05.22.14 NL Needlepoint Kneel 3 page layout

Newsletter
Vol. 57, No. 5
May 22, 2014
More Than Just a Stitch in Time ...
The St. C’s Needlepoint Kneelers
Celebrating
140 Years
The story of 38
dedicated stitchers
who needlepointed
106 kneelers, all
graced with original,
biblically-inspired
designs.
ST. COLUMBA’S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH
4201 Albemarle Street NW
Washington, DC 20016
202-363-4119
fax 202-686-2671
Columba.org
The Rt. Rev. Joe G. Burnett
Interim Rector
[email protected]
The kneelers in the Church Nave at St.
Columba’s were officially dedicated on
June 8, 2014 –106 colorful and sturdy
needlepoint cushions; the work of
38 dedicated stitchers working more
than a decade, jointly coordinated by
Sally Comiskey and Debbie DuSault.
The needlepoint kneeler project
began in 2001 when Madeline Peeler
mentioned the idea to some friends.
A committee soon formed around
her comprised of Ann Peel, Sally
Comiskey, Kathryn Donald (the wife
of the Rev. Jim Donald, our rector)
and Debbie DuSault. The needlepoint
committee then began our research
by visiting the National Cathedral
and a few local churches, gathering
information and ideas. The National
Cathedral stitchers were especially
helpful with the management aspects
of such a large project and how to
generate design ideas, but could not
provide with any specific designs.
The needlepoint designs used in the
many cushions and kneelers of the
Cathedral are copyrighted and could
not be shared. After further research
the group found that the design of
ecclesiastical needlepoint is a very
small subset of needlework design
and involves hiring, at considerable
expense, one of the few designers in
the field. We then decided to originate
designs of “our own.”
ST. COLUMBA’S Newsletter n May 22, 2014
In early fall 2001, members of the
group approached Jim Donald to
discuss the proposal. He was very
supportive and suggested we gauge
what the interest in the parish might
be. We set up a booth at the Parish
Fair that September, hoping for a
positive response. Over 60 people
indicated their willingness to needlepoint a kneeler, so we proceeded
ahead with research and design.
Our committee next met with
Nancy Lukoskie of Easton, MD, a
professional needlepoint designer,
finisher and conservator, who has
worked for years on projects for
many churches including the National
Cathedral. Nancy is nationally known
for her work in ecclesiastical needlepoint. She recommended using the
highest quality canvas materials and
yarns in order to ensure the beauty
and longevity of the cushions. Nancy
personally “finished” (i.e., blocked
and assembled into cushions) all the
St. Columba needlepoint canvases
and has been a valued friend and
adviser throughout the project.
By early winter in 2002 we began
meeting weekly to develop specific
design ideas, and considered architectural and design motifs within
the church and in the stained-glass
windows. We researched designs
in keeping with our Celtic heritage,
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ST. COLUMBA’S n Rich in Worship
general Christian religious symbols
and specific motifs that are a part of
St. Columba’s unique culture.
Although each of us had a role
in creating the designs chosen, the
overwhelming majority were the
work and inspiration of Kathryn
Donald who soon emerged as the
most talented artist among us. While
the committee as a whole developed
many ideas for kneelers, Kathryn was
uniquely able to adapt our ideas to
the constraints of a long and narrow
kneeler and the tiny geometric
stitches, and we embraced her
designs and inspiring spirit.
Each row of pews would have
one design, and there would be a
thematic development from the front
of the church to the last row. The
designs chosen came from a variety
of sources: stories from the Bible
(Creation, Fish and Birds, Noah’s
Ark, Apple Tree and Christmas); the
church’s architectural motifs (e.g.
Oak Leaves and Thistles from the
parclose and a Celtic design from
St. Columba’s robe depicted in the
stained glass window); symbolic floral
and religious designs (e.g., Morning
Glories, Lilies, Pomegranates and
Wheat and Grapes); symbols of the
resurrection; (e.g., Christmas Rose;
Lenten Rose and Easter Lilies) and, as
a tribute to our patron saint, a threepart story of a pair of cranes.
With the assistance of a single
$10,000 seed money grant from
the St. Columba Fund, the group
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was soon able to have the first 24
canvases painted and prepared.
We recruited our first stitchers from
the list of St.Columbans who had
initially volunteered, and conducted
workshops to pass along techniques
learned from the experts. Each
prospective stitcher then successfully stitched a “test sampler” which
was independently evaluated by
Nancy Lukoskie. By April 2005 the
first needlepoint kneeler cushion was
If the needlepoint
kneelers could talk,
they would have so
much to tell ...
finished and installed in the church;
an original Celtic design on a brilliant
red background adapted from the
stole in St. Columba’s stained glass
window.
We then recognized the creation
of a single needlepoint cushion was a
lengthy exercise of 12 steps:
1. Finding an idea;
2. Sketching the idea;
3. Enlarging the sketch to the
actual size of the kneeler;
4. Refining the design, adding
detail and color;
5. Drawing the final design on
tracing paper to prepare for painting
–this final drawing is called the
“cartoon;”
6. Choosing yarn from the colors
available, considering how they will
actually look in the light;
7. Preparing the needlepoint
canvas for painting, i.e., measuring
and outlining the actual size of the
cushion and finishing the edges to
prevent unraveling;
8. Painting the canvas from the
cartoon over the light box;
9. Determining exact amounts of
every color of yarn and assembling
a completed “kit” for the stitcher,
including the painted canvas, needle,
yarn and printed instructions;
10. Stitching the canvas, a task
which can take anywhere from a
couple of months to several years;
11. Finishing the canvas into a
cushion (blocking the canvas, adding
the foam, fabric backing and Velcro
for installing);
12. Removing the old kneeler,
installing the new kneeler cushion and
placing an inscribed brass plaque
onto the base of the sponsored
kneelers.
The committee soon realized this
was going to be an expensive project
and looked for ways to reduce our
costs. Fully one-third of the cost of a
kneeler was attributed to the painting
of the canvases by a professional,
which requires special paints, a light
box and the ability to paint to where
each stitch will be. Debbie DuSault,
who had extensive needlepoint
stitching experience, volunteered,
taught herself the craft and then
ST. COLUMBA’S n 202-363-4119 n Columba.org
ST. COLUMBA’S n Rich in Worship
St. Columba
Needlepoint
Stitchers
completed painting the remaining 82
canvases on her kitchen counter over
the next several years.
As the initial seed funds were
depleted, the committee began to
set up displays on Sunday mornings
in the Common to apprise the parish
of our progress and display note
cards we had created using pictures
of the completed kneelers. The
entire project has now been funded
(with the exception of our initial
$10,000 grant) by the sale of note
cards, donations and/or sponsorships
of individual cushions. The cost of
fully sponsoring a kneeler was set at
$1,000, which included the cost of
materials, the professional finishing
process and the brass plaque installed
onto the wooden base of the kneeler,
as well as some reserve funds for
future repairs and general maintenance of the cushions. To date,
approximately 38 of the 106 kneelers
are fully sponsored.
In the course of needlepoint
kneeler project, 38 needle pointers,
both men and women, volunteered
to stitch 106 canvases and every
canvas is a testament to their skill,
their dedication and their love for
St. Columba’s. Most stitchers were
St. Columbans, while a few were
friends or relatives of St. Columbans.
Some stitchers began a canvas and
for various reasons had to pass it
along to another stitcher. One such
stitcher, when he realized he would
not be able to complete his canvas,
discovered a group of British prison
inmates advertising their needlepointing services and arranged to
have it finished by one of the group.
This inmate was clearly a very
experienced needle pointer and
he did an excellent job. Although
many of our stitchers stopped at one
canvas or part of one canvas, several
stitchers totally embraced the project
and went on to complete several
canvases, some completing nine, ten
or even more.
While the needlepoint kneeler
project was a work of great joy for
everyone involved, we suffered one
very tragic loss. Madeline Peeler,
who started and guided the project
through its early difficult days and
beyond, succumbed to cancer in
December 2009. Madeline not only
originated the idea of the needlepoint kneeler cushions, but also led
us through the research and planning and wrote the proposals that
resulted in the initial grant from the
St. Columba Fund. Madeline was our
business manager, treasurer, fundraiser, cheerleader and final arbiter
of taste and beauty. The outpouring of
love for her and the resulting support
for this project that was so important
to her, made a significant contribution
to its funding. Since Madeline’s
death, Debbie DuSault and Sally
Comiskey have continued to lead the
needlepoint kneeler project, knowing she would be pleased to see it
finally completed.
n Sally Comiskey
& Debbie DuSault
ST. COLUMBA’S Newsletter n May 22, 2014
Susan Absher
Laura Anthony
Mary Claire Bond
Sally Boulter
Barbara Brincefield
Nancy Bryson
Cynthia Cathcart
Adrienne Clamp
Anne Clippinger
Sally Comiskey
Florri DeCell
Meg Spencer Dixon
Kathryn Donald
Terry Dowd
Debbie DuSault
Brian Flanagan
Marilynn Flood
Kathleen Gallagher
Beth Harrison
Linda Haslach
Betsy Hawkings
Gavin Hills
Alison Horan
Janet Ishimoto
Penny Jones
Sheila Lindveit
Ellen MacNeil
Lisa McAuliffe
Selby McPhee
Ann Peel
Shirley Putnam
Julia Robertson
Mary Sue Robson
Joan Rosenbaum
Jennifer Swift
Charles Taylor
Julie White
MJ Wiseman
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