We’re excited to feature Halcyon House Design in our February Designer Showcase. With an eye for color, proportion, and enduring style, Halcyon House creates canvases that feel both approachable and elevated—perfect for stitchers who appreciate thoughtful design.
Shop the Halcyon House Designer Showcase here.
Tell us about yourself! We’d love to hear a bit about who you are beyond the needle and thread.
Hi, I'm Jackie—the owner and designer behind Halcyon House Designs. Beyond needlepoint, I'm a mum to three kids: Henry, who is 13, Eleanor, who is 11, and Katherine, who is 8. Not to mention two golden retrievers, Fitzy, who is 4, and new golden puppy Casey, who is 2 months old! I've been married to my high school sweetheart for 15 years, and we live in a coastal town south of Boston. When I'm not painting needlepoint canvases or stitching, I'm chauffeuring my kids around to lacrosse and Irish step dance, heading north on family ski trips, skipping town to spend time on Nantucket, or vacuuming dog fur. I'm a huge Grateful Dead fan, I love cooking, I'm moderately obsessed with consignment shops and second-hand stores, and I love a cold glass of Sancerre.
What first sparked your interest in needlepoint?
My grandmother first taught me to needlepoint as a child, but I didn't pick it up again until I had small children. The great thing about needlepoint is that it's a creative outlet that you can pick up and put back down again within a few seconds, like when a toddler spills their snack everywhere and you gotta run! As opposed to another love of mine, painting, where you have a huge set up and clean-up process that takes up a lot of time, needlepoint can be grab-and-go between nap times and car line drop-offs. I love that you can create something with your hands while binge-watching a series or listening to a book. I love that you can create something that took so much time and energy and hand it down to another generation. I love that needlepoint stops me from doomscrolling.
What inspired you to make the leap from stitcher to designer?
I was a fine arts major in college and have always loved creating art. Once I picked needlepoint back up as an adult, I realized how beautiful and intricate the canvas painting process was, and I marveled at it. I thought maybe I could paint a canvas and see how it went...well, that was that. My creative juices started flowing again, and it was wonderful to put paint to canvas and create my own designs. I would set up my "studio" on the kitchen table and force the creative process to coincide with nap time. Now that the kids are a bit older, I sit down and paint for hours every day.
How has your style or approach to design changed since you started?
Funny enough, my style really hasn't changed in my almost 7 years of designing. The majority of my work was heavily nautical and New England themed, and it still rings true to my designs today. Growing up summering on Cape Cod influenced my aesthetic, and I tend to lean heavily onto those themes and images. My technique has certainly become tremendously more refined and detailed over the years-although I do still love designing beginner canvases too!
Where do you find inspiration for your next design?
Honestly, inspiration strikes at the oddest times for me. I'm the classic cocktail-napkin-with-a-drawing-on-it kinda girl. I have a stack of scribbled ideas in a stack in my studio, just waiting for me to flesh it out and get it on canvas. In terms of where I find inspiration, I'm inspired by my location and the ocean, historic architecture, funny-but-true sayings, Americana, pop culture (ahem, Jaws canvases), music, classic patterns...you name it.
What was the first design you created - and why?
The first canvas in my line was probably the "Nobody Likes a Smartass" design. My grandmother stitched a similar canvas in the 70s, and growing up, I thought it was the cheekiest, funniest thing that my well-mannered grandmother had a pillow in her house with a swear on it. We couldn't find the pillow for years so I decided to design and stitch one...but thank god we found the original! And yes, my kids also think it's hilarious.
Do you have a favorite canvas in your line?
My favorite canvas in my line is probably the hydrangea sea garden brick cover. It's a somewhat recent add, but the colors and design just speak so much to me and give off a true blue New England vibe with scallop shells, stripers, oyster shells, tuna and big billowy hydrangeas. I also used the same design to make coasters and a belt coming soon!
What’s your go-to decorative stitch?
I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't do a ton of decorative stitches. But when I want to fill in a big expansive background, I love balloon stitch.
What advice do you have for new stitchers?
For new stitchers, I'd say to jump in and give it a go! There's a ton to learn along the way, be open to advice, be patient with designing and creative slumps, ask questions to fellow designers, get a mentor, work and shop with local needlepoint shops, and be true to yourself and your new brand. I've done things my own way, even when I feel like I might need to bow to trends and conform, but I've always worked within my own parameters for how I want my brand to be, and I think that ends up speaking through your canvases.
This or that:
18 or 13 mesh? 13 mesh
Simple stitches / decorative stitches? Simple stitches
Stretcher bars/ stitching in-hand? In hand
Favorite project you’ve stitched? My nautical backgammon board
Top 3 must-have accessories? Unpopular opinion: I'm not an accessories girl
