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Sharing our Needle Art with Others

© Lori Seaborg

As much as I love technology and regularly use it, I also loathe it. Why? Because it is taking away those days of old when women and men made everything by hand...or most things, depending on how far back you are looking into history. Increasingly, girls are not taught by their mothers to do handmade crafts, especially crafts that take a long time to do, like stitching. Along with this decrease in relaxing craft time, comes an increase in stress and fatigue. There seems to be a connection there.

We stitchers need to band together and bring the multitudes back to our craft! There are so many out there who have enormous headaches and tense muscles from spending too much time with machines. The feel of silk or linen would calm them, I'm sure. You must also believe that since you are also a stitcher.

Here are some ways we can reach others:

1. Community: Doesn't a quilting bee sound so appealing to you? Start one in your church or in a community center....or even in your home! I'm considering doing this in my large church where I'm sure there are other stitchers who long for the same. When I was married, my husband and I received a large quilt from a women's Sunday School class of the church I had gone to as a child. It was such a touching gift to me, to imagine those women who gathered together and prayed and talked while stitching for us.

2. Guilds: The Embroiderer's Guild of America (http://www.egausa.org/)and the American Needlepoint Guild (http://www.needlepoint.org/)both have local chapters across America where you could take a friend. While the stitchers in these guilds are usually amazing experts at their craft, you will find them more than happy to share what they know. At least take yourself, so you can learn more about your craft from these women, some of whom have been stitching for over half a century. Imagine the wealth of knowledge they have to share with you!

3. Shows: CATS (http://www.creativeartsshow.com/)and Spirit of Cross-Stitch (SOX). Take a friend to shows, where there are hundreds of stitchers, at various levels of expertise. Classes are usually taught and juried competitions may be enjoyed.

4. Local Needlework Shops: If you have a friend or acquaintance who loves to shop, ask them to join you the next time you visit your LNS. They will most likely be intrigued by all of the fabrics, patterns, and gadgets. Invite them to an All Night Stitch at the same LNS, if they offer it, or a Stitch Night, where your friend may meet other stitchers and ask lots of questions! As a new stitcher, I used to visit Stitch Night at my LNS whenever I could. I learned so much about improving my stitching from the women at the shop!

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