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2000 January/February

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Editor's Column

If ever there is a time for new beginnings, this must be it! How exciting tobe alive to usher in not just a new year, or even a new century, but a new millennium! It boggles the imagination. As I ponder this special time, I think about new beginnings and I remember this exact time last year when this publication was only a dream, but one several of us held so dear. Again my mind is boggled...what a beginning! I am in awe of your response to this magazine and so grateful for your acceptance of the "new kid on the block."

Success came so swiftly that we found we were "running to keep up" most of the year. We struggled with our mailing list and our postal delivery and did everything in our power to work out the kinks so that you would receive your book in a timely fashion. We did a lot of things right, but we also made some mistakes. We thank you for your understanding, patience and support during our first year.

The strength of our publication lies in the talent of our staff, feature writers and advisors. Jennifer Ashley Taylor does a spectacular job in photographing much of our artwork, and Beth Robertson creates clean and easy-to-follow charts to accompany the projects for stitching. Sarah Bennett works diligently to handle magazine circulation and shop sales while Maria DeSimone works with advertisers and needlework designers and shops. During this year we have also employed several part time workers who handle data entry and mailing of magazines from the office. We have even added a retired bank vice president for our Chief Financial Officer. Who would have thought about all of this just one year ago?

We know how much you enjoy the works of our feature writers because you send us letters to say so. Addie Busch must have struck a nerve with her column, Stitcher’s Lemonade, because so many of you write to us about this feature. "I love her positive attitude" is a thought that resounds is all of your letters about this feature. Jody Valentine’s "magazine classroom" has been so well attended that in the fall semester, registration spilled over in her physical classroom in the museum. Tony Minieri continues to come up with wonderful ideas to make our canvases come alive. Suzanne Howren gives sound judgment on the books available to us and Ann Caswell keeps us informed on all that is new in the needlework market. A new feature writer, Gail Sirna, relates situations where the needlework world draws inspiration from the masters in art. And, what a job has been accomplished by our project feature writers! Debbie Stiehler’s wonderful "Heart of the Home" ornaments have been immensely popular and I think half of the country is stitching Gayle Bicknell’s "Pieces of Eight." Kudos from a grateful editor to all of these very special people for a job well done!

What can we expect during this coming year? We know that not every project or feature is right for every person. There will be some things you love and some you don’t care to stitch at all. But, we hope to give you a balance that runs the gamut from tiny stitcheries to magnificent works and from easy-to-stitch all the way to "master stitcher." There are many exciting ideas in the working and the planning stages. We are working on an article, with accompanying project, on needlepoint plaid, a new geometric design from Genny Morrow, a new design from Mary Clubb inspired by her recent trip to Palestine, a magnificent Judaic embroidery, an exciting geometric from Ann Strite-Kurz and a new feature of "tiny treasures." We are buzzing with ideas and excitement.

In our Mission Statement published in our premier issue, we declared: "...We will present articles that strive to lift the readers’ aspiration to the highest level of unity, understanding and integrity of the needleart world." We still believe in that mission and will strive to honor it during this new year.

Joyce Lukomski

From the Assistant Editor...

Leo Tolstoy, when asked what art is, replied "A human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen." I believe that the same can be said for needleart. I have grown up in a home where handwork of all kinds is treasured and nurtured. My sister makes beautiful jewelry, my brother works with the intricate mechanisms of clocks and watches, my father is an expert woodworker, and my mother is a very talented needleworker.

I have had a needle in hand from a very young age, but initially I did not pursue a career in needlework. My career path has taken several turns. After studying engineering in undergraduate school, I went on to law school and received my doctorate in law in 1986. For seven years I practiced intellectual property law, specializing in copyrights and trademarks.

Although I enjoyed practicing law, my true passion was needlework and my entrepreneurial spirit would not be denied. In 1993 I started my own needlepoint mail order and retail business. From its humble beginnings in a small room on the second floor of a renovated house, my business has grown and flourished. We now have a beautiful retail store with a classroom that affords me the opportunity to teach and share my love of needleart.

Throughout my life needlework has been an inspiration to fire and nourish my soul, a calm port in stormy weather, and it has provided opportunities for me to meet people who now are some of the dearest friends in my life. With the birth of needlepoint now my involvement in needlework is moving to a wonderful new level. I am embarking on an exciting adventure, one that I look forward to sharing with all our readers.

Maria DeSimone

From the Circulation Manager...

Little did I know what a journey fate had in store for me when I agreed to take a needlepoint class with a friend in 1975. The friend assured me that the teacher was very good, even though she had a strange last name. After receiving my paperwork on the class I wondered what was so strange about Lukomski, since it was pronounced just the way it was spelled.

That class led to other classes, joining needlework guilds, helping with a needlework publication and even starting my own business, supplying specialty metallic threads to shops and fellow stitchers. Needlework gave me an outlet for my creative and organizational skills while still allowing me to be a stay-at-home wife and mother, the best of both worlds.

This journey even led me into the computer age. I admit it has been a love-hate relationship, but it can be useful and a lot of fun at times, too. It has made me especially thankful for people like Todd DeSimone. They know computers and are willing to answer questions in understandable terms. As stitchers we all treasure the heritage and traditional ways of needlework, but to pass these on to future generations we must be able to get to the people. Todd is responsible for helping us reach that goal by creating our web page (www.needlepointnow.com). His expertise also helped establish our data base and kept us from being buried in the avalanche of subscriptions.

Because of the outpouring of support for this new endeavor, it was decided that everyone who subscribed before this premiere issue mailed would receive the special offer of seven issues for the price of six. This is one way the staff can say thank you for believing in our goals.

Through the years I have come to understand how unique the needlework world is. Because of their enjoyment of stitching, people from varied backgrounds and with different abilities can come together and form lasting bonds. When these talents are combined, anything is possible, even the creation of a new magazine.

As of July-August 2009 back issues of Needlepoint Now are available at a cost of $7.00 per copy, plus shipping and handling. All preceding back issues are $6.00 per copy, plus shipping and handling.

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