Hello!

My name is April Koenig. I have been stitching since my grandmother showed me how to do lazy daisy and stem stitches when I was 10. In the 80’s I discovered counted cross stitch hacking up the first pattern I ever tried to make my own. After years of raising children and a break to illuminate manuscripts I got back into cross stitch, not finding patterns that appeal to me I set out to make my own.

Original Samplers

I realized I loved samplers but the patterns out there didn’t speak to me so I took some of my geeky interests and made a sampler of my own. The first one, a Doctor Who theme started with pencil and graph paper. Luckily I found a great program for designing cross stitch I was off and running,

... and then the RSN

... and then the RSN

While stationed in the UK I had the opportunity to study with The Royal School of Needlework. I earned my certificate in technical hand embroidery by completing four modules comprised of Jacobean, blackwork, silk shading, and gold work.

Jacobean tree of life in pinks, blues and greens with flowers, a squirrel, a bee, a rabbit and a white spotted dog

The Underbridge Society

Moving to Virginia was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It put me in the right place and the right time to meet two of the most creative people I have ever met, John Lee and Benjamin Kissell. Together we dreamed up a group of artists forming a cooperative to attend larger events to sell our art, and The Undebridge Society was born. I am endlessly encouraged and inspired to create imaginative and quirky stitching by being a member of this tight knit group.

  • Well.., good glasses, good magnification and really good lighting. I recommend taking care of your eyes with moisture drops and yearly check ups and never, ever stitch in bad lighting.

  • Many of my ideas come from observing the world around me and looking closely at the little details. I take numerous photos (thank goodness for digital images) of the mosses and bits of the forest floor, of architecture details, of leaves and grass… I’m forever looking past the big picture into the elements that make that picture up.

  • At this time the only commissions I am accepting are for my existing original cross stitch samplers. If you see one you would like but cannot stitch yourself please feel free to contact me and we can discuss what you are looking for.