Hello, and welcome! My name is Rose Dittmar and I am the creator of Rhodes Butterfly NeedleArt Designs. I'd like to share a little bit about myself.

Coming from an obscenely artistic family, I was exposed to many different media as far back as I can remember. My Grandfather Emmitt and Uncles Russell, Chuck and Gary are amazing; carving, drawing, sculpting, painting, you name it, they can do it and do it very well. My Grandmother Darlene, Aunt Bonnie and my Mother all stitch in one form or another and their work is exquisite. My Aunt Joyce swears she is the only one in the family with no talent. Poppycock (isn't that just the funniest word), with so many talented family members surely the creative/artistic gene hadn't passed either of us by, and so it began.

I learned embroidery first, with both my Aunt Bonnie and my Mother sharing their expertise. I always loved the Days of the Week Patterns and made lots and lots of embroidered pillow cases. Crochet lessons shortly followed and who better to teach me than my Mother, who does absolutely beautiful work. She especially loves making doilies since they are quickies. Unfortunately, even with her guidance, I just couldn't find a rhythm and soon got frustrated and moved on.

I became fascinated with sewing when my Mother began making clothes for my barbies. The woman had the patience of a saint, all those tiny pieces, eek!! I never had the courage to attempt barbie clothes, but I did start with reasonable pieces like skirts and blouses. I continued to sew clothing for myself and anyone else who was brave enough to wear my creations.

My Aunt Bonnie is the knitting expert in the family and was thrilled at the opportunity to pass along her knowledge. She taught me the basics and I caught on quickly, but again something just didn't feel right. I went through spurts where I'd sew, crochet for a while, then knit, embroider... and well you get the picture. Nothing held my attention long term; hey I was a teenager what do you expect?

When we were expecting our first daughter, Ashley, I was determined that her layette be an heirloom set that could be passed down to her childen. Thus, my introduction to quilting. Why stop at the crib quilt when you can make quilted bumper pads, diaper bags, curtains, you name it, I made it. Throw in knitted and crocheted blankets, sweaters and booties and you've got it all. You can probably tell by now that I'm a wee bit compulsive when it comes to matching sets. Now here's where it starts to get interesting. My friend, Dana, stitched a beautiful birth sampler for Ashley and I was totally unprepared for my reaction. I'd seen stitched pieces before and had admired the hand work, but this was different, very different. Counted cross stitch, speciality stitchs and hardanger pieces soon became my new obsession. I found myself spending the bulk of my craft budget and shopping time in the stitching area and you guessed it, I quickly had the beginnings of an awesome stash. I spent most of the next 10 years stitching and stashing.

Fast forward to 1992 and the preparations for our second daughter, Paige. Since I'd crafted such an impressive layette for Ashley, there was no question that Paige's must be equally impressive. I'd been collecting birth sampler patterns and found that I liked various pieces of each one and soon found myself cutting and pasting, changing and tweeking until I had the perfect piece. As before, I also sewed, knitted, crocheted and quilted everything I could get my hands on. Over the next 15 years cross stitch continued to dominate my interest. The girls are freshmen now, one in high school and one in college and I have way too much time on my hands. I began thinking of some type of stitching related business that I could focus my attention on and designing rose to the top. I'd been tweeking and changing designs for years, why not make a career of it.

Rhodes Butterfly NeedleArt Designs began in August 2006. I chose the name because the Rhodes Stitches are my favorite and it had a nice ring to it. I spent a year behind the scenes learning the ropes, but I realized that if I continued to fly under the radar, the business could never grow. With the support, encouragement (and funding) from my husband, Mark, I jumped in. I'd heard about the Nashville Market and was floored when I was accepted as a vendor. I went from zero to sixty to get ready, but somehow made it. Our first designs debuted at the Nashville Market 2008.

Whew, wasn't that a mouth full.

I'm so happy to be able to share my designs with you. Some are cute, some quirky, some funny, but they all come from the heart.

Hugs and Stitches,

Rose