Group Correspondence Courses

Carol Currier is certified by the National Academy of Needlearts (NAN) as a surface embroidery teacher. She served on the national board of The Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) for eight years including as national President from 2007-2009. Carol is currently the EGA Chair of the Master Craftsman program in crewel embroidery. She was honored in the September 2018 Needle Arts as Designer Across America. Carol holds memberships in EGA, NAN, American Needlepoint Guild (ANG), and National Association of Needlework Teachers (NETA). She is a partner in a needlework shop in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Gail Stafford holds EGA Master Craftsman certifications in Canvas Embroidery, Color for Needlework and Design for Needlework. She is the author of Undulations II, an EGA correspondence course. She has been on the faculty of ANG and EGA seminars and has presented numerous programs for ANG and EGA chapters. Her current needlework focus is on translating scenic images into canvas embroidery designs, but she also enjoys Bargello. Her work has won many prestigious awards and has been published in Needle Pointers, Needle Arts, and Needlepoint Now.

Marion Scoular is a 3-year, Mark Excellent graduate of The Royal School of Needlework and a City and Guild’s Silver medallist. She has taught dressmaking in English High Schools, owned The Robin Hood Wool Shop for 13 years; taught Adult Education for Clemson University and has judged, lectured and taught in 49 states, Canada, Mexico and Australia. She is the author of many booklets and articles on Embroidery techniques

Jonalene is EGA certified in Counted Thread. She is a member of our Indian River Chapter in Florida and has been teaching various forms of needlework since 1982 at EGA chapters, and events at the regional and national level. She has over sixty needlework publications under the name of Friends in Needlework and three retired EGA Group Correspondence Courses.

Laura Smith is an embroidery innovator, nationally known designer, and process style teacher.She holds the EGA Master Craftsman in Color and has served as chair for the Master Craftsman in Color Program since 2006. She is a past Chairman of Fiber Forum (2011-2015) and a former director of an arts center. Her education in chemistry has helped her to understand mixed media and textiles. Her website is www.Stitch4Fun.com.

Linda Wyszynski lives with her husband, Dennis, in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and is the owner of Hearthside Creations, LLC. She is a professional needle arts designer who has over thirty years of experience as an artist creating freelance needlework projects for publication. She began her designing career by painting custom needlepoint canvases for local needlepoint shops in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is an author of needlework textbooks, magazine articles, twenty multi-author books, and The Complete Photo Guide to Needlework (Creative Publishing 2012).

Linda has always been active in the art and needlework community, including the following: CHA Designer Section Council, Board of Directors Society of Craft Designers, and Outreach After School Project program for St. Paul Needleworkers EGA Chapter, needlework teacher for EGA regions and local EGA chapters, Board of Directors Needlework Guild of Minnesota, Twin Cities Metropolitan Art Council Board, and Polk County North Carolina Community Arts Council Committee. She is passionate about needlework and continues to be active in national organizations. She is currently a member of The Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) and The National Needlework Association (TNNA).

Cheryl Sharp has been a member of the Washington DC Chapter of EGA since 1981. She took a wide variety of classes in her chapter, region and at National Seminars before focusing on surface embroidery. She particularly enjoys crewel embroidery and stumpwork, and she adds beads and metal threads to spice things up! She was chair of EGA’s 17th National Exhibit and has been a contributing editor of Needle Arts since 2008, writing the Design Across America series as well as project articles. In 2007, she co-authored A Sampler of Crewel Stitches after examining an embroidery from EGA’s collection.

Marion Scoular is a 3-year, Mark Excellent graduate of The Royal School of Needlework and a City and Guild’s Silver medallist. She has taught dressmaking in English High Schools, owned The Robin Hood Wool Shop for 13 years; taught Adult Education for Clemson University and has judged, lectured and taught in 49 states, Canada, Mexico and Australia. She is the author of many booklets and articles on Embroidery techniques

Jane Ellen Balzuweit holds teacher certifications in pulled thread and counted thread with the Embroiderers’ Guild of America. She has taught at various EGA national and regional seminars, Embroidery Association of Canada (EAC) seminars and for The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA). She authored correspondence courses for EGA and American Needlepoint Guild (ANG) and designed a petite project for EGA. Jane Ellen has taught cyber classes for ANG and the Shining Needle Society, designed for Rainbow Gallery and owned and operated a needlework store for 35 years.

Group Correspondence Course: A Touch of Fall with Jane Ellen Balzuweit

Carolyn Standing Webb has a degree in education but finds needlework much more rewarding to teach. She grew up in a home where art was a part of everyday life and creativity was encouraged. An EGA member of our Wasatch, Salt Lake City Chapter, she has been a needlework designer and teacher for over twenty years, teaching on the local, regional and national levels. She has a line of patterns available in retail stores. Several pieces of her work have been published in books and magazines and she has won a number of prizes for her needlework. She has her Master Craftsman in Counted Thread. Her goal is to share with her students her love of needlework and to help them relax and enjoy it.

Kim Sanders is an EGA certified teacher in crewel and surface embroidery and a Master Craftsman in surface embroidery and in smocking. She holds a degree in Textiles and Clothing from the University of Tennessee. Kim has taught at shops, chapters, EGA national and regional seminars and has authored four GCC, an ICC, and several Petite Projects. Her articles and designs have appeared in Inspirations, Needle Arts, Australian Smocking and Embroidery and The Smocking Arts. She filmed four embroidery focused segments of the PBS program, Creative Living with Sheryl Borden.

Barbara M. Kershaw has a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge of the many varied and wonderful forms of embroidery generally called whitework. She has taken many courses and classes from the EAC, EGA, and ANG. Barbara is certified as an EGA Master Craftsman in counted thread. She also studied in Germany at the Museum de Schwalm in 2005 and 2011. She has been teaching for over 20 years at various EAC national seminars, EGA national and regional seminars, guilds in Canada, America and Bermuda as well as two International teaching tours of the USA. Barbara is the author of EGA Group Correspondence Courses – Noel and Individual Correspondence Course Basic Study of Schwalm Embroidery. Her book Exquisite Schwalm focuses on Schwalm filling stitches.

Becky discovered EGA when the national seminar was in Denver, CO and she visited the education exhibit. She remembers standing in front of a pulled thread piece and thinking “this is what I want to learn”. She found the local chapter in Colorado Springs and my adventures began!

Becky has taught classes for her local chapter, local library, various EGA chapters, region seminars and the 2012 EGA National Seminar.

After retiring from the US Olympic Committee where she was Managing Director of IT, she became involved in EGA’s pilot program for Certified Appraisers which she co-chairs with Cheryl Christian.

She has served in volunteer posts in my local chapter in officer positions as president, VP/newsletter editor, secretary and treasurer and committee chair for exhibits, auction, education and luncheon. For the Rocky Mountain Region, she served as region director, secretary, treasurer, region seminar chair, region seminar registrar, and region retreat registrar. She has also served on the national level as Budget Director, Education Administrator, National Exhibit Chair for “Through the Needle’s Eye”, Bylaws Review Chair, 2008 National Seminar Treasurer and co-chair EGA Appraiser Certification program. Becky has been the recipient the Rocky Mountain Region Claire Award and the Gold Thread Award for the region.

Margaret Kinsey is an EGA certified teacher in silk and metal thread embroidery. She is certified to teach Japanese traditional embroidery. She is the designated US teacher for the Kunimitsu Rozashi Studio and studies with Fumiko Ozaki. Margaret is the 2010 recipient of the national EGA Gold Thread Award and teaches at all levels of EGA. She teaches at national seminars and chapters of ANG and EAC. She was the 2012 keynote speaker and taught at the New Zealand Embroidery Guild Conference in Christchurch, NZ, and toured, taught, and lectured additional venues in New Zealand. Margaret chaired the 5th, 6th and 7th EGA International Embroidery Conferences. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NAN, 2021.

Barbara M. Kershaw has a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge of the many varied and wonderful forms of embroidery generally called whitework. She has taken many courses and classes from the EAC, EGA, and ANG. Barbara is certified as an EGA Master Craftsman in counted thread. She also studied in Germany at the Museum de Schwalm in 2005 and 2011. She has been teaching for over 20 years at various EAC national seminars, EGA national and regional seminars, guilds in Canada, America and Bermuda as well as two International teaching tours of the USA. Barbara is the author of EGA Group Correspondence Courses – Noel and Individual Correspondence Course Basic Study of Schwalm Embroidery. Her book Exquisite Schwalm focuses on Schwalm filling stitches.

Kay Stanis is an internationally known fiber artist, designer, Master Craftsman, and Certified and Graduate Certified Teacher of EGA and Kurenai Kai Traditional Japanese Embroidery.  She has been on the faculties of American Needlepoint Guild national seminars, Callaway School of Needlearts, Embroiderers Association of Canada, EGA national and regional seminars, Koala Conventions, South Australia Embroidery Conference, Embroidery 2000 (New Zealand), and many independent groups.

Barbara M. Kershaw has a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge of the many varied and wonderful forms of embroidery generally called whitework. She has taken many courses and classes from the EAC, EGA, and ANG. Barbara is certified as an EGA Master Craftsman in counted thread. She also studied in Germany at the Museum de Schwalm in 2005 and 2011. She has been teaching for over 20 years at various EAC national seminars, EGA national and regional seminars, guilds in Canada, America and Bermuda as well as two International teaching tours of the USA. Barbara is the author of EGA Group Correspondence Courses – Noel and Individual Correspondence Course Basic Study of Schwalm Embroidery. Her book Exquisite Schwalm focuses on Schwalm filling stitches.

Marion Scoular is a 3-year, Mark Excellent graduate of The Royal School of Needlework and a City and Guild’s Silver medallist. She has taught dressmaking in English High Schools, owned The Robin Hood Wool Shop for 13 years; taught Adult Education for Clemson University and has judged, lectured and taught in 49 states, Canada, Mexico and Australia. She is the author of many booklets and articles on Embroidery techniques

Margaret Kinsey is an EGA certified teacher in silk and metal thread embroidery. She is certified to teach Japanese traditional embroidery. She is the designated US teacher for the Kunimitsu Rozashi Studio and studies with Fumiko Ozaki. Margaret is the 2010 recipient of the national EGA Gold Thread Award and teaches at all levels of EGA. She teaches at national seminars and chapters of ANG and EAC. She was the 2012 keynote speaker and taught at the New Zealand Embroidery Guild Conference in Christchurch, NZ, and toured, taught, and lectured additional venues in New Zealand. Margaret chaired the 5th, 6th and 7th EGA International Embroidery Conferences. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NAN, 2021.

Denise Harrington Pratt is an artist and needlework designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a passion for counted thread embroidery on linen. Denise has been teaching needlework since 1995. She has taught at Spirit of Cross Stitch Festivals, National and Regional Seminars for the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc., and EGA chapters. She also has developed Group Correspondence Courses and Online Courses for EGA. Denise is an active member of the Southern Maine Chapter of EGA.

Carol Currier is certified by the National Academy of Needlearts (NAN) as a surface embroidery teacher. She served on the national board of The Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) for eight years including as national President from 2007-2009. Carol is currently the EGA Chair of the Master Craftsman program in crewel embroidery. She was honored in the September 2018 Needle Arts as Designer Across America. Carol holds memberships in EGA, NAN, American Needlepoint Guild (ANG), and National Association of Needlework Teachers (NETA). She is a partner in a needlework shop in Pinehurst, North Carolina.

Gwen T. Nelson joined The Embroiderers’ Guild of America in 1997.  She is a member of the Louisville Chapter and a member of National Embroidery Teachers’ Association. She has served as the Tennessee Valley Region Director for four years, has chaired two region seminars and has served as the EGA national president. Gwen has been designing and teaching beaded pieces since 2000. She has taught both at the EGA chapter and region levels and at other venues outside of EGA. Gwen designed the pieces that were beaded by the thirteen region directors for the live auctions at the 2009, 2010, and 2011 EGA national seminars and the pieces that were donated by the EGA executive committee for the auction at the 2013 and 2014 national seminars. She also designed the 2013 national seminar logo beaded pin.

Gwen Nelson has been a teacher, Personnel Director for Jefferson County (KY) Government and a high school principal. Gwen has her doctorate In Administration and Finance from the University of Louisville.

Laura Smith is an embroidery innovator, nationally known designer, and process style teacher.She holds the EGA Master Craftsman in Color and has served as chair for the Master Craftsman in Color Program since 2006. She is a past Chairman of Fiber Forum (2011-2015) and a former director of an arts center. Her education in chemistry has helped her to understand mixed media and textiles. Her website is www.Stitch4Fun.com.

Melinda Sherbring came to embroidery through her fascination with historical crafts. An aerospace software engineer until retiring in 2013, she now teaches needlework with designs rooted in history. She has written two EGA GCCs, taught EGA’s 2020 Extended Study Program, and was featured in the March 2018 Needle Arts magazine as Designer Across America.

Carolyn Standing Webb has a degree in education but finds needlework much more rewarding to teach. She grew up in a home where art was a part of everyday life and creativity was encouraged. An EGA member of our Wasatch, Salt Lake City Chapter, she has been a needlework designer and teacher for over twenty years, teaching on the local, regional and national levels. She has a line of patterns available in retail stores. Several pieces of her work have been published in books and magazines and she has won a number of prizes for her needlework. She has her Master Craftsman in Counted Thread. Her goal is to share with her students her love of needlework and to help them relax and enjoy it.

Jonalene is EGA certified in Counted Thread. She is a member of our Indian River Chapter in Florida and has been teaching various forms of needlework since 1982 at EGA chapters, and events at the regional and national level. She has over sixty needlework publications under the name of Friends in Needlework and three retired EGA Group Correspondence Courses.

Denise Harrington Pratt is an artist and needlework designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a passion for counted thread embroidery on linen. Denise has been teaching needlework since 1995. She has taught at Spirit of Cross Stitch Festivals, National and Regional Seminars for the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc., and EGA chapters. She also has developed Group Correspondence Courses and Online Courses for EGA. Denise is an active member of the Southern Maine Chapter of EGA.

Kay Stanis is an internationally known fiber artist, designer, Master Craftsman, and Certified and Graduate Certified Teacher of EGA and Kurenai Kai Traditional Japanese Embroidery.  She has been on the faculties of American Needlepoint Guild national seminars, Callaway School of Needlearts, Embroiderers Association of Canada, EGA national and regional seminars, Koala Conventions, South Australia Embroidery Conference, Embroidery 2000 (New Zealand), and many independent groups.

Denise Harrington Pratt is an artist and needlework designer with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a passion for counted thread embroidery on linen. Denise has been teaching needlework since 1995. She has taught at Spirit of Cross Stitch Festivals, National and Regional Seminars for the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc., and EGA chapters. She also has developed Group Correspondence Courses and Online Courses for EGA. Denise is an active member of the Southern Maine Chapter of EGA.

Melinda Sherbring came to embroidery through her fascination with historical crafts. An aerospace software engineer until retiring in 2013, she now teaches needlework with designs rooted in history. She has written two EGA GCCs, taught EGA’s 2020 Extended Study Program, and was featured in the March 2018 Needle Arts magazine as Designer Across America.

Barbara M. Kershaw has a passion for learning and sharing her knowledge of the many varied and wonderful forms of embroidery generally called whitework. She has taken many courses and classes from the EAC, EGA, and ANG. Barbara is certified as an EGA Master Craftsman in counted thread. She also studied in Germany at the Museum de Schwalm in 2005 and 2011. She has been teaching for over 20 years at various EAC national seminars, EGA national and regional seminars, guilds in Canada, America and Bermuda as well as two International teaching tours of the USA. Barbara is the author of EGA Group Correspondence Courses – Noel and Individual Correspondence Course Basic Study of Schwalm Embroidery. Her book Exquisite Schwalm focuses on Schwalm filling stitches.

Laura Smith is an embroidery innovator, nationally known designer, and process style teacher.She holds the EGA Master Craftsman in Color and has served as chair for the Master Craftsman in Color Program since 2006. She is a past Chairman of Fiber Forum (2011-2015) and a former director of an arts center. Her education in chemistry has helped her to understand mixed media and textiles. Her website is www.Stitch4Fun.com.

Kim Sanders is an EGA certified teacher in crewel and surface embroidery and a Master Craftsman in surface embroidery and in smocking. She holds a degree in Textiles and Clothing from the University of Tennessee. Kim has taught at shops, chapters, EGA national and regional seminars and has authored four GCC, an ICC, and several Petite Projects. Her articles and designs have appeared in Inspirations, Needle Arts, Australian Smocking and Embroidery and The Smocking Arts. She filmed four embroidery focused segments of the PBS program, Creative Living with Sheryl Borden.

J. Marsha Michler is a nonfiction author of 13 printed books, and 8 self-published eBooks on the topics of crazy quilting, embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, wire jewelry, and knitting. Her quilts have won awards at quilting shows, and her work has been featured in national magazines and other publications including our Needle Arts magazine. Holding a degree in Business Marketing, and three-quarters of a degree in fine arts, summa cum laude and dean’s list, she has taught classes on crazy quilting, embroidery, and wire jewelry. She actively pursues crazy quilting, embroidery, fiber spinning, knitting, fiction and poetry writing, ballroom dancing, stone wall building, and resides with her husband and dog in the beautiful and inspiring foothills of Southern Maine.