Americana Stars

Hi Everyone! I'm Back!

2010-06-20T05:15:00.003-04:00

I know it's been a while, but please don't hate me! : ) My postings were taking so long to correct when they would go up with mistakes (I am a stickler for grammar, spelling and organization) that I gave up for a while. But now that I see they have changed the editor, this will be so much more intuitive and direct.

Alot of things have changed and moved forward with The Americana Stars Memorial. I am now working on the new website home of the project, AmericanaStars.org, with Leigh, my HTML code writer and designer.(She is one of the stitchers on the project. I have spoken of her many times before.) Since this memorial is sponsored through a non-profit arts organization, it didn't feel right to show it on my .com site anymore. It will now have a home of its own! It is still in the works, so the home page will redirect you to AmericanaArts.com where I still have all of the information.

I am always making calls and trying to schedule appointments to move forward. The fundraising has been difficult since everyone has such money issues this past couple of years, but I found a way to hopefully work through that. One of my contacts (I am not at liberty to say right now) came up with a wonderful idea. So I am starting my new Sponsor-a-Star program. Anyone can sponsor the star of a friend or loved one and receive special benefits. To read more, check it out here! I am so excited about this. I already have stars sponsored!

I hope all of my followers got my emails with the new blog address. For those who linked my project to their blogs, a very special thank you.

Oh, by the way, I think you might like to know that I am now up to 3000 stars completed! Only 500 more to go!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Sad News and Exciting News!

2009-10-01T22:41:00.012-04:00

Hi everyone!

Well, the summer has come and gone and it was a difficult one. August was especially hard for me. Not only was the first anniversary of my Mom's passing on August 5th, I also lost 2 very special people in my life. It took its toll on me and I took time away from most things, especially my blog and the 2009 Christmas Challenge blog, where we make ornaments and post them for all to see.

I did, however, follow up on a contact I made in June with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. I made it my business to meet the President and CEO, Joe Daniels, at the public opening presentation of the memorial site at Ground Zero. He was very impressed with The Americana Stars Memorial and asked me to set up an appointment. We finally met September 14 and he does agree that this project should be shown at Ground Zero. I told him that all of my stitchers and supporters would love to know this - would he mind if I told them. He said no.

You can imagine how excited I was after all of these years of stitching. I wanted to wait a couple of weeks before I told all of you when I felt more comfortable with the news. It has been my highest goal from the start to have this memorial project displayed at the epicenter of that terrible day. I cannot tell you how many people, as much as they loved and believed in the work, were skeptical that I could actually get such a unique, but massive piece shown at such a perfect location. All I can say is YOU HAVE TO REACH FOR THE SUN IN ORDER TO TOUCH THE MOON.

There is still so much to be done. I have more stars to stitch and new ideas for the display mechanism. More people with which to meet. It is amazing how much time goes into thinking, planning, and thinking some more.

My biggest hurdle is fundraising. I now have a total of $250 in my non-profit account ($20 is from me - I had to test the system first). Barely a start. Much more will be needed to afford a location to make the panels. Please spread the word about The Americana Stars Memorial so we can bring in what is needed. $10 from everyone who reads my story and publishes it on their website or sends it out to their email lists can make a big difference. And ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! All donors will receive a Certificate of Donation with my personal thanks. The organization that is sponsoring the project has complete legal and IRS oversight, so all funds used must be accounted for. I have worked very hard to secure the credibility and integrity of this memorial. It will pass every test of scrutiny.

I tell you this because we have all heard of money that was donated in the name of 9/11 and then stolen. The people who have done that are horrible. They make it so difficult for legitimate endeavors such as mine. If anyone has any question, they have only to read my website or email me with their questions. I will be very happy to respond.

After 7 years of work, I am determined to take this all the way. I want not only to show it at Ground Zero, but in other museums and locations around New York and around the country. I do have my work cut out for me.

I am so grateful for everyone who has stuck by me throughout this process up to now - my stitchers, my friends, my Material Sponsors (see the left side bar). Please check out their websites to see the products they are selling. I am using their products because they are the best.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Whoa, It's Been a Long Time!

2009-07-29T00:01:00.009-04:00

Holy Cow! I look at the date of my last post and I wonder "Where have I been?" Almost 3 whole months. Alot of catching up to do.

First, The Americana Stars Memorial. I had a meeting with some people down at ground zero about the project. They really like it, but since the decision is not up to them, I need to keep in touch and stay in their sites. Well, after 30 years in New York, I think I finally figured out how to do that without ruffling feathers, so I will continue to work on it. Fortunately, they are being very open about sharing their final list of victims names so I can be accurate on my own project.

I am still stitching like a crazy person and I am so proud to say that I have at least 2800 stars. Of course, I need 3800, but I have certainly made a dent so I can start to prepare for the next stages of planning - the panels.

Donations have been sparce ($15.) but I am still working on what to do about it. I have always been so good about how to raise money for the charities for which I have volunteered, but when it comes to my own project, I have trouble asking for it. Maybe some of you can get the word out for me to everyone you know. This blog has picked up alot more visitors in the past couple of weeks so hopefully you can give people the address, they will want to donate, etc., etc.,

I have since located my Great-Grandfather's burial site in Brooklyn and I have to say, boy, was I impressed. I have already put together a post about my adventures about that whole day of discovery and when I get the pictures taken and uploaded, I will be eager to share. It really was quite a eye-opener!

Welcome to my new followers - Tami, Keli, xstitch crazy, Terry and tpatterson2. If you have blogs, please let me know so I can add you to the list.

As you know, I have several companies supporting the memorial project. One of them is Dazor Mfg., with a lighted magnifier. Well, I broke the original piece they sent me and without hesitation, Stan Hogrebe, the owner, sent me a replacement (expensive). What a mensch! All of my suppliers have been very generous with me and I hope you will look at the list in the sidebar at left and check out their websites for things you might need for your own stitching work.

A very special thank you to Colleen H., one of my stitchers. She recently was the focus of a profile article with Nordic Needle's email newsletter and talked about The Americana Stars Memorial. You can read it all here at Nordic Needle. I have no doubt that that is why I have had so many new visitors to this blog and how I received the 2 new donations. She lives in a town in upstate NY that was recently proclaimed by CBS News as one of the 10 Coolest Small Towns in America. I hope to visit her in the fall and finally meet one of my very best stitchers. Visit her at her blog, Colleen's Cross Stitch, and say hi!

Well, I hope to not be a stranger to my own blog and I will do my best to post more often.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Another Quick Update!

2009-05-03T17:44:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I wrote about a new follower named Terry. I could not get onto her blogs to visit, but my computer cooperated today so I want to let you know about her work. She has several blogs, but I will tell you about 2 of them.

Shut Up and Stitch is about Breast Cancer Awareness. She belongs to several BCA stitching clubs and has lots of links for information. She also shows her cross stitching projects with awareness ribbons of various design and color.

Autism from the Beginning is another blog very close to her heart because one son has it and the other is being tested. It has many links for information and her blogging about her and her sons' experiences are quite interesting to read. If anyone out there needs help, you can find some wonderful resources here.

Thanks, Terry, for becoming a follower and for giving me the opportunity to spread the word about 2 medical issues that are way too common today.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Quick Update!

2009-05-02T12:31:00.011-04:00

Well, I am still having major problems with my computer. I sent it out to repair to Gateway. They fixed the problem, but it came back with a new one it never had before - it freezes at any moment. I sent it back again and I still got it back with the same problem. So before it goes out again, I am writing an update.

Welcome to 2 more followers - Terry and Loli.

My computer has not been able to pull up Terry's website(s), but I hope to see it soon. It looks like she has some wonderful information about autism at her 3 blogs. For anyone who has an affected family member, this would be a good place to go. I look forward to seeing her stitching projects later.

Loli has done some really wonderful stitching. She also has a hexagonal (8 sided) ornament tutorial pictured on the blog in case you would like to stitch some. Loli's blog is in Spanish, so you will need to use a translater. Google has a good one.

I posted my April ornament (see the previous post), but since Gateway reformatted my hard drive during the last repair, I cannot get the picture or .pdf onto the Stitch-a-Star page right now. But you might like to see the others that are there, including the freebie star.

Well, I am off to stitching more stars now. I am going to start attaching stars to the first panel design for The Americana Stars Memorial so I can start to call up the local morning tv shows. Full Speed Ahead!!!!!!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

New Ornaments and Stars!

2009-04-16T23:50:00.019-04:00

Okay, okay, I know. It's been a while since I've blogged. The computer came back with the problem fixed and with a new one added. The graphics card is doing funny, wierd things, so I have to send it back.

Before I take it to FedEx/Kinko's tomorrow, I am posting my latest ornaments for the 2009 Christmas Challenge. To the right is the one for April. I added a string of gold beading around the ornament to extend for the hanger.

In an earlier post, I told you that I had joined another blog club called Stitch Pink. This blog was started by Kim in order to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention and support. Here is my first ornament for her. It has a pink ribbon at the top of the hanger. It just so happens I also used the gold bead trimming on this one, too.

The great news is that I now have a few more followers. I want to give a welcome to Tammy of Witchy Stitches, Cam at The Workbox Lighthouse , and Ashley at The Euphoric Stitcher. Cam has lots of tutorials and information so have fun just poking around. And Tammy and Ashley are really nice to read - lots of wonderful designs and projects to look at.

And be sure to visit my friend Yoyo at Dragon My needle. She always has so many projects going at once, I am amazed that she has time to blog!. She has also done so many things to make The Americana Stars Memorial get to where it is today and I love her dearly.

And the stars still keep getting stitched. I got back 50 red outlines that were stitched by Peggy Kohl in Kentucky that will be used to create stars for the firemen. Below are the stars for the FDNY (Fire Dept.), NYPD (Police Dept.) and PAPD (Port Authority Police Dept.)

I have about 2500 stars completed now and I hope to get back to working on the first sample panel design of The Americana Stars Memorial . If you would like to read about it in more detail, click on the link in the left side bar.

In the meantime, you can scroll down to the bottom of my blog to see "An Americana Flag", the piece that started it all. (A little secret - I never get tired of looking at it. It makes me feel wonderful and proud.)

Anyway, I am getting mighty tired now, so I will close up this little shop for the night. I promise to write as soon as I can when I get my system back. I hope all of you are well and visit me soon with your comments. I love to know that people are out there! : )

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Arghhh! Computer Problems!

2009-03-23T15:54:00.005-04:00

Unfortunately, I am having computer problems that might keep me offline for a while.

I have to send my computer back to Gateway for adjustments to my motherboard. My video card (which is connected to the motherboard) is not working quite right. It is making my monitor turn everything tinted teal. So I have not been able to see a picture or anything on my screen properly for months! Fortunately, it gave me a reprieve for about 2 days a few weeks ago, so I was able to upload my last post with pictures. But now, it can't wait. I hope to purchase a laptop to use in the meantime and to continue to use as a backup in case anything happens again.

On the upside, I like my new file cabinets so much, I bought 2 more. Can you imagine 6 file cabinets in a studio apartment? And yet, it doesn't look like an office. After living here for 30 years, I guess I got the hang of how to arrange and stash things so that it still feels like a home. And the spring cleaning continues...

The memorial project is still continuing and more stars are "twinkling" into existence. I also have 2 major exhibit companies here in New York that would like to produce The Americana Stars Memorial when it is completed. Very exciting!!!!!!!

Again, scroll down to the bottom of my blog to see the American flag that started it all!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

I Went Star Crazy!

2009-03-06T13:47:00.028-05:00

I have been using my stars from my Americana Stars Memorial collection for designing ornaments and I went a little crazy this past weekend. I didn't join the 2009 Christmas Challenge blog in time to make a January ornament for the club, but that doesn't mean I can't design one so that the year will be complete!

The ornaments you see are in order for January, February and March. All of the designs are available as charts, so click here to download.

The last image to the right is the back of the February ornament. I like to use a simple saddle stitch design (over 3, under 1). Those are my initials in the center.

I already have April and July ornaments completed, but you will have to wait until then!

I also just joined another blog club, Stitch Pink, where we can use any kind of stitching technique to create any item - ornaments, pinkeeps, biscornus, anything. The site was created by Kim to bring awareness to breast cancer research and preventative care. When I finish my first item for the site, I will post it.

Anyway, the memorial project continues. I just spent 2 nights at Kinkos and Staples to photocopy news articles and information for presentation books that I am sure I will need in the near future. I had a very nice response to the look of the first one and I hope it will help me in my fundraising efforts. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation, click here or on the star panel in the side bar. It will take you directly to the location needed. But if you do, please be sure to send me an email so I will be able to send your receipt and a custom designed Certificate of Donation with my thanks!

Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom of my blog to see An Americana Flag, the 9/11 project that started it all!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Free Design Star #1!

2009-02-28T12:24:00.015-05:00

As you might know by now, I am a member of the 2009 Christmas Challenge. We stitch an ornament each month. Since I only joined at the end of January, my first ornament was for February. It was a biscornu with 4 stars. When I asked everyone to vote for their favorite star for a free design chart, the star that got the most votes was Star #1. So, click on the star and it will take you to my Stitch-a-Star page at my website, Americana Arts.

I'm starting my next ornament star today. Each month, I will design a star in the colors to match the season/month for which it is made. So March (my Mom's birthday month) will be pink, yellow and green because Spring officially starts March 20. Of course, all of the cotton floss colors I use will be Robison-Anton, as they are one of my materials sponsors for my memorial project.

While you are there, I hope you will poke around to see the project I have been stitching for the past 6 years. I know, 6 years. What can I say. It's as committed as I have ever been to anything, except my friends and family (you know who you are!). : ) It is called The Americana Stars Memorial . I started it as a remembrance piece for all of the victims of 9/11. There will be over 3000 different stars, one for each victim. The final project will span over 200 feet long, so yes, 6 years and counting.

Since my blog is all about the memorial and my stitching, read back through the beginning of my posts ( only 2 months ago) and you will see lots of other pictures of my progress and get to know more about me : ). Scroll down to the bottom of my blog and you will see my first 9/11 piece, An Americana Flag.

This blog is the first time I have ever published any of my individual stars for stitchers and I am very happy to finally be able to give back to such a nice group of people. The only other piece I created for publication/sale was my Pledge of Allegiance design which is available through Nordic Needle. Please send my blog address to anyone that you think might enjoy stitching them. I look forward to having more followers.

By the way, I want to say "Welcome" to Loretta. She joined my followers list through one of my others, Leigh (Yoyo). Leigh has been helping me with the memorial project (stitching and website code) for about 4 years now and I don't know where I would be without her or my other stitchers, Colleen H., Karen P., Geri F., Peggy K., Kristin N., Norma S., and so many others. They keep my spirits up, up, up and away!!!!!!!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Food Poisening or Virus - Pick One!

2009-02-27T00:01:00.009-05:00

I have been really out of it the last few days. I got sick Sunday night - lost it from both ends. I think I had food poisening. A friend thinks I had some kind of virus that her daughter had also. Whatever it was, I am glad it is over. But I won't be eating any green salad for a while. I felt like I was in The Exorcist. The picture at right should give you an idea of how I felt. I didn't get much stitching done this past week.

Feeling better now but not eating much. Not a good way to lose weight before a high school reunion.

I like to treat myself to dinner at my neighborhood Shalimar Diner once every couple of weeks. They like me. Whenever I am interviewed for a newspaper there, I make sure they get their name in the article. They don't mind if I come early (about 4:00pm) and stay as long as I want, usually about 4 hours. I like to sip my coffee sloooowwwwllllyyyy while I stitch stars for the memorial in between courses! : )

But I did get about 4 new stars completed by the time I went home the last time. Here in Queens, NY, everything is very nearby. I can be home within 10 minutes if I don't get sidetracked by the RiteAid store that is open 'til midnight.

I might have mentioned in a previous post that I joined a SAL that Leigh, one of my stitchers, is running. Every new moon, we have to post a photo of the jar on our websites. So here is mine. Not much in there. You would never know how much I have really stitched. But in my own defense, I am very, how should I say it, frugal with my stitching. I don't leave alot of waste behind. I have been accused of having a depression era mentality, even though I was born in the late 1950's.

Well, enough for now. It's late and my bed is calling my name.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Today's Adventure - 5 Days Ago!

2009-02-26T12:49:00.009-05:00

I sent an email to a friend and she told me a few days later "Blog it, girl!" So here it is, my shopping adventure from 5 days ago.

Feb. 21 - Had quite a day today. I am sooooooo pooped out! (Not literally, mind you). I finally decided to let go of my big ottoman/bed and use the space for file cabinets to get all of my Americana Stars Memorial project files off of the floor. It was such a long chore finding cabinets that I could afford and wouldn't make my apartment look like an office. Took at least 2 years of searching.

I had been to Target last Sunday and saw them - $49.99, shiny silver gray steel (like a new car or my computer, not like an office gray), nice decorative handles. Not only do they have 2 file drawers, but also a 3" drawer on top - a really good height to use as a desk someday with a wooden top over them. And they were space efficient enough that I could put 3 of them across the back of my apartment and still take up less floor space than my ottoman/bed. I can't wait to start filling them. Oh and guess what - they were made in the USA!: )

I have a tower of plastic drawers in the back corner between my desk and back terrace door. I put one of the cabinets there and it is so much more stable. (When I say tower, I mean tower!)

I think I will go to Home Depot soon (after my feet recuperate - I had to go to Target 3 times today, bringing each one home on top of my shopping cart. So much walking!). I want to put a wooden top on it that is slightly larger than the total area of the cabinets. Just to create another work space. You would think I couldn't find another place to work in a one room apartment - I already have 4 - 3 desk/table tops and my couch. But when you live in a studio for 30 years, you learn to adapt and rearrange.

I was going to go back for a 4th cabinet for the back of my computer area, but I used my female smarts (the kind men can never seem to find). I insisted they let me check the last cabinet in stock for defects so I would not have to make a wasted trip. Guess what - it was defective. Thank G-d! After the third trip, I know I could not have done it again.

So I will use the ottoman/bed to put my painful feet and legs up for the next few days - just a way of saying goodbye before I let it go. Everything's a ceremony. When you have things as long as I have, it takes a while to let them go.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

More Progress!

2009-02-18T01:55:00.019-05:00

I have just finished the closing words of The Declaration of Independence on the first sample panel for The Americana Stars Memorial. It felt so good to see it and I am looking forward to doing more when the time comes. I had to place the words a little higher up than I had planned with the basting, but I didn't go far enough. That's the great thing about basting - you can make changes before all of the future frogging drives you nuts!

I will have to place the stars a little lower and rebaste the lines from left to right. But the fabric has plenty of planning room, since it is still 48" wide and 2 yards long.

Meanwhile, I have been investigating more blogs with project tutorials so I can decide what to make for my second ornament challenge. It will be another star, but in colors for March. After all, I am the Star Lady of NY!

There certainly are alot of talented people out there in the internet world. I found wonderful lessons for a needlecase at Ink Circles and for scissor fobs at Annette's Acre.

I would like to make a fob of some kind for my cell phone. Right now I have a ribbon tied to it so I can pull it out of my pocketbook quickly when I get a call. But I would like to make something more substantial, but small (so it doesn't take up alot of space - small pocketbook. : )) My first phone had a little notch opening for a cord, but my current phone doesn't.

Oh well, the little problems of a big city girl. I'll just deal!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Progress!

2009-02-14T03:24:00.009-05:00

Well, I started stitching the first sample panel last night. I must tell you, seeing and reading the closing words of the Declaration of Independence is one thing. Actually stitching the words in such a large size is quite another. I started feeling more emotional about it than I expected, so I had to call Leigh L. (She is the only stitcher I know that I can call later in the evening.)

It went much smoother than I had anticipated and I really look forward to completing the words and attaching the stars. But I am sure that stitching the names will be another emotional hurdle.

The actual color of the photos is a little off. I couldn't seem to work my camera to get it accurate (I think it might be time for a new one). The fabric is Charles Craft Navy (they make a fabulous navy!) and the text is Robison-Anton Bright Gray (a wonderful rich silver gray!).

Don't forget to VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE STAR from the last blog! I will be making a free chart available so you can make an ornament of your own. Just leave your vote in a comment at the end of this post. I have been stitching all of the stars for The Americana Stars Memorial on 11 count Aida, backed with fusible interfacing from The Warm Company. The biscornu was made on 14 count Aida. I must admit I did need to resort to using my Dazor lighted magnifier. My eyes have changed a bit since I started this.

As most of you know, all of the companies mentioned have donated their products for the project - all made in the USA. They have been with me for 6 years now and have been very patient. Thank G-d for gratious, generous people. (That includes all of my stitchers, of course!)

It's very late and I have an appointment tomorrow with my friend Joel S. to have my NY1 News interview put on DVD so I can include it in my press kits.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

My First Biscornu!

2009-02-05T22:22:00.027-05:00

As a new member of the 2009 Christmas Challenge, I wanted to make a special first ornament. I hoped to make a pendiboulle, but it didn't work out so I made a biscornu shape (also my first). As you all know by now, I love to design stars. So I made this one to color coordinate for Valentines Day - lots of pink and red.

VOTE FOR A STAR! The most popular one will be made available FREE OF CHARGE for everyone to use. Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post. Of course, you can use the colors of your choice.

This is the first time I am making any of my many stars available to the public by blog. I have created thousands of designs (all copyrighted, of course) for The Americana Stars Memorial and I really enjoy the process. People say to me "Doreen, don't you get bored having to stitch so many stars for so many years?" Well, I have help. I have stitchers all over the country who are helping. Besides, since each star takes only 1-3 hours, I get a wonderful sense of joy every time I finish one.

If you would like to see my first 9/11 project, An Americana Flag, scroll to the bottom of this blog!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

I Just Joined An Ornament Challenge!

2009-01-30T20:05:00.023-05:00

I am excited to tell you that I just joined a group of stitchers on the web. It is called 2009 Christmas Challenge. They are limited to 100 members so I was very lucky when a space happened to become available. We make one ornament, also known as "ornies", every month.

Leigh L. from Illinois, one of my stitchers from The Americana Stars Memorial, told me about the group during one of our "midnight marathon" sessions. ( After 9pm, my cell phone is free so we can talk and explore the internet at the same time.) I was reading a post on her blog, Dragon My Needle, and which was all about Biscornus (pin cushions) and seeing them really got my creative juices flowing. And then I discovered the other little wonders I could make - pendiboulles and pin keeps.

This is a biscornu she stitched, which is a free design called Cheetah Biscornu, offered on the Cross Stitch Happy blog. It is part of a full 'sewing set'. (Image used with permission.)

Oh, to have something other than stars to stitch that take so little time is a wonderful diversion! The opportunity to broaden my designing repertoire and bring other stitchers around the world into my life is something I could not pass up!

Leigh is also the stitcher who volunteered to help me put together a website for the memorial project. Without her ability to do all of the HTML code, it would never have happened. I could not have gotten as far in the process without her. She has become my mentor, teaching me everything I need to know so I can do the code myself. And yet, she still finds the time for more lessons. I hope you all get to meet her when the project has its first display.

Colleen H. from upstate NY is another one of my stitchers. When she heard I was looking into biscornus and pendiboulles, she sent me links to these wonderful little things. You can see what they are at Linda's photo blog. According to Colleen, she is the queen of biscornus from Reykjavík, Iceland. She does truly beautiful work.

My first project will be a pendiboulle with a pink multicolored star design. There are some very good examples of 'the pendiboulle' on the blog www.mammamaga.blogspot.com, the post is dated December 22, 2008. Click here to see more. This blog is in Italian, so you will have to put the page address through a translator. Google has a good one - a very handy thing to bookmark since so many stitchers are in so many countries.

When I make my first one, I will post it to my blog immediately!

Okay, I have had a long day, so I will say goodbye for now. Next time I will tell you about a couple more stitchers.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

My First Sample Panel Has Begun!

2009-01-25T23:12:00.014-05:00

Alot has been worked on this past week. In my efforts to make sure I had as many as the victim's names as possible, I consulted 3 different lists. CNN was the most complete, so I started laying them out for placement on the panels.

I spoke to one of the curators at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum last week. She is familiar with the work I am doing and she saw An Americana Flag four years ago when she worked at the New-York Historical Society. Apparently, they don't have the most complete list, either. But she was sure to tell me that after speaking to many of the families, she knows that they want the most complete version of their names that is possible - middle names, maiden & married names, etc. I can certainly understand how they feel. I know I no longer feel "completely dressed" without my middle name included, as simple as it is.

It was a very original feeling when I worked on my list. After I made my spreadsheet, I went to other lists to find as many as I can. Rather than just being names of the people who died, they became more real as adding to them seemed to add to their personalities. For example, Mike Bocchino became Michael Leopoldo Bocchino and Ingeborg Lariby became Ingeborg Astrid Desiree Lariby.

Sometimes, I came upon a name that I was not sure was male or female. So I would click the link CNN has for each name and begin to read about them. As personal as I have always felt this project to be, it could not help but become even more so..

And as for the first sample panel, I completed all of the basting stitches for the placement of the stars, names and words across the top. This will be the first time I get to see if the layout and size really work as I had planned. I think I am going to have to think about a backing for each panel so that they will remain stable over time..

I know I will end up going to my friend Wendy's house to work on her dining room table within the next 2 weeks. She has been very generous in helping me whenever possible with this project..

The article in The Wave has come out and Wendy brought me a copy. It is the only article so far with all 3 important parts - my name is spelled correctly, it has the project name in it and my website is listed..

As always, if you know anyone with a website that might like to include a link to my story to promote donations, I would be so grateful. If anyone out there has a connection to the American Legion or VFW (Veterans of Foreigh Wars), I would love to speak to them about including my story in their newsletter..

Next time, I promise to write about my wonderful stitchers! And if you want to see An Americana Flag, scroll to the bottom of this blog!

See you later! Thanks for reading!

The NY Daily News Came Out!

2009-01-16T20:08:00.010-05:00

Today the article in the New York Daily News about the project became available online so now everyone can read it. They even put a pretty good picture of me in it. Unfortunately, the name of the project is missing. : (

My friend Wendy called me this morning to tell me that the article in The Rockaway Wave came out today. I hear it is quite BIG but their website will not let me access it for a couple of weeks without a subscription, so I guess we will have to wait. Wendy took pictures on her new digital camera at the NY1 News shoot and she let The Wave use them in the article. That was really nice of her.

Enough about me. The big news in my neighborhood today is that Circuit City is closing. They have a large store in the mall a couple of blocks away and I get sad thinking about how another 34,000 people have lost their jobs. When will it end?

I am working on more stars this weekend, but it has been slow due to a really nasty cold that invaded my sinuses yesterday. Considering the pace I have been keeping, I am lucky it isn't worse.

See you later! Thanks for reading!

Good Morning, America!

2009-01-14T20:46:00.018-05:00

This is my first blog and I am very excited!. I know I should have done this a long time ago, but I am one of those people who takes time (lots of time!) getting used to something before I jump in.

This has been a very busy 2 weeks. Yesterday, I had a story about me appear in the NY Daily News! How cool is that? And it was the centerfold - finally, I am a centerfold girl. In the Queens section, of course.

This past weekend, I was on NY1 TV News. I called them a couple of weeks ago to let them know about my project, The Americana Stars Memorial. I got a call the next morning from a producer who told me that they looked at my website and all of the information I sent. They were so impressed, they wanted to make me their Queens Person of the Week!

My mom was a former Miss Queens in the 1940's so I guess we now have something in common (even if her title was for a whole year). She would get such a kick out of it, like no one else I know. I lost her last August and it's been so hard, but I know she would be proud. I can see the gleam in her eye as I write!

I realize that I kind of jumped in without you knowing anything about me, so here we go.

I was raised in Westbury, New York, a suburb of Long Island. I am a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC with an A.A.S. in Display and Exhibit Design and a B.F.A in Textile and Surface Design. I have worked in the fashion and home furnishings industries throughout my professional career, creating designs for woven textiles and decorative trimming.

In Junior High school, when I learned how to sew, I did not know it would open up a world of needle arts. I started sewing clothes and moved on to embroidery in high school and college. In 1999, I walked into my local crafts store and discovered cross-stitch. It appealed to me because, as a weaver, the designing process was based on squares, just like the graph paper used in designing for the weaving loom. I was hooked.

After the fall of the World Trade Towers in NY, my needle arts focus changed. Up until then I had concentrated on designing quilts in cross stitch. After 9/11, I created An Americana Flag as an artistic response to my feelings about that day. When the Smithsonian Institution requested my flag for the National Museum of American History, I decided that perhaps I could create something bigger that would help others deal with the events of that day as my flag had helped me.

The Americana Stars Memorial is that project. After a story about my efforts was published nationally, I received letters, cards and emails from stitchers all over the country, wanting to be involved. The project has grown from there and I have been working on it since early 2003. I hope to have it completed and displayed by September 11, 2011.

I live in Rego Park, New York and love to spend time cross stitching, watching old movies, walking, weaving, cooking, and visiting with my nieces, family and friends.

So now you have some of my story, except that I was also in 2 other newspapers, the Queens Tribune and the Forest Hills Ledger, in the last couple of months. And another one, The Rockaway Wave, is coming next week. I have been sooooooooo busy, but thrilled that everyone I call has wanted to write about my project.

I promise to not be a stranger to my own blog and will post often. I will also be including links to my stitchers who are on blogspot and their own websites (as a courtesy they deserve for their wonderful efforts on my behalf).

See you later! Thanks for reading!