From the Editor

The poet speaks of "October’s bright blue weather" and we think of the turning leaves of fall, sunny days with cool nights, all the joys of harvest time and the fun and festivities of many approaching holidays. What a wonderful time to start stitching for the season!

The Scarecrow by Dianne Sampe is a fun project to work and one that you will love to put out every year for Halloween decorating. Jane Nichols' "Lucynda Witch" is "frightfully fun" and features Jane’s unique method of three-dimensional "fold-up" finishing.

To get an early start on the Christmas season, we show the adorable Jody Bear by Gayle Bicknell and Debbie Stiehler’s "Heart of the Home" ornament this time as an angel for guidance.

Our front cover is an exquisite piece of stitchery for all seasons! "Then and Now" by Ro Pace is a bold geometric design that ushers in a new millennium and also tells about our past in the stitching world. Ro gives complete instructions and information on materials used, but especially invites you to "do your own thing" with the stitches and the choice of threads. She says this is the perfect piece for a raid on "your stash." It is always a little more difficult to make these types of decisions about stitching, but always a feeling of accomplishment when you make a piece your very own by putting some of your choices in the stitching of the project. Try your hand...you may be pleasantly surprised.

Sometimes a thread suggested in a list of materials may not be available in your area or no longer manufactured at all. If that happens to you, contact your favorite shop and ask for possible substitutes. We at needlepoint now strongly believe in supporting your local shop. Where would we be without our shops?

We learned of the passing of the needlework legend, Constance Howard. She died peacefully in early July in a private nursing home in England. She was 89 years old. Many stitchers read and learned so much from her books or were otherwise touched by her contributions to the world of embroidery. Many of us were filled by her amazing spirit. There are so many memories and we exchange "Constance stories." When I remember her, I think of the time I asked "Why is your hair green, Constance?" She replied with a bit of a mischievous twinkle in her eye "Most little old ladies use a pale blue or purple wash. That is not for me because green is my most flattering color." Noted artist Barbara Smith remarked " What an amazing spirit she was. Many memories. When friends called to tell me the news, we started telling each other stories about Constance. We certainly all have them. We started laughing about some of them and figured it was a proper kind of memorial to a woman who lived so fully and laughed so freely."

I know we promised you a "look behind the scenes" for this issue, but space (or the lack of it) would not permit it. We hope to find a free page in the next issue, but that looks now like it may be doubtful! You should see the lineup of wonderful holiday stitcheries that are in store for in the November/December issue!

We continue to be amazed at your warm and welcome response to our magazine. Thank you for your support, your renewals, your helping to share the news about this publication and for your overall interest. We love hearing from you, so please continue to let us know the articles you enjoy and the projects that have been fun to stitch. We also welcome your suggestions and ideas for future articles and stitching projects. We have always maintained that needleworkers are the greatest people in the world and you prove that to us every day.

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Last Updated November 24, 2004