Susan Saltzgiver Designs - Mushrooms and Moles

Susan Saltzgiver has a humorous story associated with her company's name. She explains, "When we would go to the ocean, I would be inside stitching all day and no one would know I was around. My husband often said I was like a mushroom or mole, hidden away doing my 'thing'." This comment was the inspiration for the saying on her logo, "When we stitch we are like mushrooms and moles - Our best work is done while we are 'hidden away'!"

Susan got started with Cross Stitch in 1984. She observed another stitcher and was fascinated by the picture forming on the blank fabric.

Susan states, "I found I was frequently altering the designs - colors, additions, design changes. My husband wanted a mermaid, and since I could not find a pattern that suited me, I created my first design, "Fisherman's Dream".

Susan's Mermaid design was large (203w by 274h) with many other small designs. She used pen and ink on 16 sheets of paper graphs with relatively tiny squares. After five years of designing and stitching using blends, partial stitches, and filaments, it was complete. She credits God for help, and after she completed this project, she figured she could do anything!

Susan explains, "In 1994, I got my first design program for the computer, and I have been creating my own designs ever since. However, there is a big difference between designing a 'picture' and making a quality, salable chart. Connie Berens of Cross Stitchery Shop taught this barely computer literate person to make a chart from the design and the stitched model. Many alterations of those charts over the years have been made to create the charts that I produce today."

Susan's eclectic designs range from whimsical to religious and more. Her collection includes baby designs, holidays, patriotic designs, sayings, snowmen, and mythical patterns.

According to Susan, "Colors and the shading needed to make things look 'right' have always been important to me. I have used many different items to accomplish the finished results and embellishment that each design 'needs' - hand dyed flosses, silk, rayon, metallics, cotton floss, beads, glass treasures and the like." She uses a wide variety of fabrics for her stitched models as well.

Memories of Parenthood won the People’s Choice Award at the 2001 Creative Arts and Textiles Show in Lancaster, PA. It is a working clock that uses designs instead of numbers to show the repeating stages children of each generation go through as they grow up. My own children are grown and my grandchildren span many years, but they all fit into the stages shown. Like a clock going from one number position represented by the image of a stage of growing up to another, so do they pass through one stage after another. The original clock hangs in my living room. View an image of the design.

Precious Baby (shown here) has a total of seven baby images that can be used interchangeably for the desired appearance of the way babies really look. Many years ago (while in high school) I worked as a nurse's aide in a newborn nursery, and I remembered how different babies really did look. I wanted to share some of those images so that more stitchers could stitch a baby like their own.

The patterns are large, clear, and easy to read. Each chart is accompanied by a photo of the stitched piece and instructions. The items needed to complete the design as shown are listed on the back.

Susan explains, "My recent series of small designs that can be applied to anything stitchable with waste canvas, will hopefully expand cross stitch to many of the next generation. Whether these images are applied by themselves or received as gifts, the possibilities of making something personalized and uniquely their own with appropriate designs that can be appealing to them, can be an enthusiastic revelation."

Designs are available for all levels, but most of them are intermediate or beginner. Susan tries to appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities, but she also likes to push the envelope and design things that are not usually seen or are done differently than usual. Her samplers are created so that even a novice can have the satisfaction of stitching a beautiful, perennial favorite (specialty stitches are not used). Her simple, but accurate, designs allow the new stitcher to be successful and satisfied. She likes sharing the possibilities of cross stitch with new stitchers as well as with more experienced ones.

Susan was "Thrilled when I personally met Teresa Wentzler. She is the 'queen' of counted cross stitch designers to me. She took the time to look at my book of designs at that time and said the designs were very marketable. I was thrilled. That gave me the encouragement to move forward as a designer."

Susan explains how things work. "All designs are shown thumbnail size, but clicking on the image or the name of the design, brings up a 'detail' page with an enlargement of the design. Each detail page lists the number of stitches, a description of the design, the recommended fabric and floss, and if all whole stitches are used. Anyone is able to see the stitched piece and exactly what was used to create it. For ease of moving around, links on each detail page allow you to go to 12 different category pages."

Where to find Susan Saltzgiver Design's Charts

"While charts are sold directly to the trade (brick or click), stitchers can visit their favorite needlework shop and ask for an order to be placed. If no local shop is available, for the convenience of the stitcher, links are provided for ordering.

More about Susan

"I designed and knitted large baby afghans for each of my 8 grandchildren (one of them was actually crocheted as a great grandmother was knitting him one). I have made both knitted and crocheted afghans as gifts. My design ‘Diagonal Lace Sampler Afghan’ was chosen as a runner-up in the Herrschner’s National Afghan Contest in 2000. Herrschner’s photographed the afghan and the pattern was published and made available through their catalog.

While I can no longer walk independently due to a rare neurological condition, and have become very slow, I'm still able, by the grace of God, to use my computer and to cross stitch - even though it is with a lot more effort. This allows me to share my love of counted cross stitch with others.

Description of Images:

Precious Baby (see description above)

Dinosaur Dreams - Hand dyed floss used in a different way creates a more natural and appealing finish to stitchery. A directional stitching guide is enclosed in the chart so that anyone can succeed in producing those results.

Sports Images - This set of images is one of 3 for sports. There are also "Arts Images" and "Monograms with 2 Borders". More images, such as "Scholastic Images", are planned.

To see more of Susan's designs, visit Susan Saltzgiver Designs.