The ladies who work at The Top Drawer aren’t just good at needlepoint; they are really good. Not just at the craft of needlepoint but with the knowledge of the craft. Needlepoint is the process of taking selected colored fibers, and there are many, and using a hand-painted guide, pulling and pushing the needle and string through a cloth canvass to replicate the painted image.

There are a handful of employees Sandy McKee, owner of the needlepoint shop, has on hand.

For example, Dolores is McKee’s right-hand woman. Dolores has been working at the store for approximately five years and teaches beginner classes once a month and two or three other classes throughout the year.

“I have been doing needlepoint for about 30 years and used to shop at The Top Drawer all the time; Sandy just up and asked me one day if I would like to work here,” Dolores said.

Although to some people it may look like a daunting task, needlepoint is easy to learn, according to Dolores.

“And I can teach you, but you must be patient because it takes patience. I learned from my grandmother in the 1950s when I was 10. I would just watch her and she showed me how to do it. My sister also became interested and now works at a needlepoint store in Washington D.C. It has become a family affair,” she said.

It appears that “watching” someone meticulously thread fibers through a framed piece of cloth with a diminutive needle is enough to lure one’s desire to try it themselves.

Retta Spreen, also a five-year employee, started doing needlepoint nearly 30 years ago after seeing a friend doing it.

“I was intrigued, so I taught myself how to do it,” Retta said. She had been doing needlepoint for years when McKee also asked her if she wanted to work at the shop. “I now work one day a week.”

Retta didn’t enter the world of needlepoint totally void of any know-how; she had experience with embroidering and able to utilize some of those skills to promote faster improvement on the canvass.

“But I am still learning,” Retta said.

When anyone enters The Top Drawer, albeit novice or professional, they will be met with ladies who can answer questions, offer advice, suggest design ideas, or make orders for specialized needs.

And they are also teachers.

“Because I teach classes, I feel I am good with selecting colors and showing you how to get started. Needlepoint is fun because it is relaxing, it is something you can do while passing time or watching TV or whatever, and when you are done you have a finished product that can be framed, given as a gift, or passed down to your family for ages,” Dolores said.

There are artists all over the country that paint pictures, objects, people, animals, and just about anything you can think of and make it available for people to cross-stitch. It can be anything – from natures scenes to cartoon characters.

The Top Drawer has a group of ladies who come once a month, called Ladies Night Out, and they are a large group of mid-30 year olds who all cross-stitch. They come and socialize, discuss patterns and share techniques. It is much like a book club, and people do the same patterns.

Retta said the most compelling canvass she has ever completed was a scene of Riverfront Stadium. “The artist did the picture for me, which had lots of colors that were changing all the time. I took me a long time, it was very meticulous, but it turned out beautiful.”

She suggests that anyone wanting to plunge into needlepoint take a beginner’s class and get a good book. “And be sure to heed the advice of people in the shop, don’t be afraid to ask questions and as your skill improve take more advanced classes.

The Top Drawer, located 6880 Wooster Pike, specializes in exquisite hand-painted and needlepoint canvasses. The canvasses are then made into pillows, purses, ornaments and various other items.

Whether a novice or a maestro in the craft of needlepoint work, The Top Drawer offers classes for anyone who wants to learn ... or learn more. And it doesn’t matter where you live or how long it takes for you to get to the store - the ladies will teach you.

The Top Drawer has clientele that comes from Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis and other places that are miles and miles away.

“One thing about our art is needlepointers seek out needlepoint shops,” McKee said. “Ours is one of the few needlepoint shops in the country.”

For more information regarding the store or when classes begin, call 271-6691 or visit www.topdrawer-needlepoint.com

The store is open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.