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Stitcher's comments:
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The “Peeking Panda” was an
extremely joyful piece of needlepoint to create. The joy began at the 2001
National Seminar in Washington, D.C. (my first seminar). Sandra’s “Peeking
Panda” class was well-paced over the course of two days. This was important
because it was my first seminar and I must admit that I was a bit
intimidated. Sandra’s patience, kindness, jokes and depth of knowledge
resulted in a definite increase in my stitching ability and comfort.
Furthermore, I have been able to use the techniques I learned on subsequent
projects.
Our class enjoyed our projects so much that some of us named our pandas.
My panda’s nickname is Ty.
The joy continued while I worked on Ty at the airport and on the flight
home. Ty was the last needlepoint project that I worked on while airborne
with a laying tool and scissors in full view. Ty was one of those projects
where I had to tear myself away to go to bed, cook or eat. Time and worry
melted away. While working on Ty, it became painfully clear that I was
allergic to Wisper (and the entire wool family). However, I put on a
surgical mask and kept stitching. Ty’s creation became obsessive. Survival
necessities became impositions.
The joy continues to this day as I watch others relate to Ty. Seeing smiles
on other’s faces and watching hands reach out to touch have brought me joy
time and time again. While I love the process of stitching most, a close
second is how much I love to see others' astonishment at the finished
project. Additionally, I happily reported to Sandra and the finisher (my
husband, Bill) that we had accomplished an elite achievement. It was great
feeling to report to the teacher that her teaching had paid off.
In this day of more threads than I can keep up with and more techniques than
I can stitch in this lifetime, my greatest joy is that a seemingly
simplistic needlepoint project was so rewarding. |
