Teacher cum Laude graduate, 2026

Women Dance grew out of my Teacher Cum Laude journey with NAN, a program I had considered pursuing for many years as a way to continue growing as a needleartist. I chose to explore printmaking because, although I had long admired the medium, I had very little hands-on experience with it.

Printmaking is a highly process-oriented art form that requires careful planning, precise execution, and multiple steps to achieve the finished result. During my studies, I explored both woodblock and linocut carving on a variety of fabric grounds and completed a reduction print—a technique in which the carving is gradually “destroyed” as successive layers are printed.

As I experimented with these techniques, the inspiration for Women Dance emerged naturally. I began sketching women who represent the remarkable diversity among us in age, shape, personality, and spirit. I chose muslin rather than canvas because it captures the fine details of the small linocut carvings more clearly. After experimenting with different arrangements of the five printed figures, I selected the composition shown here.

Each woman became an opportunity to celebrate individuality through embroidery. I incorporated a variety of surface embroidery techniques—including ribbonwork, detached needlelace, and a hand-twisted perle made from silk and blending filament using Japanese embroidery techniques. The threads, colors, and stitches chosen for each woman’s hair and clothing reflect the unique personality she came to embody in my imagination. As a teacher and designer, I rarely have the opportunity to stitch simply for my own enjoyment. Creating Women Dance rekindled that joy while allowing me to continue exploring a medium that was entirely new to me. My hope is that viewers will recognize themselves—or someone they know—in these dancing women, and that the piece leaves them smiling.