Woodlawn Needlework Show celebrates 60th anniversary

Following several months of winter hibernation, Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House will reopen in grand fashion March 1 with the 60th anniversary celebration of the Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show. Woodlawn’s month-long event is the largest judged show of needle arts in the nation according to the organization's press materials, displaying thousands of embroidery pieces from artists around the world.

This year marks the first time since 2019 that Woodlawn is holding the show fully in-person, though they will continue to offer a few free virtual programs. The theme of this year’s exhibition is “Craft as Comfort: Joy in Needlework,” and the focus on the mental health benefits of crafting will be woven throughout the presentations of three virtual program leaders.

Credit: Facebook/Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House

Other anniversary-related programs to be held by Woodlawn in March include on-site tours of the needlework exhibit and special off-site events with Nepenthe Gallery and St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Fort Hunt.

Nelly’s Needlers, which coordinates the needlework show, will operate Nelly’s Café, serving lunch and dessert in the Woodlawn Mansion's Underwood Room from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on exhibition days.

The needlework show will be open daily (except Tuesdays) from March 1-31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tours of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House will also be available throughout the month. Tickets are available on Woodlawn’s website.

Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey House, both operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, are located at 9000 Richmond Highway in Alexandria.