America’s Tapestry

In Williamsburg, after two days of 15,000 plus steps in the heat, I think I broke Stacy.   What a reversal of roles.  LOL.   Saturday morning we were on our way to Aroma Cafe by 7:30 to meet friends for breakfast.   Lisa and Bob were great ambassadors of the area. (Lady Huzzah on Flosstube)   We walked through the farmers market, toured Colonial Williamsburg all day, saw all the exhibits, shopped, had ice cream for a late lunch and got back to our hotel about 6.   Both of us were hot, tired and sticky, so we each showered and got comfortable before walking to a nearby Mexican restaurant for a light dinner.   

Oops.  We got TOO comfortable and ended up eating cheese, pepperoni, and crackers drinking wine from our souvenir drinking vessels while watching Netflix.  A necessary stop at Goodwill the day before  provided non-plastic options for beverage consumption. $0.99 wine glass and $0.99 coffee mug worked just fine.

I was ready to crash but never thought I would see the day when Stacy was happy to stay in for the night.    The heat took its toll on her.  Me, I am more used to it working in the yard but had no complaints about just chilling with my feet up.

We were Williamsburg, VA for the specific purpose of seeing the America’s Tapestry at The College of William & Mary.  If you are not familiar with the project, check out this link - America’s Tapestry.   A quick down and dirty, this was the brainstorm of Stephan Romero.  The concept was a tapestry depicting lesser known historic facts one from each of the 13 original colonies.   All 13 are finished now and circulating to different venues as one exhibit.

Delaware, the First State,   Depicts Major Henry Fisher who set up a system using the lighthouses and express riders to alert Philadelphia of British ships in the Delaware Bay.   I can let you in on a couple of “Easter Eggs” I learned about.  I hear there are initials stitched into one of the ice flows on the left.  

Each was displayed with a write-up explaining what was depicted and a message from the State Co-ordinaries.  Stacy and I both worked on the Delaware Tapestry and she also worked on the Maryland Tapestry.

Pennsylvania, #2.    The “western” PA flag and the “eastern” PA flag.  Flags were both political and military symbols.     Under the “L” in Pennsylvania, a Raven was added to the roof of the building.  \

New Jersey, #3   Women fundraising for the war, making socks for soldiers and funding provisions.   Dr. Bodo Otto inoculating soldiers against smallpox

 Georgia, #4  Free and former enslaved black soldiers from Haiti were know as the Volunteer Riflemen of Saint-Domingue and fought in the battle of Savannah.  

Connecticut, #5  Known as the provision state, sent troops to fight at Valley Forge (PA), Brandywine (DE), Germantown (PA) and Monmouth (NJ)    The woman run Connecticut Courant, featured in the lower left, published her newspaper even after the British set fire to her paper mill.

Massachusetts, #6    Patriotic Americans refused to drink tea and instead started drinking chocoalte.   It became a staple for the Continental solders.   The cacoa beans!

Maryland, #7  The 1st Maryland Regiment held  off the British to allow Washington and the Continental Army time to evacuate.   Know as the “The old line state” because they held the line and didn’t allow the British to advance.  The Wye Oak is also featured,  Maryland’s state tree, was 460 years old went it came down in 2002.  Lastly, the State House with Washington giving his resignation speech.  

The faces, the jacket front, ……

South Carolina, #8     The top of the mural depicts the alliance with the Catawba tribe.  The young man, John McCord was 13 when he volunteered for the war.   Like other young volunteers, he worked in the camp helping with meals and caring for sick.  His hands, the fire, the tents, the horse, the trees in the background.  Oh my!

New Hampshire, #9      Trouble started in New Hampshire with the Pine Tree Riot.   Colonists protected protested that the British were allow to chop down any tree over 12 inch wide for their ship building.  This tapestry had a lot of surface embroidery.  The Easter Egg here is the shape of the 13 colonies are incorporated as rocks in the stone wall.    I couldn’t find all 13 but I bet they are all there.

That is a stitched feather!  Love the grass and the shadows under the man’s feet.

Perhaps you can find the 13 colonies.

Virginia, #10   This was stunning with the dogwood flowers throughout.   Virginia ore was mined and used for making munitions. Aberdeen, an enslaved man who defied his master by enlisting with the Continental Army worked for 7 years in the Wythe County Mines.   He was granted his freedom  in 1783 gratitude for his service.

New York, #11

North Carolina, #12  The dresses were amazing.

Rhode Island, #13  This was clever how they separated the different scenes.

 

Each and every one was a true work of skill and dedication.    We had to go around more than once to take them all in and each time seeing something different.  Firm plans are not set as far as where the tapestries will be displayed.  It is my understanding they will first circulate through the 13 colonies.  If you have a chance to see them, take it!   Check out their website for the most accurate and up to date information.  

Thanks for touring the tapestries with me.

 

January 2026

A little after the fact but Happy New Year!  Don’t you just love the new year when you get the new planner or calendar and it is all pristine.   All clean and hopeful with the year spread out before you and promises to keep your planner/calendar neat.  Short lived promises if you saw what mine used to look like.   Scribbles, scratch-outs, doodles and arrows this way annd that, post-it notes.   Using my new electronic calendar has some drawbacks.   No way to doodle on the pages.  

I thought long and hard for my word for the year.   I settled on diligent.  The internal perfectionist in me needs this word.  I am alright on my work, it is my duties suffer.  I am a procrastinator on tasks I do not like by distracting myself with ones I do like.  I need to be more focused on my “have to’s”  and let the “want to’s” fall in place behind them.    I need to stop is the mindless scrolling on Instagram or the countless games of Sudoko…..like when stitching, I hear the voice say - just one more game….. and I admit I can be such a squirrel when it comes to projects catching my eye or chasing a new high score.   Oy!

I did decide to do WIPGO again this year.   I had always been successful until last year.   I needed to change my approach for the amount to be done on each project.   Rather than list each project and pledge to be finished in the month it was called, I have the luxury of putting lower requirements since I have fewer WIP’s.   And WIPGO did that for me.   Last year, I got to June and just caved.   I wasn’t getting anything finished and it just seemed too overwhelming with all the projects on the list and none coming off the list.   I dialed it back for 2026.   One project may show up three times on the 2026 WIPGO board with an assignment of  5 hours of work that month.   Very doable.  Forward progress will be seen.  Some will even be completed.  It is another win/win.    I will be diligent to stay the course.  

For January, my WIPGO’s were Liberty Inn by Chessie and Me.    I logged my 5 hours and made great progress.   It appears on my board two mores times.  A definite finish in 2026.   I could have kept going but I stitched to the assignment.

The second WIPGO was Quaker Friends, a Round Robin from a couple of years back.   I also logged 5 hours on it.   It was mostly fill-in on the little scattered do-dads in the background.   It too appears on my board two more times in 2026 so I am not worried about finishing it.   If I am diligent, I will get there.   I can tell WIPGO might work better for me this year as I am anxiously awaiting the announcement of the February numbers.

 

Those background motifs meant lots of color changes.   

I chose Chantelle 141/Teresa Kogut Blessings Drum  as my Blessings Sampler.   It was an EZ PZ stitch to complete. I wanted to get it out of the way so started it January 1st. 

Even though I live in NJ, I am only 5 miles from the bridge to Delaware.  Two friends from  my EGA and my DVHSG guild are heading up the Delaware tapestry for the America’s Sampler.   I hosted  a day at my house to give south Jersey stitchers an opportunity to stitch on the tapestry.   For more information check this link.   The concept/goal of the project is explained with details for each state’s tapestry.   It is a good thing both Becky and Amy are retired because this project has taken on a life of its own for them.    This is the artist’s concept for the Delaware design.

American Sampler from Crocette a gogo is a sampler I started with two friends.  I got a slow start as I was having such a hard time physically focusing on the linen.

 4.0’s and a great light were not helping.  It is  over one on 28 count.   I am trying a little bit each morning.  Some days the eyes cooperate and other days they don’t.    I have had a bit of frogging.  Seems counting to 1 is just as hard as counting to 2.  There are 6 stitch-heavy pages in the chart and prior to starting, I knew no matter how diligent I would not be able to get this one done by July and accepted that.    No need to add pressure.   

Mid-month I attended Camp WannaStitch in Ocean City, MD.   This is the annual EGA event I go to.   Probably been going something like 15 years.   Knowing I needed to have an easy to stitch on piece, I took my French Alphabet Sampler and made good progress.   Still a long way to go but I will get there one stitch at a time.    

She’s a big girl.   411x 411.  Below is what I accomplished over the stitching weekend.   The “N” and part of the “Q”, as well as the border from below the “P” to the corner and across the bottom; and, 16 of the letters in the bottom corner alphabet.    Friends who have already stitched this piece disliked stitching this border but it does not bother me……all I worry about is that it meets!  I am doing this as a FB Leap Year Challenge and I’ve got about 25 months left to finish it up.   I really hope I am done before that.  

Look at our view as we entered the area where we stitched at the Ashore Hotel for Camp WannaStitch.

We pretended we were on a cruise ship.🛳  💦   Below is what I saw over my left shoulder.   Don’t let the view fool you.  It was cold and blustery!🌬  Such a rough life for stitchers.

I promised myself some quilt time and I didn’t break the promise.   I thought I would designate Monday’s as Quilting Day but the calendar is not always agreeing. I was able to get 11 blocks cut and  7 of them sewn.    It felt good to be back at it but it came with a caveat…..cleaning and tidying the craft room before AND after.   I have more than half of the blocks completed. I like to say I am on the downhill side but there is the sashing and corner stones and borders……..I am 7 blocks closer than I was at the start of the year so it is a win.  

So pretty happy with my accomplishments in my stitching corner of the world.  It’s early 2026 but I so far so good on the diligent side.  

The first of February, I am heading back to Tennessee to visit a friend and attend a Knoxville EGA event.   I hope to be able to share more great progress on my French Alphabet Sampler.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by everyone.  Keep on stitching.