CherryWood Design Studios

OK - that is seriously how this all started... but here's a bit more about this fun partnership!

Theresa grew up in Indianola, IA, just south of the Des Moines area. She started stitching around age 15 or 16 when her mom took a class at a local shop & then taught her how to cross-stitch. Theresa married her husband, Jon (she tells me that while they went to high school togeher - they were not high school sweethearts!) & they had 2 children. Jon's job has moved them all over the state - including a short stint in Sioux City where her stitching led her to a needlework group & yours truly. Theresa's favorite type of charts are samplers including specialty stitches & soft pastel colors. We often joke that she is the "blingy" half of CherryWood (apparently I'm the "khaki" half). Theresa attributes her flair for bling to both her daughter & her current part-time job at a local purse & jewelry boutique. Besides stitching, she loves primitive embroidery & quilting. She was most excited about the challenge of designing & creating the CherryWood style.

I came to Iowa in a roundabout way - born in MN, grew up in PA, & college in VA where I met & married my husband Bill. Job changes took us from VA to FL & then on to IA! 15 years & 2 kids later, there is no place like home. I started stitching at age 9 & have long had a fascination with color & detail. I was mostly self-taught until I found a stitching group that opened up a whole world of teachers & techniques to me. I was fortunate enough to have a successful LNS for almost 9 years. I closed my shop to concentrate on first, my family, & second, my desire to shift focus within this industry. I now operate Hands On Finishing & of course partner in CherryWood. I love cross-stitch & specialty stitches in all of their forms. I love quilting as well & occasionally "work" at the local quilt shop when time permits. I was also ready for the challenge of designing & look forward to stretching our creative intellect with each design.

Thank you for permitting us to take this journey.