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ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
RMWS NEWSLETTER
August 2018
Rocky Mountain Region of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America
Board Member Changes and Vacancies Because of an unexpected ongoing family situation, our Education Chair Yvonne Hallock needed to step down from that position. Thank you, Yvonne, for the great job you did. Our Vice President and Membership Chair Rosemary Denton, who was the chapter’s first Educa-tion Chairman, has replaced Yvonne. Thank you, Rosemary, for taking on this important job. That leaves us with vacancies in two jobs, and we could really use your help. For Vice President, we need someone “who’s been around a while” to help the president in the big job of running an online chapter. That might mean chairing a meeting in the presi-dent’s absence, for example, or helping the president handle the wide variety of open items (great ideas!) that come out of a meeting. For Membership Chair, we simply need someone with a good eye for detail. You’ve all seen her main duties – sending out the updated monthly Membership Roster, sending out letters to new members and annually to the membership, and, most importantly, administering the annual dues cycle. This would be an ideal job for a new member. Please contact Rosemary for more information about either of these jobs, which we need to fill soon.
August is just a whisper away which means fall and back-to-school activities are within
shouting distance. Cooler weather and shorter days tend to bring thoughts of starting new
projects, learning new techniques and setting aside more time to stitch.
The RMWS chapter is gearing up with its own version of back-to-school fun . In this news-
letter Karen Anthony details a chapter stitch-a-long due to start August 15. This is a great
way to learn new stitches and get to know your fellow web stitchers. There’s information
on plans to select a new Group Correspondence Course (we need your input on this during
the upcoming chapter meeting), articles on types of fabric used in needlework, stitch fami-
lies (the genealogy of stitches), using the EGA library and an article on the monthly projects
being offered on the EGA Facebook page.
Plan to attend the RMWS Quarterly Chapter Meeting
August 2-7, 2018
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Board Members
President: Nancy Munier ([email protected])
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer: Susan Clayton ([email protected])
Region Rep: Barb Ing ([email protected])
Secretary: Lisa Hurley ([email protected])
Education: Rosemary Denton ([email protected])
“Education Guru” : Karen Anthony ([email protected])
Newsletter: Charlotte Brooks ([email protected])
Web Master: Becky Autry ([email protected])
Membership: Vacant
Historian: Vacant
Fundraising: Vacant
Outreach: Vacant
MISSION STATEMENT: The purpose of this chapter is to foster the highest
standards of excellence in the practice of the art of embroidery through an
active program of education and study to preserve the heritage of the art of
embroidery.
ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE is the newsletter of the Rocky Mountain
Web Stitches Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc. and is pub-
lished four times a year. Deadline for submitting articles for this newsletter is
the third Saturday of the month prior to publication.
GENERAL MEETINGS: February, May, August & November
MEMBERSHIP: Dues are $59 annually. Plural membership dues are $15 in-
side Rocky Mountain Region and $20 outside of Rocky Mountain Region.
ADVERTISING RATES: 2”x 3” ad $10 per year
REPRINT RIGHTS: EGA Chapters have permission to reprint, with proper cred-
it to the chapter and individual, any original material in this newsletter except
those items clearly marked with the copyright symbol, on which no blanket
permission is given.
CHAPTER WEBSITE: www.rmwebstitchers.org
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: www.egausa.org
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION: www.rmrega.org
Region Director: Nan Windle
Notes from Nancy
Education in other lands: I spent two wonderful days in Hampton Court Palace at the Royal School of
Needlework this past May. I was able to take a class from Becky Hogg. I took the class in Goldwork
since that fit my schedule of being in London with my college classes. (Southern Utah University Study
Abroad program) The biggest thing I learned was that Gold work in England and Gold work in Japan are
two very different things. Yes, both use real metal threads and couch them down on the ground fabric.
But the set up of ground fabric in England is in a wooden hoop and in Japan it is in a frame that is hori-
zontal. I had the devil of a time working with slippery threads on the hoop and only manipulated with
needle, thread and fingers. In Japan they use Koma’s. Small wooden
spools to hold the threads tight so you can easily stitch over them
while they are on a nice horizontal piece of fabric. Guess which I pre-
fer, yep, the Japan method. My instructor, Becky Hogg, was not really
familiar with the Komas and I had an extra set, so I gave them to her at
the end of class. She was a great teacher and let us photograph all of
her samples. If you ever get the chance to take classes from The Royal
School of Needlework, either in London or in the US (they do special programs here) it is worth the mon-
ey if for no other reason than to learn different ways of doing the same things we do in stitching around
the world. Next newsletter I will tell you about the Atoll Weavers I spent some time with in London.
—Nancy Munier
My Lion in progress, nope, not finished yet
“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.” —-Albert Camus
“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.” —-William Cullen Bryan
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
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EDUCATION
Group Correspondence Courses
It’s time for us to plan which GCC we’re going to offer next. At the upcoming Chapter
Meeting, we’ll be conducting a short poll to determine your interest in 5 we’ve picked out as
possibilities. Remember – the Chapter usually helps subsidize the teacher’s fee! You’ll also
have an opportunity to suggest one that’s not shown in the poll. I encourage you to go to
the EGA website and check them out.
Lightning Rounds
Each quarter EGA makes 3 or 4 GCCs available for individuals to sign up for without needing a group. The 4 offered through August 31 are: Avondale, Mark and Paint on Canvas and Fabric (being considered for our next Chapter GCC), Needlework Tool Case (a former Chapter GCC), and Blackwork Roses (another former Chapter GCC). There will be discussion at the Chapter meeting of an initiative to make Lightning Rounds easier for you to take, so join us at the meeting to weigh in on the discussion
Spread the Word This is quoted from the July 2018 Rocky Mountain Region’s Border to Border Newsletter in
case you missed it: “So many events happen during the summer where we can let others
know of our wonderful chapters and EGA – baseball and other sporting events, state and
county fairs where we demonstrate and exhibit our needlework, stitch-in-public at needle-
work shops or at other places – parks and your local library and other places. Just getting
out there is half the fun!”
I couldn’t have said it better myself. I’m entering Undulations II from our recent GCC into the
Sheridan WY Country Fair the end of this month. I expect a lot of our regional gals who do
embroidery will ask me about it – we ALL visit the Open Class exhibit to see who got what
ribbon! – and I’ll be happy to tell them about EGA and RMWS. How about you??? Where
will YOU spread the word? —————- Rosemary Denton
R
MEMBERSHIP
Welcome to all our new members:
Gwin Grogan Grimes from Alpine, Texas Julia Lopiparo from Houston, Texas
Kathryn Nulk from Eleva, Wisconsin Jennifer Wollesen from Midvale, Utah
Tina Wootton from Stansbury Park, Utah
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
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EGA FACEBOOK STITCH-A-LONGS
Have you joined National’s Stitch-a-Long on Facebook? Each month they introduce a new project to stitch
and share with others across all of EGA. In addition to monthly projects they have a few longer term stitch
-a-longs occurring too. They are:
---Ambrosia Honey – it started on November 1, 2017 but can be joined at any time. This project was
published in our Needle Arts magazine in the Jun ‘17, Sept ‘ 17, Dec ’17 and Mar ’18 issues.
---Pulled Thread – In January they began an exploration into pulled thread and are continuing it
throughout the year. This is designed as a “flexible exercise” (not a “project”) for “playing with pulled
thread”. Several blogs, stitch instructions and inspirations have been provided along with some poten-
tial projects (such as a biscornu) to make with pulled thread.
The monthly projects so far are:
July 2017 – Flag pin
Aug 2017 – Pining to Stitch
Sep 2017 – Reindeer Ornament
Oct 2017 – Plaid Spider
Nov 2017 – Margaret Bendig’s Lacy Canvas Scissors Case (petite project)
Dec 2017 – Mini Checked Pine
Jan 2018 – Playing with Pulled Thread (an exploration throughout 2018)
Feb 2018 – Redwork Inspirations
Mar 2018 – Laced Floral Ornament—Hardanger from the March 2018 issue of Needle Arts
Apr 2018 – Summer’s Glory
May 2018 – Playing with Pulled Thread
June 2018 – Discussion about exploring EGA correspondence course offerings
July 2018 – Patriotic Scissors Fob
All of the above patterns are still available at any time. Hope you will consider joining other EGA members
in this fun group. I have learned lots from others and found some fun new projects. —-Karen Anthony
The EGA Stitch-a-Long Facebook page is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/486902244995324
Or go to https://www.facebook.com/EGAUSA and click on ‘Groups’ on the sidebar.
Patriotic Scissors Fob, Summer’s Glory, Plaid Spider, Reindeer Ornament and Flag Pin are found on the
EGA website under Free Projects ( https://egausa.org/free-projects/).
Pining to Stitch: the Biscornu is found on the EGA website under Needle Arts Magazine
(https://egausa.org/Needle-arts-magazine/)
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
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I wanted to stitch this picture on a very dark ground, but
I wanted the design to be seen from back as well as front.
I saw screen window wire at the hardware store and that
was the beginning of the experiment. The exploding fire-
works were worked with Krenik’s sparkle threads and the
mountain below are stitched with machine sewing
thread. The front and back idea didn’t really work as
when it’s hung--- who knows,???
Barb Ing
What is Your Ground Fabric?
When you choose to use needle and thread to create a “masterpiece” how do you decide what the ground will be? Ground? --
ground is the material you use to accept the needle with thread. The ground can be fabric, most likely, cotton or linen canvas
and yes even something like screen wire.* (More about that later)
Let’s start with cotton fabric.
For counted work you are familiar with Aida Cloth. It is cotton and comes is multiple colors and counts. Counts are the number of
thread per inch, such as 11, 14, 18, 22 per inch.
Monk’s Cloth is a loosely woven fabric used a lot for weaving threads though the fabric weave to create designs. The counts for it
are 7 and 14 count.
Fabrics used for patterns like Hardanger are cotton, or sometimes cotton mixed with rayon. It comes in various widths and is
usually sold by the inch if you are buying it from the bolt.
Other fabrics woven for designs that require even weave ground cloth are:
Belfast linen is 100% linen and is always 32 count.
Cashel linen is 100% linen and is 28 count.
Dublin Linen is 100% linen and the count is 25 per inch.
Edinburgh is 100% linen and is 36 count.
Floba is 70% rayon and 30% linen and comes in 25 count.
Jobelan, 51% cotton and 49% rayon in 28 count is good for linens that need to be washed.
Klostern is cotton (not sure it is 100%) and the counts are 7 and 10.
Linen twill is a fabric used mostly for crewel embroidery.
Lugana comes in 20 and 25 count and the contents are 52% cotton and 48% rayon.
Legacy linen is 100% linen and comes in white and has a count of 30.
Wichelt linen is 100% linen and comes in 18, 28, and 32 count.
Other grounds can be silk gauze, trigger cloth, felt and screen wire.
Canvas is also used for counted designs. It can be made of cotton or linen . The counts can be from 10 to 48 (which is used for
silk gauze. ) Mono canvas has single horizontal and vertical threads woven. They are not interlocked. The 18 count comes in
many colors. Congress Canvas is 24 count and is a bit stiff. Another item is Congress Cloth . The count is the same but there is
less sizing used to make it. There is also a 10 count canvas called Penelope. It is 100% cotton and has a mesh type surface.
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”— F. Scott Fitzgerald
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.” — Oscar Wilde
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Stitch-A-Long: Menagerie of Mystery
Have you started our year long project from 2017 “Menagerie of Mystery” - or wanted
to? For those of you not familiar with this project, it is designed to create your own
sampler(s) and/or set of ornaments. The instructions are located in the “Members On-
ly” portion of our website. There are 24 blocks that explore various types of stitches
and techniques. Each block can be done on almost any type of ground cloth and with
almost any type of thread.
Several members have requested a stitch-a-long for this so that they can get started or
move it further up their pile of projects. Hope you will consider joining us too. Our
stitch-a-long will begin on August 15th and will continue for at least 6 months. The
length of time will depend on how many blocks the stitch-a-long participants want to
“tackle” each month. If we do 2 a month, it would last until next August. This August
we will focus on the Introduction portion of the instructions and sharing how everyone
participating wants to utilize the blocks (you can use any number of them between 1
and 24). In addition to exploring the blocks each month, we will also explore various
ways to finish the “object” you have decided to create that month, to include some 3D
objects.
The question now is, are you interested in joining this stitch-a-long? The number of
blocks for each month will be determined by the group. Hopefully this will give you a
fun project to do with supplies from your stash. If you have any questions, please email
me at [email protected] and/or bring them up during our chapter meeting (others
may have the same question).
Happy Stitching and hope you will join us!
—Karen Anthony
Barb Ing finished her Menagerie of Mystery
project by creating a Christmas stocking
using a stitch from every category . She also
painted her canvas gold prior to stitching.
The stocking cuff is stitched using the turkey
work stitch. The stocking is 13” x 5”.
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
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Stitch Families.
Stitches have families. Yes it’s true,-- those who write books have created stitch groups com-
piled of stitches with like characteristics. Not all experts have the same organization but the
idea is the same.
My “go to stitch book” for surface stitches is by Marion Nichols, An Encyclopedia of Embroi-
der Stitches, Including Crewel. An older book published by Dover.
For Canvas stitches it is The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen.
The families for surface stitching are: Straight stitches; Back stitches; Chain stitches; Button-
hole stitches; Fly/Feather stitches; Cross stitches; Knotted stitches; Composite stitches;
Couched or laid stitches and Woven stitches. We would work through the list and even try to
make a project using only one stitch family.
The question now is, are you interested in having some group email meetings to practice and
discuss them? You may make samplers- line or spot- using the stitches, or you can use a
doodle cloth to practice and but them in plastic sleeves for references. The time element for
each set will be determined by the group. Example, once a week, once a month etc. All sup-
plies will come from your stash. —Barb Ing
Calendar Dates:
August 2-7 RMWS Quarterly Meeting
August 15 Menagerie of Mystery SAL starts
August 31 Last day to Sign Up for the Current GCC Lightning Round
September 1 New Batch of GCC Lightning Round Courses Posted
September 22 Fall Equinox 9:54 P.M. EDT
October 19 Newsletter Submission Deadline
October 4-9 RMWS Board Meeting
November 1-6 RMWS Member Meeting (Annual Meeting)
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” —-Unknown
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A TRIP TO THE LIBRARY
Speaking of “back-to-school”, have you tried the EGA library yet? The Dorothy Babcock Memorial Library is
housed at the EGA headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. The Library has more than 2000 needlework books
available for borrowing—-no library card required. The book catalog can be found on the EGA website
(https://egausa.org/library/). Members can borrow up to four books at a time for 30 days. The books are
shipped by USPS, media mail and the borrower is responsible for paying shipping and handling costs.
One recent holiday weekend, I browsed the library titles online and selected four books. I was able to sub-
mit my order and pay the $8.00, one way shipping charges by credit card. About a week later I received an
email saying one of the books could not be located and asking if I wanted to pick a replacement or have the
remaining three shipped. I selected another book and four days later received the box of books in the mail.
I had checked out two books that were on my wish list to purchase and two books that just looked inter-
esting. One of those books was on various types of Swedish embroidery—written in 1960 , in Swedish. I en-
joyed the pictures. After reading the books I’ve been wanting to buy, I found that I would still like to own
one of them: Bunnies in My Garden by Jenny McWhinney. But I did get the other book (Helen M Steven’s
Embroidered Animals) out of my system . So that could be counted as worth the cost of shipping right there.
The invoice sent with the books stated they should be returned in thirty days. I counted off 30 days from
when I received the package and mailed them back in the same box by USPS media mail. The cost for re-
turning the books was $5.67. The only inconvenient part of the whole process is that the catalog is not
searchable. The book titles can be browsed alphabetically or sorted by topic. There are over 120 topics
listed, but there are no cover pictures or descriptions of the books. So book browsing can take some time
and determination. Still, who doesn’t love receiving a box of books in the mail?
—Charlotte Brooks
“Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle.” —Robert Anthony
I Love a List
It’s time to update two previous lists:
What are your favorite stitch-related books?
Have you discovered any new websites to add to our “free needlework patterns” list?
This question will be posted on the Quarterly Meeting site or you can email your information
to Charlotte at [email protected]
*If you are new to RMWS, we would especially like to receive your input. *
Rocky Mountain Web Stitchers ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
