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Craft in America – Paul Stankard

November 4, 2009 by Cathi Milligan

Swarming Honeybee 2006
Swarming Honeybee 2006

Paul Stankard is a glass god. That is a fact. I have been fortunate enough to have met him years ago at the Gathering of the Society of Glass Bead Makers that was in Corning. He was the keynote speaker. His glass work is so incredible and radiates his love of nature and glass. You can watch him work in a clip from the most recent Craft in America episode that’s on You Tube. I found this last night and was just mesmerized by his work. And of course check out his web site for all of his work and even a tutorial. So amazing!

Four Seasons
Four Seasons

Check out the root formations in the larger piece. They’re people…root people. When Paul was in Corning he made a bead. He was very proud of the bead. Us bead makers were stunned at how happy he was to make a bead. It had a root person inside it. A little naked man. On the other side there was what looked like a bean, from the outside…but when you looked through the bead you saw that it spelled fertility on the bean. We were in awe off this man. He donated it to the silent auction to help the Society of Glass Bead Making’s fund raising. It went for $3100. Enough said…I wish I had a picture to share with you. Just go to his web site and enjoy! And check out his poetry too!

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Have you read?

Book Review: Merry Stitchmas

It might seem a little early (if you’re reading this when I’m writing this) to be thinking abut the holiday season, but cross stitching takes time, and if you want to stitch a bunch of gifts or decor for the season, that’s going to take some time. 

Merry Stitchmas by Emma Congdon is here to inspire you to get your holiday stitching started, with 24 fun and colorful designs. You’ll find wall hangings, ornaments, stockings, bunting, greeting cards and gift tags, cute letters made out of decorated gift boxes, another set of drop shadow letters, stylized snowflake hoop art and more.

There are folk art figures, a festive patchwork and plenty of word art, with lots of bold and not always traditional colors to go around. 

Some of my favorites include the bold graphic lettering on the ho, ho, ho bunting banner and the collection of little stamps, which she shows all stitched together but would also be cute stitched as individual gift tags or you could even make a stitched card with a fabric envelope and use one of these as a stamp. 

The charts are large and colorful and provide options for personalization and spelling preferences. One design says “My favorite color is Christmas lights” and it includes charts for both British and American spellings. Rows are numbered and the color key is in the center of the page spread, which could make it a little hard to read (I reviewed this in PDF so I’m not sure if the margin is big enough to keep the key out of the gutter). 

The back of the book includes instructions for how to stitch and read charts as well as making up instructions for finishing projects in the various ways shown in the book such as a wall hanging, framed picture, stockings, a pillow, hoop art and gift tags. There are also templates in the back for the shapes used.

This is a sweet book for people who like their holiday decor a little traditional but a little modern at the same time. 

About the book: 136 pages, paperback, 24 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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