God’s Handiwork: Meet Bethanie Van Camp and Sue Kirkpatrick
Weaving in progress during our 2024 Art Camp
This week we are excited to be featuring two St. B. needleworkers, Bethanie Van Camp and Sue Kirkpatrick.
Bethanie learned to cross-stitch basic patterns when she was in high school. “My best friend Mary taught me,” she said. “I still have that first pattern.” Her hobby took off from there. She has completed so many patterns that she’s lost count of how many, although she admits there are many not completed too.
Her most accomplished pattern is called Anne Hathaway’s Garden. It’s very large and requires intricate cross-stitching. It took Bethanie over two years to complete. “It was very therapeutic, for a variety of reasons,” she said.
Cross-stitching is a healthy hobby for Bethanie. “It’s calming to me, and as someone who needs to keep my hands busy, it helps keep my focus and also hints to my creativity.” She loves to see how the picture will turn out.
“Sometimes I’ll find a pattern that fills a memory or simply is a beautiful setting,” she explained. For a Marvel Studios picture, which she made for her son, Jonah, and the portrait of her grandmother, she used a program called PC Stitch to create a cross-stitch pattern. “If you stand up close, it isn’t as easy to see the full picture, but if you step back several feet, you can see it looks more like a photograph, and the character stands out” she said. “The possibilities are endless as long as my hands and fingers stay flexible, and I can always use a magnifying glass if my eyes can’t quite see the pattern detail.”
Sue Kirkpatrick is a crafter of many talents. “I have always done cross stitch and needlepoint for as long as I can remember,” she explained. “I just really like any kind of crafting.”
She started quilting about 10 years ago. “My Mom was my inspiration,” she said. “She taught me how to do everything, and she was very good at everything, especially cross-stitch. Her mom made Christmas stockings for all her kids, and after she died, Sue decided to make them for her grandchildren. She also started quilting right before her grandchildren came along, so she was able to make all of them baby quilts and Christmas quilts. She gives away many of her projects as gifts. She is most proud of the Christmas stockings she’s made. She also loves the quilts that she’s made for her and husband Tom’s summer cottage in Michigan. “I just love any kind of crafting,” she said. “I don’t think of myself as very artistic, so I get so much enjoyment out of creating something beautiful.”
She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
Psalms 45:14 King James Version (KJV)