First was a hands-on talk about the embroidery done by the presenter's 95 year old mother, Chake Beudjekian, a lifelong fine embroiderer in many styles and forms, and still stitching away.
Now living in LA by way of Turkey then Lebanon, among other adventures, she is herself the daughter of a fine stitcher, also long- lived, and the mother of a pottery designer, Sona, who generously let us see and handle samples of her mother's textile work. You see her holding up a bedspread, in exquisite openwork.
Then the group went on a field trip, all of a block away, to visit the home of Ruth West, who shared with us her life and times, growing up in China, the Philippines and Europe, as part of a family of missionaries. Though her family lost all their belongings in the tides of war more than once, they were still able to collect some fine examples of Filipino and Chinese textiles and embroideries, which Ruth passed around for us to see and marvel at.
She treasures these artworks from her family.
And here's a quilt she made herself, using flour sack fabric.
The Chapter's February General Meeting, on Sunday February l, at 1 p.m. will be held at historic Morven in Princeton, where Marty and Dan Campanelli, curators of the current five-gallery NJ historic sampler exhibit will give us a presentation and tour.
They are well known collectors and scholars in the field of NJ historic samplers, and have published books on the subject. We meet at Morven to start the presentation at 1 pm and the admission fee is modest. The enormous exhibit traces in stitched form the history of the region from Colonial days, and reflects the education and training of young girls evidenced in their work.
Princeton Chapter EGA upcoming Board and general meeting schedule:
Wednesday Jan 28, Board meeting 7 p.m.
Sunday Feb 1 Morven trip
Wednesday Feb 25 Board meeting 7 p.m.
Sunday March 1 1 p.m. General Meeting
Wednesday April 8 Board meeting 7 p.m.
Sunday April 12 General Meeting (note the adjusted day, to accommodate Easter)
Wednesday April 29 Board meeting 7 p.m.
Sunday May 3 General Meeting
Wednesday June 3 7 p.m. Board meeting
Sunday June 7 General meeting and end of program year.
Programs and Board meetings resume in September.
However, stitch ins, every Wednesday 7-9 p.m. and now on an additional first Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. go on all year.
Newcomers, it's fine to come to a Board meeting, where stitching is still happening anyway. We just request that non-Board members allow all reports to be presented and discussed without other conversation. Once the Board is concluded, we all stitch and chat.
