Gakked from Donna: Stitching question and conversation starter

Over on Donna's blog, she has been talking about an article in the
most recent EGA magazine. Near the end, she said this:

"Lastly, a question.

How old when you when you started stitching? I think a majority of us
tell of some experience in our youth that made us familiar with it
when we were older. Do we do a terrible job in the needlework industry
attracting teens and twenty-somethings? Yup. But I don't think there's
a magical answer for that."

There's several responses - and here's mine - I hope we get a
conversation started about it here!

Great question and conversation! I started when I was young, probably
10 or so, mostly self taught but I think I did learn basics in Girl
Scouts and from my mother. I've done it on and off all my life -
often long periods off, but seriously back into it for about 10 years
now.

I tried to teach my GS troop when I had one. Was succesful with a
very few of them. Kids these days aren't exposed to much sewing of
any kind and get frustrated with it easily. Artsy kids are more
likely to take to it than athletically inclined ones - and there is a
lot of pressure to be more sports oriented these days.

Sara - I think the othr company you were looking for was Sublime
Stitching.

How to reach young people? Fun, quick INEXPENSIVE small stuff. At
Wal-Mart, Target (*THAT* would probably get attention), maybe some
boutique-y places. (Urban Threads or Pimp Stitch should look into
this.) It should include EVERYTHING - needle, fiber, hoop,
instructions. Those crewel kits from the 70s were perfect examples
(sans hoop).

BTW - I don't think Lizzie Kate talks to the younger crowd that much -
too soccer mom and predictable. While I know a lot of people like her
stuff, I think it's boring and predictable.

Sorry so long - but it's an interesting topic!

linda

On Aug 20, 3:53�pm, " wrote:
Over on Donna's blog, she has been talking about an article in the
most recent EGA magazine. �Near the end, she said this:

"Lastly, a question.

How old when you when you started stitching?

I was 10 and in Girl Scouts. We did a sampler on
gingham. It's around here somewhere,
I think I next picked up latch hook/
punch hole with a rug. Very simple on burlap
with solid colors and an initial in the middle of
three panels. Did some crewel in college,
we had a January term/one class with lots of
free time. Picked up counted cross stitch in
my twenties. Didn't do much when I was in
CA. Spent much more time outside. Picked
it back up about 4 years ago. Now with the SAL
I'm getting into needlepoint and counted canvas
work.

Nancy

" wrote in news:1e7f647b-6fb5-4ccd-
:

Over on Donna's blog, she has been talking about an article in the
most recent EGA magazine. Near the end, she said this:

"Lastly, a question.

How old when you when you started stitching? I think a majority of us
tell of some experience in our youth that made us familiar with it
when we were older. Do we do a terrible job in the needlework industry
attracting teens and twenty-somethings? Yup. But I don't think there's
a magical answer for that."

There's several responses - and here's mine - I hope we get a
conversation started about it here!


My parents started teaching me various crafts when I was very young, my
mother taught me to embroider, and to sew, my father taught me to knit and
to crochet.

I spent a lot of time in my teens doing needlepoint, then when I was 20 my
sister gave me a counted cross-stitch kit. now I do mostly cross-stitch
with some Black-work, in the fall a friend is going to teach me to do
Hardanger.


Keith Barber

I can't remember not knowing how to knit - so I suspect quite young. I must
have been 6 or so when I learned how to embroider on pillow cases. Taught
myself to crochet around the age of 10. First crewel project (wool rather
than cotton) was about age 12 or so. Cross stitch was much later; maybe age
20 or so.

Cheryl

"Cheryl Isaak" wrote in message
...
I can't remember not knowing how to knit - so I suspect quite young. I must
have been 6 or so when I learned how to embroider on pillow cases. Taught
myself to crochet around the age of 10. First crewel project (wool rather
than cotton) was about age 12 or so. Cross stitch was much later; maybe
age
20 or so.

Cheryl


I came from a family of people who knew how to knit, sew, crochet and even a
great aunt who was an haute couturier high fashion designer in the 20's.
She died very young and I never knew her, but the pictures I have of her
wearing stunning suits trimmed with ermine fur, high heeled button shoes and
holding a long cigarette holder make me so sad for that loss.

I don't ever remember not knowing how to sew and do cross stitch and some
form of needlework and I do remember that my mother taught me how to knit
when I had the measles at about 8. I think I learned to crochet around then
as well. I even remember that the first thing I made was a brown/pink
striped skirt for a doll.

Lucille

On Aug 20, 3:53*pm, " wrote:
Over on Donna's blog, she has been talking about an article in the
most recent EGA magazine. *Near the end, she said this:

"Lastly, a question.

How old when you when you started stitching? I think a majority of us
tell of some experience in our youth that made us familiar with it
when we were older. Do we do a terrible job in the needlework industry
attracting teens and twenty-somethings? Yup. But I don't think there's
a magical answer for that."


I started this thread not from a magazine article, but from the EGA
National's yahoo!group.

And the reason I asked the question of how old were you when you
started stitching is because someone posited that the EGA's focus on
attracting younger stitchers skews very young. I think the replies
reflect the point that most stitchers had some bit of experience very
young. Then they either continued stitching from that early age, or
when the opportunity presented itself years later, they didn't
automatically discard the idea of needlework because of some
familiarity with it. I think the EGA recognizes this and that's why
the focus is on the very young.

Just in case anyone is interested, the EGA is rolling out a student
membership. I was searching for the details, but can't seem to locate
them. Sent an e-mail and will post my answer.

Donna in Virginia

I started this thread not from a magazine article, but from the EGA
National's yahoo!group.

Sorry - misread.

Hope you don't mind me lifting it for a topic here - I think it's very
interesting!

linda

My mother did several forms of needlework, and particulary excelled at
petit point on silk gauze. She also loved to knit those very lacy baby
sets. She had no interest in or patience with teaching me anything she did,
so there was no love of needlework shared there. I have talked previously
about my horrible home economics teacher. I was younger by 2 years than the
rest of my class, and admittedly had chubby little hands, and she spent two
years ripping up everything I did in front of the class along with a
dripping commentary on how inept I was. My mother, rather than help me
improve, said she was "mortified" by how bad I was, since she did such
lovely work. So again, no great love of needlework there.

After Home Ec I strenuously avoided anything involving a needle until I
married at age 18. Faced with furnishing a home, this hippie girl sewed up
all kinds of things, including a sofa (!!), and embroidered various objects
including weekend shirts for my non-hippie DH. I taught myself out of books
(I love you, Erica Wilson!).

So, what motivated me was the desire to create things I loved, rather than
buy the very ordinary stuff in the stores, the need to save money, and the
desire to differentiate myself from needlework as I had seen it done by Mum
and the aforementioned Awful Home Ec teacher (I have never made a huge
Victorian floral, my mother's favourite theme, or sewn anything out of huck
towelling or cross stitched a gingham apron (the pinnacle of achievment for
the good girls in home ec.) . I guess that involves a little bit of "I'll
show them!!", but my Mum bless her never got the subtext, and continued to
the last offering to show my a better way to knit (she once ripped out an
off shoulder pullover I left at her house, and when I retrieved it, it had
become a "more appropriate for your age" cable knit cardy. I was 40
something at the time)

Dawne

Lucille wrote:

I came from a family of people who knew how to knit, sew, crochet and
even a great aunt who was an haute couturier high fashion designer in
the 20's.


If you haven't seen it yet, try to get "House of Eliott" on DVD. I think
you'd enjoy it! (I'm pretty sure Netflix has it, if you're a member.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Eliott

sue


--
Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen
The Magazine of Folk and World Music
www.dirtylinen.com

"Susan Hartman" wrote in message
...
Lucille wrote:

I came from a family of people who knew how to knit, sew, crochet and
even a great aunt who was an haute couturier high fashion designer in the
20's.


If you haven't seen it yet, try to get "House of Eliott" on DVD. I think
you'd enjoy it! (I'm pretty sure Netflix has it, if you're a member.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Eliott

sue


--
Susan Hartman/Dirty Linen
The Magazine of Folk and World Music
www.dirtylinen.com


I'm going to look for that. It sounds like something I would like.

My mother used to talk about her very eccentric aunt and told me that she
designed the first tuxedo for women, which was then knocked off by another
designer and worn by Marlene Dietrich in a movie. From the lack of men in
her pictures and the closeness to another lady, arms entwined, etc., we
often speculated on whether or not she might have been gay.

Given the fact that my grandmother despised all men except her son and
son-in-law and their very strict orthodox upbringing in their native Russia,
nothing would surprise me. She threw her husband out and bought a push cart
and sold fruit in the street to raise her kids. The two sisters came to the
U.S. all alone when they were in their early 20's to escape the pogroms in
Russia.

L