Erica Wilson

Erica Wilson (8 October 1928 – 13 December 2011) was an English-born American embroidery designer based in New York, known particularly for needlepoint. She also designed wallcoverings and greeting cards. Her designs were published by Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, among others. Wilson earned the nicknames "Julia Child of embroidery" and "America's first lady of stitchery" for her work.

Wilson was born in Tidworth, England on October 8, 1928. She moved to Bermuda with her parents as a baby, when her father, a British military colonel, was stationed on the island. She lived in Bermuda for five years, until her parents' divorce. Wilson was raised in England and Scotland after moving from Bermuda, but recalled the move as upsetting. "I was broken-hearted at leaving the only home I'd ever known." She later graduated from the Royal School of Needlework in London.

Wilson immigrated to the United States in 1954 to work as a needlework instructor. Some of her early students included Mrs. Procter (of Procter & Gamble) and Mrs. Watson (of IBM Watson family). She married furniture designer Vladimir Kagan in 1957. They have three children.