By a Thread

A Southerner turned New Yorker turned Southerner again, Kathryn McMahon owns Stitching Fox, a needlepoint shop in Landrum, South Carolina, that attracts clients from Tennessee all the way to the Carolina coast. After a year of booming sales online, McMahon is helping to build the area’s largest multi-generational stitching community, one witty hand-painted canvas at a time.

I was in college and that first project gave me a creative outlet outside of my classes, allowing my mind to drift while being productive with my hands. I suffered from bouts of panic attacks in my mid-twenties, and needlepoint was a way to wind down in the evenings. After that first canvas, I just always had a project I was working on.

The first Stitching Fox shop opened in June 2020 in a 700-square-foot cabin at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Springs, North Carolina. After eight months, the business had taken off and sales skyrocketed. [So] my husband and I purchased and renovated a 2,100-square-foot building in Landrum to give the existing needlepoint community more space to gather and create together.

After college, I moved to New York City and worked in sales and marketing with several luxury home brands. My first position was with Scully & Scully on Park Avenue where I soon became a national sales director with Hermès in their corporate office. I was traveling about 70 percent of the time and needlepoint always accompanied me on flights, commutes, and in hotel rooms. After nearly 13 fast-paced years in New York City, I longed for a change in lifestyle, so I moved back south (I’m originally from Augusta, Georgia) to slow down and regain some much-needed balance. I met my husband and started pursuing nonprofit work, truly becoming a part of the community.

It has been my experience that everyone can learn to stitch. Needlepoint is an activity that spans all ages and allows people to develop great hand-eye coordination and to build new pathways in the brain. It is one of the easiest needlework activities. You only need a canvas, fiber, and a needle. It’s portable and great for when you’re waiting in line, traveling, or just need to relax without endless scrolling on an electronic device. 

I want people to experience more than just the retail side of the store. I want them to experience the inclusivity our community of stitchers creates. The shop is my vision of a happy space for people looking for a creative outlet that also allows them to practice self-care and be in the moment.

Photography by Will Crooks