Originally posted 2010-02-16 06:59:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Beth Hendzlik & used with permission
I was so excited by the prospect of Threadworx Journal I signed up for it as soon as I heard about it. That was the start of a delightful friendship with Beth Hendzlink, the editor. She’s the endlessly creative talent behind the ezine as well as the designer of their projects.
I’m in awe of Beth and the amazing publication she has put together. Here’s her story.
Her mother was the one who introduced her to needlepoint. It was the 70′s and needlepoint was all Sunset Jiffy kits and Basketweave, but Beth LOVED it. She was designing her own patterns at 8 and still has one of the first ones. Beth loves that the art of needlepoint has grown into so many options for fibers and that needlepointers have taken so many stitches and made them her own.
Beth started designing when she was in college and then became a Creative Director for an ad agency. Many accounts had a magazine focus. After her children were born, she switched to contract work.
She also designed Counted Cross Stitch patterns for Fanci That, owned by herself and partner/mother, Carol Kindler. In the early 90′s she hit on her own style that was a combo of classic, fun, whimsical, and a bit of folk art. Today the whimsical look is still popular, but back then she was one of the only ones with the “look” often referred to as Whimsical today, and her style was definitely her own.
In addition to her own signature style, she also began using over-dyed floss, which was new to the market at the time. Beginning with Gentle Art Floss and soon after designing with Week’s Dye Works, she started using over-dyed floss in a fresh way so the design could be developed without complex color changes. Her methods were a hit and have become a standard way to use these threads. Not far behind, she expanded to include Fanci That designed frames, and the use of over-dyed linen.
When Fanci That was peaking, Beth learned she had thyroid cancer and all designing and shipping for her came to a halt. Her mother continued to design patterns in the Fanci That style to keep the company open. Beth’s cancer battle has been going on for 10 years now and she is grateful that she has been able to watch her kids grow up and credits her faith in Christ for helping her not give up the fight.
But health problems have a way of changing your perspective and Beth could not go back to work in her previous capacity. So she went to work licensing her art and illustrating for a large rubber stamp company and for an embroidery company, as well as working in the graphics and print areas with other companies. The stress of her work began to take a toll on her health once again and she also began to realize she missed textiles, the tactile part of the needle arts, and the people of the Needlework Industry.
Now she works for Threadworx doing everything for which she has a passion — magazine journalism, fibers, and needlepoint design. She says: “Because there are so many wonderful artists for painted canvases already out there, I prefer designing stitch interpretations into books for existing canvases and designing smaller projects.” She is grateful to ThreadworX for her “spot” back in the needle arts industry and thankful to be working with such wonderful, kind people at ThreadworX.
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