2025 Postcard Exchange

Jessica Ostro to Ila McCollum

Ila, This sunflower feeds our pollinators, its beauty feeds our hearts, and is a fun snack! Cheers, Jessica

Yolanda Olivotto to Tori Kleinert

For your love of colour, Tori, little miss Peppermint Patty! xoYolanda

Vicki Aspenberg to Maggie Leininger

Dear Maggie, Surreal greetings from the Big Apple. I enjoyed being your postcard partner and I had fun weaving this little piece. Be sure to let me know if you visit New York City. Happy Weaving, Vicki

Terry Olson to Sarah Breyer

Hi Sarah, Thanks for being my partner in the 2025 ATA postcard exchange. I hope you enjoy some sweet watermelon this summer. Terry

Susan Herbert to Gina Taylor

Hi Gina, Without water, land, and air there would be no food! I just finished reading Braiding the Sweetgrass about the importance of nature and all its gifts. It inspired the woven river surrounded by nature. Enjoyed our emails, Susan

Susan Gaire to Eileen Vanbronkhorst

Dear Eileen, Greetings from North Carolina where our state fruit is the Scuppernong grape. I hope these grapes will bring sweetness to your day! Best regards, Susan

Sue-Burrus-to Alice Martin

Hello Alice, Thank you so much for the sweet tea! Honestly, the first thing that came to mind when I heard the theme was “food” was “A is for Apple” and Washington state is known for its apples. I borrowed colors from the Cosmic Crisp apple developed over 20 years by Washington State University. Released exclusively to Washington growers in 2016, it was made available to consumers in 2019. It has a firm, crisp, sweet, and juicy texture. Enjoy!!! Sue

Stevie Van Housen to Katherine Straznickas

Katherine-From the koi in my backyard pond [Iowa USA] to the shores of sunny California. F is for fish…Food, Stevie

Sarah Beyer to Terry Olson

Dear Terry, This was fun! Recipe for Prickly Pear Margarita: 1) Salt rim of glass 2) Shake with ice: 1 liq oz. prickly pear syrup 2 liq. oz. tequila juice of 1 lime 1/2 liq. oz triple sec 3) pour into salt rimmed glass Hope you are enjoying the summer and escaping the heat! All the best, Sarah

Ruth Ellen Saarinen to Louise Halsey

“She who plants a garden plants happiness.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Rama Ganesan to David van Buskirk

Dear David, Hope you are well! My postcard, 224.6, is the per capita consumption of meat in the US in 2022, in pounds. My source is the USDA. ‘Meat’ here is defined as red meat and poultry, so the number does not include fish or other animal foods such as eggs or dairy. Rama

Phoebe McAfee to Janet Quilty

Dear Janet, Greetings from the northern hemisphere, where summer is almost over. You will be heading toward spring in the south Pacific. We are harvesting. You are planting. May this postcard plant seeds of hope and love, weave on, Phoebe

Patricia Bugas-Schramm to Ann Marie Miller

Ann- Every bite of asparagus reminds me of spring. We’ve moved on to hot weather here. Tomatoes are next! Happy summer. Patricia

Patricia Armour to Marjorie Fine

Dear Majorie, I’ve really enjoyed weaving this postcard to send to you. Paua (the Maori word for four species of abalone) is a shellfish regarded as a delicacy in New Zealand. The flesh is tender and is commonly made into fritters. The colourful shell is also widely made into jewelery. My postcard depicts the shells left behind at the beach after the flesh has been removed. In New Zealand there is a strict quota that can be taken per fisher in one day, so that the species can remain sustainable. It could be that these paua have been taken illegally. All the very best, Trish.

Patricia Price to Fanny Lee

Hi Fanny, Because I live close to the Columbia River, I chose to weave a Native American Salmon as my “food” theme. In many Native American Traditions, the salmon is a symbol of abundance and renewal.

Pat Turley to Janette Gross

Janette- A taste of summer….with sprinkles on top! Title: Strawberry Ice Cream Cone

Pam Penney to Jody Brewer

Title: “The Fruit of Vegetables” The one thing that continued to bring me joy all summer long was the 40 prolific tomato plants in my garden. They just kept on giving. I made tomato jam and canned it. I roasted tomatoes with garlic and garden basil and froze many for future sauces! This little weaving was the perfect therapy for a busy summer. I hope your garden did as well and that this is a lovely memento of summer 2025.

Noriko Kage to Carol Summer

Nanilee Robarge to Nan Salomon

Dear Nan, You mentioned thoughts of tea early on in this project, so I thought some lemon would pair nicely! Maybe these lemons go on to become lemon bars- an even better combo with a cup of tea IMHO! I enjoyed working on this, starting first with a photo and then playing with filters to create my cartoon. I hope you enjoy it too! Warmly, Nan

Nancy Kaumeyer to Jamie Jamison

Hi Jamie, I wanted to use Finnish raanu weaving to show my garden. Carrots, peas, berries, eggplant, pumpkins….lots of food. Inch by inch, row by row. I hope you enjoy! Nancy Kaumeyer

Nancy Crampton to Anne Sanderoff-Walker

Dear Anne, In Michigan, carrots are one of the last crops that can be harvested. Before the first frost a thick layer of straw is laid over the bed to insulate it. The carrots can be pulled from the soft soil all winter. When we had a big garden we served fresh carrots for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s been fun being your tapestry pal!! Nancy

Nan Salomon to Nan Robarge

When the world is all at odds And the mind is all at sea Then cease the useless tedium And brew a cup of tea. There is magic in its fragrance, There is solace in its taste; And the laden moments vanish Somehow into space. And the world becomes a lovely thing! There’s beauty as you’ll see; All because you briefly stopped To brew a cup of tea. (Author unknown)

Monica Murphy to Micala Sidore

Dear Micala, The area around Sault Ste. Marie is known for its maple products: syrup, candy, and sugar. When the sap starts to run, you’ll still need snowshoes in the sugar bush. Cheers, and happy weaving! Your friend in tapestry, Monica

Michelle Follett to Lindsay Kronmiller

No Pollinators, No Food

Micala Sidore to Monica Murphy

Image is titled “Bite Me.” Oh my, but I love apples!

Matty Smith to Linda Gormley

Title: ‘Strawberry Lips’

Mary Napier to Lynne Dees

Hello, Lynne. I enjoy the spring wildflowers in the hills of Sonoma County, CA. There is one location in a high valley that has a cluster of the short stem, road leaf Wooly Mules Ears. I was taking pictures and later noticed that one photo captured a beautiful butterfly, Silver Checker Spot, enjoying a snack on one of the flowers – FOOD! – provided by Mother Nature! Although I cannot replicate the real thing, it was fun trying to weave a representation. I look forward to seeing your “Food” weaving. Best to you, Mary.

Marlena Rogers to Janet Dorow

Hi Janet I did a road trip to Idaho this summer. Cherry Season was in full swing and inspired this little tapestry. Received your lovely card – thank you! Sincerely, Marlena

Marjorie Fine to Patricia Armour

Dear Patricia, New Zealand brings back memories of Berries with Cream. Fresh farm food was always available. Most fondly, Fellow weaver, Margie Fine

Margaret Jeppesen-to-KarenMassey

Title: ‘Dirt 2025’

Lynne Dees to Mary Napier

Mary, I really enjoyed weaving this postcard for you! Tapestry weaving is so tedious but satisfying, and the experience renewed my love for the process. Your beautiful card is currently proudly displayed on my desk; however, I will be moving it to my studio when I return to Texas where it will inspire me when I am working.

Louise Halsey to Ruth Ellen Saarinen

Dear Ruth Ellen, It’s been great seeing your work and getting to know you and your garden and bears! Whether this is a peach or a pumpkin, it’s good to eat! Enjoy the fall and Halloween. Louise, Table Top Fall Fare

Linda Gormley to Matty Smith

Matty, “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” Andy Warhol

Leslie Rodier to Deborah Davis

Debbie – Here’s an orb of Summer Sunshine. Cheers, Leslie

Laura Arena to Aine Dunne

Kristin Hathhorn to Phyllis Zhu

Hi Phyllis, A lot of our food comes from our vegetable garden and the source for that food is sunlight and water. So here is some sunlight and water for you…Yours, Kristin

Kiki Dembrow to Jean Davis

Summer! Sunshine! Pineapple delight 🙂 Enjoy, Kiki Portland to Seattle.

Kathy Spoering to Emilia Gan

Dear Emilia – it’s been lovely to connect with you through our common passion for tapestry – and tea! I’ll be watching for your future work, as well. Your postcard pal, Kathy Spoering, ‘Lavender Tea and Lemons’

Katherine Straznickas to Stevie Van Housen

Dear Linda: Food and friendship; YUM Happy Weaving, Karen

Karen Massey to Margaret Jeppesen

Dear Margaret, It has been a pleasure to get to know you as my first ATA Postcard Exchange partner. Your love of carrots and my desire to try new tapestry techniques lead me to create this unique postcard. Experimenting with twisting warps, supplemental warps and creating “worms” was been a blast. Best of all, I get to give it to you in person at the ATA workshop with Tommye Scanlin in Tennessee. All the best, Karen Massey

Karen Leckart to Linda Whiting

Julia Rapinoe to Karen Massey

Keeping with the food theme, here is my summer salad with nasturtiums from my garden. Enjoy!

Jean Davis to Kiki Dembrow

Janet Quilty to Phoebe McAfee

Hi Phoebe, it has been lovely to make contact with you because of these postcards.

Janet Miller to Becky Smith

Title: “A is for Apple”

Janet Christensen to Sarah Whittier

Hi, Sarah. This is the cornstalk part of the Navajo pattern “tree of life”. Janet

Jane Kaufman to Martha Lightcap

Martha, hope you have had a wonderful summer, weaving, gardening and enjoying all. Have a great fall! Jane

Jacqueline Fay to Jacqueline Fay-email to find out info

Ila McCallum to Jessica Ostrow

Nature: FOOD for my soul. Jessica, This little oak leaf is part of a sprout that I pulled from my garden. It holds a promise of great things to come. Ila

Ila McCallum to Christine Rivers

Nature: FOOD for my soul! Christine, These bright little Juncos kept me company all winter by visiting the bird feeder in my back yard. Ila

Ginny Wallace to Althea (Lee) Jordan

Hi Lee, These flowers spell out a message in Morse code. The round(ish) flowers are dashes and the skinny flowers are dots. I hope you enjoy this little puzzle. “Nature is Soul Food” Best, Ginny

Fannie Lee to Patricia Price

Hi Pat, This postcard is representative of rice and pasta that is part of the staples in my house. In addition, in NYC, Asian and Italian foods are prominent is most neighborhoods. I hope this postcard makes you smile as much as your American Salmon postcard makes me smile. Fannie

Erin King to Barbara Matthews

Hi Barbara, Here’s a postcard of me and my nephew feeding goats at Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We go there to celebrate most occasions; we were celebrating Father’s Day on this particular trip. I thought this would be more visually appealing than weaving chili spaghetti haha. Best, Erin

Emilia Gan to Kathy Spoering

Deborah Davis to Leslie Rodier

Hi Leslie! Let’s meet and pick some berries! Hugs, Debbie Davis “Berries for Leslie”

Deb Ellis to Mary Anne Dalkowski

Greetings from Oregon, with fond memories of a cold ice creamsicle on a hot summer day!

Christine Rivers to Ila McCallum

Food for my soul! Ice cream on a lovely hot summer day.

Carol Summers to Noriko Kage

I couldn’t think of anything in the food theme; but after getting to know you I decided to weave something that shows the strength you have when encountering struggle.

Cameron Marzelli to Jacqueline Fay

Becky Smith to Janet Miller

The most enjoyable response to food is yum!

Barbara Matthews to Erin King

Dungeness crab

Anne Sanderoff-Walker to Nancy Crampton

“Steamed crabs are a staple of Maryland summers. This one got away!” Nancy, The food theme prompted many happy summer memories. I hope you have some from when you lived in Maryland. Anne

Ann Marie Miller to Patricia Bugas-Schramm

Hi, Patricia! Jersey tomatoes are now in season! I hope you enjoy this little still life. Happy to be connected through tapestry and ATA. Ann Marie

Amy Belgan to Cheryl Ludwig

Hi Cheryl, I’m sending you a little slice of Detroit, in pizza and tapestry form! Since you mentioned weaving Rhode Island food, you inspired me, I thought it would be fun to send you one of my faves from where I’m from. I had a blast figuring out how to translate gooey cheese and crispy edges into yarn. I cannot wait to see what Rhode Island dish shows up in my mailbox. Happy weaving, Amy

Althea Lee to Beth Richardson

Native American think of salmon as a source of renewal.

Alicia Christensen to Beth Richardson

Taste of the Southwest!!

Aine Dunne to Laura Arena