 Carolyn Hedge Baird. Carolyn is our resident author and has written Merry Needlepoint, Merry Easter Eggs, Wacky Halloween Houses (containing stitch guides for Melissa Shirley's wacky Halloween houses) and A Rainbow of Stitches for Melissa Shirley's Noah's Ark and Animals. She teaches, works in the shop, writes stitch guides and owns "The Ribbonry" which sells ribbons and trims for finishing. Carolyn has a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Art History. She started needlepointing when she was 11 and has worked in the needlepoint business for 31 years. She has three "almost grown" children, three dogs, and several cats.
 John Waddell. John has been stitching for over 35 years. He has taught nationally for ANG seminars, TNNA markets and for many needlework guilds. In addition to those guilds, John belongs to the National Embroidery Teacher's Association and is a past president of that organization. He and his wife of 40 years, Karen, love to travel. They have taken numerous trips to Mexico with stitchers and with a Mexican Folk Art group.
 Karen Lea. Karen has been teaching needlepoint for years in Houston, and has just joined us at Chaparral. She has artistic flair which can be seen in the new signs that she painted for the shop and some fabulous displays she has created. She also has college-aged children and hails from the East Texas town of Tyler, where she (coincidentally) went to high school with our own Carolyn Baird.
 Cynthia Thomas. At her day job, Cindy works for a doctor at M.D. Anderson Hospital. She has been teaching needlepoint nationally for about 20 years and has written more than a hundred commercial stitch guides for various artists, including Melissa Shirley, Shelly Tribbey, Renaissance Designs, etc. She says that she absolutely loves to stitch! |
 Sally Anne Wilson. I purchased Chaparral Needlework in the spring of 2008. I worked at the shop for 41/2 years before that and have been stitching since I was about 7 years old. My mother, grandmother, aunt, and two cousins are all stitchers - the addiction must be genetic! Now that my two children have "left the nest," I have found that I have too much time on my hands, and so far it's been hectic - but fun.
 Sue Ella Allen. Sue Ella manages the shop when Sally Anne is not in. She belongs to just about every needlepoint guild there is. Sue Ella is the mother of Timothy, the wife of Tom, and was an engineer in a past life. Needless to say, she is awfully smart. She is also a really nice, helpful person who knows lots about needlework and beading.
 Jan Dubois Sars. Jan left a 20 year career in the brokerage world to pursue her dream of working in a needlepoint shop. She shares her life with her cute Swedish husband. She has a flair for color, wonderful taste, writes stitch guides, and works in the shop 3 days a week. Jan also stitches for other people.
 Lucy Mosbacher. Lucy is our youngest employee, and is newly married to Peter, who has just been hired to work at NASA. She also comes from a long line of stitchers and has been stitching since she was 8. She is actively involved in her sorority, where she volunteers as a college chapter adviser. Lucy has her masters degree in Ancient Egyptian studies - no dummies at Chaparral!
Kathy Dissen. Kathy has been needlepointing for a mere 35 years. Also, she is a 6th generation Texan and works in the shop 2 days a week. She has two lovely girls, and a new son-in-law - who they are "lucky to have." She recently served as president of The Bluebirds, a charitable organization, and is enjoying getting to spend more time here at the shop.
 Stephanie Herrscher. Stephanie is our newest (and fittest) employee, but she has been a long-time customer at Chaparral. Her husband is a retired college professor. Stephanie says that she is from California, but she went to elementary school in Ecuador, high school in Mexico and has lived lots of places since then. She has only been stitching since about 1970.
 Aletha Harris. Aletha works on Saturdays, and is an attorney in her other life. She loves to stitch and has an adorable, but bad, schnauzer named "Cowboy."
Ginger Kyle. Ginger grew up in Santa Fe (New Mexico, not Texas.) She is getting married in November in 2008, so she is busy planning a wedding as this is written. Ginger spends a lot of time doing her Junior League commitments and is on the boards of several charitable groups. She isn't at the shop often these days, but when she is, she loves to write stitch guides. |
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