2000
National Exhibit, Kansas City, Missouri
by Janet Mitchell Fishel
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Each of the stitchers whose work accompanies this discussion was asked to provide more information about his or her needlepoint. Click on either the name of the piece or the thumbnail picture to see the stitcher's commentary and a larger picture. What Is Needlepoint in 2000? Each
year, ANG needle artists from across the United States and Canada share the best
of their talents in the Annual Seminar Exhibit. For one glorious week, the
pieces may be seen by seminar participants and the public. Photographs are taken
by those wishing to capture the beauty of the best in fine needlework, stitched
by amateurs and professionals. The
exhibit is judged by highly qualified certified judges. Ribbons are awarded for
excellence and special awards recognize accomplishments in specific techniques
and styles. It is
interesting to view the exhibit, but more valuable to have an opportunity to
study the award winning pieces and to learn by looking. When we train our eyes
to truly see, we can begin to absorb and understand the process by which the
artist produces the masterpiece. It is
my pleasure to share with you a small selection of the many outstanding award
winners in the ANG Kansas City Seminar 2000 Exhibit. Stitchers whose work
accompanies this discussion were asked to provide additional information about
their work. To read the stitcher's comments and view a larger picture, please
click on the name of the piece or on the small photograph. Definitions: Category
I - Original Design Category
II - Adaptation Category
III - Charted Design Category
IV - Painted Design Without Instruction Category
V - Painted Design With Instruction Category
VI - Class Project |
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Forest
Jewels A ground of Congress cloth is dyed as a sunlit background of the forest, enabling it to receive the embellishment of manipulated fabric, needle lace leaves, coils of tightly woven stems and decorative rocks webbed with fine thread. Ribbons and beads, knotted stitches and Ultrasuede make this piece a joy to contemplate as you mentally follow the layers of collage through its construction. Honors: |
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Baroque Many
decorative pattern stitches were worked into Victorian green 18-count canvas.
The hyperbolic paraboloid stitches with interesting names and swirling curves
create high relief and much interest. The color palette is strong and
sophisticated. Threads include DMC perle cotton, floss, nylon and metallic. Honor: Honorable Mention, Class Project, Professional |
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Blackwork
Sampler - 16th and 17th Century Designs Twenty-three
bands of glorious blackwork are stitched with precision on Congress Cloth.
Marie-Therese began the sampler, stitched in DMC floss and metallics, in a class
with Chottie in California. Five years after placing her initials and the date
on the sampler, this first attempt at blackwork became a ribbon winner! Honor: Third Place, Class Project, Professional |
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National
Gallery of Canada (Great Hall) Adapted and Stitched by: Hope Brans, Stittsville, Ontario This
piece was stitched as a tribute to Hope's mother who had spent many years as a
gallery docent and was celebrating her 85th birthday. Understanding both the
difficulties of successfully representing glass and good perspective led the
stitcher to carefully plan her work. The tints and shades of blue and white and
carefully woven dimensional supporting framework successfully meet the
challenges of this difficult subject. A spillage of bullion knots and padded kid
add dimension to the study in silver and blue. The Great Hall is stitched on
Congress Cloth with silk, cotton and metallic threads, using the techniques of
canvas stitches, wrapped wire and appliqué. Honor:
Honorable Mention, Adaptation, Professional |
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Faberge
Egg Opening to St. Basil's Stitched by Barbara Brigham, St. Louis, MO Designed by Lillian Chermor Emerging
from the beautiful Faberge Egg, St. Basil's Cathedral is splendidly stitched
in diagonal tent stitch with various textures of Kreinik metallics, Neon Rays,
Flair, Frosty Rays, and Silk and Ivory. The canvas is #18. Barbara chose Silk
and Ivory for the background, allowing it to fade away and give the egg full
presence. Honor:
Honorable Mention, Painted Design, Non-Professional |
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Mystery
with a Little Bit of Glitz Stitched by Barbara Brigham, St. Louis, MO Designed and taught by Gay Ann Rogers A
mystery project is one stitched in installments without knowledge of the other
elements. Barbara's project is worked on 18-count dark green canvas with
Watercolours, pearl cotton and Kreinik braids. The project allowed for choices
in the design. Boxes are excellent forms for displaying very special pieces. Honors:
Third Place, Class Project, Non Professional |
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City
Vest Designed/Stitched by Roberta Fogel, Prairie Village, KS This
creative example of wearable art brings a smile to the face and warm memories to
the heart. Who can view this vest without thinking of a very special place? A
good design leads the eye from place to place within the perimeters. Roberta's
composition takes us on a tour through the streets of a village. Beginning with
the Victorian house, she "just started stitching". It was an unplanned
design, colorful and complicated, whose end result is highly successful. Honors:
Chosen for the Missouri State Award by Kathleen Collins, President of the Kansas
City Art Institute. |
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Butterfly
Collage Stitched by Marianne Frost, Collegeville, PA Designed and taught by Marnie Ritter Presented
with the outline of a design on Congress Cloth, with paint and rice paper
Marianne created the perfect background for the silk flowers and leaves. Soie
d' Alger and metallic blending filament were used in buttonhole, coral knot,
outline and Cretan stitches. Shading techniques bring life to the flowers. Honor:
Second Place, Class Project, Professional |
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Miniature
Oriental Rug - Shirvan I Stitched by Ann Carol Goldberg, St. Louis, MO Chart by Frank Cooper Using
the chart, colors and materials suggested in the book, Oriental Carpets in
Miniature, Ann has shown her ability to stitch an intricate piece entirely in
continental and diagonal tent/basketweave. The pattern from the Shirvan area of
the Azerbaijan shares the good qualities of both ancient and a contemporary
design. The carpet is stitched on 18-count canvas with Paternayan Persian wool. Honors:
Honorable Mention, Charted Design, Non-Professional |
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The
Frog Prince Stitched by Pamela Harding, North Bend, WA Designed by Liz of Tapestry Tent "Woe
is me", this precious frog seems to be lamenting, as he waits for the magic
kiss that will allow him to become the handsome Prince. Dressed for the role,
this fanciful creature of 18-count canvas is stitched with a variety of silks,
wool, pearl cotton, Velour, and metal thread. The variety of stitches include
Gobelin, twill, double Hungarian and slanted Parisian. Honors:
Third Place, Painted Design, Non-Professional |
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New
York Cityscape Stitched by Corrine Jones, Lee's Summit, MO Designed and taught by Betty Chen Louis This
lovely cityscape, stitched on pale green Congress cloth illustrates the
excitement of NYC. The stitch variations allow each building to stand as an
intricate architectural element within the composition. Pattern stitches include
Scotch, cashmere, Byzantine, flat, diagonal Gobelin, and tramé couching, and
are worked in Soie d'Alger, Silk Mori, Torsade, Kreinik metallic braid, cord,
and blending filament. Honor: First Place, Class Project, Non-Professional |
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Ribboned
Lotus Stitched by Corrine Jones, Lee's Summit, MO Designed and taught by Marnie Ritter A
lyrical ribbon balances the single blossom of the lotus, whose shading gives
great depth to the composition. Worked on blue Congress Cloth, threads include
Soie d'Alger, silks and metallics. Backstitch, tent, geometric composite and
the "Ritter" method of shading combine to make this a lovely example of
multiple techniques in needlepoint. Honor:
Third Place, Class Project, Non-Professional |
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Honey,
I Shrunk the Shrink Adapted and Stitched by Carol C. Keeler, Winter Springs, FL This
is a wonderful caricature of a psychiatrist with whom the artist works on a
professional basis. The photograph, shown with the piece in the exhibit,
supports the talent of the stitcher in understanding her colleague and
translating his personality into a "doll". Worked on 18-count canvas with
diagonal tent and an interpretation of the rya stitch, the threads include wool,
Rachel, floss and metallics. |
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Marie Rose #5 Designed/Stitched by Dorothy Mackowak, Wheaton, IL Inspired
by her mother's love of angels, the artist has created a series of twelve
angels in her honor. Lace patterns were simulated by using a variety of
techniques and stitches in Hardangersom. Exquisite edges, woven bars, doves eyes
and Kloster block are beautifully stitched. Marie Rose #5 wears a robe of
28-count Melinda stitched with Londonderry Linen Thread in sizes 30, 50, 80 and
100. Marie Rose #6 was also exhibited in 2000, and we can only hope for display
of the full blessed dozen in a future exhibit. Honor: The Ann Spiess Mills Award for the best angel |
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Claude
the Frog in Monet's Garden Designed/Stitched by June Moes, Santa Rosa, CA The
artist's fascination for both Monet's Garden in Giverny and
the life cycle of the frog prompted the design and development of this
whimsical three dimensional canvas sculpture. It is worked with floss,
overdyed floss and Sprinkles, in a variety of pattern darning and canvas
stitches, combined with needle woven flowers attached to the lily pad.
The result is a source of pleasure that prompts smiles from viewers.
Honor: Honorable Mention, Original Design, Professional |
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Winter
Vogue Stitched by Elaine Novak, Roselle, IL Designed by Doris for Needle Passion Stitch Guide by Amy Bunger All
dressed up with somewhere to go, this very fashionable lady from the Art Deco
Period pauses to acknowledge her admirers. Stitched on 18-count canvas, the
contrast of textures in both threads and stitches is outstanding. Threads
include Peluche, Splendor Silk, floss, Supertwist, bouclé and Velour. Stitches
are Serendipity, long and short, stem, Hungarian variation, needleweaving and
turkeywork. Honors: Second Place, Painted Design With Instructions, Non-Professional |
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Koi Adapted and Stitched by Anne A. Pierce, Sun City, AZ Multiple
layers make this intricately stitched and assembled piece an intriguing subject
for study. An adaptation of a note card, it is stitched on a lower ground of
18-count canvas, with fabric overlay. To show depth in a clear pool, three koi
were initially stitched on the canvas. A layer of sheer fabric was stretched
over the work and three additional koi were embroidered on the sheer level. The
muted colors of the under stitching is in realistic contrast to the bright
colors of the surface embroidery. Honors:
First Place, Adaptation, Professional |
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The
Ancient One Stitched by Neva Pruess, Lincoln, NE Designed and taught by Anthony Minieri Many
layers of design are used in this portrait of the Ancient One. Note the
background of white on white used to illustrate the distance of the high peaks.
Each textured pattern in the foreground shows motion. Stitched on Congress
Cloth, the face is an appliqué of 40-count gauze. Free stitches as in the
shaded tree and the counted stitch in the robe challenged the stitcher. Threads
include Au Ver a Soie, DMC floss, Aurora silk, Walsh silk and wool, Grandeur and
Waterlilies. Honor: Honorable Mention, Class Project, Non-Professional |
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Maggie,
Mollie's Twin Sister Stitched by Neva Pruess Chart by Amy Wolfson of Amybear Needlepoints Shall
we call this a c-r-a-z-y cat with the thirteen intricate patterns decorating her
coat? Great whimsy exists in this three-dimensional kitty worked on 18-count
canvas with Watercolours, Overture and a variety of metallics. An excellent
object for a color and stitches sampler, Maggie is punctuated with large bright
eyes and a big red bow. Honor: Third Place, Charted Design, Non-Professional |
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Knot
at the End of My Rope Congress
cloth, overlaid with pattern-dyed sheer fabric, supports a collage of needlelace
leaves, manipulated dyed fabric, loosely frayed scrim, coils of cord, and
buttonhole stitched circles. Beads are scattered among the textures, while
frayed cords seem to dance in fanciful movement to incite interest and emotion. Honors: Second place, Original Design, Non-Professional |
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Y
2 K Bug Cotton
and metallic threads are couched and stitched on a ground of blue linen in forms
reminiscent of the ocean. The bright blues, corals, greens, turquoise and
sparkling silver in constant movement lead the viewers eye on a rolling tour of
patterns and textures. Angie says, "This Y2K Bug turns out to be as harmless
and non-threatening as the (one) that had the world worried as 1999 closed and
2000 started". It is an exciting use of color in an abstract form. Honors: Honorable Mention, Original Design, Professional |
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The
PTA Stitched by Barbara Smith, Chesterfield, MO Designed by Chili These
are, no doubt, ladies with a mission, planning the future for the PTA.
The composition of seven figures, painted on 13-count canvas, allowed
the stitcher to use bold patterns with embellishment of braids and
ribbons. Many stitches include padded, Florentine, diamond Hungarian and
bullion knots are worked in colors of the Southwest, using Kreinik
metallic, Medici, overdyed wool, overdyed floss, Pebbly perle and Matte
18. Honor: Second Place, Painted Design, Non-Professional |
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Spirit
of the Southwest The
tints and shades of pink and gray combined with the strong and striking
geometric patterns produce an elegant rendition of this timeless composition.
Smoothly laid stitches contrast with textured patterns, open eyelets and long
sweeping stitches reminiscent of string art. Stitched on 18-count canvas, the
threads are pearl cotton, floss, Rachel, Neon Rays, and Patina. Honor: The Honorable Jan Meyers, former U.S. Congresswoman, selected Spirit of the Southwest to receive the Kansas State Award. |
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Santa's
Reindeer Stitched by Judy Teague, Houston, TX Designed by Liz of Tapestry Tent Stitch Guide by Anthony Minieri Dressed
in their Christmas finery, three of Santa's reindeer show their excitement in
anticipation for the midnight flight. This beautiful, colorful stocking is
masterfully worked in a variety of stitches including random split, tent,
outline, couching, appliqué, Gobelin and brick. Beading, cords and tassels are
added as embellishment, and the stocking is topped with a handsome fur cuff. The
canvas is 18-count. Threads include DMC floss, overdyed floss, Medici,
Designer's Dream, Ultra-Suede, silk, pearl cotton, metallics, Flair and
Ultrasuede fabric. Honor: First Place, Painted Design With Instructions, Non-Professional |
Designed/Stitched by Caela Conn Tyler, Denver, CO A
pattern on the embossed velvet sides served as the springboard for a
box of extraordinary elegance. Limiting the shapes to diamonds,
blackwork patterns, flat stitches and appliqués of gold kid combine
to produce a monochromatic mosaic. Both dyed and overdyed silks, along
with embroidery floss and metallics are used to stitch the box top [of
- suggest changing this to "on"] Congress Cloth. [Agreed]
Embellishments include sequins and beads. This is a beautiful box
worthy of a special treasure. Honors: |
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Barely
There Stitched by Caela Conn Tyler, Denver, CO Designed and taught by Joan Thomasson This
lady bear was stitched in a class that challenged the student to choose both
stitches and colors. The floral patterns are stitched over a blackwork ground on
Congress Cloth, with birds and bugs in pastel colors. Caela used numerous
threads including silks, cottons, wool, synthetics and combination threads.
Stitches include flat stitch combinations, surface and canvas embroidery, ribbon
work and unconventional variations of many stitches. Honors: |
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Pumpkin Patch Adapted and Stitched by Pat Van Cleve, Winston-Salem, NC From
the photograph of a little girl at a pumpkin sale, printed in the
Winston-Salem Journal, Pat has created a realistic thread portrait on
Congress cloth. The very colorful palette, consisting primarily of
orange and blue, permits the dark hair and rosy features of the Asian
child to become the central focus of the design. The stitcher often
expresses her fondness for the tent stitch, used in the award winner
along with crewel outline and Griffen stitches. This is a memorable
embroidery of a child on a mission to find the perfect pumpkin. Honor:
Second Place, Adaptation, Professional |
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Mother's
Rocker Stitched by Susan Cox Wainscott, Wichita Falls, TX Chart by Kimberly Krum The
variety of textures in this colorful composite of patterns requires the
viewer to stop and closely view in order to understand. Patterns are
reminiscent of early Victoriana with their simplified floral motifs and
geometric forms. The large variety of pattern stitches are worked with
attention to good technique. This piece is stitched on 18-count brown
mono canvas using Watercolours, Waterlillies, Impressions, Silk Mori,
pearl purl, floss and beads. Honor: First Place, Charted Design, Non-Professional |