"The purpose of this organization shall be to foster the highest standards of excellence in the practice of the art of embroidery through an active program of education and study and to preserve the heritage of the art of embroidery." (EGA Bylaws, Article II)
Welcome back to a new year! I know it isn't really the beginning of a new year, but it always seems it to me -- school is starting, our year of stitching is starting, fall is starting, and so on. I believe we will have an interesting and productive year this year, and I'm counting on all of you to help make it so.
We had a wonderful time at all those banquets in June; if you didn't make it to one of them in 2000, plan to be there in 2001. It's a good time to get to know the other members of our chapter. We definitely owe a debt of thanks to the two committees who put the events together; both were well planned and well organized, and the food was great! Special congratulations go to Jean Hughes for her well-deserved President's Award pin. Jean, your chapter truly appreciates all that you do for us!
Looking ahead, remember to bring all your State Fair entries to the September meetings; everyone will be looking forward to a chance to see your projects "up close and personal." The State Fair exhibits are inspiring to see, and it's important to protect the displayed pieces from the onslaught (and fingers) of the masses, but if you're like me, you want to be able to REALLY see them. So do bring yours, and if you didn't enter or attend the State Fair this year, for whatever reason, plan to come and see what was on display.
Susan Kaplan is making arrangements for a stitch-in at Barnes & Noble on Erie Boulevard, sometime in October. If you are interested in participating in this, please get in touch with Susan if you haven't already. It will be good publicity for our chapter as well as a lovely way to spend a day or an afternoon visiting with each other.
Our next Board meeting is tentatively scheduled for October 21, at 10:00 a.m. at the Liverpool Christian Church. All members are welcome. However, the date and/or time may have to be changed due to an SU home football game. Announcement will be made at both October meetings, or feel free to call me for the updated information.
We have a few opportunities for participation coming up; these will be discussed at the fall meetings. Remember, volunteers are like Coke they're the real thing! (Thanks to Jean Hughes for a page of these; you'll see more as the year goes on.) Seriously, the chapter does it for you, and without your help once in a while, we can't do it. If you aren't already involved, please consider lending your talents -- we will be delighted to have them.
I hope you have had a relaxing summer and are ready to jump back in, now that the cooler weather is approaching. I look forward to seeing you at the meetings.
| September | |
| 19 | Evening meeting -Elizabethan Treasures, Part 8 with Phyllis |
| 20 | State Fair Winners, and Petite Project with Pat Schmidt, Fayetteville United Methodist Church, 10:00 a.m downstairs in the Community room. |
| October | |
| 17 | Evening meeting - Temari Balls, Part 1, with Dixie Nohara |
| 18 | Temari Balls, Part 1, with Dixie Nohara (lecture in morning, workshop in afternoon) Fayetteville United Methodist Church, 10:00 a.m. |
| 21 | Board Meeting at Liverpool Christian Church, 10:00 a.m. NOTE: This date and time may be changed; stay tuned! |
| November | |
| 15 | Temari Balls, Part 2, with Dixie Nohara, Fayetteville United Methodist Church, 10:00 a.m. |
| 21 | Evening Meeting - Temari Balls, Part 2, with Dixie Nohara |
NOTE: December meetings will be held on the second Tuesday and Wednesday of the month, due to the holidays.
October - CNY EGA Stitch in at Barnes & Noble Bookstore on Erie Blvd. For information, contact Susan Kaplan.
Anyone who missed the June banquet missed a great meeting. Thanks to Danielle Gerard who organized it. Judy Arthur, the MidEastern EGA regional director did the installation of officers at the June meetings. Thanks to Linda Conaughty for doubling as auctioneer (raising almost $300) and for teaching the ornament at the same time. How will she be able to top that one?? We got off schedule with Elizabethan Treasures, but will resume at the August meeting.
September Meeting - Please bring your State Fair entries for sharing. Phyllis will wind up Elizabethan Treasures. Those who have kept up each month will have beautiful pieces to share in October. Those of us who have not kept up will have a Billie award in a couple of years. Pat Schmidt will have another of the petite projects to share.
Here are the supplies you'll need to bring:
Corky Avery, Marion Warner, and Dottie Christie did a great job organizing our June luncheon; did you know that Corky tatted all those scissors bobs? Thank you again to all three of you for a lovely day.
As usual, Lois Lewis has been the hostess with the mostest this summer; the stitch-ins at her camp are always a treat, with lovely views, good uninterrupted stitching time, and great conversation. Thanks, Lois, for making your camp available to us again this year.
Our fall meetings are going to be interesting. Pat Schmidt will be organizing a Petite Project for us in September. Check the newsletter for information on what you will need to bring to the meeting. And in October and November, Dixie Nohara (newly retired -- aren't we lucky?) will be teaching us to make Temari balls. October's meeting will feature a lecture in the morning and a workshop in the afternoon; this might be a good opportunity for guests to be introduced to the chapter. Again, check your newsletter for more information.
We'll be looking for ideas for the 2001 day meetings. Please give it some thought and be ready to make some suggestions when the time comes. Meanwhile, hope to see you all in September -- it's been a long time since we were all together!
A recent article in the "Los Angeles Times" described the sharing of needlework patterns on the internet in the same way that MP3 files are shared on Napster. Many needlework designers, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum among them, have spoken out against this practice. The designers make their living from the monies received from sale of the patterns, and when copyrights are violated, it is, in essence, a form of theft. Most designers will not object to a stitcher making a "working copy" to mark up during stitching, but sharing of patterns with other stitchers is prohibited by copyright laws. Told in a Garden, Butternut Creek, and Lavendar and Lace will even replace marked and used charts, free of charge.
As stitchers and especially as EGA members, we have an obligation to maintain higher standards of behavior than the general population. Sharing of charts, with the exception of those which state that they may be reproduced, should be discouraged. We should be careful when designing pieces for workshops not to "plagiarize" another's work. Adaptations, of course, are acceptable, but they should not be presented as original designs, and credit should be given where due.
We need to protect our favorite designers and keep them designing the wonderful patterns we all love.
Ann Strite-Kurz has left her Pavanne color card with me temporarily for our use. Pavanne is a wonderful overdyed thread by Harriet Segal. I will have the color card available at the September meetings for a group order. Keep in mind that if a full skein is not desired, you could share the cost with a friend. Please see me at the meetings to choose your colors.
I am finishing putting together our cookbook - really. To wrap it up however, I need recipes for entries, appetizers and vegetables. Please, no more desserts. Remember we are also including stitching tips so please contribute those, too. If anyone would like to help with typing or proofing, please let me know. Thanks.
Recently, while wandering about in the Niagara vicinity I discovered a wonderful dollhouse museum, the Mildred Mahoney Dolls' House Gallery in Fort Erie, Ontario. It's a private collection of 140 dollhouses, dating from 1780 to 1980, which are displayed in many rooms on two floors of an historic 1835 red brick house which served as a safe house for escaping USA slaves following the underground railroad.
Most of the dollhouses are fully furnished in elaborate detail and displayed with glass fronts and lighted interiors which allows one to peer in closely and look for all of the needlework items. And miniature needlework was everywhere. Tent stitch rugs were done in various gauges, with simple to elaborate designs. Other rugs used bargello and cross stitch patterns and one interesting one featured lovely whipped spider webs. There were bed covers and hangings embroidered with crewel work, french knots, ribbon embroidery and cross stitch. I also spotted tatted, beaded and turkey work pillows, crocheted, knitted, battenburg lace, drawn thread and woven table cloths. A medieval castle room displayed a wall tapestry accented with metallic threads.
One house had a very detailed little sewing room with a thread box full of tiny spools and miniature bolts of cloth piled on a shelf. There were a number of individual rooms/shops including, a doctor's office, a candy store, several millinery shops, a doll store, a toy store, a book store and a multi-room general store which contained over 5000 items. The largest house is a splendid, five story, 15 room early Victorian. Mrs. Mahoney, a local resident, is a well known collector of miniatures and she did much of the needlework and detail work in these houses herself.
Most tourist information sites in the vicinity had a brochure about this Dolls' House Gallery. The address is 657 Niagara Blvd., Fort Erie, Ontario. This is about 2 miles north of the Peace Bridge which crosses the River from Buffalo, NY. and about a 20 minute drive from Niagara Falls on the QUE expressway. Niagara Blvd. runs right along the river. In the summer it's open seven days a week. The sign outside said by appointment in winter. Check locally for times. The phone number is (905) 871-5833.
This is an amazing collection and I know I missed a lot. You could examine one house for an hour and not spot every little detail.
Reprinted with permission, written by Neva Pruess - Lincoln, NE
Reminder - The next two Board meetings are scheduled for Saturday, October 21, and Saturday, December 2, also at Liverpool Christian Church at 10:00 a.m. Please mark your calendar now and plan for them. If you need directions to Liverpool Christian Church, feel free to call me at (607)756-7352.
I apologize in advance if I missed anyone but I walked through the room to see which pieces had ribbons from our Guild. There is no posted list.
Anyone I missed will be posted in the next newsletter.
The Mid Eastern region has a website. Check it out at http://www.cstl.syr.edu/ega. Our chapter has one at http://www.dreamscape.com/lkaplan/ega/index.html.
Deadline for the next issue, which covers December through February, is November 20.