I'm not sure if I am going to do this sampler in one single piece, or take each section alone. At this time I am leaning more towards doing each design singly. With all these large projects that I will be working on, I know I will need some smaller ones to get a sense of completions. They will also fit a bit better on my sampler wall than another large sampler.

If I do them singly, I am sure I am going to start with the lovely woman in the pink dress. She appeals to me so much! I just love the simplicity of the design and the candid expression on her face. She puts me in touch with all the young women who worked on their own designs and drew the world as they saw it. She also reminds me of my favorite kind of doll...the china head dolls with the painted black hair. I have several in my collection, two made by a 95 year old Mennonite woman that I came to know and love, Cornelia Heatwole. She was living at the Eastern Mennonite home outside Harrisonburg, VA. The home had a craft sale and I bought one of the dolls she had in the sale for $18. She had painted and fired the head, hands and feet and then dressed the doll in a Mennonite style dress. I wanted to have some more dolls made for a cousin and a niece, so I went by the home to make the arrangements. She was a charming person and I loved visiting her. Her dolls were well received and I ended up getting several more and each time I learned more and more about her and her world.

She came into my life during a time of intense spiritual confusion and she contributed to my growth in so many ways. I found myself stopping off to visit her even when I wasn't ordering or picking up a doll. God sent this woman to me during a time of great need and I would not be the person I am today without her wisdom and nurturing. Looking at this lady in pink reminds me of Miss Cornelia and of that cross roads in my life. My relationship with her reminds me of Hebrews 13: 2 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." In so many ways, she was and "angel unaware" to me.