Meet Pat!

From time to time we like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is Patricia who will be teaching A Taste of Beaded Edging technique to us in October.  We hope you enjoy learning more about her!

*****

I grew up in the suburbs of New York City and married my high school sweetheart .  We have lived all over the country and have two children and two grandchildren. Even though we have lived in Florida longer than anywhere else New York will always be home.   Before retiring and moving to St Johns, I worked as the Administrator in a physician office.  

My interest in cross stitch, sewing and  knitting began when I was a teen and I was encouraged by an aunt and also a neighbor. But I became an avid stitcher while living in Colorado in the 1980s. There a neighbor introduced me to EGA and my horizons were expanded when I saw the beautiful work the women in both the Foothills and Colorado chapters were doing. It is a wonderful way to meet people who share my interest when moving to a new city.  

My favorite piece is usually what I am working on at the moment. I love needlepoint, quilting and cross stitch.  A few of my my favorites designers are Blackbird Designs, Plum Street, Country Cottage, Little House, and Lizzie Kate.

 

I have been able to participate in many Regional and National seminars and have done numerous group correspondence courses.  Each class I have taken has expanded my knowledge  and allowed me to meet many new people who have enriched my life. My all-time favorite teacher is Jody Adams. Her needlepoint designs were beautiful and challenging. She is sweet, fun and taught me to love making French knots.  

My other favorite hobbies are traveling in this country and abroad. I love snow skiing in the Rockies and snorkeling in the Caribbean, seeing Broadway shows in NYC and spending time in my favorite Italian city, Florence. 

*****

Thank you Pat!

Member Spotlight - Linda M.

From time to time we'd like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is Linda M. who is our new Chapter President.  We hope you enjoy learning more about her!

Introduce yourself to us!  Provide a brief introduction to share on our blog.   Family?  Profession?  Where do you live?  Pets?  Whatever you’d like to share:

Hello.  My name is Linda and I have lived in Florida my entire life except for one year in Chicago, after college.  I attended both the University of Florida and UNF, graduating Magna Cum Laude with an advanced degree in accounting.  I passed the CPA exam on the first sitting and just this last year retired my CPA license.  I have been married for 37 years to Bill and we have one son, Nicholas who is 26.  Unfortunately I do not have a pet at this time, but am partial to small, furry dogs.  I do have 2 Grandpugs, Buddy and Jay-J, who were rescue pugs and now live with my son.  I spoil them whenever I get the chance!  Bill and I live in a high rise condo on the beautiful St. Johns River.  I love where I live and am so fortunate to be able to see dolphins, manatees, pelicans and boats.

Who taught you to stitch and when did you start stitching? What types of needlework do you do? What is your favorite type of needlework?

My first experience with stitching was an unpleasant one.  I was 10 years old and stitched a stamped tea towel as part of a girl scout project.  I can laugh about it now, because I so hated it and swore I'd never stitch again.  Now my home is filled with stitching.  When I was in high school, I picked up a couple of small crewel kits at an Eckerd's Drug Store, of all places.  I taught myself how to stitch them and had so much fun.  In my early 20's a friend suggested cross stitch.  I bought a little kit and pulled out the fabric, looking at both sides to see where the design outline was, then realized there wasn't one.  Panic ensued.  How could this be?  What kind of evil mind could come up with this idea of a charted design?  Not being one to quit, I just did it.  And it was fun.  I did another and another, starting with Christmas ornaments.  I quickly moved to large victorian houses, Judith Kirby and Nancy Spruance being my favorites.  

As time passed, I missed the specialty stitches of crewel, but much preferred the charts and fabric of counted cross stitch.  Finally I discovered counted thread and samplers, which combined my favorite parts of both types of stitching.  I still will seldom stitch anything that does not have a house as part of the design.  Just this year I have branched out a tiny bit to canvas work and am enjoying that as well.

What other interests or hobbies do you have or what do you do for fun?

For fun I also like to read, am addicted to trashy television shows like the Real Housewives of AnyCity, which are perfect to stitch to.  I must have the tv on while stitching.  I spend a lot of time playing Hidden Object computer games and Match 3 games.  I also belong to a monthly book club and a Bunco club.  I enjoy traveling and have been to Australia twice, Canada, Mexico, all over the Carribean, Columbia, Costa Rica, and Alaska.  At the top of my wish list is Europe, but with my husband retiring this year, it may just have to stay on the wish list.

How long have you been in EGA? Tell us about your EGA experiences, roles held (past or present), etc.

I think I've been a member of EGA for about 10 years.  Up until last year, my primary chapter was Dixie EGA in Columbus, GA.  Obviously I missed out on most of the meetings due to distance, but took some great classes up there with Merry Cox and Sherry Jones.  Then 2 years ago I joined duClay and switched my primary membership.  I still am a plural member of Dixie, as well as a member of the Swan Stitchers in Utah, Magnolia Sampler Guild in Marietta, GA, and Carolina Sampler Guild in Charlotte, NC.  This last year I was Vice President of Membership for duClay EGA and am proud and honored to have been selected to be President of duClay EGA for 2015.

Who are your favorite designers?

I have so many favorite designers - the late Betsy Stinner of Earth Threads, Merry Cox, Sherry Jones of Patricks Wood, The Drawn Thread, The Victoria Sampler just to name a few.  Although I am a great admirer of reproduction samplers, I enjoy stitching modern samplers more and also have stitched many smalls sets.

Favorite WIP/UFO? Why?

I don't have any WIP/UFOs at this point, not counting starts in classes.  The reason is that I can not stitch in a rotation.  I've tried as I've heard it is a way to speed up completions, but it just is not for me.  One project at a time.  I am finishing up The Perseverance Sampler by Chessie and Me.  It, of course, prominently features a house.  

Favorite finish? Why?

My favorite finish is a House and Garden Round Robin Sampler that I stitched with a group of ladies from the old Legacy Embroiderers' Guild on the YUKU board.  There were 8 of us in the group and we each started our own sampler, sent it off and stitched on each others samplers over the course of 1 1/2 years.  When mine came home, there were still a few spots to finish up, so I got to put some of my favorite motifs in the sampler such as rabbits, birds, flowers, and a dog.  There are two alphabets on it and one short phrase "Home is where my Heart is, It is where I long to be".  I will always treasure this sampler as it is such an original piece and so many wonderful stitchers took part in making it.

Do you have a blog? 

I don't have a blog, but I do have a picture site which unfortunately has not been updated for some time, but still shows many of my stitched pieces:  www.picturetrail.com/linda-meyer

What is your first or last concert you attended?

My first concert was an Alice Cooper concert back in the 70's - what an experience that was, LOL.  My latest was The Fray.

What is a fun or unique fact about you that is not stitching related that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

I love playing games, which is why I enjoy the computer games.  But I also like card games, board games, and the occasional gambling junket.  We have a long standing extended family holiday tradition of playing the children's board game "Sorry", but with different rules allowing for strategy and we are very competitive when we play.  And I had a pet mouse in college named Squeegie.  He lived in a converted aquarium complete with a little house, a log, a ladder, and a tire swing.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Being a member of duClay EGA these past two years has brought me a wealth of stitching knowledge and wonderful friends.  There are so many talented ladies in our guild and I have been delighted to learn from them.  I am looking forward to the coming year.  Happy Stitching New Year my friends!

Member Spotlight - Kris

From time to time we'd like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is Kris who is our Chapter President.  We hope you enjoy learning more about her!

Introduce yourself to us!  Provide a brief introduction to share on our blog.   Family?  Profession?  Where do you live?  Pets?  Whatever you’d like to share!

I’ve been stitching for about as long as I can remember…let’s just say more than 50 years.  After working in retail management and moving throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, upstate New York and Kentucky, I permanently relocated to Jacksonville, Florida in 1977.  I had fond memories of a childhood vacation in St. Augustine and the beaches and knew I never wanted to leave here again. I loved trading snow & cold for hot weather & sunshine. I earned 2 degrees at the University of North Florida while working in finance.  I am currently Director of Finance for a management consulting company.  Always a cat person, I am currently sharing my quarters with Curtis Willis (a silver tabby with a lemur tail) and his adopted sister Maizie (a tortoiseshell).  They are both 4 years old and keep me on my toes.

Who taught you to stitch and when did you start stitching?

As a wee child I had a set of sewing cards (on heavy paperboard) with punched holes that I could thread different colored shoe-lace type strings through. (They can be found on eBay under “Vintage”!) I loved those cards and wish I still had them!  My Gram taught me to stitch on tea towels & pillow cases.  She & my mom taught me to knit.  I made Christmas ornaments & birth samplers as a teenager and sewed all my clothes.

What types of needlework do you do?

Counted cross stitch, needlepoint, crochet & knitting.

Baby Socks and Hat for Afghans for Afghans Summer 2014

What is your favorite type of needlework?

Through the years I have spent more time on counted cross stitch with a focus on band samplers & reproduction samplers.  I also try to allocate the same amount of time to knitting.

Susan Rambo

What other interests or hobbies do you have or what do you do for fun?

I converted my conventional suburban yard to a butterfly garden & bird sanctuary, so I enjoy watching the various types of visitors who come to feed or just pass through.  The back of my property is wooded with a pond, so I see turtles, armadillos, raccoons, possums, owls, and more.  I enjoy movies, reading & being outdoors in our beautiful North Florida area’s parks & beaches.  I volunteer for several local organizations and look forward to doing more of that when I retire.

Marjolein Bastin

How long have you been in EGA?

            This is my 4^th year.

Tell us about your EGA experiences, roles held (past or present), etc.

Learning from and being inspired by other members and their projects is a never-ending delight.  I currently hold the office of DuClay chapter president, supported by a great team of officers and a wonderful roster of local and away members.  We have been so fortunate to be able to offer a variety of classes with both local and national teachers and we reach out to the community to share our love of the needle arts through exhibits, stitching in public and our blog.

Nametag Project from Chapter Taste of Blackwork Workshop

Who are your favorite designers?

To name just a few…Teri & Tina of Shepherd’s Bush, Cynthia Zittel of The Drawn Thread, Nan Caldera of Just Nan, and Theresa Venette of Shakespeare’s Peddler for her original and reproduction samplers.

Shepherd's Bush Garden Gate

Favorite WIP/UFO? Why?

            Anne Dale from Shakespeare’s Peddler…because the colors and design are just stunning!

Favorite finish? Why?

The Just Nan humbugs are pretty darned clever. But finishing is not my favorite thing to do. And when I take samplers to the framer I need a lot of help selecting mats & frame combos.

Do you have a blog?  If you’d like to provide a link, that would be wonderful!

            krayolakris-acolorfullife.blogspot.com

What is your first or last concert you attended?

            First concert – Jimi Hendrix; last concert – Carolina Chocolate Drops.

What is a fun or unique fact about you that is not stitching related that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

            I’ve been on 7 mission trips to Cuba and count it as my other home.

Anything else you’d like to share?

            I have enough stash to allow me to stitch for at least a million years.

Member Spotlight

From time to time we'd like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is Jill who is one of our members who lives in the Atlanta area.  We hope you enjoy learning more about her!

I’m Jill.  I’m 46 years old, born and raised in Florida.  I attended Florida State University and earned a degree in Computer Science.  I’ve worked in Information Technology my whole career.  I lived in the Jacksonville area for 8 years before moving to Atlanta in 2000.  I’m single and still looking for the right guy.  I have many hobbies including knitting, scrapbooking, beading, reading, traveling and shopping.  I’m a huge college football fan and have traveled all over to see my Seminoles play.  Teresa and I went to Los Angeles for the National Championship game in January and had a blast.   I love the beach, really miss it being here landlocked.

Jill (Left) with Teresa at the National Championship Game in Los Angeles

Moss Creek Designs Bug Box

I started stitching right after college.  No one really taught me (until I took classes years later).  My first kit was a Dimensions counted cross stitch design and I guessed at what to do, which included making many mistakes.  I still have my first cross stitch piece hanging in my house, mistakes and all.

I love to stitch because it gives me an outlet from the technical process, issues and stress that I have to deal with every day and it lets me tap into the creative process without the pressure of having to design something myself. 

Jill's First Project

My favorite color is purple so I’m always drawn to any piece with purple.  I also love snowmen and have a large collection of snowmen kits and charts.  I don’t really have a favorite type of needlework.  I try not to box myself into anything.  I love learning new techniques.  I recently picked up an interest in needlepoint, an expensive interest.  I’m still a novice and enjoying the learning process.  My favorite designers include Just Nan, Moss Creek Designs, Shepherd’s Bush, Mirabilia, Drawn Thread and Blackbird Designs.

Just Nan Evening Star

Just Nan Floral Fifteen

Just Nan Royal Blossoms

I’m relatively new to EGA, just joined last year.  I wish that I was local to participate in the stitch ins and classes.  Hopefully I can make a trip down soon.  I’m really good at starting projects and very challenged at finishing them.  I took the 2014 challenge so I’m trying to stay focused on my commitments.  I have been very obsessed with Rosewood Manor’s Summer Quakers which I started in January.  My SAL project is Moss Creek Designs’ Spring Garden Gate.  It hasn’t quite received the same attention as Summer Quakers so far.

Moss Creek Designs Spring Garden Gate in Progress

 

Rosewood Manor Summer Quaker in Progress

Happy Stitching,
 Jill

Member Spotlight - Melody

From time to time we'd like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is our VP of Programs and Education Melody.  Melody works tirelessly for our Chapter and we hope you enjoy learning more about her!

Hi – I’m Melody.  I am married with no kids and no pets currently.  However I have enough wool to keep a good size herd of sheep warm all winter !  I work for a great 4^th generation family owned business in Jacksonville FL as an IT Director/Systems Admin. I have been with the company for 11 years and spent the prior 21 years working for another family owned business. I am a native Floridian, born and raised on the north side of Jacksonville.  We moved to Orange Park about 6 years ago and we have been very happy in Clay County.

I guess my grandmother taught me to stitch, just simple embroidery on pillow cases but I started much younger with the sewing cards.  Anyone remember the sewing cards??  I learned to needlepoint at about 8 – 10 years of age, I’ll never forget – we used to vacation every summer at my great aunts summer cottage in Highlands NC and the woman who owned the shop taught me to do simple tent stitch for a backround.  My mom brought me two facing horse heads and I did the backrounds only on them.  I had them up until the time I moved a few years ago when many things had to be culled out, sadly – I wish I still had them.

I am an avid rug hooker.  I do traditional wool rug hooking with wool fabric which is cut into strips.  I have been “hooking” for about 15+ years.  I have been knitting almost my whole life but I did learn to crochet first as a child, again taught by my grandmother. I learned to knit from a german woman who owned a yarn shop in  my neighborhood and I used to ride my bike up there and sit with her.  I learned to do cross stitch in 1981 I think, there were two ladies who I worked with who spent every lunch hour watching the Young and Restless and working on cross stitch.  The one has passed away but I am still in touch with the other woman.  I got involved with reproduction samplers in the early 2000’s and still love the history and mystery surrounding samplers stitched by young girls.  I have done needlepoint on and off since childhood, I am one of those rare people who still loves to do basketweave with wool.  Oh yes I also do the glitzy fibers, beads and so forth but I find doing simple basketweave with wool very relaxing.  As a matter of fact – I have a huge canvas I bought in the 90’s at that same needlepoint shop in Highlands NC that is a painted canvas.  I am progressing thru the backround when the mood strikes me and yep – it is all worked in Paternanyan wool in tent and basketweave.

I can’t say I have a favorite needlework.  They all have a place in my life.  I love to hook and work with the rugs in the winter time when it is not so hot.  I knit year round but my pull to the wool really ramps up in the late summer and fall.  I pretty much stitch on linen and do needlepoint year round.

Well how long have I been in EGA – that is a hard question.  Way back many years ago – I was a charter member of the LeMoyne Chapter in Jacksonville.  That was probably 1974 I would say.  That chapter has now disbanded , sadly.  As I grew older a new love entered my life ( more on that later) and I abandoned my needlework almost entirely for a decade or two.  I re-joined the Dixie Chapter in Columbus Ga about 7 years ago and still retain a plural membership with them.  I joined duClay about 4 years ago as a plural.  Of course I am primary now in duClay.

Currently I am VP/Programs & Education for duClay.  For a short time I was Secretary of duClay.

Favorite designers – oh my gosh- too hard to say.  I know some designers that read our blog and I wouldn’t want anyone to be offended so I am not going to comment on that one.  Suffice to say from the size of my stash that I am enamored with many designers.

Yes I have a blog - http://wooley-thoughts.blogspot.com/

I can’t believe I have been blogging since 2005 – amazing !  I wish I had more time to make posts but blogger just keeps getting more and more disagreeable to me.  It is just taking too much time to get the photos uploaded, precious time I could be stitching.

My current favorite WIP is a hooked rug called the Antique Blue Basket.  It is one of my oldest WIP’s and is within maybe 10 hours of finishing the hooking.  For some reason – it just sits and sits unfinished.  It will be my largest hooked finish and is about 3ft X 5ft.  Another favorite WIP is my Autumn House – a needlepoint design.  It is a painted canvas and I developed my entire stitch guide and used threads mostly from my stash.  It is a piece I am very proud of and need to buckle down and finish.

One of my favorite finishes is my wedding sampler.  It was just framed along with our favorite wedding photo.  It is a very simple Blackbird Design but it took me 13 mos. to complete it so I am glad it is finally done.  One of my favorite rug finishes was my Merrie Halloween.  Another favorite finish of mine is my Best in Show winning Mermaid hooked rug.

Oh the last concert I attended was probably Styx last summer.

A fun fact and the reason I took such a long hiatus from any serious stitching is that I exhibited and bred Afghan Hounds for 25 years.  I bred a number of champions and one of my males was exported to Switzerland and was a top producer in Europe.  It was a fun ride and I traveled all over the US with my dogs but life happens and frankly I just grew very tired of being married to the brush.

Now I am just married to the stash.  I have met so many great people in the stitching/hooking/knitting community thru blogs and needlework groups and guilds.  I hope I will never lose my passion for learning new things.  I hope God will grant me good health and a sound mind to have many years to work thru my stash and keep on enjoying my family, my friends and my needlework endeavors.

With warm and wooley-thoughts - Melody

Member Spotlight - Teresa B

From time to time we'd like to feature one of our members here on our blog so we can learn more about each other.  Today's member is our previous Chapter President (2012-2013) Teresa B.  Thank you Teresa for your service to our Chapter and for being willing to be our very first Member Spotlight!

Introduce yourself to us!  Provide a brief introduction to share on our blog.   Family?  Profession?  Where do you live?  Pets?  Whatever you’d like to share!

This is always the fun question for me. I have family, mainly my mom and dad who live with me, or is it I live with them? It’s often hard to tell, especially since they are both getting older and I have taken on more of the responsibilities for them. I work in IT Security and am blessed to be able to work from home. I love it because I don’t have to drive all the way into an office for 30 or more miles. The down side is that I don’t go in to an office and see other people face to face. However, when I’m done working I close my office door and I’m just 15 seconds from my stitching chair! I don’t have any pets, well unless you count those parent’s I mentioned.

Who taught you to stitch and when did you start stitching?

Initially my maternal grandmother taught me to stitch. She was bed ridden for about 9 months when I was 6 years old and we stayed with her while she was recovering. I loved to sit on the bed with her, and she did embroidery. To keep me “quiet” she took an old pillowcase and drew flowers on it, threaded a needle (a sharp!) with floss and showed me how to do a stem stitch. Once I had that down it was on to satin stitches and French knots. Her style was to show me, let me try and then rip it out until it met her standards of acceptable. Not sure why I kept at it, but I did. When I was in college one of my dorm-mates was stitching without anything being stamped on the fabric and I was hooked on counted work from then on out.

Teresa's Christmas Trees filled with stitched ornaments

What types of needlework do you do?

Well there is “do” and there is “tried”. On a regular basis I “do” counted cross stitch (including things like blackwork and lots of specialty stitches) and needlepoint/canvas work. On a less regular basis I “do” hardanger (which I love but don’t think I do very well) and pulled thread work (which I do think I do well). I’ve “tried”, but can’t say I “do” crewel and gold work.

What is your favorite type of needlework?

Whatever I pick up at the time! Seriously, I really do love it all and depending on my mood that’s my favorite type, even hardanger.

What other interests or hobbies do you have or what do you do for fun?

I love to read, that’s a huge passion of mine. I also crochet, which I learned not long after learning to embroider at about 7, and knitting which I only learned about 6 or 7 years ago. I also learned to make jewelry and do beadwork which I very much enjoy but haven’t had a lot of time for lately. And I can’t forget traveling. I love to go places and see things that are both near and far. I was fortunate as a child to travel because of my father’s job and I think that colored the way I see the world and why I love to travel.
How long have you been in EGA?

I believe I’ve been in EGA about 3 or 4 years. I’m embarrassed to say I’m not positive.

Tell us about your EGA experiences, roles held (past or present), etc.

I joined EGA because I wanted to be around other people who loved needlework, of any kind, as much as I do. To learn from their experiences was my goal. I am the outgoing President of the chapter and am looking forward to being a worker bee again. I’ve enjoyed serving the chapter as it has grown and seen some changes, but I also believe that nothing should stay the same forever.

Who are your favorite designers?

This was the question I dreaded the most. I have several designers whose work I love. If you took a tour through my stash you would see a lot of Rae Iverson’s and Ellen Chester’s design, partially because I love what they do and partially because over the years I’ve taken a number of classes from them and of course because I’ve purchased other items to supplement my retirement nest egg. Then you’d also see a lot of other designers that I’ve collected in my stash, like Plum Street Samplers and La-D-Da. The other group of designers would be where over the years I’ve taken a number of classes from certain people and also purchased their pieces, so in that group you’d see Linda Driskell, Indigo Rose (Catherine Strickler), Suzanne Miller, Jean Farish (from my days going to Heart of CrossStitch for you old timers out there), and some Eileen Bennett.   

Teresa's Traditional Elegance II 

Pat Taff/Golden Thread Designs

Are there certain elements that draw you to a design, or some that you avoid?

Sometimes it is color, other times it’s the design and sometimes the stitches draw me to a particular design. I think we all have “favorite” colors that if used well in a design will pull us in. For me it is jewel tones, or shades of red/rose, or blues and greens. My friends know that if a design has a bunny or rabbit on it I may be a goner. I’ve also started collecting samplers with Noah’s Ark because my maternal grandfather was Noah and I was born on his birthday however I never knew him since he died in WWII. I also have a fair number of Adam & Eve samplers as well as a few Quaker types in my stash. When it comes to needlepoint I’m a bit all over the place, but a lot of holiday pieces seem to find their way to my canvas stash.

What are you working on now?

This is a trick question right? Honestly I haven’t been stitching as much as I would like. At the beginning of this year I started having a fairly bad RA flare that kept me from being able to hold a needle much, if any, at all. A great doctor and some fantastic new medicine and I think my hands are back to stitching shape, only to have my job blow up to the point that by the time I finish in the evenings I’m incapable of doing much other than sleeping. Oh well, I have managed to work some on Tocatta #1. For the last few weeks if I stitch I’ve picked up Adam & Eve’s Christmas which was on my challenge list and I really would like to finish it. I’ve also done some really simple stitching on a small Halloween ornament. My stitching bag is full of things that I want to work on…

The Daughters of Longbourn in progress

The Stitching Parlor

Favorite WIP/UFO? Why?

(I’m not sure I like these hard questions…who thought these up?) Ok, if I have to pick favorites, which to me is like asking people with children to pick a favorite child, I’d say that right now…at this moment…if you really are going to make me choose…it would be Blackwork Band Sampler by Rae Iverson/Moss Creek Designs and The Daughters of Longbourn by The Stitching Parlor. They couldn’t be more dissimilar choices. I choose the Blackwork Band Sampler because it’s just a beautiful piece and one that, for whatever reason, I find hard to finish. I will pick it up and work on it for a few weeks then put it down. It’s like I don’t want to let go of it. It’s all silks and just an amazing piece. I’d pick Daughters because I’m a huge fan of Jane Austen and the idea of stitching something that relates to my other love of reading just is perfection. Plus my dear friend Melody gave me the pattern and the linen for my birthday several years ago and when I stitch on it I’m reminded of how wonderful it is to have friends who understand your passion for putting needle and thread to linen or canvas.

Favorite finish? Why?

Finally an easy question…I think. Normally I would whatever I finished last, but that’s not really true. I think my favorite finish was the Quaker Sampler I did for my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary a few years ago. I decided to stitch Ellen Chester’s An Emblem of Love in my mother’s favorite color of purple. I used a beautiful deep color and then made a few changes to how Ellen charted it originally. I made all the hearts “gold”, since it was their golden anniversary and I added the year they married. On top of all that I managed to completely surprise them both with it, which is hard since we all live in the same house together and I usually stitch in the family room while watching TV.

Teresa (left) with Ellen Chester of With My Needle

Holding Teresa's An Emblem of Love stitched for her parents 50th Anniversary

Do you have a blog?  If you’d like to provide a link, that would be wonderful!

I have a blog, that hasn’t seen much action lately. But there is always hope….

What is your first or last concert you attended?

So the last concert I attended is really the Jacksonville Symphony. However, if you mean the type where there is really loud music and stuff that would be Eric Clapton in March of this year.

What is a fun or unique fact about you that is not stitching related that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

As I mentioned earlier I lived in Europe when I was a small child however my parents are not military. My father worked for a large engineering firm out of NYC who had contracts all over the world. Before I was born my parent traveled all over the U.S. and had just returned from New Mexico and found out mom was pregnant with me when my dad was offered a job in Amsterdam. They could have gone, but decided to stay in the states until after I was born and wait for the next group of people who would be sent over. They waited and instead of going to Amsterdam they sent him to England. We spent 3.5 years there and were lucky to travel to The Netherlands, Spain and Italy. My mom spent a lot of time soaking in all the culture of the countries we visited and instilled a love of museums and old homes in me from our time there.

Anything else you’d like to share?
I hope that everyone will take time and answer these questions to share on our chapter blog. We have quite a few members who are not “local” and it would be wonderful to hear about each person and their stitching. I’m so happy to be part of a community of stitchers like duClay EGA. Happy stitching everyone!