Eastern Iowa embroidery group marks 40 years

The Cedar Valley Chapter of The Embroiderers' Guild of America (EGA) is celebrating its 40th year this year, and has more than 120 members ranging in age from 30 to nearly 90.

'You simply need to have a desire to stitch, or to learn to stitch,” in order to join, said Lori Barton, co-chair of the EGA's upcoming Showcase of Needle Arts Exhibit.

Each month, members take turns hosting small groups in their homes for several hours of needlework, along with conversation, outreach planning and refreshments.

'The friendships that form here are rich,” said group member Marj Grimm. 'This is a very accepting group.”

The chapter also works with elementary and middle school children throughout Eastern Iowa.

'We have members that go in and help work on themes the teachers are teaching,” Barton said. 'We do simple bookmarks so the children can learn simple stitches - mainly cross stitch.

Each year, the group's members also present a different school with 20 to 100 bookmarks featuring designs such as bookworms, sailboats or baseball bats, Barton said.

'The kids get a bookmark if they do their reading requirement, so it is incentive for them to read,” Barton said.

The chapter is involved in several other community projects. The members stitch samplers for families who move into Habitat for Humanity-built homes. To date, the chapter has donated more than 40 samplers.

'Whenever there is a new home dedication, we present them with their sampler,” Barton said.

The samplers have a picture of a house on them with various figures and hearts, as well as the name of the family.

The chapter also does needlework classes for children at the Marion Public Library, as well as holiday exhibits with the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum in West Branch and takes part in the Iowa State Fair, where they sponsor the Best of Show in Counted Thread prize each August.

'This year we will be going to the Linn County Fair for the first time so that we can do demonstrations to help get people excited about entering exhibits,” Barton said.

The Cedar Valley chapter of EGA also has an international reach via a relationship with a chapter in New Zealand.

'Their chapter isn't quite as large as ours,” Barton said, 'but each year we exchange needlework gifts with them.”

That includes elegently stitched needle cases, scissors, fobs and pin cusions.

Barton said the chapter expects to exhibit close to 400 different needleworks from April 22 to 24 during the Showcase of Needle Arts Exhibit at the Kirkwood Training & Outreach Center in Marion

The chapter hosts the exhibit every two years to help offset the costs of supplies for its programs.