The Neon Needle is a Creative Sewing, Needlecraft, Fashion, Textile, and Leathercraft Studio in Koreatown, Toronto.

Our Mission

We believe there’s something magical, empowering, and deeply rewarding about making things with your hands.

For over 13 years, we’ve taught everyone from curious beginners to seasoned professionals, sharing our knowledge and trade secrets along the way.

Everyone has a creative side, and we're dedicated to providing the structure, support, and welcoming environment you need to explore yours.

Our Teaching Philosophy

We begin every new class by discussing your sewing goals. Whether they’re to find a new hobby, start a business, or just get out of the house (!) we strive to help you achieve them.

We are your advisors, teammates, cheerleaders, confidants, network, and support system.

No matter what we’re teaching, we start with context — why is this important? Then we teach the same way craft has been passed down through generations, person to person, for thousands of years: first we model a step, then you copy it.

Half of learning is in watching & theoretical understanding (watch, listen).
Half is in the doing (try, try, fail, try, repeat).

We emphasize independent trial-and-error learning, allowing students time to process or self-correct before jumping in with the answers.

It might seem counter intuitive, but mistakes are important! Attempting and executing improperly and without intervention is a critical component to learning.

Our Team

Jade Kinrade

OWNER, TEACHER, FIBRE SNOB, BOSS BABE
Jade is making the magic happen and trying to answer all the emails. She knows how to help you get that project done and will try to high five you afterwards. She is an animal print and music enthusiast, and will spot all the cute pups out the window.
Sarita Malan

TECHNICAL WIZARD, TEACHER, GRADING EXPERT
Sarita is always smiling and eager to help you solve that sewing conundrum. She knows how to fashion…pretty much everything! She loves puns, kitties, murder mysteries, and B horror movies.
Alex Moye

STUDIO ASSISTANT EXTRORDINAIRE, ARBITER OF COOL
Alex is the genius behind the scenes helping with absolutely everything. She is wildly talented at putting things into perspective, levelling up the cool factor on everything, and styling ‘fits. She’s also a powerhouse mom of two! (How does she do it all?). She has an opinion and you should take it under advisement.
Liz Ferrari

TEACHER, CRAFT-HOBBY-ENTHUSIAST
Liz is a ray of sunshine. She’s got your back and will make you laugh while you sew. She might keep elves at home? because she is the most high-yielding crafter you’ll ever meet. She’s going home to make 10 more of whatever you just made.
Steff Rose

TEACHER, RESIDENT QUILT EXPERT
Steff has been quilting for 25 years and has seen it all. She can even do quilt math, folks and that’s a doozy. Ask her how many quilts she has made. She is a reluctant sewist of anything other than quilts. She loves curling, her sweet kitty Penny, and collecting all the fabric in the whole world. No, she will not make you a t-shirt quilt!
Darlene Paguandas

MASTER OF REELS, WEB, AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Darlene is here so often we gave her a job! Just kidding! She is talented, resourceful and knows how to Make Things Happen! You’ll see her around the studio taking photos and videos for our amazing reels, being funny and zipping through her latest project. If you missed Drag Race, just ask her about it.
Khadejah Scott

CO-OP STUDENT TURNED PART TIME STUDIO HELPER & RAINBOW-IFYER
Khadejah is the reason things look so pretty around here. She knows how to get a job done! She is a master of matching athletic sets, cutting and folding fabric bundles and reaching the threads on the highest peg. She loves light purple, photography, and knows how to take a photo amiright?
Frankincense

THE NEON NEEDLE MASCOT, STUDIO PUP, SNAGGLE-TOOTHED BEAUTY QUEEN & ALL AROUND FLOOFY SWEETHEART
Frankincense is a 3-year old Dachshund-Chihuahua mix, rescued from the mean streets of Hamilton. Whenever Jade is here, Frankie is somewhere in a 3 foot radius. She loves bike rides, bandanas and carrying around her pink ball in her mouth. She is highly skilled at posing, giving puppy dog eyes and morphing into a gremlin at witching hour.
***Please ignore her! ***It will be hard!... She is very sensitive to new people and this is the best way to get her acclimatized while she is still in training. For the time being she will be in her “safe zone” (puppy pen) during class, and if she starts to cry/bark, Jade will carry her around baby-style in a swaddle where she will quickly fall asleep. If you have any questions about this pup, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!