~ Biography Corner ~


Elegant Crochet

When I think of bullion stitches, I think of Bonnie Pierce. You might know her best through her website, Elegant Crochet. Teaching herself to crochet much like a knitter, with both yarn and hook in her right hand, Bonnie learned to crochet at around age 15. "One of my earliest memories is of holding my mom's ball of gray wool yarn, running it through my fingers, and being so happy when I was allowed to darn dad's wool socks with it," Bonnie recalls. She goes on to say, "I believe crochet is an art form, that brings the generations together."


One of Bonnie's specialties is using the bullion stitch in many of her
designs. Researching this particular stitch, she found a variation of the Bullion in an 1895 book, where it was called a "rice stitch". In the early 1920's, they were calling it the "roll stitch", and it was making a comeback, "like so many of the 'new' stitches". Bonnie would love to hear from anyone who has information about the early use of bullion stitches.


Bonnie's other specialty is making squares...and squares with bullion
stitches. American School of Needlework asked her to author their next book of squares! They have tentatively titled it "Bonnie's Beautiful Blocks" and are in the process of editing it at this time. It will hopefully be available by August or September 2001. It is a 128 page, full color book of 61 of Bonnie's beautiful squares, many that use the bullion stitch. "I'm very excited about it!" Bonnie exclaims. I don't blame you Bonnie, congratulations!


Future plans include designs for pillow toppers, sweaters and of course
more afghans. Bonnie has already designed even more squares, and at her site, Elegant Crochet, you'll find free patterns, tips and techniques for joining and blocking squares, along with advice on making bullion stitches.


"Can you make a hdc?" Bonnie asks. "A bullion stitch is made by the
same process. Start practicing by adding an extra yo, and then another until you are comfortable with it. It does take practice to get them right. The old books from the Victorian days said that you should expect to fail numerous times before you are successful at making the bullion stich. I do believe it is worth it though, as it adds such versatility to your work."


In her leisure time, Bonnie crochets comfort pins and 'ghan squares for
the Angels of Comfort. She's also a member of CGOA (Crochet Guild of America), and belongs to several online crochet groups. She lives in Southwestern Washington state with her hubby and youngest son, who knows how to crochet. Their oldest son is a student at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona and their daughter is a student at Western Oregon University, studying sign language interpreting. You have every reason to be a proud mom Bonnie! Thank you for a great interview!