the most popular Needlepoint Instagram accounts and has developed quite a following through her "Thought Thursday" Stories. She is well-known for her many Needlepoint related polls, but it is her numerous charitable endeavors that I truly admire.  I am thrilled Ali is part of the needlepoint community and I'm excited to share our conversation with you.

1. For some of our followers who don’t follow you, could you please tell us a bit about your needlepoint background? When and how did you learn to needlepoint?

I started stitching in April 2022—so I’m still a newbie (right?). My mom passed away in February 2022, and I was drowning in grief while trying to move forward to care for my then 2-year-old daughter, Riley. My mom always had a project going, whether it was a sewing kit, cross stitch, or even knitting, so I asked my husband’s aunt to teach me how to cross stitch, as I knew she was very good at it (or so I thought!). Well, it turned out she was really a needlepointer! Thank goodness, because I can’t imagine doing all that counting for cross stitch. It took me several weeks to figure out the difference between cross stitch and needlepoint, but we’re on the right track now!

 My first project: Santa suit by Silver Needle.

  2.  Your "Thought Thursday" stories have taken on a life of their own. I always look forward to seeing what you post, whether it be a poll of some sort or a charitable endeavor. Please share with us how it came about, and do you have any aspirations for your "Thought Thursday" stories?

Okay, so my husband’s aunt, who taught me to stitch, lives about three hours from me, and I didn’t know anyone who stitched. So... I started posting questions on my needlepoint Instagram, like what background color should I use for this, how do I do this stitch, etc. This was before I even knew there were so many fibers, places to buy needlepoint, designers, etc. During this time, I made so many friendships and started getting into conversations with people in DMs, and I found it so fun!

I started "Thought Thursday" when more and more people began answering the questions and were always curious about the responses. Never did I think it would become what it has, with hundreds of stitchers participating weekly! We have also supported designers, cleared teacher wishlists, and donated to many charities together—I love this community so much!!

My only aspiration with "Thought Thursday" is to bring stitchers and the Needlepoint community closer together, creating connections! I have met some of my very best friends through needlepoint. I hope everyone reading will join us for "Thought Thursday" at @aliinstitches on Instagram!

 3.  What are you stitching at the moment? Do you tend to stitch multiple canvases at the same time, or are you a one-canvas-at-a-time girl? Also, do you prefer small or large canvases, 13" or 18" mesh?

I am stitching SO many projects!! I am definitely a multiple-project girl; sometimes I just can’t help but start another. I do lean toward smaller projects because I feel they’re easier to pick up and hold, but I’ve done my fair share of larger ones too! I definitely enjoy a mix of 13 and 18 mesh.

Here are all my current WIPs:

@bluecanarycanvas theNDLPThat that my bestie Whitney (@ndlptcookie) gifted me!!

My longest WIP is the "I would prefer not to" by Lycette, and I just love love love this one so much, but a large basketweave project is not my favorite (never again!—but I’m too lazy to rip it out at this point).