Stitchers

Kimberly A. Whitworth is an embroiderer on the New Hampshire tapestry panel. A resident of Andover, Massachusetts, she has been stitching on and off since childhood, having learned from embroidery kits and her mother. Kimberly's prior needle arts practice includes cross stitch and surface embroidery including crewel and raised embroidery. While working on the panels, Kimberly has utilized cross stitch, straight stitch, split stitch, and stem stitch — and counts stitching the motto among her most memorable contributions to the project. She also picked up a new technique along the way: the waste knot, a method of beginning thread on the front of a work rather than the back. Kimberly joined America's Tapestry as her personal way to celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary — a fitting tribute, as she has a Revolutionary War ancestor named John Goss who lived in Hollis, New Hampshire, the very town where she herself grew up. While working on the panels, Kimberly discovered that chocolate was a popular drink alongside coffee and tea during the Revolutionary era. Looking towards our nation's anniversary, Kimberly hopes that people realize we are stronger when we work together and find ways to compromise.