NATCHEZ — When you walk into A.M. and Helen Ratcliff’s house on Sun Avenue, you’ll notice a multitude of beautiful artwork hanging on the wall.

But those works of art weren’t bought, they were made by Helen.

Since she was in high school, Helen has been cross-stitching, and her completed pieces of work hang proudly on the walls of her home.

And when The Dart landed on her street Friday afternoon, it found her working on her latest cross-stitch work of art, a Thomas Kinkade portrait she started last week.

But don’t expect her to be finished with it anytime soon. It will take a while.

“It takes about a year to do one,” Helen said. “It’s just very relaxing to sit down and work on one.”

While most of her cross-stitch pieces are small to moderate sized, there is one hanging over the fireplace that is four times the size of the others.

That one took approximately 10 years for her to complete.

“I did that one when my first husband was sick with cancer,” Helen said. “I had a lot of stress going on at the time and it gave me something to do during that time period.

While Helen has her cross-stitching works of art on the walls of her home, A.M. also has a bookshelf dedicated to his passion — Mississippi State University.

He is a 1950 graduate of MSU and is an avid Bulldog supporter as well as an avid golfer. He goes out every morning with his golfing buddies to get a round in, except when they bail on him.

“They told me they’re not going out to golf on Labor Day,” he said. “So I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Both A.M. and Helen lost their first spouses to cancer.

Helen’s sister is the one who played match-maker and the two dated for two years before getting married five years ago.

“My sister knew him and she told me ‘Helen, I want you to meet him, he is so nice.’” Helen said. “We went out to eat and that’s how it got started.”

And while Helen has brought her cross-stitching talents to the home decoration, there are still several pieces of art hanging in the home that she did not produce.

“A.M.’s first wife cross-stitched as well, and there are some pieces she made that are hanging in the home,” Helen said. “I never knew her, but she was a very talented lady. I wish I could have known her.”