***

"Our mother taught us in our family, girls, four girls, to do the simple embroidery stitches very young. And we used to do little pillowcases and handkerchiefs and things. So I saw the minister's stole at church up close one Sunday and I was fascinated with how beautiful the embroidery was on it. And I was just entranced and I said to my mother, that's the kind of embroidery I'd like to learn.

"I was between seven and eight then, and I just wanted to learn it for so many years, and I thought I never would, you could never find anybody! You could go and live in a convent and maybe learn it. So it was years and years until after I was married that we found somebody that could teach it!

The almost-finished frontal is a reproduction of another altar piece at the Westminster church. Each flower required 83 hours of work. Photo: Martha Foley

"You have to have a lot of time to do it, and you have to have a lot of patience. And I think people like  to do things that will be done more quickly, you know? I love doing it…but they're not useful like doing a needlepoint cushion that you could lean against or sit on.

"One of my nephews came over and said 'Aunt Emily, I want that on my motorcycle seat', when he saw the gold letters, he said 'will you do my motorcycle seat like that?' I said no, it can't stand the wear."