Rosie deLeon-McCrady
Owner, Scarlet Today™Redwork plus™
The Scarlet Today™/Redwork plus™ Division of McCrady Enterprises specializes in Redwork designs, (okay, some are in color), fine English embroidery needles and the line of Presencia Finca thread. We redesigned our packaging adding snappy full-color front sheets. There are many creative ideas for uses beyond Redwork. We increased the number of embroidery patterns to include not only the whimsical designs currently available, but also a group of vintage patterns taken from our extensive collection of our favorite antique needle art.
Everyone that buys our embroidery needles fall in love with the needle. Thus, we expanded our line of embroidery English needles. The line now includes many sizes for embroidery, chenille, and milliner needles for embroidery. We also offer a complete line of appliqué and the best hand quilting needles available. Retail customers can view the needles without opening the package before purchasing the needles. To keep the needles bright and shiny, they are nestled in wool inside a see-through package.
About Me
As I look back on my years, it seems I was always destined to end up with a needle and a thread in my hands. Whether it be embroidery, quilting, or simply refastening a button to an old shirt, as soon as my fingers stick that piece of thread through the fabric and pull it through, I suddenly feel at home.
As a young girl, my mother took the time to instill in me the necessary values that would carry me through womanhood. There were the timeless baking lessons where much of the batter seemed to make its way into our mouths before making it into the pan. There were the numerous lectures on the importance of doing well in school which, of course, I always paid the utmost attention to. However, it was the time I spent with her learning how to embroider that I remember so vividly.
Embroidery not only became an activity that I could do with my mother, but also an outlet for a young girl to enhance her creativity. My mother’s lessons paid off, and soon, much to my mother’s delight and sometimes to her dismay, embroidery started popping up on our pillow cases, dresser scarves, and tablecloths at our house. I was hooked.
My introduction to quilting did not come til years later when, fate in the form of my future husband, Phil McCrady, introduced me to his mother, Kathleen McCrady. Mrs. McCrady, renowned in the industry for her vast knowledge and expertise in the history of quilts and textiles, helped me fill a void that had been missing for some time. I had recently learned, right before the encounter, that my maternal grandmother quilted, and I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Mrs. McCrady graciously taught me how to hand piece and hand quilt. It is because of her kindness and my husband’s encouragement and support that I have been quilting my way to happiness for 20 years.
In an effort to spread the art of quiltmaking and embroidery, and yes I do feel it is an art, I started teaching classes a little over eleven years ago throughout Texas and New Mexico. With time, I started being approached to judge quilt shows. These interactions with my students and with quilting contestants combined with my five years experience at a retail quilt shop, offered me much insight to the needs of my future Redwork customers.
I believe in putting excellent tools in the hands of every stitcher. If you have the right tools, you will enjoy the craft, and thus, you accomplish more. Besides Redwork (embroidery) needles, I have expanded my line of superior quality English needles to include appliqué, quilting betweens, chenille and straw/milliner needles.
Combining my love of Redwork with patchwork is very rewarding for me. I am an experienced business woman, and I now aspire to become an experienced quiltmaker and designer. My hope is to have my unique line of products become an integral part of the industry I have come to love and that is now my second career.
Teresa (Tari) Weaver
Photographer, Graphic Designer
Redwork plus™ contracts with Tari Weaver for all photography and some graphic designs. We are lucky to work with such a knowledgeable and talented individual. She believes in doing things right the first time.
Tari Weaver has loved photography and the photography of quilts and other forms of needle art for as long as she can remember. She just loves to admire quilts. A member of the Austin Area Quilt Guild, she has been the archivist slide photographer for the biennial quilt shows since 1990. She worked as a cartographer for 17 years, drawing maps and other forms of geologic drafting, for two state geological surveys. The digital transition of the 1990's moved her from hand scribing on a light table, darkroom developing and negative peels into the digital world of PhotoShop, FreeHand, Illustrator, Microsoft Word and Quark. She also loves photography. I appreciate her experience in all facets of hand drafting, computer drafting and photography. She is an important asset to Redwork plus’s operation.
Kathleen H. McCrady
My Journey with Quilts
We are the exclusive website where you can purchase Kathleen H. McCrady’s book: My Journey with Quilts. Over 80 photographs help tell her story. “Combining her personal history with her history as a very talented Texas quiltmaker and her fascination with quilt history, Kathleen has created a fascinating look at how women lived and quilters worked in years gone by. This is a rare opportunity to experience that history first-hand written by someone who has made the most of every minute of her life.” (Karey Bresenham, Directory of International Quilt Festival). “A participant in the great Bicentennial revival of quilting and the Texas Quilt Search, Kathleen has passed on her love of quilting to future generations, not only her own family but around the world.” (Nancy O’Bryant Puentes, Executive VP Quilt, Inc). You will no doubt enjoy this book. I have been told by many who had read her book, “It is like she is sitting across from you telling you her story.”