From the Editor

What a joy it is to unpack a treasured piece of needlework and set it in place for the holiday season. Many of us have such pieces that we have collected through the years. We are pleased to offer several seasonal designs that may become heirlooms of the future. Joan Thomasson has done it again! This talented designer and stitcher never ceases to amaze me with the beauty and grace of her work. Her dimensional cover project, The Holy Family, can be used alone or added to the nativity scene along with her Three Kings from the November/December 2003 issue. Our back cover features the third in a series of dimensional designs done by Michele Roberts for the Hanukkah Celebration. This time we show The Dreidl; previous designs were The Gelt Bag and The Menorah. Jane Nichols shares Hearts of Gold, a striking ornament that you can hang for the holidays. When I think about "heirlooms of the future" I immediately conjure up the name of Dolly Corbett. I know you will be inspired by reading the account of her twenty-two year project of stitching Christmas stockings for each member of the family. What heirlooms these have become!

As the year draws to a close, I always like to reflect on the things that were good and those that were not so good and what I have learned through through the year. Several of my dearest friends and I have lost loved ones during the year and it has been a sad time. I have learned that when you lose a loved one, it feels like you have a hole in your heart. But, life goes on. What is it that makes us want to get up in the morning and face the day? What really makes life worth living? For me it is the strength and love of family, the warmth of friendship with the incredible comfort of feeling safe with a person, the beauty of God's world and the opportunity to do the work I love. My deep thanks to every member of the needlepoint now staff for sharing this dream with me and for unswerving devotion to duty. And, what would we do without our fantastic group of feature writers? Every other month these dedicated professionals take precious time from busy schedules to furnish the magazine with their columns. What a wealth of information is printed on their pages. Many wonderful teachers and designers contribute their beautiful art works throughout the year for our stitching pleasure. These exciting pieces add fun and depth to this publication. I appreciate our advertisers who have been so faithful in showing their products on our pages. I especially want to thank you, our subscribers, for providing me the opportunity to do this job. As the new year begins I hope we learn to appreciate the dignity of all mankind and to dwell on all that unites us rather than those things that separate us. Let us continue to work for harmony and understanding. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a new year filled with love, laughter, health and peace. If we just look, we will find a new miracle every day.

Happy holidays,
Joyce Lukomski

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Last Updated November 24, 2004