Mark and I met on a blind date in the spring of 1990, and twelve years later we finally tied the knot in a small seaside ceremony. From the beginning, stitching was part of our rhythm together. Mark traveled weekly for his software company, charming flight attendants with his needlepoint projects, while I worked in the legal field in central Virginia after earning a degree in piano performance.

In 2003, I released an album of original piano compositions titled A Dream Come True, a gentle and sleepy collection that probably should come with a “don’t listen while driving” label. A few years earlier, I had tried my hand at converting photographs of bed and breakfast inns into cross stitch charts, but lingering health issues from an earlier accident eventually nudged me toward quieter pursuits.

Even so, stitching remained our shared evening ritual. We loved designs by Debbie Patrick, Marilyn Leavitt Imblum, Paula Vaughan, and anything nostalgic or painterly. But the patterns we longed for, the ones that looked like true paintings, were hard to find. So in January 2018, we created The Cross Stitch Studio to offer large, full coverage designs with rich, life like detail adapted from vintage themed art.

Today we work from our 1919 Queen Anne and Arts and Crafts bungalow on three wooded acres just outside Richmond. A meandering creek, a slightly lopsided barn, and the steady rumble of more than a hundred trains a day give our home a soundtrack all its own, soft whistles at night and gentle rumbles at dawn.

Although Mark and I do not have children together, my son, his wife, and our granddaughter live close by. Andrew directs the Virginia Pamunkey Indian Reservation Museum, and Holly works with The Richmond Ballet as their Annual Giving director.

Thank you for visiting our little stitchy corner of the internet. We hope our designs bring you a moment of joy.

Warmly,
Mark and Betsy