April 2017 – Fiber Talk

Posted on April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 by Gary Parr — 3 Comments

Fiber Talk with Tess and Thorn

Tess and Thorn are talented needlepoint designers/painters with a unique approach to the hobby.

This week we have the pleasure of talking with Brooke Thorn McGowan and Tess Nagle, the talented needlepoint designers who make up Tess and Thorn. Tess and Brooke describe themselves as “young bloods on a stitching mission.” We had a riveting conversation about how they got started, their approach to stitching, inspirations and deeper meaning behind their canvases, and their ongoing efforts to introduce younger people to needlepointing. We also got to learn about their design and canvas-painting process and how they work together from two locations.These are two talented and enthusiastic ladies who are definitely injecting young blood into the hobby.–Christine and Gary

Brooke and Tess have a unique approach to needlepoint.

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We hope you enjoy this week’s Fiber Talk show. You can listen by using the player above or you can subscribe to Fiber Talk through iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbay, and Podbean. To receive e-mail notification of new podcasts, provide your name and e-mail address below. We do not sell/share e-mail addresses.

Endangered animals are a part of the Tess and Thorn design concept.

Follow Tess and Brooke and communicate with them through their online channels:

Tess and Thorn canvases are available through your local needlework shop. Stores that currently carry their designs are listed on their website shop page.

One of their recommendations is the book Hygge: The Art of Getting Cozy.

Tess and Thorn Recommendations
At the end of the show, Brooke and Tess offered several recommendations. Below are links to those items:

Brooke and Tess are always looking for unique ways to use their finished designs.

We hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with Tess and Brooke. We’re always looking for guests, so let us know if there is someone you’d like us to have on the show.–Gary and Christine

Posted on April 26, 2017 by Gary Parr — 2 Comments

Fiber Talk Mid-Week Chat

Christine’s initial Diamond Delight X stitches.

We decided we wanted to talk amongst ourselves for 30 min. or so. We decided to record it and, as so often happens, we ended up talking for almost an hour. We covered an assortment of topics, including Christine’s initial efforts stitching Debbie Rowley’s Diamond Delight X chart, Welcome Stitchery’s 29th anniversary, Yvette enabling Gary to spend $50 on a pair of scissors, Mary Corbet’s sister stitching on birch wood, and next week’s guests. We hope you enjoy our ramblings.–Gary and Christine

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Posted on April 23, 2017 by Gary Parr — 4 Comments

Fiber Talk with Yvette Stanton

Biscornu project from Early Style Hardanger.

This week’s guest is Yvette Stanton of Vetty Creations in Sydney, Australia.Considered by many to be the hobby’s leading whitework expert, she has traveled the world to research various whitework techniques and share their origins and how the stitching is still done today. Yvette has written eight books about stitching and we talk about all of them in the podcast, in addition to a variety of other topics. Her newest book, Early Style Hardanger, is a beautiful and knowledge-packed publication that resulted from her research trip to the Hardangerfjord region in Norway where she learned about the very origins of the stitching technique and how the Norwegian stitchers, to this day, produce some of the most beautiful needlework in the world. Please join us this week and learn about the world of whitework stitching.
–Christine and Gary

Listen to the podcast:

Projects from the Early Style Hardanger book.

Follow Yvette and communicate with her through her online channels:

To learn more about Yvette’s books, click here to visit the shopping section of her website. Order books through your local needlework store, Amazon, or other book-selling channels.

Yvette’s Recommendations
At the end of the show, Yvette recommended a book and that you visit the Hardanger Folk Museum. Below are links to those items:

Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay. ISBN 978-0-8129-7142-2
Hardanger Folkemuseum at Utne.

We hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with Yvette Stanton. We’re always looking for guests, so let us know if there is someone you’d like us to have on the show.–Gary and Christine

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Gary Parr — 3 Comments

Fiber Talk with Toni Gerdes

Our Fiber Talk guest this week is needle-art designer and teacher Toni Gerdes. Toni holds Level II Teacher certification from the National Academy of Needlearts, specializing in canvas embroidery. She currently serves on the Board of NAN as the Director of Education and on the Board of Directors for Mile High ANG chapter as President. Toni is currently the President of NETA. She has received numerous awards for her designs and has taught at NAN, EGA, and ANG events, as well as guilds & shops. Toni has been published in Needlepointers, Needlepoint Now, and in Needle Arts as the Artist Across America. She enjoys all types of stitching and especially sharing her knowledge with others. We covered a variety of topics in our conversation, including the stories behind Toni’s Under a Copper Moon, Fire and Ice, and Geometric Butterfly designs.
–Christine and Gary

Listen to the podcast:

Connect with Toni at her website tonigerdes.com

We hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with Toni Gerdes. We’re always looking for guests, so let us know if there is someone you’d like us to have on the show.–Gary and Christine

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Gary Parr — 6 Comments

Fiber Talk with Theresa Baird

The hummingbird piece Theresa’s mother stitched for her.

Joining us this week is Theresa Baird of Heart’s Ease Examplar Workes. Theresa designs cross-stitch samplers that are inspired by antique samplers. She had her first rudimentary needlework lessons at the feet of the skilled neighborhood ladies who brought their crocheting, embroidery and stitching projects outside in the summer and let her watch and learn from them. It planted the seed that throughout the years has grown and shaped Theresa into the designer she is today. “I, most humbly, have been blessed with the God-given talent for art, and though I am not formally trained, I’ve expanded that talent through practice, books, classes, exhibitions, sharing and demonstration.” We had a terrific conversation with Theresa and learned a lot about antique samplers and sampler design.
–Christine and Gary

Listen to the podcast:

Connect with Theresa at her website and on Pinterest and explore various other sampler links she provided:

Another sampler designed by Theresa Baird.

Books Theresa recommends:

Ohio is my Dwelling Place by Sue Studebaker
Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework, 1650-1850 (Two Volumes) by Betty Ring
Imitation and Improvement: The Norfolk Sampler Tradition 2013 by Joanne Martin Lukacher
Samplers Nov 26, 1987 by Averil Colby
Samplers from the V&A Museum Oct 8, 2003 by Clare Browne and Jennifer Wearden
A Maryland Sampling: Girlhood Embroidery 1738–1860 Aug 2, 2007; Columbia’s Daughters: Girlhood Embroidery from the District of ColumbiaMay 15, 2013 by Gloria Seaman Allen
Women’s Work: Embroidery in Colonial Boston by Pamela Parmal
Connecticut Needlework: Women, Art, and Family, 1740-1840 by Susan P. Schoelwer

We hope you enjoy this week’s conversation with Theresa Baird. We’re always looking for guests, so let us know if there is someone you’d like us to have on the show.–Gary and Christine