Among the Leaves by Jean Udd

A fabulous non-traditional example of canvas work employing fabric manipulation, needlelace on a wire frame, overcast plastic rings, sheer ribbons on a gently color-washed canvas. This piece could be considered avant-garde and iconoclastic.

Winter Topiary by Gail Sirna

In the poinsettias this piece employs the highly technical soft shading borrowed from surface embroidery along with basic needlelace, some traditional canvas work stitches, and couched Japan silver. It is worked on Congress cloth in silks and metallic threads. Winter Topiary successfully combines a number of techniques and good thread selection to express the icy crisp feeling of winter.

Butterfly Box by Pat Morse

This box is constructed of a color washed Lugana lightly embellished with a gossamer butterfly. The butterfly's wings are of organza stitched onto a fine wire. Lovely flowers of ribbon embroidery, surface work, and needlelace are used in this beautiful piece and unusual objects such as washers are covered with fine stitching. As in many contemporary designs the artist has chosen to leave the canvas exposed as part of the design. This is a lovely example of needlepoint taken totally away from the traditional.

Emperor's Coat by Brenda Hart

This exciting piece of needlepoint was adapted from a painting by Joanne Frerking with her permission. It is worked mostly in conventional canvas work stitches and relies on the dramatic effect of color for its impact. Numerous threads, lovely beads, and an unconventional use of glittering or nué are beautifully combined in this eye-catching piece.

Arbor Day Inspiration by Stephanie Mallozzi 

The artist used an interesting bookmark as her design source and took it to new heights of embroidery expression. She carefully achieved perspective by the texture, sizing, and placement of her stitches but also innovatively added a layer of sheer silk to create a misty impression. This piece is stitched in silk, hemp, and pearl cotton. The stitches are basic but very effective.

Poppies by Pat Dowse

Of all the pieces in the 1999 exhibit this comes closest to being traditional needlepoint. The design consists of intricately shaded flowers all worked in tent stitch (either Continental or Basketweave) and was taken from a chart. That is where the similarity ends. This lovely example was stitched on 40 count silk gauze in various cotton flosses and is especially notable for the stitcher's prowess in leaving no telltale lumps or bumps when changing colors - not an easy achievement.

The Gathering by Diane Marks

The stitcher takes an excellent design and greatly enhances it with her selection of stitches and threads to achieve realistic fur and feathers. The animals seem almost alive because of the wonderful thread choices. This piece is an example of traditional needlepoint interpreted in a most intriguing up-to-date fashion.

Bargello Symphony by Penny Boswinkle

This piece is stitched from a chart by Loretta Spears on fine rose Congress cloth with the most delicate and beautiful of threads and beads. It is notable for the beautiful use of color, the exquisitely laid stitches, and the subtle use of metallics. The charted design intrigues the stitcher with its use of stitch patterns assembled in an abstract fashion, and offers the stitcher a choice in color.

ANG Band Sampler by Lee McLeron

This design is from an ongoing project published in ANG's bi-monthly magazine. It is elegantly worked on blue Congress cloth with a variety of fine silk, cotton, and metallic threads in an analogous color scheme. Band samplers were very popular in colonial America as a device for women to share stitches and patterns with one another when books and paper were scarce. They were considered a stitch resource, and not necessarily for display. Today band samplers are very popular because they provide the stitcher with an opportunity to try out new stitches and threads on a sample basis, but they are also considered a decorative piece of needlework.

Camelot by Susanne Nash

Victorian designs are popular with today's needlepointers because of the lavish use of ribbons, metallic threads, raised stitches, and especially the extravagant use of beads. This pillow, worked from a charted design by Catherine Coleman is especially notable because of its finished shape as a bolster pillow. This design could be considered traditional but its interpretation is definitely late 20th century.

Persian Tiles by Vicki Coleman

The stitcher made major changes to a charted design by Anthony Minieri. The design is worked on black Congress cloth and consists of many layered and textured stitches. The design is particularly satisfying because the multi-colored elements are repeated in solid color areas. And this piece is impeccably stitched.

Spirit of the Southwest by Carol Cardoso

This charted design by Susan Portra was interpreted by the stitcher in the subtle colors of the southwest. It encompasses many textured stitches and eyelets embellished with much long overstitching. Samplers from charts offer the stitcher an attractive predictable design which challenges her knowledge and facility with stitches.

Kimono by Vicky DeAngelis

Kimono is a painted canvas designed by Jane Juell and Terry Enfield. It has great visual impact because of its highly contrasting black/white/gold color scheme and its three dimensional finishing as a kimono mounted in its frame. The stitch choice is minimalist, in keeping with good Asian design. The stitcher relies on tent stitch and some laid fillings, judiciously employed for interpretation of her design. This piece of embroidery is greatly enhanced by its finishing which has suede cloth mats, gold bamboo frame, and fabulous tassels.

We Three Kings by Pamela Harding

This is three painted canvases integrated into one very winning design. The designer wisely made the desert floor and the camel flow from one canvas to another. The kings are worked in large, bold, textured stitches and padded areas, to fill the large areas. The whole composition is richly embellished with real tassels, beads, and paillettes, as befitting a Christmas project. It is whimsical and charming and beautifully stitched.

Gabriel by Amy Bunger

This is a wonderful interpretation of a painted canvas by one of the best. The angel's garment is worked in pulled thread and the wings are effectively and dramatically interpreted in the fishbone stitch. The careful use of technique and appropriate stitches turns a good painted canvas into an extraordinary stitched design.

Mindy's Flower by Victoria Nessel

This painted canvas design is superbly stitched completely in tent stitch. Especially remarkable is the very fine degree of shading in the flower achieved with careful and extensive blending of threads. This piece is an excellent example of a traditional design skillfully rendered to achieve its maximum potential.

Blue Opalescence by Neva Preuss

An excellent rendition of the post modern needlework design by Mary Ellen Searcy. The fillings are worked mostly in highly textured stitches and wrapping of cords enhanced with iridescent beads, metallic kidskin, and jewels. Subtle coloring permits the highly textured elements to shine.

Autumn Topiary by Diane Harding

This is a modern design rendered in silks and metal threads using textured stitches, needlelace, and multilayer stitches. Especially demanding is the circular couching of Japanese gold to depict the apples. Of interest is the innovative use of Jaceron couched in a loopy fashion. This is a challenging piece and relies on some surface embroidery techniques.

Double Happiness by Carol Cardoso

The sampler is a traditional band sampler design but is executed in techniques and threads borrowed from Japanese embroidery. It was worked in gold and silk threads and used such demanding techniques as diaper pattern couching and battlement couching . It has an open work border. Japanese embroidery techniques are steeped in tradition but are fairly new on the American scene and are a challenge to embroiderers. They provide a whole array of techniques for the stitcher to add to her repertoire.

Silhouettes by Amyee Johnson

The design is executed primarily in blackwork patterns which are similar, but not identical, in the two halves. Simple tent stitch and straight stitches enhance this design and some goldwork elements are included. Gold paillettes and pearl beads are also used. This very up-to-date interpretation of a classic art form is a design by Gay Ann Rogers and superbly worked by the stitcher.

Triangulations by Victoria Nessel

This design by Sue Reed employs a variety of raised stitches, sometimes mirror imaged, to create this wonderful geometric design. A large selection of threads, both natural and metallic, is used, and the whole is embellished with beads. The very interesting framing suggests the missing half.

Visions of Sugarplums by Donna Neilson

This eye catching Christmas stocking is a Jean Hilton design using the wonderful stitches devised by Jean herself. It provides exciting stitch challenges with many innovative stitches, and the colors are balanced and commanding. In addition to the usual array of cottons, silks, rayons, and metallic threads the stitcher has embellished it with Austrian crystals.