Hi, Everyone!

Here it is:

Woodlawn!

Can you imagine a more elegant setting for a massive needlework display?

Sue and I had a wonderful time today!  We got to Woodlawn around 10:00 AM — it’s only a few miles down the road from our hotel.  We paid our entrance fee and started gawking!  The first room contained the White House exhibit.  A number of years ago, I saw a large rug that Barbara Bush had needlepointed — it was glorious with lots of woodland creatures on a light green background.  So I was happy to see a smaller rug that she had done on display today.  It, too, contained woodland creatures but on a white background and significantly smaller in size.  We also saw Julie Nixon Eisenhower needlepointing at the White House.  And in her official White House portrait, Eleanor Roosevelt is knitting!!

Then we moved onto the rooms displaying needlepoint.  There was a room for people, for samplers, for spring, for goldwork, for animals, for Christmas, for needlepoint and for “other”.  I’m sure the committee wouldn’t agree with my room categories, but I call them like I see them!  Probably my favorite was a piece put together by the Constellation EGA chapter from Baltimore.  This was a matrix of 8 by 7 small pieces with a curvy red line running through every piece and the words — We share a common thread — written out on 20 of the 56 pieces.  Each piece was done in a different needlework technique — blackwork, beading, Or Nue, surface embroidery, basketweave, applique, Hilton stitches, and more.  The first square contained a knot and the last one a needle!  Some pieces used the red “thread” as a prop (for example a bird sitting on a wire) and some just used it as a design feature.  A really wonderful group project!

At lunch at the Nelly Needler’s Cafe (delicious), Sue and I discussed how wonderful it would be for NJNA to put together a display for next year.  The Woodlawn property is home to a Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style home and they sell many items related to him in their gift shop.  So we thought — why not a group display of our “Frankie” pieces?  Then we learned that it is becoming harder to staff this event every year, so Sue went and talked to them about our volunteering to work the exhibit for a few days next year!  We were thinking that it could even be an NJNA community project!

So — the following designs which I have personally done — were on display by others:

• Dominoes and Squares by Jane Zimmerman
• Atlantis Rising by Ro Pace
• 2013 ANG SOTM by Debbie Steihler
• Irresistible Iridescence by Nancy Cucci
• Stella Polaris by Michael Boren and Carole Lake
• Plus a few that are still in my stash — Shhhh!

We saw a woolly lamb on display that HAD to be Susan H’s design.  I was disappointed that they only showed the name of the stitchers and not the names of the designers in the exhibit and in the program.

Rona — your Cinderella pumpkin coach was prominently displayed in a downstairs display case!

Melita — your river looked wonderful — so original!  We were proud to say that we knew you while you were creating it!

Now we are going to decide where we should stop on our way home tomorrow!

Cheers!  Rosie