Introduction: Charity

Hello everyone, I am going to tell you a bit about myself today.  My first introduction to cross stitch was at a fairly young age when my grandmother let me play with some of her old crafts.  I started with embroidery and then tried stamped cross stitch I didn’t mind embroidery but I hated stamped cross stitch.  I discovered counted cross stitch in home ec. classes in Junior high and fell in love.  I since that first embroidery experimentation to this day I typically have at least on project on the go.  I don’t remember how old I was when I started embroidery but I know it was a very long time ago.  At a best guess I would say I have been stitching for around 30 years at this point.  Until I started doing You Tube videos last year I was largely a one project at a time person.  Though the community my stitching has grown so much in the last year.   There are so many things I want to stitch and try at this point.  I don’t really have a favorite designer at this point but I can tell you some of the ones that I enjoy greatly right now.  I have been enjoying Heaven and Earth Designs, there are so many to choose from and their patterns are easy to read even if they are gigantic.  Joan Elliott designs are stunning and enjoyable to stitch.  I have been recently enjoying samplers more than I thought I would.  I have very eclectic tastes and enjoy stitching and apparently kitting up new projects as well.  

I think the question I get most is why did I start doing the hangouts?  Honestly it was because so many people on flosstube expressed a wish to be able to meet each other and have friends to stitch with.  Well I thought what about technology to get together and stitch.  Kerry was the first one to try this idea out with me.  A few more people joined the early hangouts and we also tried voice chat where I met some new people as well.  The group was born from this desire to have hangouts and be able to have a virtual stitch along.  We needed a better way to organize ourselves and do things as a group and that gave rise to the group.

I have met so many wonderful people though the hangouts.  It doesn’t matter if they join the live hangouts or just watch on You Tube and participate via chat.  It is a wonderful thing to be able to talk to people from all over the world about so many different topics while we stitch! 

What are my goals for the group?  I want a true community, I want people to feel like they have a place in the group and are liked and appreciated for what they bring to the group.  I want to see people try hangouts and making friends.   I want a place where we can share our joy and passion for this hobby.  Until this group if you asked me I could name only a handful of true friends in my life.  Now I have more people that I consider dear friends and that If I do not talk to them at least a few times a week I worry about them (yep I am a worry wart) and miss them dearly.  I have always considered myself and outsider and asocial but I find that the problem was that I just didn’t have the right people in my life.  I want everyone to experience that joy and happiness that having such wonderful friendships can bring. 

I hope this gives you a little insight into what makes me, me.