Collection: My Little Museum of Needle Arts

The idea of a Little Museum of Needle Arts developed from not wanting to “retire.” After 45 years of writing, designing, teaching, having a line of custom clothing, and a retail store, how could I just walk away? There is a wealth of information and a storehouse of rich resources to share with the world! I am not an “expert” but after a lifetime of being fascinated with this lovely form of art, and collecting samples from far and wide, I just wanted to share what I had learned and raise awareness and appreciation for this form of art. We wear it, set our dining tables with table cloths, place mats, and napkins, of every size from cocktail to lap cloths, dry off our faces, hands and finger tips, make our beds and cover our pillows, and windows. It is part of our daily life.

Sewing
In the beginning….. Animal skins were joined together with needles made of horn and bone and threaded with animal sinew. Central Asia, where many inventions originated, traces it back to 45,000 BC. We can see that it was functional for warmth and protection. We do know that Adam and Eve stitched fig leaves together to clothe themselves. The Indians certainly made use of nature’s bounty, of bone, horn, beans, and beads. They also used it for decoration, dying fibers with roots and berries.

Just the Basics
The earliest form of stitching was just a stitch to hold something together. Then two stitches, followed by more stitches “running” along to hold things together. The earliest decorative stitch was “Cross Stitch” with which we are familiar.