In 2024, I was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Needlearts (NAN). I was very lucky to have my family in attendance. It was a chaotic day, and it seemed like nothing was going right. I woke up early because I didn't sleep well, fell in the shower, my daughter called in a panic (the tag was still on her new pants), ran my nylons, wore mismatched shoes, and had no makeup. Wow!
To help get through the day, I reflected on the many emails offering congratulations, along with some wine, cards, flowers, and a beautiful Facebook post from my sister Carla. I am humbled.
So, I put on my slippers and made the best of it. Me being me, I presented myself in my fancy slippers and started my speech with "notes" written on a roll of toilet paper. Here is a portion of that speech, which recapped some items from my stitching life:
We measure our time in this world based on big events in our life with our families. But we stitchers also measure our time based on some of our needleart accomplishments.
At age…
11 – I was picked for a special class in art where I learned 10 embroidery stitches
18 – I purchased my first two embroidery kits from Frank’s Nursery & Crafts to make gifts for my grandmother and aunt, and remembered all of the stitches I had learned at age 11
23 – While home after having my daughter Terra, I read an article about these guilds and joined sight unseen. I knew it was where I belonged
25 – I was awarded my first ribbon – a plastic canvas fan on a pulled thread background
30 – I finished a piece (Stitcher’s Alphabet) for an exhibit with my son Michael in my arms
34 – Taught at my first regional seminar (B Sampler), which also happened to be my first seminar
42 – First publication (Sunsation) in a magazine (Needlepointers)
48 – Completed NAN certification in Original Design
55 – Completed NAN’s Teacher cum Laude program. Working on handmade paper within needlepoint
61 – Self-published my first book, Transformative Stitching: Needlework on the Diagonal
And now, this great honor, and you don’t need to know how old I am!
P.S. No matter how hard you prepare, you always forget to thank a few people. I know I did… A huge thanks to my family and friends, to NAN for this honor, and to my mom for how she raised my sisters and me, which has made me who I am today. I truly miss her.
I am not a great writer, but I hope I did my best to recap this great honor.
Lastly, a stitching friend told me that the ghosts of the person you used to be would be so proud of who you are today. I was so moved by this statement.
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