Stitchers

Monica Debbi is an embroiderer on the Pennsylvania tapestry panel. A resident of Paoli, she has been stitching for more than fifty years, having learned at eleven when her mother bought her a stamped dishtowel as a first project and taught her the stitches. Before America's Tapestry she practiced cross stitch, canvaswork, and surface embroidery including crewel and raised embroidery, as well as knitting.

She joined the project out of a simple wish to contribute after a lifetime at the needle. Her family came to New Jersey from Italy at the end of the nineteenth century and remains in the area, and she describes herself as a lifelong learner, currently exploring the history of the Paoli area where she lives. Her hopes for the 250th are peace, kindness, love, and empathy.