Manufacturers quieted down, focusing on mass production craft quality imports. This renewed interest has encouraged the entrepreneur and outstanding small stitchery shops are popping up across the country. Instructors who have quietly been honing their skills over these years are appearing from everywhere, eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. Excellent instruction in all stitchery categories is again available to the new student and to the student whose dormant skills only need refreshing. With their guidance, the sheer joy and pride in learning and doing is pulling together a new community of stitchers with a common bond of interest not often found in a new world of computers, answering machines, mail order catalogs and e-commerce.
Designers are again excited and creativity abounds.
Exciting ideas with a new flair are appearing in every stitchery category. Manufacturers are answering the call by teaming up with these designers to bring to the shops a lovely selection of fabrics and fibers from around the world and quality, innovative tools. Whether your interest lies in the wonderful worlds of knitting, needlepoint, cross-stitch, Norwegian hardanger, crochet, tatting, ribbon embroidery, smocking or the challenging art of bobbin lace, it is a wonderful time to be a stitcher. It is a wonderful time to seek out your local stitchery shop and sign up for a new class, offer to share your skills as an instructor or just reward your shop keeper for her courage by becoming a good patron and participate in the excitement and camaraderie. Start a stitchery project today, connect yourself to your sisters of the ages and reap the rewards.