Looking Forward

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We’ve almost come to the end of the year but our branch and our groups are all planning great times for 2024

An example of Thread Painting by Liandre Hawkes
(see classes for a beginners version)

Some great Classes and workshops have been scheduled.

Our Groups have lots of activities planned: GeeTAG is going with “A Sense of Place” and will be producing postcard sized pieces for a box or a book. Slow Stitch has a series of mini stitch demos, very helpful for beginners, some techniques for colour and design and some sessions just for fun. Counted Thread are making this the year of Hardanger. Canvas work will explore more of Jean Hilton’s fascinating and tricky stitches. Artisan Books will work on their techniques sample book and produce all sorts of amazing bound items. Patchworkers are exploring blocks using Boro and Sashiko stitching.

What a lot of activity. Do join us – there must be something for every body in that line up!

To Join The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria go to the web site and make sure you join the Geelong Branch. Our main meeting is 10am-2pm, 2nd Monday of the month at St David’s Church Hall, Aphrasia Street in Newtown. Evening group is on the second Tuesday.

Our Exhibition 2023 has Up, Up and went !

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We enjoyed a very successful weekend with many visitors and an impressive array of beautiful exhibits.

The Group Challenge winners “Ocean Grove Group” with their entry Dandelions

The raffle proved popular and the results are:

Chocolate Heaven.    Liz Davis  

Hardanger Cloth.       Carol Reeve

Health and Beauty.    Sally Hare

Green Vessel.            Geyle Tong

Gourmet Indulgence.  Karen Thornton

Blackwork.                 Lis Nyssen

Patchwork Quilt.        Margaret Neill

Winners of the awards for their work are:

People’s Choice Award:   Marion Dines   Boro hand stitched Quilt

Individual Challenge:    Liandre Hawkes Embroidered Owl

Group Challenge:       The Ocean Grove Group   Dandelions

Thanks to all our members who entered work which made our exhibition such a success.

Our hard working committee and the volunteers who worked at the weekend are also due an enormous vote of thanks.

I wonder what the theme of our next exhibition in 2025 will be? Watch this space!!

There is Something in the Air!

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That’s the theme for the Challenges in our exciting Exhibition of Embroidery and Textile Arts. Our Phoenix is finally rising from the Ashes and the exhibition is here.

To be held on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September at the Geelong West Town Hall in Pakington Street, from 10am to 4pm

Will the Canvaswork group triumph again, or will another group take home the coveted Group Challenge Trophy? Individual members will also enter work specially designed to meet the challenge. Public votes will determine the most popular items in the show.

Our members will be demonstrating different types of embroidery and you might even have a go yourself.

See many styles of embroidery from Slow Stitch and Sashiko to Counted threads, Canvaswork, Patchwork, Art Quilts, Fabric books and Creative Explorations. Find little Rabbits, Dragonflies and even maybe a Monkey!

We have been busy making delightful handmade items for the Gift Stall and there will be Refreshments available to give you a second wind. Raffle prizes are gorgeous!

Put the dates in your diary – Bring all your friends to this exciting and artful show! Entry $10 for adults, includes Raffle ticket.

A New Year of Stitching

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We have started the year on a high note with a new committee elected at our recent AGM. Congratulations to President Trish VanKuyk and to Alana Young, Ann Horne, Christine Casey, Jenny Bakos, Leonie Lister, Margaret McDonald, Pauline Veale, Sue Patterson and Vicki Smart who will form the 2023 committee.

Classes have begun and most of our groups have now had their first meetings for the year. For more information about these please go to their pages: CLASSES and GROUPS

A collection of recent embroideries

We have already planned several special activities, The first is an introductory class at the Geelong West Library on Friday 31st March. This is open to the public so anyone can join in.

We will be – Sharing Stitches also at the Geelong West Library on Friday 21st April during the National Trust Heritage Festival. There will be a display of our work and demonstrations of stitching and a chance to try out your own skills.

Our long awaited Exhibition 2023 “UP UP AND AWAY !” will be held on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September at the Geelong West Town Hall

Something New for your Stitching Pleasure

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We always have great classes available to members. If you are interested in any of these please contact our classes co-ordinator Meg Pyburne.

Machine Embroidery, Flowering in Red, Kogan stitched phone cover or Purse, Mandela and Dorset Feather Stitchery

Mandala : Surface Stitchery taught by Jenny Bakos.
Wednesday, June 8th at South Barwon Community Centre, Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont.
Designing your own work need not be difficult. Use pencil and paper to make two simple designs that are suitable to stitch with surface stitchery. You could frame them or make a needle case or box top. Workshop Cost $25.

Flowering in Red : Drawn Thread taught by Christine Burton.
Make a scissor fob, a pincushion or a needle roll.
Saturdays, 2nd and 9th July at South Barwon Community Centre, Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont. 9:30 for 10am until 3pm. Class Cost $90 plus kit.

Intermediate Certificate in Machine Embroidery – taught by Leonie Lister.
6 lessons on Saturdays, 23rd, 30th July, 20th August, 3rd, 24th September, 22nd October and hand-in day on 19th November at South Barwon Community Centre, Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont. 9:30 for 10am until 3pm.
You will learn Free Machine Embroidery, complete a folio of work and will finish with a project of your own design.
Cost $290, for the 6 lessons ( able to be paid in instalments)

Complete 3 Intermediate Level subjects and you will be awarded the Guild’s Intermediate Certificate

Kogan Stitched Purse or Phone Case : taught by Marion Dines.
Wednesday, July 13th at South Barwon Community Centre, Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont. 9:30 for 10am until 3pm. Learn Kogan Stitching (Japanese Darning) to decorate a purse or phone case. Workshop Cost $25 plus kit.

Dorset Feather Stitchery : taught by Gillian Norris.
Thursday, 25th August at South Barwon Community Centre, Mt Pleasant Rd, Belmont. 9:30 for 10am until 3pm. Learn the basics of this simple stitch and use it on a small project of your choice.

Contact Meg Pyburne 0478 616 215 for any more details or to sign up.

Out and about

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Samite Sampler – Fragments by Alison Snepp

We have a couple of activities coming up that you might like to join in.

For the National Trust Heritage Festival we will have a Display of some of our work, Traditional and Modern at Belmont Library, High Street Belmont. Wednesday 27th April from 10am to 4pm

We will be there doing some stitching and would love to have people to talk to.

Dijanne Cevaal

Dijanne Cevaal will be our guest speaker at our next Sit and Sew on Monday May 9th. She is well known internationally for her Travellers Blankets and her series of female Sentinelles. She has worked on printmaking on fabric to embroider. She is going to bring some of her prints and fabrics for us to buy so don’t miss out. Visitors are welcome so bring your friends.

Our meeting starts at 10am and goes until 2pm. Bring your lunch and join us at St David’s Church Hall, Aphrasia Street, Newtown.

Another new year – Here’s to a good one!

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Colourful stitching by our President Pauline Mackenzie

We are making a new start with the hope that we will be able to get together more often. We do enjoy our friendships and shared love of stitching.

Our first Sit and Sew meeting this year will be on Monday 14th February 10am – 2pm at St David’s Church Hall Aphrasia Street Newtown. We’d love to see everyone there and look forward to meeting some of our new members again, or for the first time!

It’s also our AGM when our new committee will be voted in. If you’d like to help running our branch or think a friend would be great in this role please contact us before 21st January.

Classes and Workshops will be up and running soon. First up some cute Rabbits.

Our smaller groups will also be getting under way – the Canvas work group are first up with a Round Box Top mini workshop, 20th January. Patchwork Group meets on Tuesday 25th January

Assisi work by Barbara Grose

Counted Thread enthusiasts will have a meeting on Monday February 7 10.30am- 1pm at South Barwon Community Centre, Mount Pleasant Rd Belmont. We will see if there are enough people to form a new group. If you love Assisi, Hardanger, Blackwork, Cross stitch, Pulled or Drawn Thread, Shwalm or any other counting stitches please think about joining in. The group will share knowledge and perhaps have a program of learning new stitches.

Artisan Books and Geetag (Textile Arts Group) – Saturday 12th Feb and Slow Stitch Thursday 10th Feb (good for beginners) are also keen to get going again.

Wyndham Vale group will also be meeting to decide on their future meetings so keep an eye out for info.

Our famous Garage Sale will be held on Saturday 26th March so start going through your stash to find donations – bring these to Sit and Sew or contact us for a pick up.

Our newsletter Geelong Threads will keep members in touch with the latest on activities classes and groups

Congratulations to our Raffle winners

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Even though we were unable to have our exhibition we did draw the raffle as tickets had been sold.

Congratulations to all the winners

1st # 0251 Brenda Ryan
2nd # 0339 Jacqui Willox
3rd # 0032 Sacha Kavanagh
4th # 0311 Pauline Mackenzie
5th # 0069 Gayle Bechaz
6th # 0180 Jenny Lidell
7th # 0162 April Jacobi
8th # 0305 Jenny Bakos
9th # 0273 Angelika Butler
10th # 0222 Claire Bolster

We hope to have our exhibition some time in the future but not sure just when at the moment. Keep watching – we’ll let you know!

Up Up and Away, Cancelled again!

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Once again we have been prevented from running our excellent exhibition.

We have sadly decided that it is too much of a gamble to go ahead. It is too much to ask our volunteers and loyal visitors to be exposed, with the numbers of covid cases on the rise in our neighbouring areas. Extensions of the lockdown now seem likely.

The raffle will still be drawn as advertised and if you have tickets please hang on to them.

We hope that you will get to see the wonderful artworks that we have been creating at some time in the not too distant future when our Phoenix finally rises from the ashes.

Stay tuned and stay safe!

The New and the Old(er)

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Our Birthday celebrations were held at our June meeting. Sadly the President from The Guild in Melbourne was unable to travel to join us (due to yet another lockdown) but our very own Valda King who is the Branches Liaison Officer was able to present our long standing members with their certificates to commemorate their support over many years.

L-R Berry Millard, Marj Kavanagh, Rosa Cullen, Jean Shinners, Valda King (Branches Liaison Officer) and Pauline Mackenzie (EGV Geelong President) [Irene Roach, not present]

We all enjoyed our morning tea and congratulate these very special members.

We’ve expanded our Special Interest Groups to include 2 new ones and a proposed one.

Just started are the Artist’s Books Group and the Slow Stitch Group.

We also want to try restarting the Counted Thread group so if you are interested please let us know