EGA: GCC Teneriffe (update)

Updated 7 July 2025

This is Beginning Teneriffe Lace

Course for the Embroiderers' Guild of America.

Pattern + Instructions

c.Jonalene T. Gutwein 2013

It is available thru

EGA Lightning Rounds

After getting the pattern attached to foam,

adding pins, etc., I'm ready to start wrapping & weaving fibers.

I'm planning to use ECRU DMC No. 70 Cordonnet Special.

Progress photos:   link HERE.

Did you see this?

South Bend Red Round

I saw this on the Facebook page

of 

South Bend/Michiana

(Indiana) Chapter - EGA

Followed the link to Etsy Shop

This pattern was digitalized from a photo of a cross stitch piece owned by the

 Center for History in South Bend, Indiana.

The proceeds from the sale will support the framing and conservation of needlework pieces owned by the museum.

flower pot

I had the flower pot stitched + it didn't look like the photograph on the pattern.

I checked the diagram + compared to the

picture on the instructions ...

And, still - what I HAD, didn't look right.   Decisions - decisions.

Does it bother me enough to re-stitch, or just leave it.

For one thing, the compensating stitches in the photo look like

light blue outside + dark blue inside. 

Also, the basket had more queen stitches along each row in the photo -

which made the basket look even.  Mine looked wonky.   

And, in the end, it just didn't look like the picture, and it is supposed to be a reproduction, and

so I 

went on the EGA Web site - found a digital picture

and re-charted the flower pot portion of the chart.  

Which meant, ripping out - - adding more queen stitches on the right side of the flower pot. 

 More  queen stitches.

OK?  

Now I like it, and it looks like the photograph.

Next, the compensating stitches.... 

A Stitcher's Celebration

Sun Region, EGA, hosted A Stitcher's Celebration last week-end.    The event was a celebration of their hosting the 2011 Seminar in Naples, FL     Also, an event for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, participation thru opportunity drawings, silent auction, chapter fundraising, and generous donations.   Oh my, the Committee Members put on quite a party!   Job Well Done!   Thank you for your attention to detail and planning this fabulous gathering.


I brought ~Mini Flower Basket Sampler~ (A Reproduction from the Collection of The Embroiderers' Guild of America, Inc.   Accession #00012.  

I pulled a 28-ct linen from the closet with silk fibers in my stash.   I had a few colors that were suggested on the pattern.   Most were substitutes; however, the effect should be similar.

I had previously stitched individual motifs for our local EGA Chapter, NANI.   They were used for Common Threads card line, Hospice Card Artisans.

I thought it was about time I created the reproduction of the whole sampler.   The center basket are queen stitches.   Will be colorful when completed.  

I enjoyed attending my first EGA Region event.   It was held at Marriott's Bohemian Hotel in Celebration, Florida.   Imagine 48 round-the-clock hours of stitching!   Well, something like that.   The ballroom was open for stitching from Friday noon - Sunday noon.   Plenty of time for stitching, strolling the charming town, resting, chatting with friends, and being gobsmacked by all the TALENT in the room!  wonderful to stroll around the tables and see what needleworkers were creating.   And, sometimes, seeing the actual completed project of patterns I have ... in the ... closet.   As I recall, there were nearly 80 participants.   I met delightful and charming stitchers including our current EGA President, Lorie Welker.      



This lovely tote was given to each participant.  Inside were beautiful fibers, a hand stitched logo of the event inserted into a luggage tag, and a kit to create your own scissors fob AND the scissors.

The 3-petal cloth, drawstring bag was a door prize from Sunday morning.  

During the day, there were informal gatherings around one of the tables.   Participants were able to sign up and take the class.

The classes were:  loop braiding, making your own twisted cord, making a beautiful edging (left), and learning the RPL cord - and creating RPL bracelets (right) with pony beads.

I took the RPL cord class.   Was looking forward to learning this technique; never mind I needed to learn basic crochet first.   The instructor was awesome.   And, the nice stitcher sitting next to me at the table helped with the crochet basics.   After a while, my brain began to work + I think I've got it.   There are endless possibilities with the RPL cord, many beautiful lace patterns.   For those in EGA who receive the Needle Arts  Magazine, there had been patterns in previous issues.  

Heather has a nice post on her blog, Its Geek to Me, with many beautiful photographs of the area, views from the hotel window.   Don't miss it!  

I had taken some stitched accessories with me.   I have since found the pattern.   When asked, I had remembered it was an Ewe + Eye -- couldn't recall the name:

Tiny Teacup Scissor Companion (kit)

c. Ewe + Eye + Friends

Kam Slagel Barbara Stark 2000

Anchor floss on 35ct Italian Linen

from L C Kramer Co.

If / when you have the opportunity, attend an event.   It is fun, you meet lovely people, and might even put in a few stitches into your project!!!

awesome issue

What a treat!
EGA has a nice issue out
I enjoyed the article & patterns re. Chrismons
ALSO, the Freestyle Embroidery
What fun to browse on this drizzly day

My 17th c. English Band Sampler (WIP)

This is the Scattered Motifs section from my WIP:I took an ICC course, 17th c English Band Sampler, thru EGA to learn specialty stitches and the various techniques used during that time.
I am sharing this section as it has several motifs that are filled with queen stitches(As always, click to enlarge)The flower petals (picture above) have tons of queen stitches, upright & sideways, over 4 threads or more. Using several shades of silk, one strand, the flowers have a beautiful textureAnd, I am still not finished with the motifs!
Pictured above, the queen stitches are the same size; however, with the different colors of silk, create a wonderful repeating pattern in the large motif -- and awesome texture in the thistle & lady bug.
The largest motif in this photo (green,blue,red,gold) is solidly filled in with queen stitchesIf you get the chance, try grouping the queen stitches together to fill in an area. The results are beautiful - IMOI was so attracted to this course and enjoyed learning how to create all the bands & motifs. The course material has patterns taken from real samplers and it was delightful to make stitch samples.And, one of these years, when I feel more ambitious, I just might get around to finishing this monster sampler.It has sections of White Work; Alphabets; Double Running Patterns; Scattered Motifs; Variations of cross stitch; and finally (still working on this part) - embellishments & finishing

Q & A

Thank you for your kind comments! And, to answer some questions:

On May 5, 1998, I joined the local chapter, Needle Artisans of Northwest Indiana (NANI) of The Embroiderers' Guild of America, Inc. (EGA). TEN YEARS AGO!!! I've been stitching for 10 years : ) Happy Stitching Anniversary TO ME : )

- - o - o - o - -

The threadwinders seen in above photograph & pictured in this post are inexpensive, & purchased at Hobby Lobby. They were 50% off in the beading aisle. Called River Shell Pendant, Traditions, Natural Gallery. I bought a couple of them & use them as thread winders.

- - o - o - o - -
Yes, I finished a couple of blocks. I don't know which one to submit.More information on the Friendship Quilt, 2008 HERE .

- - o - o - o - -
Mary: Here is a picture of the needlebook (rabbit):

It is from:In The Woods, The Prairie Schooler, c.1994, Book No. 46. I also stitched the Chipmunk for another needlebook:

~Mini Flower Basket Sampler~

While looking thru my stash, I pulled out a few gem repro sampler charts. I enjoy owning them. Most are 2nd hand charts. Samplers are dear to me. There is just something about them. Thinking about 'somebody' back in time, stitching these marvelous projects. Not only that ... but SOMEBODY else SAVED THEM. They were cherished, saved, and passed along. These patches from the past speak to me.

I wish I could live another 50 or 60 years and stitch everything in my stash - esp the repros in my closet. Since that isn't possible, I decided to pull out a few favorite samplers and stitch some of the basket motifs. I suppose I could finish them into 'somethings'.

Mainly, I stitched them for joy ... and am grateful for those who stitched the originals, those who saved them from the litter bins, those who scoured flea markets - second hand stores, and blessings to the angels who created graphs!! I cannot begin to express my gratitute : )

~Mini Flower Basket Sampler~ A reproduction from the Collection of The Embroiderers' Guild of America, Inc. Accession #00012.
Chart or Kit Available LINK HERE There are color suggested for Soie d'Alger Silk, DMC cotton & Anchor cotton floss.

Per chart, this sampler was stitched before the late 1800s. Aren't the colors cheerful? They are close to the floral handles in the 2008 Designer Series 4" Emma Embroidery Scissors
Interesting how different the DMC and Anchor cotton change the look of the motifs
Squares stitched on 32-count Antique Ivory linen (right side) and Antique White Linen (left side).

Gifts from Myrna!

Imagine my surprise! Myrna sent me an envelope of goodies : ) I love the fob (w/special charm), knitted dishcloth (which I don't want to actually USE in the kitchen), and a beautiful marking pin made by Ann Marie, Myrna's sister.
I found this pair of scissors which is a perfect match!!

Not wanting to take the dishcloth into the kitchen, I placed it under the clothespin dolls on my desk.

As you can see, I've been enjoying my sampler patterns & cheating a bit. Instead of working on a large sampler, I've been selecting basket motifs from patterns in my stash and stitching them ... Funness. More about this in my next post.

Clox Sampler

One evening, while flipping thru some SAN-Q magazines, I came accross an article by Eileen Bennett on 'clox' and samplers. on page 30, I saw a photo of the blue clox sampler (courtesy Minnesota Historical Society) ... which looked kinda familiar to me. I pulled out my NeedleArts magazine, sure enough, there was a blue clox sampler for sale from the St Paul Needleworkers chapter of EGA.

Here is a picture from their web site:
Wouldn't you like to stitch it, too?

Near the end of the article, SANQ Spring 2003, the author made mention of clox patterns being available in knitted pattern books (or should I say books of patterns for knitting?). Guess what? I own one. And, now that I've read the article, recognize the clox patterns in the book I have by Carola Forg called Traditional Motifs for Needlework and Knittingc.1985 ISBN: 0-937274-65-8. Is that kewl or what???

Never mind, I'd love to get my hands on the Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans book by Tandy + Charles Hersh. Anybody have a spare $300-$450 for a used copy??? Yikes.

-------------- also .... I forgot to add a link to my post re. EGA seminar. The class pieces on display for GLR are for a seminar they will be hosting. This is a link to the GLR -- which has an area for you to pop over to the class photos & registration info. Look HERE to find Threads of Friendship, 2008 stuff.

EGA Seminar, Chicago Illinois

Last Thursday, Melody, Sue D, & I went into Chicago. We wanted to take a look around at the EGA Seminar, located at the Marriott Hotel in the loop. None of us had ever attended seminar & with it being nearby, we thought we'd take a look around!
A special Thank you to Marjorie H for sending me the schedule of events for Thursday. It sure made it easy to find everything
We chatted, merrily away, on our commute. Enjoyed the walk from the station to the hotel, stopping along the way to see the beautiful floral displays in the garden planters.

I was gobsmacked by the EGA exhibit in Salon III. They had some of their textiles on display - from the EGA collection [housed in Louisville, KY]. Plus, the display of ICCs and GCCs were awesome. The photos in the magazines do not do justice to these projects. The tapestry panels were on the wall -- how fabulously interesting to look at them!! Next years seminars projects were on display -- loads of eye candy to view.

Another area had EGA merchandise for sale. Also, silent auction pieces ... opportunity drawing pieces -- what an outstanding assortment donated by various groups and individuals. I picked up a couple EGA charms [photo above]. I thought they would look interesting on a beaded or stitched scissors fob.

There was a large area full of books, on sale. Talk about a needleworkers dream library! I went over to the 'sale' table & pickedup one interesting book -- it was $100.00, so I quickly set it down : ) Yeah, this living within our means gets boring when there is so much I'd like to BUY! Some of the sampler books were on display - including the Maryland sampler book [exact title escapes me right now], taking orders for it, but it is a lovely publication. btw, imo - it is very hard to purchase a BOOK, full of photographs, when you can see the real textiles on display in the NEXT room.

Behind the registration counter, was a room with GLR projects. WOW. They had some unique & interesting pieces to sign up for! So, how do you decide?

The boutique was in full swing when we walked in. Loads of fibers, beads, beads, bead patterns, bead models ... did I mention the beading section??? I've never seen anything quite like it.

We crossed paths with a few of our NANI friends [Joan, Carol C & her friend Cathy, Aggie G] who were taking classes that day [sorry to have missed seeing Marjorie H and Sue H ... I heard Deb L & Linda H were there earlier in the week]. One friend, Aggie G, was the class angel for a painted threads class taught by Tanja Berlin Berlin Embroidery Designs. We were invited to come into the classroom after their lunch break to meet the instructor, see the class model - and other designs [oh, so kewl], and see how the stitchers in the classroom were doing! I was impressed : ) Each project was unique - even tho they all had the same pattern. I look forward to seeing some of them FINISHED : ) Yeah, you know who you are .... Aggie & Marjorie.

Again, thx Marjorie H for the information, emails, and I certainly enjoyed reading the seminar bulletins that you published. Outstanding!

EGA / GCC Yahoo Group

Do these look familiar to you?
These are pins from EGA for participation in correspondence courses. I've taken a couple ICCs & a couple GCCs. Some I completed, some ... well, lets just say, I learned a lot : ) Today, I found out there is a new yahoo group for EGA members - created esp for GCCs. Check it out at this link: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EGA_GCC/

or LINK HERE.


This photograph was taken a couple years ago. These are items from a beading GCC [group corresp course]. I learned the peyote stitch - flat & circular. Made an amulet, braclet, scissor fob, scarf ring, and small beads out of delicas + seed beads.