Stitchers

Vicki Blanchard is an embroiderer who has contributed to the Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island tapestry panels. A resident of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, she has been stitching on and off for 50 years since she was a teenager. Vicki learned needlework from her 4-H leader, Wendy Otterson. Prior to joining America's Tapestry, she practiced beading, quilting, surface embroidery including crewel, knitting, crochet, and rug hooking.

While working on the panels, Vicki has utilized stem, split, chain, satin, running, and stab stitches, as well as beading, porcupine quills, and moose hair. Her favorite is the stem stitch, and the stem and split stitches were new to her through the project. Vicki is a citizen of the Nulhegan Band of Coosuk Abenaki and a descendant of the Abenaki depicted on the tapestry, giving her a deeply personal connection to the work. She was inspired to join by her love of needlework and the idea of creating a tapestry for our country. Since joining, Vicki has learned about the gunpowder seized at Fort William and Mary.