About Doreen

Doreen with her nieces, Lindsey and Katlyn

I was raised in Westbury, New York, a suburb of Long Island. I am a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC with an A.A.S. in Display and Exhibit Design and a B.F.A in Textile and Surface Design. I have worked in the fashion and home furnishings industries throughout my professional career, creating designs for woven textiles and decorative trimming.

In Junior High School, when I learned how to sew, I did not know it would open up a world of needle arts. I started sewing clothes and moved on to embroidery in high school and college.

In 1999, I walked into my local crafts store and discovered Cross Stitch. It appealed to me because, as a weaver, the designing process was based on squares, just like the graph paper used in designing for the weaving loom. I was hooked.

After the fall of the World Trade Towers in NY, my needle arts focus changed. Up until then I had concentrated on designing quilts in cross stitch. After September 11, 2001, I created An Americana Flag as an artistic response to my feelings about that day. When the Smithsonian Institution requested my flag for the National Museum of American History, I decided that perhaps I could create something bigger that would help others deal with the events of that day as my flag had helped me. The Americana Stars Memorial is that project. After a story about my efforts was published nationally, I received letters, cards and emails from stitchers all over the country, wanting to be involved. The project has grown from there and I have been working on it since early 2003. I hope to have it completed and displayed by September 11, 2011.

I presently reside in Rego Park, New York and love to spend time cross-stitching, watching old movies, walking, weaving, cooking, and visiting with my nieces, family and friends.