Category Archives: Classes

Embroidered Botanicals Class with Jeanne-maree Tempest

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As an extra to our Geelong Branch Biennial Exhibition “THE ART OF THE NEEDLE” : Traditional to Contemporary we are excited to announce this special Embroidered Botanicals Class

13th & 14th Sep 2025 9am – 4pm

$150 EGV members, $175 non members, plus $10 kit

Fee Includes entry to EGV Geelong Biennial Exhibition

Bookings close July 31st 2025

Join fibre artist Jennie-maree Tempest in this two-day workshop. Learn how to stitch embroidered botanical sculptures using free motion machine embroidery, wrap wires in fabric and thread as stems, stitch and stiffen fabric to make leaves. Learn all the tricks and tips to make a beautiful bloom. You will have the option of making either a Callistemon (Bottle Brush), Lavender, Daisies or Banksia Spinulosa, but you will learn the process for each of the four specimens.

To register and receive the requirements list and details, phone 0427 819 713

or email geelongthreads@gmail.com

Supper Room, Geelong West Town Hall,

153 Pakington Street, Geelong West, Victoria

Jeanne-maree Tempest Flyer download

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.

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.

Activity at last

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Dragonflies in the Garden canvaswork class

We are thinking positively and have some wonderful activities planned for the next little while. Check our special interest groups for their days and times

We will be out and about Stitching in Public for Geelong Design Week on Friday 19th and Saturday 20th March 10 – 4pm at the Geelong Regional Library and Heritage Centre, 51 Little Malop Street. Come and see our work. You can even try out some stitching for yourself!

We have a Garage Sale organised for Saturday March 27th 9am – 1pm at St David’s Hall Aphrasia St Newtown. Books and Kits, Fabric, Sewing Tools, Threads and Beads. Come along and add to your Stash!

Classes are starting, including Ann-Marie Anderson-Moyes Dragonflies in the Garden canvas work class . Intermediate Surface Stitchery is a six class series giving you a very good introductory base for your embroidery adventure. Classes info page is Here

We started our year with a very chatty Sit and Sew in February and ( we look forward to our next on Monday 8th March at St David’s Hall Aphrasia St Newtown 10am – 2pm) Join us on the second Monday of the Month

Connecting Stitchers

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Kaz

Kaz McGlynn Mixed media

K Maloney book2s

Kerrie Maloney Book binding

weaving variation 2 and 3

Brenda Ryan’s Playing with Stitch

We are about to start our year’s program. Some of our groups have already met and our Intermediate Certificate Surface Stitchery students have their first class on Feb 3rd. I know they are getting excited. The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria turns 60 this year and there are many celebrations to come.

We start our Up Up and Away Exhibition year with a program of classes and workshops which will be open to the public. Connect 60: A seminar for those who like to Stitch It runs from March 10th to 22nd with  classes for all interests from Goldwork and Tudor Embroidery to more modern Playing with Stitch, Mixed Media  and Bookbinding.

To see the many other  classes and workshops we have this year Click here  Classes 2020

One of our groups is GeeTAG – the Geelong Textile Arts Group. This group meets on the 2nd Saturday of the month  12.45 – 3pm at St David’s. The program for the year contains lots of different techniques culminating in some final works and a Challenge entry for the exhibition in September.

Join us at our Sit and Sew meeting on the 2nd Monday of every month starting on Feb 10th at 10am. Bring your lunch and something to sew…you’ll never look back.

Most of our meetings are held at St David’s Church Hall, Aphrasia St Newtown.

We’ve been busy

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Classes and workshops are one of the most important ways of passing the skills of embroidery on from one embroiderer to the next. Recent classes and workshops have been fun and we have learnt an enormous amount. There is a lot of talent in our group.

Why don’t you join in for our next classes or workshops.

Some photos including Katherine Hamer Fox’s class in Creative Machine Embroidery, Delva White’s workshop in Wessex Stitchery and Jane Croxford’s Long and short stitch workshop – Hedgehog

Classy Fun

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Djianne Cevaal’s Machine Embroiderers
Sisters Stitch Boro



Our next Sit and Sew meeting is on Monday 11th March from 11am to 2pm at St David’s Church Hall Aphrasia Street Newtown At these meetings we work on our existing sewing or join in the Try-Out table to try a technique that may be new to you. We bring our lunches, chat and exchange ideas and sewing tips.

We also have access to the comprehensive library collection and are able to see what classes are coming up in the future. This year has already seen some wonderful work from class members and there are two International tutors lined up for later in the year

Education is an important part of our Guild actitivities, passing on the traditional and new styles of embroidery. Classes are held throughout the year and prove very popular including our recent Summer School ones. Lists of upcoming classes are available at the meetings and in the newsletter that goes out to our members. Coming up soon, Alison Cole will be teaching a Goldwork project in March – get in quickly for this one.

A Taste of Candlewicking workshop will be held on Friday April 5th

Alison Snepp, from NSW will be back for her final teaching session here and you must not miss her class, which will impart much of what she has learned in her long career as an embroiderer.

Hazel Bloemkamp, Crewel embroidery expertfrom South Africa, will be visitiing us in September so lots to look forward to.

New classes and workshops are added all the time, so come to meetings or join the Guild to get our newsletter for more information.

The Year moves on

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We are about to have our Annual General Meeting at which we ratify the appointment of those members who have been nominated to positions on the committee for next year. Thanks to those who have thrown their names into the ring this time.

The meeting is on Monday 10th December from 10am at St David’s Hall, Aphrasia Street Newtown. We welcome new members to join our many activities.

Brenda Ryuan Rackham Fragments 3

Rackham Fragments

Summer School is an exciting time for us and there are so many things to try.  See the Classes page for full details.

Blackwork, Scrumbling, Brenda’s Rackham Fragments and Needle lace are all on the list. Drawing for design is an important skill that we all need and we have a tutor from South Australia – Lorelle Leham to set us on the right path.

Kathryn Harmer Fox is to visit later in the year, very exciting.

We are also planning a retreat at Melrose Cottage in Ballan 15th – 17th April, Contact us now if you are interested

 

Become a certified Embroiderer!!

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Have you ever thought of doing an Intermediate subject? This year we are offering Surface Stichery and Goldwork as our options.

Goldwork by Alison Cole

Elephant by Marj Kavanagh

What is an Intermediate Certificate Subject?
An Intermediate subject is a series of classes designed to move you beyond the beginner stage. It develops your skills in a particular technique as well as your confidence in general. Different techniques are offered from year to year.Each course leads you beyond the basics of a technique, building up a collection of stitch samples and knowledge pertaining to that particular technique.

Most courses require the student to produce two small pieces and one major piece. A ‘major piece’ does not mean that the student has to produce a huge piece of work, but rather a piece of work that demonstrates that the student has a good grasp of the skills learned for the technique. Student work is assessed by the tutor, and a date for assessment is usually set for approximately six weeks after the last class of the course.

Each subject runs for six sessions, from 10.00am to 2.30 (including a 30 minute lunch break).There will be homework after each session, and at the end you’ll hand in a folder of notes and your finished works for assessment.

To enrol in most subjects, students must demonstrate a knowledge of basic stitches, as well as some experience in the basics of the chosen technique. Surface Stitchery is however a basic course. If you successfully complete three Intermediate subjects within five years, and take part in the Intermediate Final Display, you will receive your Intermediate Certificate.

Or you can simply take individual subjects from time to time. Many members find these courses so valuable that they complete more than three courses, learning a wide variety of techniques.