New Blogger - 1st Design

So....I'm joining the blogging world to share my love of counted needlepoint, threads, canvas, and all things related to needlework I enjoy so much. To start with, I'm sharing a photo of my first design "Potluck" - the "Bright" version and the original "Muted" version; I think of them as my "personalities"!  I originally designed this to see "if I could" and was so enchanted with the design process I've never looked back.

Here's the story...(yes I was a Brady Bunch kid!). Before I even dreamed of designing needlepoint, I managed my family's needlework shop for a number (more than 10) years and just loved being surrounded by threads, fabrics, canvases, needles, scissors, and all of it. The thing I enjoyed the most was helping people pick out alternate colorways for various projects and class pieces. I was also mentored in "COLOR" by my father who did our custom framing and seemed to be a genius at picking out just the right mat colors to enhance anything he framed. (Who ever knew when we were kids and horrified by some of his clothing choices/colors this would happen?!).  You can read more about the shop's history at www.needledelights.com - this blog is about me and my designs so my shop's cross stitch customers don't have to roll their eyes when I'm telling them about "my new stuff"!

When I found myself the sole owner of the shop, I started teaching more classes and was wanting projects I had a little more control over - in a lot of ways. I started with some simple ornaments that were just circles with one stitch using one overdyed thread and a metallic - people loved them and started calling them my "designs" - I just thought of them as "making a pretty ornament from something very simple". I then started teaching a year long "Mystery Class" once a month and chose about 10 different colorways to entice people to take the class. Along the way I found myself thinking of what I would like to stitch myself. I had a friend who encouraged me by promising to stitch whatever I'd like to experiment with. This was the beginning of "Potluck".

The great love of my personal stitching history was stitching Genny Morrow's Nova. I can still recall the way my heart raced the very first time I saw this pattern circa 1994. I'm not sure what appealed to me but I experienced a "desperate need" to stitch this design. I loved every part of it, from drawing the squares on the canvas to putting in the last stitch. It was a journey of itself and was never replicated with any other project I've stitched. When I finished it the first time (Yes, I've stitched it twice), I emailed Genny Morrow herself (back before everyone was on the internet) and she actually emailed me back with congratulations. I was ecstatic.

Although I had no intentions of ever making a quilt, this project led me to actually becoming a quilter - I was lucky to have great teachers & mentors in a small group of ladies my mother quilted with (she was/is an avid quilter too). There's no surprise that choosing the fabrics and the style, blocks, and method of making the quilt is my favorite part. This great love greatly inspires my designs. I always think, "Who ever knew this accountant who hated geometry was creative?" but there you go...that's my story.

Stay tuned to this blog to see what I've done and what I'm doing - I'm sure I won't post as often as I'd like but will post when I have something to "show or tell" - my favorite part of almost everything in life - sharing great joy, love, and experiences with others. I prefer doing it in person but am excited about embarking on this adventure in Blogland!