October 2025 Update

Dear All,

What a difference a month makes! From the lingering sunshine of September, October has brought forth shorter days, cooler temperatures, and the many spiced drinks synonymous with the season.

What's New?

This month I am coming to you from the road as I embark on a three week road trip where I will visit our amazing volunteers in each state.

Our team has been planning special days of programming across the thirteen states to engage communities from New Hampshire to Georgia. As we continue to fundraise for the traveling exhibition of America's Tapestry, we hope these events will draw in financial support.

Sewing For a Cause - Meet Liberty

I am excited to introduce Liberty - a cloth doll series. Each 18" doll has been handcrafted by me with a unique story to share.

All proceeds from the Liberty series will support the completion of America's Tapestry. Click here to learn more.

A Day at the Fuller Craft Museum

The Massachusetts Panel had a fantastic day of public programming at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton on Saturday, August 16. Led by state director Denise De More and members of the Mayflower Sampler Guild, the group helped novice embroiderers learn techniques on hoops while others stitched on the main panel.

Thank you to all our volunteers, visitors, and the Fuller Craft team for making the event such a success!

A Ship Fit For a King

Delaware volunteer Thomas E. Shaw-Gardner dedicated over seven weeks and 112+ hours of his time to embroider the body of the British ship depicted in the Delaware panel. Just look at this gorgeous piece of needlework!

Have Panel, Will Travel!

The Pennsylvania Panel paid a visit to Crawford County, PA, where state director Raven Fagelson brought the tapestry project to a meeting of the Crawford County Stitchers, an Embroiderers' Guild of America Chapter that meets at the Meadville Public Library. About 12 volunteers stitched on the panel.

Volunteers Becky and Angela drove from Cleveland to join in on the weekend's events - about 200 miles round trip. Over 50 hours of stitching took place over the course of two days! Thank you to everyone who participated.

A Visit to Historic Odessa

Delaware Directors Becky Gutin & Amy Gilley brought the Delaware panel to the Historic Odessa Foundation in September. About nine stitchers came to take part in the stitching. Many thanks to our kind hosts at Historic Odessa and our many volunteers for donating their time and expertise to the panel!

Progress From the Old Line State

Check out the gorgeous progress on the Maryland Panel, led by state directors Mary Tod and Sally Poole. Fabric paint has been beautifully applied underneath the embroidery to add extra saturation of color.

Mary Tod (left) and Amy Helsel (right) work on the panel at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. All are welcome to join! Be sure to visit their new Facebook page to learn more about how to get involved.

In The Press

Great Day Connecticut visited The Hartford Stitch to meet with Connecticut director Laura Kasowitz to learn about the state panel and the many courses offered by Laura at her studio. Click here to watch the interview!

Town Topics showcased the New Jersey Panel, directed by Kiki Haumann and Carol Prevost, in anticipation of our upcoming event on Wednesday, October 8th at the Historical Society of Princeton. To learn more or register, please visit here. We'd love to see you there!

To kick off the Tapestry road trip, I visited the Atlanta History Center last week to visit with Georgia director Robin Starnes and her team of incredible volunteers. We were fortunate enough to speak with Channel 11 News during my visit! Thank you to Robin, her team, and the Atlanta History Center for coordinating such a wonderful morning of community engagement.

I sat down with Robin as part of our new "Tapestry Talks" series - a collection of interviews where viewers can learn more about the people who are making America's Tapestry possible throughout the country. To watch my interview with Robin, please click here.

Stitcher Spotlight: Meet Thomas E. Shaw-Gardner!

Thomas E. Shaw-Gardner is an embroiderer on the Delaware tapestry panel. A resident of Elkton, MD, he has been stitching for over 20 years. Having originally learned embroidery through an embroidery kit given to him by his mother while in high school, Thomas has furthered his techniques through reading and research.

He has practiced beading, canvaswork or needlepoint, surface embroidery including crewel, and raised embroidery. While working on the panel, Thomas has utilized long n short, split, buttonhole, Bayeux, straight, and back stitch. His favorite is the Turkey rug stitch. While originally from New Jersey, Thomas has lived in Maryland for ten years.

Thomas was interested in joining the project after learning about it through the Brandywine Embroiderers' Guild of America Chapter. Since joining America's Tapestry, Thomas has discovered a great deal about Major Fisher, Lewes, and Delaware's contribution to the Revolution.

Thank you for contributing your time and talent, Thomas!

Want to be featured in our newsletter? Please fill out our volunteer form by clicking here.

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

Stefan Romero

Project Director