I began stitching in my early 20's. I was working in a day care center one summer to earn money for college, and needed something to do while the children were napping. A coworker gave me a cross stitch pattern and the rest, as they say, is history. I continued with cross stitch, then started progressing into specialty stitches and whitework.
My journey into Ukrainian Whitework began in a less conventional manner. My Aunt, Sue Sandi was a member of EGA and enrolled in Jan Walters' Ukrainian Whitework correspondence course. She was very enthused about the course and told me a lot about it - frequently. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer shortly after beginning the course and passed away when her table runner was only half finished. As I am the only other needleworker in the family who does more than basic cross stitch, she willed me her stash along with UFOs. Her guild sent the partially completed runner in for evaluation and the reply was glowing. The words superior and excellent were used often. I read it and was terrified to finish the runner, and put it away for nearly a decade. In the meantime I progressed in other techniques to the point where I felt I might be able to do it justice. I pulled it out, finished it and was hooked! I searched for more books and patterns, but couldn't find much. Eventually I began putting bits of patterns together, then branching out more and more on my own. Most of my designs are Ukrainian in their genesis, but I am starting to add other techniques such as blackwork into them. I also enjoy Hardanger, samplers with specialty stitches, and am a fiber addict. I have a very hard time walking past a display of silks and not buying some.
My journey into Ukrainian Whitework began in a less conventional manner. My Aunt, Sue Sandi was a member of EGA and enrolled in Jan Walters' Ukrainian Whitework correspondence course. She was very enthused about the course and told me a lot about it - frequently. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer shortly after beginning the course and passed away when her table runner was only half finished. As I am the only other needleworker in the family who does more than basic cross stitch, she willed me her stash along with UFOs. Her guild sent the partially completed runner in for evaluation and the reply was glowing. The words superior and excellent were used often. I read it and was terrified to finish the runner, and put it away for nearly a decade. In the meantime I progressed in other techniques to the point where I felt I might be able to do it justice. I pulled it out, finished it and was hooked! I searched for more books and patterns, but couldn't find much. Eventually I began putting bits of patterns together, then branching out more and more on my own. Most of my designs are Ukrainian in their genesis, but I am starting to add other techniques such as blackwork into them. I also enjoy Hardanger, samplers with specialty stitches, and am a fiber addict. I have a very hard time walking past a display of silks and not buying some.