From the Editor

As I sit by the window in my office looking out at the lush foliage and the brilliant sunshine I find that my heart is taking a "sentimental journey" into the past. I was thirteen years old when my father’s dream of "getting back to the land" came true and we moved from "the city" to an area that was then called "out in the country." Of course, we were only a few miles from town, but everything changed. We had an endless array of animals - some of them much-loved and remembered. There were wonderful cats, long-nose Collie dogs, an Arabian horse and even a funny old goat. I grew up with the serenity of this pastoral setting and life was good. In fact, I worked my first piece of needlepoint in this very place! I went away to school, got married and moved away and my parents continued to live there. After living abroad for several years and then in our first home in New York for five years, my husband’s career moved back to Virginia. We decided that "out in the country" on some of my parent’s land would be the perfect place to build our home. We have experienced the bitter and the sweet of life on that spot for many years. We have watched our children grow into maturity and our parents age. One thing is for certain - change is inevitable. Situations change, people change and even boundaries and neighborhoods change. In January we sold my parents’ home. Last month we sold ours and this time is bittersweet. However, we are beginning a whole new chapter and I am looking forward with great excitement to life in our new home. I first fell in love with the vista and especially the hill. I didn’t know then that it is the very hill where Lafayette shelled the British troops during the battle of Petersburg on May 10, 1781 during the American Revolution. There are decorating decisions to be made, beautiful flowers and shrubs to be tended and new neighbors to meet. Life is good and it is fun to keep something exciting going on at all times.

Your response to our May/June issue has been overwhelming! Thank you for the avalanche of emails, phone calls and letters. I am so glad that you are pleased with the issue and I appreciate your taking the time to contact us. I also like to hear about the things you don’t like and your suggestions for improving the magazine. We do try to implement many of your suggestions. Jennifer Ashley Taylor, our talentedstaff photographer, created and photographed our beautiful covers.

All of our contributing designers for this issue are well known to you as they are all repeat artists as are our feature writers. Ruth Dilts is on our front cover and Barbara Richardson is on the back. Other projects are from Sandra Maag Reddell and Norman Delue. The projects are wonderful and perfect for mid summer stitching. The popular continuing features in this issue are authored by Tony Minieri, Amy Bunger, Suzanne Howren, Robin Berry, Peg Dunayer, Ann Blalock and Jody Valentine. Enjoy.

When the magazine first started it was my aim to highlight needlework shops in various places around the country. We are a nation of people who travel and it is good to know where to find the things we love to buy. We have featured a few shops in the past but not nearly as often as I would have liked. I am happy that we are putting the spotlight on The Chaparral and hope to present many other shops in the future. We must all support our local shops. Where else could we see all the exciting new stuff, touch and feel the textures of the threads and spend an hour or so to become inspired?

It has also been my aim from the very beginning to include features designed to "lift your spirits, tug at your heartstrings and stir sweet memories..." That is how I phrased this thought in our premier issue. From time to time worthy information comes across this desk. In our last issue we told the story of the amazing Patty Silver. In this issue my dear friend and frequent contributor, Marnie Ritter, shares her beautiful thoughts on grief and a group of artists need your help with toys for sick children. Please read our feature, From the Heart.

Joyce Lukomski

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Last Updated August 11, 2005