Behind the Finish with Andrea O'Shea
Get to know the wizard of the Great Needlepoint Exchange & Designer/Finisher behind Bateswood Needlepoint
I am so delighted to feature one of my dearest finishing friends, Andrea O’Shea, the finisher and designer behind Bateswood Needlepoint and the wizard behind The Great Needlepoint Exchange, an annual needlepoint swap that occurs in Q1 every year.
She’s also one of the friends who got me through busy season with her infectious levity long into the night on many a Zoom finishing session. Like we laughed about in the live, the second shift for finishers is real.
Andrea is a true gem, and her energy for finishing, the warmth she imparts on her clients, and her generous spirit make her a real asset to the needlepoint community.
Last night, we chit chatted over on Instagram, you can check out the recording below or Instagram.
Note, just to save you from keeping track of the “A Names,” I used “Finishing Fairy or FF” below for me.
Finshing Fairy: Andrea! I’m so excited you agreed to this feature. Tell us a little bit about you! When did you start stitching? When did designing and finishing enter the picture?
Andrea: Oooof, this is going to be a scalding hot take but I started finishing before I started stitching! My friend is an avid stitcher and knew I was both looking for a second income and also extremely crafty so she convinced me to try this based on how long finishing took to get back and the skill set I already had. After some practice with finishing, stitching looked too good to not try! I have been in the business for 3 years.
Designing happened almost immediately. Nothing like a jumping all in. I had ideas that I hadn’t seen yet and wanted to stitch.
FF: Is needlepoint your 9-5, or do you work in addition to running Bateswood Needlepoint?
Andrea: No, my 9-5 is being a children’s librarian in a public library. Lots of scarf waving and singing during the day. I’m in the process of ordering seeds for our library garden and it’s difficult to not make it my entire personality.
FF: I know you were offering finishing before you added painted canvases, can you tell us about your decision to add those to your business? What is the inspiration behind your collection?
Andrea: Right now, the inspiration is a little everywhere and nowhere at once. The ideas come randomly and mostly from the idea, “I’d love to stitch X for my friend/mom/sister/etc,” or, “This design reminds me of X”. The ideas are very tied to people and places and memories. As with any artistic expression, I hope to keep designing to hone in on a consistent style and theme. The best artists are instantly recognizable for their style; in this niche I really look up to designers like Frances Abel, Plum Stitchery, Spellbound, and so, so many more who have a clear point of view, a vision, and an execution.
FF: Tell us a little bit about your design process, do you often design with the end finish in mind? You’re uniquely in a position of being both a designer and a finisher, so how to these two “halves of your brain” factor in?
Andrea: Absolutely! A perfect example of this done successfully is the Shirley Temple canvas ($44). I knew the size, the threads to use, and the mesh size. But I especially knew the shape. NO STRAW! As a finisher, you can see a challenging shape a mile away, right? So having the right shape and designing with clean lines in mind has become very important.
FF: Amazing, I love a Shirley Temple. The design and the straw omission really makes it easier for pros and new self-finishers too.
Andrea: YES! On the flip side, a perfect example of this done spectacularly wrong is the orange slice garland canvas ($88 for 6). I was so, so, so proud of that canvas and that idea; the colors are perfect, the gradients are just right, everything about it. Except the shape. I was so intent on making it hyper realistic that it’s a canvas of 6 irregularly shaped circles (blobs?) that even I don’t want to finish. It’s beautiful but they’re currently just sitting in my pile. So you live and learn. Quickly.
FF: How did you learn to self-finish originally?
Andrea: I wish I could tell you it’s one video or class that did it for me but it was really tons of practice. My previously mentioned friend sent me one of those incredible ASMR Coco Frank videos and agreed to let me finish every piece she stitched so I can learn and that’s what I did. It also helps that I have 30 years of crafting experience behind me. As with any craft, the principles of all disciplines apply: precision and accuracy, striving for a polished product, and the open mindedness and humility to always keep learning.
FF: Do you have any tips or advice for people who are interested in finishing your canvases or self-finishing generally?
Andrea: Know your own learning style and pursue finishing education based on that. If you are a learn-by-reading person, check out the Finishing Fairy finishing guide.* If you are a learn-by-doing like me, get your hands on a canvas. Practice on a blank canvas if you want to. There are so many amazing resources for finishing now; there’s truly something for everyone. Like the pediatric nurse told me about my newborn, “They can handle more than you think.” A canvas is not a precious thing to handle with white gloves! You can do this.
*I did not pay her to say this haha–but thank you Andrea, linked here. It’s free.
FF: Do you have any advice for folks who want to start a finishing business?
Andrea: Here’s what really helped me: Show your work. Show it up close. No finish is perfect but if you show your work, let people decide if it’s good enough for them. Be transparent about pricing and turnaround time. Be clear about what services you offer and what you don’t. Be communicative and kind. And if you post on social media, tag your stitcher and the designer! Building that network goes a long way with getting your work shown to people.
FF: What is on your list of finishes or new canvases for you this year? Any hot news you want to share?
Andrea: One of my first designs was a hotel key fob and now that I’ve finished stitching it, I want to try it with a grommet and an antique skeleton key. I absolutely love when a needlepoint finish and a non-needlepoint item are paired together.
I’d love to feel more confident with gusseted finishes! But time is a precious thing and carving out the hours for Research & Development is tough when you know there are stitchers relying on you for their projects.
FF: We love some R&D time when it fits in. Hard to prioritize it.
Andrea: I have a line of patches that are being painted now, including one that I just signed a licensing deal for; they are words I live by and I’ve been floating on a cloud ever since it all came together. I am also designing with my own Italian-American experience in mind, much like the zeppole I currently have. Write what you know, right?
I have a monthly raffle set up for more sustainable charitable contributions. We’re just wrapping up a fundraiser for the Connecticut Brain Tumor Alliance, raffling off $5 finishing (ends April 12, details on Instagram). Giving forward is a top priority this year.
Oh! And making all of the amazing fabric I have available for purchase online. [Andrea already has some listed!]
FF: Do you have any thoughts on where the finishing industry is heading?
Andrea: What a great question! There is so much potential in the finishing industry. SO MUCH. As designers have pockets of colleagues (collectives, houses, even the wholesale markets), I’d love to see finishers have the same level of camaraderie. An official network, a finishers retreat, more cross-training (HELLO LEATHER FINISHING), hubs of finishers, etc. Organizing in any capacity gives our role in the industry a level of credibility that would be so important for independent finishers.
FF: Andrea, thank you so very much for your time. It was so fun to hear what you have in the pipeline and your thoughts on finishing, designing, and all the things.
Andrea: You’re welcome, this was so fun!
You can find Andrea at bateswoodneedlepoint.com and on Instagram @bateswoodneedlepoint. Andrea says: “Bateswood Needlepoint is the result of my new favorite hobby and I think it might just become your new favorite hobby, too. I design modern needlepoint canvases that celebrate the people and places we love and offer quick ornament finishing so you can gift them on time.”
As a gift from Andrea, readers of The Needlepoint Finishing Club get 25% off all canvases and fabric finishing swatches(helloooo liberty of london!)! .
Use code BWxFF25 at BateswoodNeedlepoint.com
(Offer valid Friday, April 11 to May 11 at 11:59 PM ET)
Loved your session last night with Andrea! What a fun exchange!! 😊