2021-2022 Presentations

This month's speaker, Akemi Cohn, was born in Yokohama, Japan. She studied traditional dyeing techniques for 10 years under the Master Haru Izumi in Japan. She has an MFA from the Cranberry Academy of Art.

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Akemi Cohn has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as workshops in the USA and abroad. Akemi Cohn has had national and international exhibits in NYC, Washington and Japan. Her local commissions include the Unitarian Church of Evanston, IL, and Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL.

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She states that her work expresses a process of trace and memory.  She will be speaking about the Japanese arts of Boro and Sashiko stitching.

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Information about her art and dyeing processes can be found at www.akeminakanocohn.blogspot.com. Some of her textile art works can be seen at www.akemistudio.com.

Our guest this month will be Kimberly Smith from Lakeland, FL.  She is a multi-talented national needlework designer, artist and teacher who looks at needlepoint like no other. She has designed everything from jewelry, fashion, knitting and needlework - both counted and free form.

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Kimberly exhibits her work in galleries and shows nationally and has been published in many needlework magazines.

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To view some of Kimberly’s art, you can visit her at www.akimberlydesign.com

as well as www.bedeckedandbedazzled.com.

We will visit the Royal School of Needlework in London, England with Nancy Knopf. Nancy had the fortunate opportunity to visit this place that so many needlework artisans would love to visit.

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The history of the Royal School of Needlework is truly a journey of excellence in hand embroidery. The Royal School began as a School of Art Needlework in 1872, founded by Lady Victoria Welby. The first President was Princess Helena, Queen Victoria’s third daughter. It became the Royal School of Needlework in 1875.

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The founding principles of the RSN were twofold: to revive a beautiful art which had fallen into disuse, and through its revival, to provide employment for educated women who, without a suitable livelihood, would otherwise find themselves compelled to live in poverty. These two principles still guide the RSN today.

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More information about the Royal School of Needlework can be found at their website,

www.royal-needlework.org.uk.

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Our featured speaker this month, Catherine Redford, will be lecturing on the history of Dorset buttons. Like Dorset buttons, Catherine hails from England. 

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Although she is well  known in quilting circles, Catherine is experienced in a wide variety of needle arts including knitting, needlepoint, wool applique and embroidery. She loves to embellish her work. In addition to lecturing and teaching nationally, she has appeared on Quilting Arts TV, authored two DVD’s on Modern Machine Quilting and recently had her book, Butterfly Stitches- Hand Embroidery and Wool Applique Designs, published by C&T.

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Dating back to the late sixteenth Century, Dorset buttons have been a great way to embellish any quilting project as well as knitwear. They can also be finished as jewelry pieces.

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Catherine's website is www.catherineredford.com.

This month we welcome Susan Wojciechowski from Milwaukee who specializes  in wool embroidery.  She will be sharing her crafting experiences.

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Susan can be found online at www.ewe-niversity.com.  She also has a shop on Etsy where she sells instructions and kits for her designs.

We will take our field trip (postponed from May 2020) to Nancy Sturgeon’s home in Naperville, Illinois.  Nancy will be graciously sharing her home abundantly filled with hand stitched treasures. She has antique quilts and two walls filled with Historic Samplers for us to appreciate and learn about.