Behind the Finish: Daniella Golden

Go behind the finish, @shorelinestitcher

I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly inspired by other finishers. Each Friday, I try to round up some of my favorite finishes from the week on Instagram, but captions don’t ever capture the finisher behind the finish. One of the finishers I find myself coming back to time and time again is Daniella.

Daniella shares tons of resources on her Instagram profile and I knew we had a common interest in sharing what we learn with others! I couldn’t wait to learn more of her story in today’s issue of a new series “Behind the Finish”

Daniella, thank you so much for agreeing to be my first “Featured Finisher” and sharing a bit more about your beautiful finishes!

I know you're also a stitcher, so can you tell us how you started stitching? 

I have always been a crafter - it’s in my blood! My grandmother was a quilter, who taught at her local senior center. My mother, also a quilter among many other art forms, taught family and consumer science for 35 years at my hometown’s high school and middle school. I’m lucky to have always known needle arts as a way to express myself, pass time, and exercise mindfulness. Having embroidered and cross stitched in my teens, I picked hand embroidery back up in 2019. When the pandemic shut the world down in 2020, I coped with my stress and anxiety by embroidering tea towels and cocktail napkins for my friends and family as a way to cheer them up. A year later, burnt out on stem stitch and chain stitch, I ordered a kitted needlepoint ornament online. As they say, the rest was history!

When did you start finishing? What got you into it? 

I started finishing right after I started stitching! Surprised by the cost of professional finishing, I decided I would take the process into my own hands. Armed with a positive attitude and some background knowledge, I finished my first ornament - a Kate Dickerson Nantucket oval - with lots of tacky glue.

Slowly, my finishing began to improve as I changed aspects of my process. I learned how to ditch the glue and lace my ornaments, sew on cording with invisible thread, and started implementing my sewing machine to help me out with certain projects. For me, finishing has always felt like a puzzle. What methods do I already know that I can utilize in different ways to achieve the look I’m going for? 

Do you exclusively finish your own work, or do you send certain formats out? 

I would love to say I have the confidence to try anything, but that’s not true every single time! I treat myself annually to one professionally finished pillow, and have the year embroidered on the back - I’m a huge fan of Janet Basnett’s work. Her eye for pattern placement is unrivaled.

Last year, I stitched the Silver Needle Nantucket Santa with the hopes that it will be enjoyed as a Christmas tree topper by my family for years to come, so I enlisted the help of my friend Betty at Lycette Newport to help my vision come to life.

Items such as ornaments (flat and stuffed), flats, hanging signs, patches/appliques, and wearables I feel pretty comfortable finishing myself. Handling these easier pieces on my own allows me to budget for the cost of having certain pieces finished professionally.

What's your favorite type of finish that you personally do? 

I think I’m probably most well known for my hanging signs and ornaments that have fabric ties at the top that can fashion a bow. Any time I get to use my sewing machine, I feel very connected to my family. My grandmother passed away when I was 12, and the minute I turn on my Viking, I’m transported right to her dining room, helping her choose fabric for her latest project. I also love finishing classic round ornaments! I appreciate how rounds are less fussy than other shapes, and I’m always proud of the finished product. They’re my favorite to gift as well - I love the amazement on a friend’s face to find out that yes, I made it!

Do you have a favorite finishing tool that you find yourself reaching for often? Or a tip that has saved your sanity? 

My favorite “mainstream” finishing tool is my Lacis corder, but I think my all time favorite tool for finishing is a stainless steel chopstick. It’s the perfect size and shape to turn out sewn corners and is super useful to poke anywhere your finger can’t reach.

I do want to take a moment to gently remind new finishers that you don’t need to purchase every single gadget marketed to needlepointers to finish an item. I promise you have something at home that will do the same job! My favorite stencil for 4” rounds happens to be a juice glass. 

Tell us about a project that you're super proud of.

One of my close friends asked for my help finishing the Le Point Studio First Day of School sign for her twin girls who started preschool this fall. She laced the front and the back, her daughters “helped” me sew the fabric ties we attached on the top (their hands guided the fabric while mine remained closer to the needle!), and I hand sewed the front, welt, and back all together. It was truly a group project, and I feel so honored to have participated in the creation of a family heirloom they’ll use for a future full of first days. 

Tell us a little bit about the Vote Chart project you're working on this season.

Needlework is inherently political! For years, textiles have been used to share information, to protest, and to record history.

My friend Annie and I decided that throughout September and October, leading up to the presidential election, we would share ways we’ve self finished a “VOTE” chart, created by Brooke of Thörn Alexander and available on her website. My first tutorial, available in my Instagram highlights, was what I like to call a ‘snip and swear’ project. Without a concrete plan, I turned on my sewing machine and went to work. I’ve now finished three pins for myself, my mother, and my grandmother!

What projects are you looking to complete next? 

My needlepoint Q4 usually involves furiously stitching and finishing holiday projects that I’ve procrastinated, so many of the things I’m stitching right now are under wraps! While it probably isn’t in the cards until 2025, I would love to work on a big, juicy 13 mesh project that I can just tune out the world to as I basketweave my troubles away! In terms of finishing, the next project that I would like to tackle is a zippered clutch. 

What advice would you have for new finishers? 

Do not let your worries about perfection become a barrier to your own joy and skill development. Your first self finished needlepoint item may not come out exactly how you wanted it to, and that’s okay. There’s room to learn, grow, and ask questions - and I guarantee the next one will be better! We often see curated craft rooms and perfectly organized tables on social media, but please remember that is not true for every stitcher you come across. I promise, my sewing machine currently sits on a very glamorous folding table in my mostly undecorated family room. You are capable of great things just as you are!

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Thank you Daniella!

I personally am so inspired by Daniella’s work and hope you give her a follow on Instagram if you aren’t already. As she mentioned, she has tons of resources and tips in her highlights there and I love the tips about using what you have.

Thank you for being here and reading. Please consider sharing The Finishing Fairy with others so they can discover the magic of needlepoint finishing, too.