Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 7, 1990 TAG: 9007060146
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: MARIANNA FILMORE SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Long
They are aficionados of the decorative needlework known as needlepoint, and it is their enthusiasm that binds the seams of the New River Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild.
The group pursues its passion for "canvas embroidery" on the third Thursday of every month at the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library in Christiansburg. For two hours 21 enthusiasts, both male and female, ranging in age from 30 to 80, learn about new techniques, stitches, materials or fibers. Usually they will stitch a new project, and there is always the ebb and flow of conversation.
Normally, the group works with blank, open-holed canvases, using written instructions and charts to transfer a design from paper to form a colorful, textured piece. Artistry and creativity stem from the individual's choice of colors and fibers.
Pat Campbell, current program chairman, emphasizes that, "from the guild's point of view, needlepoint is an art form, not just a craft." The goal is the learning and preservation of an important heritage skill.
Lucy Smead, chapter president, emphasizes that the chapter "stresses knowledge, history and background of the stitches, some of which go back to the Renaissance." She feels that it is unfortunate that most families today are not encouraging the continuance of handwork such as needlepoint, as they did when she grew up.
For each meeting, the program chairman assigns a different project or stitch to a member who is then responsible for learning it and teaching it to the others. Some projects are fairly simple and can be easily learned at one meeting. Others are quite complicated and are the focal point of several meetings.
Ideas for projects come from a project notebook published by A.N.G., from the Guild's magazine "Needlepointers," from workshops and from commercial sources.
Sometimes the members tackle a correspondence-course project in which they purchase the instructions, complete the project, and send it back for evaluation. A nationally known instructor examines the pieces and sends each person a written critique.
This year the chapter has undertaken the Gleneagle project by Jean Hylton - a 12-patch wall hanging that showcases a variety of stitches and colors and resembles a patchwork quilt. Each month a different member studies and stitches one of the patches and then presents it to the others with comments, tips, and suggestions on how best to complete it.
Although all members will stitch the same 12 patterns, no two finished pieces will be quite the same. Individual personalities emerge in ways as obvious as color combinations or as subtle as the tension of the stitches.
In the fall the group will sponsor a daylong workshop conducted by Joyce Lukomski, editor of "Needlepointers," who will teach them to fashion a pendant using various stitches, fibers and designs.
The group began in 1983 when six avid needlepointers decided they would like to form a local chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild. The chapter has grown and now includes members from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford, Pulaski, Salem and Roanoke. Former members who have moved to Maryland and Australia still keep in touch. Two members own local needlecraft shops. Over the years, the chapter hasinitiated many beautiful pieces at its monthly meetings. It has displayed them in area stores and in the Christiansburg library. Last spring it exhibited 114 pieces at the Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Newbern.
A friendly, relaxed atmosphere characterizes the meetings, and members insist that although the majority of the group has had previous experience with sewing or stitchery of some kind, the only requirement for membership is an interest in needlepoint and a desire to learn. The chapter openly welcomes new members.
"That's why I like this group," said Doris Abraham, an active, enthusiastic member. "If you don't get things finished, they say, `Doesn't matter. You had a good time doing it and you've learned something.' And when you make a mistake and you get all uptight about it, they say, `That's all right. That's original. That's your piece. That's how new stitches are born. Just leave it.' There's no pressure or stress to make the projects all the same."
Smead recalls a favorite philosophy of her mother: "If you want perfection, use a machine. If you want originality, do handwork."
Campbell points out that serious needlepointers are constantly coming up with new stitches. "There are all kinds of variations, an endless number of stitches" from all of the world and searching far back into history. A recently revised encyclopedia of needlepoint stitches includes more than 580 stitches and their variations. The members all agree that the infinite variety of techniques, stitches, and materials means there is always something new to learn, even for those who have been needlepointing for years.
Among the benefits of needlepointing with a group, Lib Faulkner, first vice president, notes that it "gets me out into the community and I find it very relaxing." Erika Kastning enjoys the challenge of "learning different stitches and designs and expressing originality through color choices."
Challenge and relaxation aside, there is something magical about bringing canvases to life with vivid color and design.
by CNB