Delaware Valley Historic Sampler Guild: February Meeting

Susan started our meeting with some announcements -

Today is the last day (Feb. 13) to enter the 2016 Stitching Challenge. Select up to five pieces to complete in 2016. One time change out of selections in June.
Kaffe Fassett Exhibit at the Michener Museum in Doylestown ending February 21st.
Woodlawn Annual Exhibit, March 1st to March 31st. (closed on Tuesdays)
Rehoboth Historical Society Needlework Exhibit. Contact Stacy S. or Ann S. if you have pieces to submit.
Bi-Annual Retreat at Salty Yarns, April 22-23-24, $135 - sign-up forms to come.
Penn Dry Good Days, May 13 and 14, Schwenkfelder Museum, Schwenksville, PA.
Winterthur Symposium, October 13, 14, 15. Workshops will be onsite but no times have been listed yet. Please visit Winterthur's website for more information.
Deb S. expects the Catherine Theron kits to be shipped in a couple weeks and hopes to have at the March Meeting.
DVHSG received an email regarding a box of patterns someone is interested in donating. Contact Caryl C. for more information.
If you are planning to attend a class or have a LNS, Susan has a supply of DVHSG bookmarks available for members to take for distribution.
One of the Facebook forums is having a 7 day challenge for posting your samplers. Photos of some beautiful pieces are being shared by members.

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It is with great sadness and regret DVHSG has to share the passing of member Jean Milliken. She passed away Saturday morning, February 13th, following a brief illness. Caryl C. will provide details about services, etc. as they become available.

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Upcoming Events and Meetings

March 11 - Tour of Westtown School. Tour group is limited to only 20. Cost is $10 per person. The tour will start at 9 a.m. and will be approximately 60 to 90 minutes long. Contact Stacy S. if you are interested in attending.
March 11 - Tour of Chester County Historical Society. Cost is $10. This tour will start after lunch. Time approximate - 1:00 p.m. You can do either the morning tour, the afternoon tour or both. Stacy will provide information regarding lunch. Lunch will be at your own cost.
March Meeting - Betsy Morgan will be our guest speaker at our meeting teaching us cording and tassels.
March After Meeting - For those who have signed up, lunch and an afternoon class with Betsy Morgan featuring the Aztec Stitch.
April Meeting - Mary Brook, who wrote the Westtown Book, will be at our meeting to discuss the book. She will have copies available - pre-order only/pay at meeting. One of our newer members (sorry, I don't know her name) works at Westtown and shared the history of the school as well as this darning sampler that is from the school.
April After Meeting - Travel on your own to Woodbury NJ for lunch at Charlie Brown's (probably) and then a tour of the Gloucester County Historical Society. Lunch at your own expense and $5 per person charge for museum at your own expense.
May Meeting - Donna A. will demonstrate a beaded scissors sheath. More info on cost and sign up at the next meeting. Deadline to sign up will be the April meeting.
June - TBD
July - Stash Reallocation
August - Stitch-in

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The Facebook Connection

So here is a really neat story. Our own Lynn D. was participating in the 7 Day FB Challenge to post a different piece of needlework each day for 7 days. One day she posted a piece she stitched that was a Linda Driskill Design. Linda reached out to Lynn regarding the post and long story short, Linda sent to Lynn a bunch of patterns and stash Linda no longer needed. Included in the package when it arrived at Lynn's were these two white work samplers stitched by Linda Driskill herself. What a great story!

Consider yourself lucky if you were ever able to have a class with Linda Driskill. Many of us have had a class or two with Linda Driskill and we know just how special she was as a teacher. My first class at CATS years ago was with Linda Driskill and that piece has always been special to me. She was such a nurturing teach and when she retired from teaching, there was a void created.

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Today's program was a talk by Dolores Andrews, a certified NAN judge (National Academy of Needlearts, Troy, Michigan) www.Needlearts.org Dolores, graduate of Syracuse University, told us she started stitching as a child. By profession, Dolores was an art teacher. She began judging in 1980's first becoming certified in surface embroidery in the first class of the judging program. She learned under Mildred Davis. When Mildred moved on to ANG, Dolores took on Mildred's role.

She walked us through was typically happens as a show. Judges are booked 6 to 8 months prior to the event. Judges do return to judge the same event again but not for several years. The event chair of a show decides on the categories, numbers of winners, how the show with be run and they inform the judges. There are typically three judges for each show. The pieces are categorized either by the Show Committee or the Stitcher by way of their entry form. Best of Show is selected by a review of all the First Place Ribbons across all the categories of the show. After items are sorted by the Show Committee, the judges are assisted by one 'helper' who presents the piece, a second helper who will transcribe all the comments the judge has and a third helper who is ready with the next piece to be judged. Whew! and this is repeated until each and every piece is viewed by each judge.

So what does a judge look for?

Missed stitches - often in the areas of curves and changing colors. "tiny corners hide holes"
Infamous blue lines on the pattern showing through your stitches
Hoop marks
Trailing threads
Dirty piece! (Hard for us to imagine but apparently it happens)
Stitches in shared holes
Twist of the thread
Loose stitches
Pencil marks
Clean edges on stitches/stitching
Stitches not crossed the same

All judges are stitchers. Originally judges were shop owners or museum personal who would not necessarily have knowledge of all techniques. Now all judges must be certified. If there is a type of surface embroidery that a judge doesn't feel they are strong at, they are tasked to complete a study and work on that technique until they are accomplished, only then can they judge that category. Dolores does all embroidery except for Japanese Embroidery. She also is certified to judge quilts. Judges use magnifying glasses to look at your stitches. Judging of professional stitcher pieces is more stringent than on amateur stitchers. Original designs are more difficult to judge and stitchers need to provide information on their inspirations for an original design. Juried Shows are shows where only limited pieces are selected to be included in a show due to quality, show theme and space limits.

Some tips offered by Dolores -

Not all pieces need a mat. If the frame and the mat are the first thing you see, the piece is over matted or framed. Mats and framing show off the talent of the framer and not the stitcher.
Don't let the framer talk you into things you don't need.
How much you spend on framing does not insure a ribbon.
Make sure the fabric is blocked on the straight grain.
No wrinkles in your piece.
A beautiful piece can be ruined by poor framing. Make sure your framing compliments the piece. i.e. don't frame blackwork in a brown frame unless it was stitched in brown floss.
Eyes and wires should not show when the piece is hanging. The eyes and wires should be no more than three inches from the top of the frame to allow for the proper 'tilt' on the wall.
Glass - sometimes glass can cause points to be deducted. It is often harder to see the piece and stitches can be crushed by the glass. Think of where the piece will hang; ideally no glass is needed. Non-glare class can detract from you piece.
For pillows, or stuffed items, make sure they are stuffed firmly in the corners.
Make sure any cording is attached securely.
Read the rules of the show carefully before entering.
Do not include every stitch in your repertoire in a piece.
Do not over use the variety of fibers and embellishments in a piece.

For Dolores, to choose a Judge's Choice winner, it has to be a piece that has a "sparkle" to her, with technique and one she would like to take home. She has awarded ribbons to pieces that she did not like at all but were stitched perfectly. And she has gone to shows where she was not the judge and thought..."what were they thinking".

Dolores was a great speaker and it was nice for her to share her knowledge. Great job Stacy in having her at our meeting.

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And now, Show 'N Tell

This is Mary Dawn's Girls of the Guild. Another pretty interpretation with 4 colors.

Patty H. stitched this birth sampler.

Jill stitched Memento Mori

Patrick's Moose

Patrick's Embroidery Tool Case

Inside of tool case

Another of Patrick's works

And another from Patrick

Kathy R.'s SamSarah Perpetual Calendar. This was so much bigger than I realized which is why I am showing you this pix from across the room which shows its size compared to her hands.