The Exemplary 2025
Honorable Mention, Professional Adaptation

This is a needlework adaptation of a sculpture by Giselbertus that appears on a cathedral in Autun, France. The image captures the moment when the Angel tells the Magi not to return home the way they came, so as to avoid Herod. Decisions about color, texture and threads made this a challenging project to adapt to needlework. Stitched on a background of blue silk, the Magi are in a rustic bed under a coverlet stitched on canvas and appliqued to the ground. The faces are in a standard stumpwork technique, each using a different color of pantihose remnant for flesh tones. The fingers are wrapped and molded wire. The angel and one Magi have needlewoven clothing. Angel wings are pulled work done on evenweave fabric which was stitched to wire, then cut out and applied. The halo and star are gold work techniques, as are the crowns.