May 2026 Update

Dear All,

Can you believe it's May? I can't either! This is a very special month as we mark the completion of the first phase of the America's Tapestry project.

On April 30, the final stitches were placed into each of our panels before they traveled to our textile mounter in Maryland, where they are currently being prepared for exhibition. In this phase, each of the panels will be stitched onto an aluminum mount to ensure maximum stability while they are on display.

Volunteers Carol Tewes, Tom Ganse, and Stefan Romero meeting with Rebecca Beyth Stern of RB Textile Conservation in Maryland

I am thrilled to announce that our Crate History Campaign has been a smashing success. Over the last six months, we raised $4,024 - more than we ever thought possible!

Thank you to everyone who donated and shared our campaign with your community. Your donation will ensure that our panels travel safely in three bespoke art crates during the 2+ year exhibition tour. This project simply would not have been possible without your generous support. From all the volunteers at America's Tapestry, we thank you.

What's New?

From New Hampshire to Georgia, our volunteers celebrated the incredible accomplishment of completing their state's panel. What began as a daunting undertaking has become a vibrant showcase of each state's creativity as communities came together to celebrate their heritage and creative spirit.

Did You Know? Nearly 2,000 volunteers from the ages of 3 to 98 came together to participate in this historic undertaking. Over 25,000 hours have been spent on the panels. WOW!

A Delicious Achievement! Massachusetts volunteers (L to R) Irene Allie, Victoria Marston, Denise De More, Anne Hart Davies, and Tanya Sanders celebrate their beautiful work on the MA panel, which highlights the patriotic practice of chocolate making in the colony.

Did You Know? Bitter to the taste by contemporary standards, colonial chocolate was both a morale booster and believed to contain medicinal properties beneficial to Continental soldiers recovering from smallpox.

The Provision State's Stunning Success! Volunteers of the Connecticut panel led by Laura Kasowitz celebrated their state's achievement at the end of April. Over 160 volunteers and 1,200 hours went into this exquisite piece of needlework. Well done to all involved!

One of the many gorgeous details on the Provision State's panel

A Vision in Crimson! South Carolina celebrated their panel's completion with gorgeous matching t-shirts. Fiber artist Karen Wallach led this incredibly collaborative project in the Palmetto State with over 120 volunteers and 1,600 hours of needlework.

Did You Know? The border of the South Carolina panel features braided horsehair and stars made from locally sourced clay. We are deeply grateful to the tribal communities of the state who helped facilitate this ingenious border design.

A Historic Gathering: Volunteers of the New York panel gathered in the room where it all began at the Van Schaick Mansion in Cohoes, NY. Director Jenni Paperman (center in purple) gathered nearly 60 volunteers and amassed over 1,000 hours crafting this exquisite multimedia panel that features the Birch Trials at Fraunces Tavern. Beautiful work, ladies!

A Nautical Victory! Volunteers and supporters of the Rhode Island panel gathered with director Karen Katin at the Portsmouth Library to celebrate the completion of the Ocean State's panel. Over 1,000 hours and 170 volunteers made this project such a beautiful success.

Did You Know? The top-left motif was fabricated in part by volunteers in Fargo, North Dakota! Too far away to participate in person, Dakota-based needleworkers stitched the motif of French military hospitals on a linen slip that was sent back to Rhode Island and sewn onto the ground fabric. We are so grateful for the many volunteers both near and far who contributed their time and talent!

All Smiles in New Hampshire! The team of artisans in the Granite State led by Michelle McPheron and Carol Tewes Ganse celebrated this historic milestone at the Millyard Museum, where they have been stitching for the past year.

Did You Know? The state panel ingeniously combines surface embroidery with a technique called Stumpwork, whose three-dimensional capabilities make many elements of the design stand out in visually arresting ways.

The New Hampshire panel is the product of 80 incredible stitchers and 5,000 hours of planning and needlework. What an astounding accomplishment, everyone!

Want to see our remaining seven panels? Stay tuned for next month's newsletter!

Mark Your Calendars: America's Tapestry Debuts at the Muscarelle Museum of Art This Summer!

Do not miss the debut of America's Tapestry at the Muscarelle Museum this summer from June 19 to September 6. After the close of the exhibition in Virginia, the panels will travel to all participating states in a 2+ year exhibition tour. Click here to learn more!

Introducing: America's Tapestry Needle Minders!

I am ecstatic to share we have produced a set of limited edition (200) needle minders commemorating the America's Tapestry project. Stay tuned for information on how to place an order!

Stitcher Spotlight: Meet Dorothy Waits!

Portrait of Dorothy

Dorothy Waits is an embroiderer on the Georgia tapestry panel. She started stitching in fifth grade, learning the chain stitch, French knots, and chicken scratch, and went on to do a little quilting alongside her mother as a sophomore in high school.

While celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Revolution in 1976, Dorothy stitched a small needlepoint pillow of a bear and the American flag from Woman's Day magazine — and fell in love with needlepoint. After college she joined EGA's Dogwood Chapter, where she learned many more embroidery techniques.

Dorothy joined Georgia's Tapestry Team in March 2025 because the Dogwood Chapter had been asked to stitch America's Tapestry for Georgia, and she wanted to support her group and contribute to this historic piece.

The team was given no instructions, so they used their imagination to determine which stitches would best represent Stefan Romero's painting on linen — a blank canvas with a great deal of brown to fill. Dorothy used the needlepoint tent stitch, long and short stitch, split stitch, modified bullion knots, French knots, and several Bargello stitches to recreate portions of Romero's painting.

Stitching in public in the atrium at the Atlanta History Center was a great experience, with patrons returning regularly to comment on the team's progress and offer encouragement. The Atlanta History Center staff was exceptional and very supportive throughout — the team couldn't have had a better place to stitch.

Thank you for donating your time and talent, Dorothy!

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That's all for now. Thanks for reading and happy stitching,

Stefan Romero

Project Director