Always room for one more

Have you ever stopped to think how many painted needlepoint canvas designers there are? Probably as many as there are personal tastes and interests among stitchers! If you've ever looked on eBay under the category "hand painted needlepoint canvas," you'll find it resembles a remake of the classic Clint Eastwood movie The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But as my sainted Irish grandmother used to say, "One man's pie is another man's poison." Some may be attracted to modern designs with bright colors or trendy themes, whereas I prefer timeless pieces that are well-painted.

So when I visited the website of newcomer Nenah Stone recently--www.nenahsneedle.com--I was enchanted! Painting animals is not my forte, but it certainly is Nenah's. The expressions she achieves on her cats and dogs are amazing. Sensing a fellow dog lover here, I corresponded with Nenah to find out more about her source of inspiration and background. I wasn't at all surprised to learn that she volunteers at an animal shelter and donates a percentage of her sales to it. She's also a member of a pet therapy group which takes dogs to visit at nursing care facilities and hospitals. Add to this the fact that she comes from an artistic family and is a stitcher herself, the result is a line of beautifully executed animal canvases.

I sent Nenah a photo of our own Molly O'Beagle and asked her to see what she could do on canvas. I'm thrilled with her interpretation and look forward to stitching this canvas as my next project!