About

Creative. Trustworthy. Caring. Those words describe my beloved Great-Aunt Glenna, who passed away in 2025 at age 100. Glenna was a steady and significant presence in my life, inspiring me to embrace new adventures without fear.

From a very young age, I remember adoring Glenna. My parents shared that love and honored Glenna by naming me after her (Julia was Glenna's middle name). Glenna was kind, resourceful, determined, and spunky ! While keeping the important things of life in focus, she didn't take herself too seriously. I still admire that about her.

Visits to Glenna's house always included crafts. She loved creating things - cross-stitching, painting, quilting - and she was always eager to share her creativity with others. I learned the basics of needle crafts from her, and I loved every single moment I got to spend with her.

Glenna died in January 2025. At 100 years old + one hour. No kidding - she died at 1:00am on the morning after her 100th birthday. (I told you she was determined. She was GOING to make it to her 100th birthday. And she did!)

Two weeks later, I turned 50. It felt like time to start something new, so I founded Garnet Needleworks. It is SO Glenna to begin something completely new at age 50.

Garnet Needleworks is about creativity, trust, and care! Just like Glenna. We seek seek to bring creativity, trustworthiness, and care to everything we do. Whether you are looking for apparel, home goods, or business merch, you can trust us to carefully create for you.

Why Garnet? Glenna and I were both born in January with garnet as our birthstone. On top of that, red has always been my favorite color. And so Garnet Needleworks seemed like the perfect name for this new adventure. We will see where it leads!

Julia Thiele
Founder, Garnet Needleworks