From needlepoint and quilting to mahjong nights, younger generations are rediscovering the joy of creating, gathering, and slowing down.
If you were lucky, you grew up with a grandmother nearby. Maybe she taught you to draw, or cook, or quilt. Perhaps she was the “fun” grandma who let you stay up late, playing cards or board games, or lying outside on a blanket looking at the stars.
Every good grandmother is different, but the nostalgia they invoke is universal. Lately, the culture has taken note. The granny chic aesthetic is showing up in clothing and home décor. And the hobbies grandmothers enjoyed are being rediscovered by a generation turning off their digital devices to connect in real life. Often, the objects that endure longest are the ones made lovingly by hand.
There is a framed needlepoint rendering of a rooster that hangs in Mackenzie King’s parents’ Fort Smith home. The piece was created by Mackenzie’s great-grandmother in 1960 and is one of the family’s most prized possessions.
Both her great-grandmothers were talented crafters, and Mackenzie tried her hand at quilting and cross-stitch. But it wasn’t until 2019, when she was about to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, that she picked up her first needlepoint canvas. It was a small door hanger, the perfect project for someone teaching herself. Before she was halfway finished, Mackenzie was hooked, so she kept on learning.
Needlepoint appealed to something deeper than creativity alone. Mackenzie describes herself as more crafty than artistic, someone drawn to making things by hand. “I’ve always been drawn to needle and thread,” she says. “I think there’s something in my blood that has always pulled me to it.”
Though her great-grandmother passed when Mackenzie was young, the pieces she left behind made lasting impressions. Two large, stitched renditions of the famous paintings Blue Boy and Pinkie still hang in her grandparents’ home, captivating Mackenzie long before she fully understood the work and patience required to create them.
“I think it took me some years before I realized she actually made them herself by hand,” Mackenzie says. “They were beautiful to me before I knew how special they really were.”
Today, Mackenzie designs many of her own canvases, blending Arkansas pride with a modern needlepoint revival that has found an enthusiastic younger audience. Some designs begin as sketches, others digitally mapped on her iPad, and some are hand-painted. Her growing collection includes Razorback designs, sorority canvases, Southern imagery, and Arkansas landmarks stitched with a sense of familiarity only a local would fully recognize.
“For a long time, there really wasn’t much representation of Arkansas in needlepoint,” she says. “I wanted stitchers here to feel like there was someone designing things that reflected their culture and what matters to them.”
Needlepoint designs are typically painted onto sturdy canvases, providing stitchers with a visual, color-coded map for their yarn, and instructional videos are available online. There are patterns for products ranging from luggage tags and eyeglass cases to wall hangings and elaborate Christmas tree skirts.
Small projects provide a fairly quick return on investment, such as the bag tag featuring Bear Bryant’s fedora that Mackenzie created for her boyfriend. “He went to Alabama, and he’s a big Bear Bryant fan,” Mackenzie says.
In October 2025, Mackenzie opened her online shop, Natural State Needlepoint. A sampling of her designs includes Razorback canvases, animals of the South, the State Capitol Building, a gorgeous rendition of Hawksbill Crag on the Buffalo River, Old Main on the U of A campus, and Oaklawn. A surprising element of her business is designing and teaching needlepoint to college sororities, proving that the craft is resonating with younger people.
Makenzie says the first brick-and-mortar needlepoint shops in recent Arkansas history, The Fancy Stitch in Sheridan, and Gracefully Stitched in Little Rock, opened in 2025. She knows of at least two more shops in Bentonville and Conway that will open soon. Fresh, modern needlework designs seem to be driving the trend.
Mackenzie believes younger generations are gravitating toward hobbies like needlepoint for a reason. In a world dominated by notifications, screens, and constant stimulation, the slow rhythm of stitching offers something rare: focus.
“Many women are really grateful to find a hobby that is totally analog,” she says. “People are overwhelmed by all the things demanding attention during the day, and this is a very peaceful escape.”
The resurgence may have gained traction online through TikTok and Instagram, but the hobby itself asks participants to unplug. Stitch by stitch, row by row, the process rewards patience instead of speed. “There’s something fulfilling about being able to say, ‘Look at this thing I created,’” Mackenzie says. “It’s beautiful and meaningful to me, and maybe my grandchildren will inherit it someday.”
“My mom started needlepoint when she was in college for the first time, and she stopped because she didn’t see any designs that were worth her time. Now, she has to restrain herself from purchasing more than she could reasonably stitch.
Seven years ago, Mackenzie bought a needlepoint canvas on a whim, and it changed her life, like it has so many others. In homes, museums, and palaces across the world, examples of the craft can be found. Even Martha Washington, when tasked with overseeing Mount Vernon, created twelve needlepoint chair cushions. Before she died, she gave at least one of them to her granddaughter. It is now on display at Tudor Place in Washington, D.C.
In time, Mackenzie plans to stitch an heirloom of her own, one that will last a multitude of lifetimes. More than trends or aesthetics, Mackenzie hopes the revival of needlepoint creates stronger connections between generations. She loves seeing younger women sit beside older stitchers, sharing techniques, stories, and time together.
“Every generation tends to write off the wisdom of older ones,” she says. “This hobby has become a way for younger women to start listening again.” Such is the power of needlepoint.
Needlepoint may be having a moment, but it isn’t the only pastime younger generations are rediscovering. Across the River Valley, sewing machines are humming again, quilting classes are filling up, and game tables are bringing strangers together as people search for hobbies that feel more personal, creative, and connected.
Like needlepoint, many so-called “grandma hobbies” offer something increasingly rare: the chance to slow down long enough to make something, learn something, or simply spend uninterrupted time with other people.
At Central Sewing Center in Fort Smith, Karen Ward and Lynne Lukas are seeing younger generations embrace sewing, quilting, and embroidery in surprising ways. Some students want to customize clothing or make gifts, while others are learning practical skills that allow them to create things for themselves and their families. “We have several families that homeschool, and sewing is a great activity for them,” Karen says.
For many participants, the appeal goes beyond practicality. Sewing and quilting offer a creative outlet in a fast-moving world, one that rewards patience and imagination instead of speed.
“There’s a thrill in quilting when a creation comes to life,” Lynne says. “There’s a picture in your head, and to see it in 3D is very satisfying.”
For others, the appeal of these hobbies has less to do with making something by hand and more to do with gathering together around a table and learning something new.
Mahjong, a tile-based game that originated in China, has found a growing audience in the River Valley through River Valley Mahj, founded by Angela Jones. What began as a personal interest quickly evolved into lessons, social play events, and gatherings that bring together players of all ages.
“The challenge of learning the game was enough to entice me to keep playing,” Angela says. “But I also appreciate how the game creates opportunities for connection.”
Angela has seen women in their teens and women in their eighties seated at the same table, talking, laughing, and learning together. “It’s a great way to reset your brain after a long week,” she says, “or make sure you spend quality time with people during a busy season of life.”
Granny hobbies encompass what’s best about our communities. The time and intention to be creative. The drive to learn new things. The desire to meet people who could become your next best friend. We should have been listening to Granny all along.
TRY A GRANDMA HOBBY
Natural State Needlepoint
naturalstateneedlepoint.com
Instagram + TikTok: @naturalstateneedlepoint
Modern needlepoint canvases inspired by Arkansas, Southern culture, SEC schools, and more.
Central Sewing Center
sewtown.com
Facebook + Instagram: Central Sewing Center
Offering sewing, embroidery, quilting, and machine classes for beginners and experienced creators alike.
River Valley Mahj
Instagram + Facebook: River Valley Mahj
Local mahjong lessons, social play opportunities, and community events throughout the River Valley. Classes are also held regularly at ACHE Research Institute Health and Wellness Center in Fort Smith.
