Free Needleprint Draw - In Prayse of The Proper Stitcher - Darlene O'Steen

This may seem like old news to you, and I am sorry. Please bear with me as I have to wait a little longer while my Sampler and Antique Needlework flies across the pond to me. Mine has just touched down today. There is a very moving tribute to Darlene O'Steen in this edition to mark her retirement. This a huge thing for me, since Darlene has been - and will continue to be - one of the brightest and most admired stars in my firmament. It is because of her work that I have been inspired to study hard and more, to look closely and closer still, to understand and question insanely and to do as much as I can for the world of samplers. Though she may retire, her work will generate light for years and years to come. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was ten years ago, or more, to run down all her charted Needle's Prayse samplers from here in the UK. Her exquisitely designed and presented book, The Proper Stitch, is one of my treasured possessions. Thank you not only for the inspiration, Darlene, but for all the excitement and joy that goes with it. Darlene tells us that in 2007 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and then, after a recurrence of breast cancer in 2011, she decided that God had another plan for herlife and that the time had come to retire from the Needle's Prayse.

You can read all about Darlene and much more inside the latest Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly. I have been a subscriber to SANQ for years and just love the articles and stitching projects. I have an extra copy as a give away to go into the free draw this week. Just click on the flying angel below to enter.