As part of their ongoing effort to promote needle arts, members of the Hopewell Quilters, a group of volunteers who demonstrate quilting at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site in Elverson, have partnered with the Exeter Community Library to hold a Sewing Circle. The gathering is held at the library on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon.

Each session includes a demonstration on a specific topic, followed by a time during which attendees can work on their own sewing projects. Participants also have an opportunity to practice the art of quilting.

The first Sewing Circle session was held in January, and the topic was fleece blankets presented by Becky Hughes of the Hopewell Quilters. Hughes' mother, Beth Shugar, presented February's topic, which was embroidery and cross-stitch. The topic for the next scheduled meeting on March 8 will be quilting.

The partnership came about after the Hughes and the Hopewell Quilters presented two programs at the library, "The History of Quilting" and "How to Quilt a Potholder."

"Becky had done a couple of independent programs with the library," explained Shugar. "Then, we talked to them about needing a place to do a Sewing Circle, and we worked it out. Becky usually does a 15-minute presentation on the topic, and then we all have independent projects to work on - sewing, crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch and quilting."

For the February program, Shugar talked about the history of embroidery, which traces back thousands of years. "The French word for embroidery is  'broderie,' which means 'to embellish,'" she noted. "In the 18th century, it became part of a young's woman's education to do needlework. There were schools that taught the different types of embroidery. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that the first embroidery was done with a machine in France."

Shugar explained that cross-stitch is a specific type of embroidery that uses only X-shaped stitches to create a design. "Embroidery has different stitches - edge stitch, outline stick and lazy daisy," she explained. "Then (there are) cross-stitches, which are (in the shape of) an 'X.'"

Shugar displayed various samples of cross-stitch and embroidery, including stitches done on gingham fabric, towels, miniature Christmas trees and a crazy quilt.

"During the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, crazy quilts were popular," she said, noting that crazy quilts were made by stitching together different fabrics in a variety of shapes. "(With crazy quilts) you could display your stitching of the patches, and you could show your embroidery (skills)."

She said that many find completing embroidery projects relaxing. "There has been some studies that show the repetition of the stitches is very good for the brain and the body. (It makes) people happy," said Shugar.

In addition to the Sewing Circle at the library, members of the Hopewell Quilters demonstrate the art of quilting during special events at Hopewell Furnace and at Daniel Boone Homestead, Birdsboro. To learn more about the group, search for "Hopewell Quilters" on Facebook.

The Exeter Community Library is located at 4569 Prestwick Drive, Reading. To register for the March Sewing Circle, stop by the library or visit http://www.berkslibraries.org/branch/exeter. A link to register for the program is also available at http://www.facebook.com/ExeterCommunityLibrary.