Woodbury woman cross-stitches her way into City Hall

• PHOTO: Owens

Deobrah Owens demonstrates how to start a simple stitch. Bulletin photo by Riham Feshir
• PHOTO: Fall display

Deborah Owens’ fall work is now displayed at Woodbury City Hall.
• PHOTO: Pattern

The coffee pattern will be a gift Deborah Owens is making for her son who drinks a lot of coffee. Bulletin photo by Riham Feshir

Talk about it

The first project Deborah Owens ever did was a birth announcement for her daughter in 1982.

Now the Woodbury woman’s home is filled with pictures she cross stitched over the years, each representing a season, personal meaning, or a color and pattern that attracted her.

“I love to do seasonal things so whatever tickles my fancy at the time,” she said.

She gives them to friends and family as gifts and she keeps a lot of them in frames around the house. But when the city recruited artists to display their work at City Hall, Owens thought, why not?

It’s not oil paintings or photographs, but “my stuff is artwork,” she said.

“I’ve gotten a lot of feedback on how different it is,” Owens added.

She starts by cutting out magazine patterns and gathering all the tools necessary to start stitching.

Then depending on how complicated it is, each project either takes days or weeks to complete.

“I love to see the finished product come to life,” Owens said of the intricate details. “It’s like painting with threads.”

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