I was one of the lucky people who went to Callaway School of Needlearts in January of this year. I took four days of classes. I cannot describe to you the joy and pleasure it brought me! To sit in a large, brightly-lit room, with other people who love needlework the way I do, and to work on projects that were interesting, challenging, and just plain lovely - what an experience! We are so fortunate in EGA to have the opportunity to do this each and every month, and I am so grateful for that. Sometimes we forget to appreciate just what we have here in our chapter. Our membership is wonderful in sharing its talents; remember to thank them next time people provide interesting and informative and inspirational programs for us!

Of course, this leads me to Little Stitches -- have you registered yet? If you haven't, there's very little time left. This is a chance to sit and soak up the peace and fulfillment that comes from sharing an experience with those of like mind. If you are not able to take a class this time, perhaps you can contact Eleanor and volunteer your services, and maybe next time you can be one of those sitting in class.

And then of course there's next year, and Seminar 2002 at Chautauqua. Have you been to Chautauqua and an MER seminar yet? It's a great time! And it isn't too soon to start planning for it and saving your pennies. We expect to be able to award a very special scholarship to Seminar 2002, in honor of one of our members; see the details on that elsewhere in this issue, and do start thinking about attending if at all possible.

March 30th - April 1st Embroidery as Art 2001 at the Cutler Union at the Art Memorial Gallery sponsored by the Genesee Valley Chapter, Rochester NY

May 4th - 5th Little Stitches 7 - Quality Inn, Liverpool sponsored by Central New York, Mohawk and Oneida chapters - see more info below.

May 8th Open House of the Lake Effect Stitchers / Syracuse Chapter of American Needlepoint Guild at Jamesville-Dewitt High School. Contact Mary Jarvis.

February 2002 - Needle Art Exhibit We have accepted an opportunity to exhibit our needle art at the Baldwinsville Library for the month of February 2002. They have exhibited many different types of art work for the past 21 years. This is an excellent opportunity to display our work as the libraries have a constant flow of traffic seven days a week. It would be a great chance to gain new members and share our love of needle Art - Kathy Fonda

May 16, 2001 will be the last date you can sign up for the Billie Awards this year. Be sure your name is listed and complete your project to receive your certificate at the luncheon/dinner in June.

With the promise of better weather approaching, we hope everyone will make a special effort to attend upcoming meetings. Charlane Wainwright will present a program on color blending in March, and Mel Nichter will teach her Spring Garden sampler at the April and May meetings. Further details are provided elsewhere in the newsletter. These programs will be presented at both the day and evening meetings.

Thanks to Mary Hickox and Corky Avery for two interesting and fun sessions on tatting in January and February. Everyone who tried tatting (both needle and shuttle) seemed to be having a good time and receiving lots of individual instruction and instant gratification as those rings and chains took shape. We will be looking for more tatted projects for Show and Share.

Mary Hickox and Corky Avery did a great job in teaching us tatting in January and February, and our thanks go to them for an interesting time (and it wasn't as hard as we thought it would be, was it?) Thanks also to Jean Klym and Dottie Christie for organizing the lovely luncheon in December. It certainly seemed that a good time was had by all.

We have some interesting things coming up. Charlane Wainwright is going to present a program on color in March; this one doesn't involve a project, so you won't have to add to your pile of UFOs (UnFinished Objects) or WIPs (Works In Progress) this month. Just come and learn something about an aspect of needlework that is so important and interesting.

And in April and May, Mel Nichter is going to teach her Spring Garden Sampler. See information on this elsewhere in the newsletter. Mel's charts are always so clear and easy to read, and her pieces are so interesting to stitch, that this promises to be another good time. And it's small enough that maybe maybe maybe we will be able to finish it in 2002!

Bring a friend to a meeting, or come by yourself and visit with your EGA friends. You may remember that often in May we are displaced out of our room at Fayetteville United Methodist due to their geranium sale; this year we re moving the whole meeting to the Octagon House. Directions to the Octagon House will be found elsewhere in the newsletter. The Octagon House figures prominently in the early history of CNY EGA, so it's very appropriate for us to meet there. Do come and enjoy the surroundings, and if you're not working on Mel's Spring Garden Sampler, come anyway, and bring something of your own to stitch. Maybe you could work on your Billie Award!

As you may know, past president Muriel Roe is moving to The Woodlands, Texas, to be near her son. In fact, by the time you receive this, she will probably be unpacking in Texas! The Board discussed doing something to honor Muriel and her service to our chapter, and at Muriel's suggestion we will establish a scholarship to Seminar 2002 at Chautauqua. Muriel made it clear that she has no need for additional tokens of our affection, but she has gotten so much pleasure and education from attending seminars that she felt the best way to celebrate her EGA participation was to make it possible for someone else to have the same experience.

Therefore, if you would like to make a donation to a gift to honor Muriel as she moves to warmer climes, please make the Muriel Roe Seminar Scholarship Fund the recipient. Checks may be made out to CNY EGA and given to Joan Murphy (evening meeting) or Nancy Hough (day meeting); or they may be sent to Nancy Hough using the coupon at the end of the newsletter.

Donated by: Pat Smith and Julie Rimel Around the World in Cross Stitch by Jan Easton Located in the day library at Fayetteville United Methodist Church.

More to come next month!

I am planning a small project with color use as a way to change the 'look' of a design, especially through use of complimentary colors in two (reverse) applications to the same design. I will also introduce the idea of using various shades of one color to create quite distinct effects, again using the same pattern as a field to work in.

This topic of color is so big, that I hope to restrict our exploration of it to a couple of very distinct concepts and test projects. I do hope, though, that people will be inspired to explore the concepts more on their own after this little start.

I will bring a bit of cloth and some threads with me, for those who do not have such things with them. Our trial color work projects will be small and casual, so I won't have kits per se.

The April and May workshop piece is called "Spring Garden". Stitched on 31/1" unbleached linen to represent the earth the "garden" is surrounded by a white pearl cotton "fence". The 8 square "flower beds" are surrounded by a border to represent a green "lawn". Each "flower bed square" is an original stitch combination repeated to make 9 "flowers". The center square is a tile design stitched in brown. A brown line between each flower is to accent the earth.

The kit will include the linen, threads, needles, and computer generated charts for all stitches and the complete design. The kit price is $16.00. HOMEWORK, to have the 9 green squares ready to be filled in class, will be handed out at the March meetings. SIGN UP MUST be made at the February meetings or I can be called by March 8. A pencil, magnification and light if needed, your HOMEWORK, and your scissors are all you'll need to bring to class.

This will be held at the Octagon House of Camillus, NY located at 5420 W. Genesee St. 9:30 am - 3:00 pm meeting and workshop to follow. Tours of the house will be provided after the meeting by the Octagon House volunteers. Bring your lunch if you are doing the workshop.

Please send in your reservations for Little Stitches. Classes are filling up and we wouldn't want to disappoint you. This is an all out effort for 100% participation. For more information, contact Eleanor Bajohr.

The Nominating Committee, chaired by Connie Stanley, is still seeking nominations for the positions of day secretary and evening secretary. If you have suggestions for these positions, or if you are willing to serve your chapter in this way, please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you!

Deadline for the next issue, which covers June through August, is May 16th.

• A Stitcher's Garden - The Canal Barn, 7070 Cedar Bay Road Fayetteville NY 13066
  Phone: (315) 449-2181 Fax: (315) 445-7934
• Stitchery Row - 254 Main Street Johnson City NY 13790
  Phone/Fax: (607) 748-8003
• Stitchin' Niche - TriCounty Mall, Downer Street Baldwinsville NY 13027
  Phone: (315) 635-1645
• The Rose Cottage - 101 Spring Street Top of the Hill, Fayetteville NY 13066
  Phone (315) 637-1330