Before Leigh Designs was founded, in 1978, I was a designer/custom artist for two other needlepoint companies, neither of whom are still in business. I was painting and designing needlepoint years before knowing how to stitch – contrary to the popular notion that this is not possible. I’ll always remember the late Tish Holland, of Sundance Designs telling me “Leigh, if you do one canvas, you’ll be hooked”.
Sometime in the late 1980’s a close friend, Elaine Warner, founder of Needle Necessities, offered to stitch up a LD canvas and teach it at an upcoming local trade show. It sounded like a pretty terrific idea and I chose the Thunderbird canvas, a Northwest Indian design for the project. Elaine’s favorite color, at that time, was pink and shades of pink, from light to hot, showed up in everything she wore, decorated and, of course, stitched. Those who remember her, will also remember her hair of an apricot hue which sometimes, as a result of a happy-accident with L’Oreal, took on overtones of pink!
It was actually a stunning color on her, but, not on a Northwest Indian design. The Indians of the our historical Northwest used deep jewel tones with a lot of black and white. It was Elaine’s nature to ‘push the envelope’ so perimeters had to be set. I made it clear; “Elaine, NO pink on the canvas!” She laughed her infectious laugh and said “Okay!” I didn’t like the sound of the easy agreement so I warned “I mean it, Elaine! One bit of pink and it’s ripped out!”She smiled and nodded, “Absolutely!”
Several weeks later, the Thunderbird was finished and as I opened the tissue enveloping the piece, yup, you guessed it! Pink! The entire background was beautifully stitched in a blaze of pink! Pale pink but, it was pink, nonetheless! I said “Elaine! I said ‘no pink’ and you promised!” She said smiling, very patient with my obvious color-blindness, “Leigh, it’s peach.”
The weekend found me ripping out the offending color while cursing the day I first heard the name Elaine Warner. My husband, Robert, asked “So, you get it all ripped out, then what?” Between my teeth I growled “I get a book and I stitch it!” Son-of-a-gun, I picked up a copy of Father B’s Book of Stitches and did, indeed, re-stitch the Thunderbird’s background in the Linen Fold Stitch using a dove gray cotton. I loved every moment! I couldn’t wait to start on the next canvas! And the Thunderbird design is still in the line – with the dove-grey background!
Yes, Tish smiles down on me from above and Elaine and I continued to bicker like the sister’s we always were until her passing several years ago. Father B’s Book of Stitches is still my favorite book and the thread-laced needle hasn’t dropped from my hand.
About Leigh
Leigh Richardson is the delightful designer behind Leigh Designs.
Tags: leigh designs, needle necessities, sundance needlepoint
