This place is a great stop when you are in Solvang. It is a lovely little shop run by very nice ladies. They have hundreds, maybe thousands of cross-stitch kits and supplies to choose from. I bought a few little kits in the $1.50-$5 range to get me started while I learned how. I found out I love cross-stitching! It kind of like working a crossword puzzle--you just keep filling in the squares until you're done. It's also just another matrix, like a photo. Put enough pixels together and it makes an image; the higher the resolution, the more detailed and realistic the picture. The fewer stitches and colors, the simpler the image. If you've ever wanted to try cross-stitching but didn't want to take on an hours long project, this is the place to buy an easy, inexpensive kit with everything you need to make a finished project in a couple hours time to see if you like it before you buy something bigger and more elaborate. Give it a try! read more

Thumbelina Needlework - Arts & Crafts Near Me - Solvang, California

This longtime shop has been in Solvang since we were children, and it's still a mom&pop (now silver haired great-grandparents) shop. They have printed canvases, blank linens, quality needlepoint kits, and are very knowledgeable, sweet people. This little shop is worth every minute. read more

The fact they are still here is worth 5 stars. It's the same husband and wife team that has been there since the 70's, and before, but I didn't start doing needlework until I was 12 or 13. Every trip here over the years meant a kit, especially Permin. Or more than 1 kit. Or chart. Or hardware. The store is a fraction of what they had, when needlework was still an active, vibrant craft. The general decline in the industry has been pervasive with the Internet being the primary source for us old stitchers. Knitting is all the rage, which I do too, as it is portable. 2 sticks and a ball of yarn and you're good to go (circs and fingering weight my particular favorite - socks anyone?). Needlework takes patience and some space. Charts, threads, needle, scissors. I've stitched in the car, but I've been doing it so long, high end charts with multiple fibers and speciality stitches are all I do now. Except for Permin and I like the small kits. They are portable. I bought a couple of kits, Permin of course, but there are hundreds of charts. The stock, for the most part, is older. I don't want to say outdated, but I've seen a lot of this before and for a while. And it's packed in and requires rifling through boxes to see everything. It kind of reminds me of a comic book store and leafing through row after row of boarded and bagged comics. I would have liked to look further, but I had a feeling I would have ended up buying a chart just because it's the old Nordic style and a throwback to the stuff my aunts and grandmother's made in the old country. (I'm the only one born in the US. Everyone else was, or still is, in Norway.) And there was the very patient BF saying nothing, but I felt the thought "how much do you have at home?" Enough to fill a store, especially of this size. They have no employees. It's just the two of them. Sadly, I don't see how they held on this long, but I'm happy they have. It's a cherished memory of Solvang that I've been able to physically visit on every trip for almost 40 years. This just isn't supporting a LNS. This is supporting a tradition, and one that is dying. read more

Years ago, this store was located on the main street through Solvang. A change in ownership led to it's moving to the courtyard behind the old location. The store is quite small and it's crammed full. If you're looking for traditional Danish needlework supplies, this store has them. In the back is a selection of exclusive-to-the-shop Christmas kits. A selection of kits by Danish makers is opposite the door. However, they carry a variety of tatting books and shuttles that I've never seen here in Southern California in any other shop aside from the Internet! Bobbins for lacemaking were also for sale. They have a variety of hardanger supplies. A lovely selection of high end scissors and others toys was in the display case at the front. The shop is far too small for classes and there was no sign of finishing available. Recommended for the more traditional stitcher. Send your family into the candy barrel store to give you some shopping time. read more

This little gem of a store is well worth the trip to Solvang all by itself. Such nice people and a beautiful selection of kits, supplies, and threads. Best of all if you get home and absolutely have to have something else that you didn't buy when you were there, they will ship it. They also have a website. Don't miss Thumbelina's! read more