Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the EGA
Education Director's message
Aah, the warm kick-back months are upon us! For us Arizonans, it’s monsoon season, when we get the most rain. For everyone except mad dogs and Englishmen, it’s stay out of the rain, or in wherever the A/C is or on the patio after dark. Perfect for needlework – one stays awake through golf or baseball on TV, and remembers to hydrate. I prefer watermelon lemonade myself.
As if there’s nothing else to do, please stay abreast of the myriad online offerings through EGA via email notifications. Just today there was a feature on Colcha embroidery, which is a type of surface embroidery seen primarily in the desert southwest of the US. I just watched one of the Virtual Lectures on Zoom, which are now more readily accessible because the number of attendees has been increased.
Designer of the month (Erin Elizabeth)
I like to watch YouTube while I stitch or do other things that don’t require full-time attention, so I’m always on the lookout for new posts from old friends and live streams from the several contributors I follow. Before and after the needlework market this year there were several new to me designers I thought I would check on.
The class began February 1, but all instructions are free on the website, as well as a kit if desired. It appears to be a simple project for the neat-fingered (not I!) except for the bullion knots, but her method for bullions is like that I first learned, and I found those easy for a beginner.
Erin Elizabeth is a Canadian designer whose patterns may be bought from her website as digital downloads or from both online shops and brick & mortar shops. Her designs are contemporary and graphic, with a wide range of detail. Her pieces utilize full cross stitches. 14 (28) count fabric, and DMC floss so as to be doable by beginners as well as experienced stitchers. Some patterns have more detail and backstitching, some a lot of color changes, but there’s something for everyone. I like them because they are cute without being cutesy, and don’t have awkward shapes or distorted lettering. There are seasonal designs, holidays, something for everyone.
I first noticed her on YouTube, she’s a good instructor for finishing smalls. I plan to finish the Halloween above as separate pillows.
