Profile

     Taught to stitch by her grandmother at the age of nine, Laura Smith's early work was huck embroidery, counted cross stitch, hardanger, crochet, and beading.  In the early 1980's, she discovered the Embroiderers' Guild of America, Inc (EGA) and the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG) and began a love affair with the stitch.  Silk and metal threads, needlepoint, open canvaswork, quilting and other classes followed.  In 1999, she took Mary Shipp's ANG Cybercourse on Color for Embroidery and began a journey into color and design for needlework. 

    Laura holds the Master Craftsman in Color from EGA and currently serves as the Chairman of the Color Program.  She is the winner of EGA's Bobby Pilling Award for 2006 (you can see the design "Paths of Water" in the Gallery).  She has developed and taught classes that relate to color, landscape and the process of making embroidery. 

    Laura is founding president of Lake Norman Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild and now serves as webmaster and bylaws chairman.  She is a Life Member of EGA, president and newsletter editor of Golden Needles EGA and a past VP for Programs.  She has worked as a volunteer leader in numerous capacities for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, developing an interest in landscape embroidery through hiking and outdoor Scouting activities.   

    She holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and has worked in technical sales and non-profit management.  She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband, two children and one yellow Labrador who observes landscape with her daily.