MY JOURNEY

           As a young child growing up in Canada, I was very fortunate to have family and friends who loved all forms of needlework.  It was through these people that I was taught how to knit, crochet, embroider and sew.  The textures and colors of the wonderful world of fibers and fabrics had me hooked almost immediately.  Throughout my youth and my young adult life, I constantly searched for new techniques to learn.  Even though my life went in the direction of the sewing machine, I never was without some kind of needlework on the go.  I dabbled in cross stitch and needlepoint, but my main focus was fabric. 

 

           When our son was a small child, I took a part-time job at a fabric shop working evenings.  My husband would come home from work and I would leave for my 4 hour shift.  I did this for 5 years and eventually became the night manager with added responsibilities on the business side of the store.  I left this job after 5 years and started my own sewing business.  I was doing alterations and making clothes for other people.  I got a commission to sew for a up-and-coming designer and after making several garments for her, I realized that as I was sewing other peoples creative endeavors, I had no time to pursue my own.

In my thirties, I went back to school full time and pursued a degree in business administration.  While I enjoyed learning new things and meeting new people, I soon realized that I was not cut out for full time education.

 

           In 1995, my husband’s job took us to the United States.  We moved to a small town  in Alabama called Dothan.  It was here that I was reintroduced to the wonderful world of needlepoint.  I remember the first time I walked into that small needlepoint shop in Dothan.  The colors, fibers and canvases assaulted my senses and I knew without a doubt that someday I wanted a shop of my own.  I became a “regular” and it was through those two wonderful shop owners that I was shown just what needlepoint was all about.  It wasn’t about working with just wool anymore.  Now, new and wonderful fibers were being introduced and new stitches were being put into the canvas.  Robin and Liz will forever be in my debt for their patience and help.

 

Our next move took us to Marietta, Georgia.  It was here that I found the wonderful needlepoint shop called The Needled Canvas.  The owners will go out of their way to make you welcome and help with anything they can.   Haunting their shop on a regular basis instilled in me even stronger, that I still one day wanted my own store.  Thank you Judy, for all your time and patience in answering my endless questions and all the encouraging words that I know gave me the strength and conviction to pursue my dream.

 

           Next move, League City, Texas and it is here that my journey has ended and has just begun.  The birth of the Needlepoint Cottage is my dream come true and I hope that it is a journey that you will all share with me.  This journey will be made with mistakes and joy, and I thank everyone for their patience and kindness while I continue to grow along with The Needlework Cottage.

 

To my friends and family, words cannot express the heartfelt love and support you have shown me.

 

With the love, support, encouragement and dedication of my wonderful husband, my dream is now a reality.