America's Tapestry

Dear All,

Happy February! I hope everyone is staying warm and dry amidst the many snow flurries this winter season. What better time to stay inside and stitch?

If you are joining us this month, please consider donating to our Crate History Campaign! We have raised $2,220 over the last two months! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We are blown away by the support! While the crate will cost roughly $5,000, we are hoping to fundraise over half of that amount. We are now so close to reaching our goal of $2,800!

Every donation will ensure that our volunteers' work is protected for years to come through the commission of a bespoke art crate to transport the panels on a 2+ year exhibition tour.

If you would like to support us, please share our GoFundMe Page with your community.

Grant Updates

I am thrilled to announce that America's Tapestry is now funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. While it has taken over two years and two applications, we are incredibly grateful to the Endowment for providing us with essential funding.

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

Additionally, I am honored to share additional grant support has been provided by the Coby Foundation, who has been a champion of our project since its inception. Without their continued aid, we would not have been able to launch nor complete our project. A great many thanks to executive director Margi Hofer and the entire team at the Foundation!

What's New?

While the temperatures drop, our stitchers have been busy crafting gorgeous needlework on each of our 13 panels.

Georgia director Robin Starnes and her team have stitched exquisite detail for the face of Henri Christophe, the Haitian drummer boy featured in their state's panel. Dorothy has rendered Henri's face in petit point and his hair in a modified bullion stitch. Robin has dressed him up in an appliquéd uniform made of fine wool.

The North Carolina Panel is awash with color thanks to nationally recognized fiber artist Susan Brubaker Knapp. Notably, Susan is the host of "Quilting Arts TV", streaming on over 400 P.B.S. stations in the United States. You can learn more about Susan and her work by clicking this link here. Susan kindly painted the North Carolina sky, the flora, and the Chowan County Courthouse. The vibrancy of the colors beautifully compliment state director Gail Smith and team's work on the counted thread embroidery of the ladies in the foreground.

The Massachusetts panel's hero Caleb Davis is coming to life thanks to state director Denise De More and her talented team of stitchers from the Mayflower Sampler Guild! They have been hard at work utilizing their group's varied skills to make this piece truly unique. Well done, everyone!

The New Hampshire Panel led by Michelle McPheron and Carol Ganse is coming along beautifully. From the cascading Connecticut River to the rocky New Hampshire shoreline to the dense forest behind Fort William and Mary, each stitch has created such wonderful imagery and exquisite artistry. We cannot wait to watch the rest of the panel unfold!

In the News

America's Tapestry at Camp Wannastitch

Check out the three panels of America's Tapestry that attended the annual retreat "Camp Wannastitch" in January hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Embroiderers' Guild of America! Embroiderers from across the region attended the informal gathering for a weekend of stitching and camaraderie in Ocean City, Maryland. Thank you to our incredible teams from New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware for attending and bringing along the panels for participants to stitch on. Just look at their gorgeous progress!

Delaware Co-Director Becky Gutin was featured in the January edition of Jewish Living Delaware, where she highlighted her work on America's Tapestry and her experience as a fiber artist.

Rhode Island Director Karen Katin was featured in the EastBayRI Journal this month! Karen brought the Rhode Island panel to East Providence High School where students had the opportunity to stitch on the panel and learn some of the stories associated with it. To read the full article, click here.

Tapestry Talk - Virginia and New Jersey

Have a look on our webpage to watch the interviews I conducted while visiting with our teams in New Jersey and Virginia. You will learn about the amazing artisans behind these panels, their personal connection to embroidery, and the importance of fiber arts as we celebrate our nation's milestone anniversary.

Click to watch the VA Video!

Click to watch the NJ Video!

Stitcher Spotlight: Meet Nancy Nelson!

Nancy Nelson is an embroiderer on the New York tapestry panel. Having learned embroidery from her mother at age 6, Nancy has practiced cross stitch, surface embroidery including crewel, raised embroidery, and crochet.

She is a graduate of the University of Delaware's School of Art, with a BFA in Fiber Art and Art History. While her career was in Higher Education Fundraising and Administration, upon retirement she returned to her love of fibers. Continuing to study and attend workshops in color theory and design, Nancy has since created crocheted sculptures, multi-level installations, and surface embroidered pieces.

Her current body of work is focused on recreating 17th century French illustrations in surface embroidery, using several textural stitches and color variations. These whimsical illustrations use animal heads with 17th century men's and women's clothing.

For the past year she has been a member of The New York Capital District Chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America. Nancy saw America's Tapestry as an opportunity to leave a legacy in honor of our nation's 250th anniversary. She hopes that adults and children will benefit from the educational value of our history. Nancy lives in Saratoga Springs, NY with her partner, Jeff and her beloved dog Sophie.

Thank you for donating your time and talent, Nancy!

P.S. - Want to be featured in our newsletter? Fill out our form!

If these photos leave you wondering how you can help our project, please consider donating by clicking the link here!

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please click here for instructions.

Don't forget - Liberty needs YOU!

Our Liberty doll series is still available. Proceeds from each sale go towards the completion of the America's Tapestry project. Each doll has been designed and crafted by hand by me.

Bring home your 250th anniversary commemorative doll today! Click here to learn more.