Teacher has knack for needles

It isn't lucrative, but another kind of reward has been rolling in, year after year: She's an award-winning needleworker and crafter. She has done them all: macrame, decoupage, knitting, crochet, needlepoint, embroidery and counted cross-stitch.

"As far back as I can remember, I've had a strong interest in needlecraft," she said. "My grandmother taught me how to crochet when I was about 10, and I can't remember a time when I was not interested in crafts of one sort or another. My mother has always been interested in art and needlework. I just got it from them, I guess!"

Prized work

Those are just the latest in a long line of first-place wins. She first submitted her needlework pieces to the Altamont Fair in the late 1970s.

"One year, my mom and I were there, and a woman approached me after overhearing me talk about my own work. She invited me to submit some pieces the next year," she said.

She submitted 18 pieces of her work -- and won awards for each one. "They weren't first-places but they were ribbons nonetheless!" she said.

Since then, she has won awards every year.

Specialty

Although she has not yet designed her own cross-stitch work, she often thinks of doing so. When she purchases a cross-stitch kit, she will often change the colors of the thread to suit her idea of what the color pallet should be, or to match the color scheme of the room or personality of the person she is doing the work for.

Ms. Chonski is also an artist, working in watercolor and oil. Some of her artwork has appeared in local galleries.

"Someday, I might open my own business," Ms. Chonski said. "In college, I majored in both education and business administration with the dream of selling my work someday. I have always wanted to share my art, and I'm doing that now by teaching it to young people."

(10-24-02) [[In-content Ad]]