Stitchers

Mary Stewart is an embroiderer on the North Carolina panel. A resident of Raleigh, she has been stitching for over 50 years. Having learned embroidery from her mother at 10 years old, Mary has practiced free style embroidery, hardanger, cross stitch, and black work. While working on the panel, Mary has utilized the smyrna, darning, and fern stitch. She greatly enjoys the smyrna stitch due to its meditative qualities as it is a counted stitch. Mary decided to volunteer on America's Tapestry to support her friend Gail Smith, who is the director of the North Carolina panel. Since joining the project, Mary has discovered how women were able to take a bold stand in a time when they lacked legal rights.