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In 1996, the Diocesan Altar Guild commissioned new choir seat cushions from a Bay Area needlepoint designer, in preparation for the 150th Anniversary Celebration for Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco. The multi-event gala was to occur in 1999. The series theme was Native California Flora and Fauna. Parishes were asked to find someone to work their assigned canvas. I was given the honor of stitching the cushion from the parish I attended. Quite an honor it was! I had joined the parish relatively recently before the project was announced, and was not a member of the Altar Guild (membership is by invitation of the Rector). Imagine my surprise when I was approached by the AG President, herself an excellent needlepointer, and asked if I would be willing to contribute! We were given approximately one year to complete our 24” x 24” canvases. They had to be worked entirely in Basketweave, and on stretcher bars. Thank the Lord for stands! The wool used was Appleton. It took me nine months of daily stitching; the work was completed in September 1997. During that time, I worked on little else. I was delighted to clear my stitching calendar for this once-in-a-lifetime project. I have to confess that, the first time I looked at the mass of brown threads I was expected to use, I was not pleased. Those colors are not in my preferred palette! By the time I finished, I was enraptured by how this “ugly” canvas had stunningly come to life through the work of my hands. |
