Carol Leonard
“Free Fall”
Original, Non Professional

When I first saw this piece, I have to admit I wasn't very impressed. When you view it at first, you see just a bunch of stitches in a row that give the impression of rows of musical notes. BUT, when you read the artist statement and see the stitches "taking off on their own", it all makes sense. There have been times in my stitching life that I felt the stitches were going off to do things on their own, but I never was able to express it. Carol has done a wonderful job expressing it for us all.

Gail T. Stafford
“Serpentine Wall at NC Wesleyan College”
Original, Non Professional

As you entered the Exhibit at Indian Wells, this piece and "Free Fall" were two of the first pieces that you saw. This piece caught my eye immediately and kept drawing me back. The piece is 14 ½" by 12 ½" but reads much larger. The use of overdyed thread is exquisite - stitchers will realize the time it took to place the overdyes in the right locations to make sure that she had the light play she wanted in the wall bricks.

Cara Hayes
“Big Wheels”
Original, Professional

What a beautiful purse! Needlepoint that can be worn or carried seems to represent a fairly small section of the needlepoint world. What really amazed me with this piece was Cara's designing of wheels. Circles on a square grid canvas aren't the easiest thing to accomplish and Cara did it beautifully using three different techniques.

Jim Wurth
“The Cross of St. Joan”
Original Professional

Jim is one of the needlepoint world's premier geometric designers. He has given us many beautiful, interesting pieces in the past. This piece is a perfect example of his designing ability. The color and thread combinations are perfect.

Dakota Rogers
“Hot Flash”
Original Professional

Hot Flash is a great representation of a mixed media piece of needlepoint. As you study it, you will notice fabric, beads and found pieces that have all been attached with decorative stitches to the needlepoint canvas. As a stitcher who has had her own hot flashes, I could feel the piece!

Philip Bush
“The Celtic King”
Adaptation, Professional

The Celtic King had to be hung at the end of one of the display aisles because it is so large. It was hard to imagine anyone every taking the time to stitch this piece, but then we are talking about Philip who is know for his large pieces. This piece was stitched totally in tent stitch and you felt like the king was sitting right there ready to rule. His face was extremely realistic, which isn't always easy to accomplish.

Katherine Becker
“Supernova Cas-A”
Adaptation, Professional

When you are stitching a piece with a lot of open space and many thread and colors, it is very hard to know when to stop or when you are finished. In this piece with so many couched threads, Katherine has done a wonderful job. Note that the stars in the background are not placed randomly, but are as close as possible to a photograph of the actual supernova remnant.

Jeanne Wesline
“Lilacs”
Designed by Gitta’s Charted Petit Point
Independent Project, Professional

It's hard to believe from the photograph, but this piece is only 7" x 8 ½". It has been stitched on 40 count silk gauze. For those who aren't aware of this type of canvas, 40 count means that there are 40 threads per inch. There are hundreds of stitches in a very small area. It takes good eyesight to work on silk gauze, but the results are beautiful.

Donna Jenkins
“The Summer Sun” and “Velvet Moon”
Both Designed by dede Ogden
Painted Canvas without Stitch Guide, Non Professional

What a wonderful pair to display together! Donna's choice of threads and colors truly represent the moon and the sun. They draw your eye immediately; then you look closer and really enjoy her choice of stitches.

Vicky de Angelis
“Seasonal Santas”
All designed by Kelly Clark
Painted Canvas without Stitch Guide, Professional

You had to stand in awe when you saw these Santas. Each is stitched beautifully with perfect choices of threads and stitches. Planning so that they could be displayed together as a group without losing their individuality was a real achievement! There was no question that they deserved to win the first ever Christmas-Themed award.

Elizabeth Knego
“Tiger”
Designed by Valentina Heishmann, Stitch Guide/Instruction by Susan Portra
Painted Canvas with Stitch Guide, Non Professional

Tiger draws you in as if he is watching you no matter where you stand. The intensity in his eyes really stands out. In order to get his fur to look real, Elizabeth not only had to use the right combinations of thread, but also had to make sure her stitch direction was correct.
 

Joanne Enemark
“Angle of Repose”
Designed by Mindy Patterson, Stitch Guide by Susan Portra
Painted Canvas with Stitch Guide, Non Professional

This piece is so beautiful in it's simplicity. The play of light on the background areas is remarkable. Viewing it from different directions will show you a whole different dimension. The beaded flowers add another dimension. I was surprised to learn that the beads were the same on all flowers, but the shading was achieved by changing the color Joanne used to attach them.

Judith Ann DiCarlo
“Honey Bunny” and “Ellie the Elephant”
Both Designed by TX Designs
Painted Canvas with Stitch Guide, Professional

3- dimensional needlepoint can be so much fun! Judith's grandchildren are so lucky to have a grandmother who makes them stuffed animals. They may not appreciate them as more then a stuffed animal now, but in the future will learn to appreciate all the different stitches that she picked to stitch them with. Even though the pictures make them look about the same size, "Honey Bunny" is actually 5" tall, about half the size of "Ellie".