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Pat Dalton started knitting in 1962. She soon
began canvas work and by 1979 had joined several
needlework guilds and began embroidering. She
is a member of the Embroiderers Guild of America,
American Needlepoint Guild, National Academy
of Needle Arts, and Sampler Guild of the Rockies.
She has studied at several national and regional
guild seminars, Callaway Gardens School of Needlework,
National Academy of Needle Arts, and attended
the first International Embroidery Conference
held in London in 1992.
She studied Japanese embroidery
and after five years received her teaching certification.
Pat's trips to Asia now number 41, including
33 trips to China, where she has studied at the
Silk Embroidery Research Institute in Suzhou.
She traveled to China in
September 1997 for the Silk Festival in Suzhou. An
avid collector of Asian textiles, Pat's personal
collection includes many Chinese embroideries, Miao
and other ethnic Chinese embroideries and articles
of clothing, several Chinese silk carpets, furniture,
and coromandel screens. |
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Nancy Torti with
baby camel on Silk Road tour. Nancy
has traveled to China three times with Dalton
Textile Tours. |
Additionally, she has a collection
of antique lace, Japanese wedding kimonos and obis,
woven items from Laos, embroideries from Europe,
Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Kashmir, and India. She also
has a collection of antique purses, both beaded and
embroidered, and an extensive library of embroidery
and textile books and numerous books on China. |
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Recently Pat has become interested in ethnic embroideries,
especially those done by the Miao and Dong women. In January
and April of 2004, April of 2005, April of 2006, April
of 2006, April of 2007, and April 2008, groups traveled to Beijing for
three days of class to study two-sided embroidery and then
traveled to Guizhou province for the study of 14 Miao embroidery
techniques. These groups also visited several local villages,
markets, and attended festivals where Miao were dressed
in their finest embroidered costumes and silver ornaments
and jewelry. Pat visited remote areas of Yunnan and
Guizhou provinces in fall of 2007 for exploratory trip
in preparation for remote areas tour in November of 2008. Pat is organizing two private tours to this area in 2009 and another public tour to this area in 2010. Also, a Silk Road tour is scheduled for September of 2009.
Pat has collected funds from friends and needlework guilds
and purchased over 1500 pairs of reading glasses for the
Miao and Dong women. These women are so poor that they
can not even afford regular glasses. By providing them
with reading glasses for magnification purposes, they are able to pursue the art of embroidery for many additional
years. Pat hopes they will teach the art of embroidery
to their daughters and grand daughters. As an added bonus,
she has made over 250 beaded scissors fobs for the women
to attach to their scissors. She has also carried
them several thousand skeins of perle cotton to them which
were donated by a local needlework shop and numerous
needlework supplies such as scissors, needles, magnetic
needle boxes, 600 bottles of glycerin, etc. The glycerin is used to soften their hands so they can continue embroidery and weaving in the cold months that cause their rough hands to snag the silk threads. Several US and Canadian needlework guilds
have donated needle books to the Miao women. Thousands
of high quality needles were inserted into the needle
books and have been delivered.
Pat believes the "love of embroidery" is a language
spoken all over the world!
About Dalton Textile Tours
 Dalton
Textile Tours was founded by Pat Dalton to share with other
needlework enthusiasts the beauty of textiles produced
in Asia. Tours have visited sites in: Beijing, Shanghai,
Suzhou, Nanjing, Xian, Kunming, Jing Hong, Dali, Lijiang,
Lugu Lake, Hong Kong, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guilin, Kashgar, Urumqi, Hotan, Turpan,
Dunhuang, and Zhongdian, near Tibet. Several tours have
also included cruises down the Yangtze River Tours visit
locations focusing on embroidery and woven textiles; including visits to artists
at work, museums, silk producers, and touring the Silk
Embroidery Research Institute in Suzhou. It is the only
embroidery research institute in the world. We also visit
the Nanjing Brocade Weaving Institute. While the focus
is on textile arts in China and Hong Kong, groups also
visit historical monuments and sites.
Pat organizes
and leads the tours, providing tips on ways to prepare
for the journey. When arriving in China, tour groups
are greeted by local guides to assist in translations
along the way, as well as a national guide.
You are invited to explore this Web site to experience
the beauty of Chinese textiles. Please email us for
more information on our upcoming tours.
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