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Debbie has been married for 32 years to Rod, and is mother to Elizabeth and Bob,
mother-in-law to Will and grandmother to the most amazing little boy in the world,
Skylar. She has lived in various southern and southwestern states, overseas in Germany,
and now makes Conway, Arkansas, her home. She is owned by a Shetland Sheep Dog, Mandy.
You can see Mandy's picture on Debbie's website:
www.DebBeesDesigns.com.
She began cross stitching 20 years ago, mostly plain cotton floss on 14 ct. Aida, but
tinkering with the patterns to add personal flair. When she moved to Conway, she joined
the Conway Cross Stitch Club, and discovered that there were more ways to manipulate a
needle and thread than cross stitch! She taught herself Hardanger, counted canvas, silk
ribbon embroidery and punch needle, and took classes at various stitching festivals to hone
her skills.
Debbie began creating her own designs 6 years ago, and began publishing and selling her
designs 5 years ago. She has had designs in several publications, including the annual
Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue, The Cross Stitcher, Stoney Creek and others. She
is her local shop's resident teacher, and teaches at several retreats every year.
She is a member of The National Needlearts Association (TNNA), Embroiders Guild of America,
National Embroidery Teachers Association and American Needlepoint Guild. She is the founding
president of her ANG chapter, Natural State Stitchers.
"I am always thinking of new designs for counted canvas, cross stitch and other needlearts,"
Debbie says. "Sometimes the designs floating around in my head keep me awake at night,
especially when I'm trying to think of ways to accomplish things that haven't been seen before."
Her focus as a teacher and designer is to open possibilities to stitchers that they may not have
considered before, and to give them the confidence to attempt new techniques.
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