It's hard for me to believe that my two years as your president have come to an end. It's been a fun time for me, and I hope a good two years for you. I've learned a great deal about our chapter, and I have more and more respect for the people who make it work.

As she leaves the Board of Directors, special thanks go to Pat Warner-Sorci for all her work as President and as MER Region Rep. I have been grateful for Pat's leadership as I've followed in her footsteps, and we will miss her on the Board.

We had 14 CNY EGA members at the MER Region Seminar at Chautauqua. It was a lot of fun! The projects were wonderful, the food was plentiful, the weather wasn't bad, and the conversation, shopping, teaching, and fun were terrific! Our Muriel Scholarship winner, Danielle Gerard, will have an article in the next newsletter which will give you more of a flavor of what it was like. Maybe next time . . . ?? A number of our members won baskets and other goodies on the last evening. Truly, a great time was had by all.

I hope you will be attending either the June dinner, the June luncheon, or both. Information on these should appear elsewhere in your newsletter. Remember to bring your Billie Award, and come ready for a good time of visiting and fellowship. And this summer we have our regular day stitch-ins at Lois Lewis' lovely camp on Skaneateles Lake. It's a great way to visit, get some stitching done in the daytime, and get a break from your usual routine. The evening meeting will continue at its usual location, with new projects for us all.

Thanks to you all for making my two years as your president so enjoyable. I look forward to sitting back and letting Jean Klym take the reins. Happy stitching!!

Calendar of Events

February 2004 - Needle Art Exhibit There will be an open exhibit for the month of February 2004 at the Baldwinsville Library. This is an excellent opportunity to display our work and share our love of needlework and a great chance to gain new members.- Kathy Fonda

Are you taking a stitch every day on that long-ago started project? Will it be completed by the first of June? We want you to exhibit it at our luncheon at the Bellevue Country Club on June 19th. We're counting on each of you to finish your project and have the warm feeling of accomplishment. As usual, if you sign and do not finish your project, please pay our treasurer $5.00 at the June banquet/luncheon. Thank you.

New Members:
Kathleen Barnello

Sonja Berson

Patricia A. Kaserman

Note: Marie North did NOT renew her membership. Please remove her name from your member list.

The following memberships are due for renewal before March 31, 2002:

• Michele Ball
• Betsy Banks
• Linda Bruce
• Linda Conaughty
• Joyce Droege
• Deborah Dunn
• Danielle Gerard
• Stephany Haesaert
• Julie Hall
• Rhoda Hatter
• Shirley Hausner
• Bobbie Hemphill
• Janet Johnston
• Lillian Kent
• Jean Klym
• Jean Kopecky
• Linda Lienhard
• Jo Ann Mitchell
• Tonya Mixon
• Deborah Murk
• Della Pierson
• Anita Powell
• Jill Sarkodie-Mensah
• Janice Smith
• Charlane Wainwright
• Pat Warner-Sorci
• Jill Zoll

Dues should be paid to the Joan Murphy at the evening meeting, Nancy Hough at the day meeting, or by mail using the form at the end of the newsletter. Please note that late payment may result in missing an issue of Needlearts and the newsletter!

March and April evening meetings are Or Nue with Della Pierson. Information about this program is in the newsletter. The May meeting is a Mystery project presented by the program committee. Details to follow. In July, Barbara Rakosnik will teach her Perfectly Peony Sampler on July 13 and 14. A picture of the sampler and a sign-up sheet will be available at the March meetings. The chapter education fund will cover the cost of the teacher fee and travel. The cost to the student will be $75.00.

We've had some wonderful times at our recent meetings. The December party was a great hit and those teddy bears were marvelous!! Thanks to Janet Johnston and Billie Stoughton for arranging our program with Ethel Hughes. January brought Pat Schmidt's chocolates to all of us, and they looked good enough to eat. And February allowed us to see Mel Nichter's extensive collection of nametags, which provided lots of inspiration for new nametags of our own. Thank you to Janet, Billie, Pat, and Mel for your programs.

In March we will be having an Outreach Day. Eleanor Bajohr is organizing it, and you will find information elsewhere in the newsletter on what to bring. In April, Dixie will be arranging some videos for our viewing pleasure, so bring popcorn and come and relax and see. May is a Mystery meeting which promises to be a lot of fun; check the article elsewhere in the newsletter for what you'll need to bring. We have lots going on -- come join us!

Benefit for the Albany Medical Center. Dr Charles C. Canver requests heart shape pillows to be used by the heart patients. If you could donate any cotton fabric, threads and fiberfill. We will be cutting, sewing and stuffing these pillows. Pattern will be supplied. If you could bring your sewing machine that would be helpful.

June 19th is the date for the Day Luncheon at the Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse. Our guest will be Anne Dickey. Anne is the one who designed our chapter logo. Members are asked to bring any items that have our chapter logo on them. The program "Paper Dolls" will be presented by Fran Merrill and Julie Rimel. Reservation and menu information will be in the next newsletter. If there are any questions or suggestion for the luncheon contact Sue Sears.

Here is the materials list for the March and April Or Nue class.

• 10" stretcher bars
• 10" piece 24 ct congress cloth white or ecru
• thumb tacks to attach your fabric to the stretcher bars
• 1 spool (10 yds) #16 braid in gold or silver ( or whatever color you prefer)
• 1-2 skeins of silk in whatever color you prefer
• cotton sewing thread to match your metallic
• pencil
• masking tape
• ruler
• needle magnet is very helpful for this project
• 3" monogram or silhouette of your choice (you could find a nice letter on your computer and blow it up)

The project for both May meetings is a Mystery Project provided for you by your Program Committee. We can promise that it will be quick to stitch and quick to finish; the 'electric needle' people will probably have theirs almost finished before they leave the meeting. You will need to bring with you about two yards of a Watercolours thread that you like, and about two yards of a Kreinik 1/16th" metallic ribbon or Fyre Werks that coordinates with your Watercolours, plus your usual stitching supplies. Plan on a $2.50 charge for a copy of a great magazine that includes the pattern. Everything else will be supplied by the Program Committee. Come and enjoy!

The Fayetteville Methodist Church is holding their annual geranium sale the third week in May, and they're using 'our' room to do it. Therefore, as we did last year, we will be meeting at the Octagon House on Genesee Street in Camillus. If you need directions, you may call Pat Schmidt.

The Muriel Scholarship drawing was held at the December day meeting, and Danielle Gerard was the fortunate recipient. Danielle will be attending Chautauqua for the MER Seminar in May, thanks to the generosity of Muriel Roe, in whose honor these scholarship donations were made. Congratulations, Danielle!

"It's a good thing" : To knit caps or booties, sew bereavement gowns for the Special Pediatric Unit at Saint Joseph's Hospital. See or call Jean Hirth for simple directions.

We now have all our new library books waiting to be taken home and enjoyed. We all should have a list with all of the books. Please take advantage of all of these wonderful books. If there is a book located at the opposite meeting place that you would like, please let me know and someone can get it for you.

Chautauqua-"Patterns from the Past" - May 1-5, 2002. Please consider going to this. The courses are great (see them on the internet at http://cstl.syr.edu/MEAR_EGA/PFTP). Our basket for the MER Seminar at Chautauqua is filling up nicely, but we need some small things ie. fibers, needles etc. Please help us and bring an item or two to the March meeting. Thanks!

If you are thinking about attending "Patterns from the Past" at Chautauqua in May, think fast and register now. Registration closes March 31.

If you would like to exhibit at Chautauqua, pieces will be picked up at the April meetings and returned at the May meetings. You do not have to attend the seminar to exhibit. Please make sure your pieces are wrapped for travel. Bubble wrap is great for this.

February 21, 2002 -- The Kenan Center will host Through the Needle's Eye: The Sixteenth National Exhibit of the Embroiderers' Guild of America, Inc., March 8 through March 29. An opening reception will be held on Friday, March 8 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., and is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on view in the Kenan Center House Gallery located at 433 Locust Street, Lockport, New York. Sponsor of the exhibit is Phillips, Lytle, Hitchcock, Blaine & Huber LLP, Attorneys at Law.

The exhibit is completing a two-year tour of museums and galleries across the country. Forty-eight pieces by members of the Embroiderers' Guild are featured in the show, and represent a wide range of needleart techniques including hand and machine embroidery, needlelace, beading and quilting.

The Kenan Center serves as a regional community center providing visitors and the community with arts, education and recreation programs. The Kenan campus, situated on twenty-five beautiful acres in Lockport, New York, includes a sports arena, a converted carriage-house theater and community gathering room, an education building, outdoor recreational fields, a playground, and the Kenan house, an 1800's Victorian mansion featuring a year-round art gallery and formal gardens.

Quilt Show - Judy Cain

The Presbyterian Women of the United Presbyterian Church in Cortland will be holding their second annual Quilt Show and Tea on Saturday, April 6, from 1 till 4 pm. Admission of $3 includes the quilt show as well as tea and gourmet desserts; proceeds go to benefit the church's mission projects. There will also be lots of hands-on activities. If you would like to come and need directions to the church, call Judy Cain at 607-756-7352.

If you have computer access, go to www.bluebearbeads.com and click on the picture of the cat to see their Cat Collar Contest information. Then click on the St. Patrick's Day contest, and you will find the name of Sherj DeSantis, who (with her daughter Dana) won the St. Patrick's Day contest for the best cat collar! Congratulations, Sherj and Dana!

Want to See the EGA Exhibit in Wellsboro PA? - Judy Cain

Dana Dutton, president of the Oneida Area Chapter of EGA, and her chapter are organizing a bus trip to the EGA exhibit in Wellsboro PA on April 20th. They are leaving Verona NY at 7 a.m., and hope to leave from Wellsboro to come home at 5 p.m. Cost of the trip is $30, which includes the bus and the tip for the driver; meals and shopping are extra. A stop at Lucia's Needlework shop in Mansfield PA is also on the agenda. Dana is trying to arrange a stop at a Thruway exit in Syracuse to pick up any additional interested stitchers; if you would like more information or would like to join the trip, please call Dana at 315-339-7590. I was able to see this exhibit when it was in Salisbury MD, and it is well worth going down there!

The last Board meeting of this 2001-2002 meeting year will be held on Saturday, April 20 at 10:00 a.m. at the Liverpool Christian Church. Elected officials and all committee chairs are members of the Board of Directors, and your attendance is important. Members of the chapter are , of course , welcome to attend.

Deadline for the next issue, which covers June through August 2002, is August 23rd.

                                            PAYMENT FORM

To:     Nancy Hough


From:                               



                              

________      $35 for membership renewal

________     $ 5 each for chapter pins

________     $ Other ____________________________________         (Please indicate)

________     $ Other  ___________________________________         (Please indicate)


________     $ Total enclosed (Make check payable to CNY EGA.)