A New Year of Stitching

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

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

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Out and about

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.

Congratulations to our Raffle winners

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!

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!

We are busy!

If you are new to embroidery, or need to refresh your stash (and who doesn’t!) you must visit our garage sale. We have burrowed through our stashes and donated so that you can have one too.

Our Geelong Design Week display (19th and 20th March) at the Geelong Library was fun and those who visited were impressed. Hopefully we will have a few new members who found us there.

Activity at last

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

Shazam! What a Success!

Winner of People’s Choice Group challenge – Canvaswork Tiles

Geetag’s Golden Scrolls

Our much anticipated exhibition flew by last weekend . By all accounts a raging success. The quality of work was amazing and it is always a joy to see items that have been produced by our members at home and which suddenly see the light of day at exhibition times.

The Raffle Winners are as follows:

1st Jacqui Beltchev No. 0905

2nd Sue Butler No 0308

3rd Barbara Tol No. 0336

4th Jenny Bakos No. 0145

5th Madeleine Campbell No. 0232

6th Sally Atkinson No. 0546

7th Jenny Foster No. 0134

8th Georgia Mellas No. 0479

9th Barbara Morgan No.0588

10th Pauline Veale No. 0436

11th Joyce Hunter No. 0498

We ran a People’s Choice award and the worthy winners were:

Most Popular Exhibit: “Rackham fragments” Quilt by Brenda Ryan

Individual Challenge: ” Treasure Chest” by Denise Bell

Guidance Group Challenge: “Tiles” by Canvas Work Group.

Shazam! 50 Magical Years

Canvaswork A Monagle 18Excitement builds as we  prepare for our exhibition – a very special one for our 50th birthday with the theme of 1001 Arabian Nights.

From Friday September 14th to Sunday 16th from 10am – 4.30pm at the Vines Road Community Centre, Hamlyn Heights, Geelong

There will be over 300 items on display and lots of Gold for our birthday. Specially worked challenge pieces on the Arabian Nights theme have been made by individual members and our special interest groups. They will make for a very exciting exhibition.

Hand made gifts will be for sale and refreshments are available at the venue.

Download a copy of the colourful poster

Thanks to our sponsors

Geelong Connected Communities, Bunnings, Spotlight and Cottage Garden Threads.

 

Celebrations! We turned 50!

The Geelong Branch of the Guild started after a public meeting held on 25th June 1968 at the Royal Commonwealth Society rooms in Latrobe Terrace Geelong. Mrs T.R. Garnett convened the meeting and welcomed Mrs C.T. Coleman, Mrs T. McAlpine and Miss P. Strangward, office bearers from Melbourne.

About 46 people were present. It was proposed that a group be formed in Geelong and this was carried unanimously.

A temporary committee consisted of Mrs T.R.Garnett, Mrs R.A.Long, Mrs G.A.Chomley, Mrs J.F.Menzies, Miss A.J.Ronaldson and Mrs J.M. Macintyre was elected. 25 of those present became members.

The Guild aimed not only to maintain high standards, but also to provide mutual enjoyment, stimulus and books. However to become a member an interest in embroidery was the only requirement!  (these notes are taken from the first history of our branch written by Isla Adamson and can be read or borrowed from our Library.)

We celebrated our Golden Anniversary with a Luncheon at Truffleduck on Saturday 23rd June and over 90 members and past members enjoyed a fabulous day. Several founding members were contacted including Penny Garnett, Norma Long and Isla Adamson. Isla was able to attend the luncheon and Penny sent a speech to be read by a friend.

More about our special day to come.

We are now looking forward to our spectacular Exhibition in September – SHAZAM! 50 Magical Years with the theme of 1001 Arabian Nights. There will be plenty of golden embroidery on show as well as challenge pieces on the theme. Our guidance groups have been busy since last year working on their on special challenge pieces and there will be some spectacular items to view. There will also be individual entries on the challenge so reminding all our members to start stitching on the theme.

Save the date 14th – 16th September 2018.

Click here to download our Exhibition Poster

Off and running

Breaking Ts cropOur first Sit and Sew meeting for the year was held at St Davids on Monday 12th February. A great turn out to hear the speakers from the Lions Club of Quilters, Victoria They are endeavouring to collect, record, preserve and display quilts that reflect what local quilters produce in communities across the state.

We have already had a very successful introduction to the year with the first Summer school teaching Wool Hexagons, Tassells, and Bejewelled Treasure Chests.

We also featured at the Craft Alive show in Werribbee and had the first meeting for the year of our Wyndham Vale Group – now  meeting at the Manor Lakes Community Centre on the first Thursday of the month. Canvaswork group meets on the third Thursday of the Month and have had one session designing amulet bags and are about to learn creative ways to colour canvas

Don’t forget to save the date for Breaking Traditions our GEEtag Textile Arts Group Exhibition on March 16th- 18th. Entry is free from 10am – 3pm at The Shearers Arms Gallery, 202 Aberdeen Street Geelon West

Tickets are now available ($10) for the Opening night with Glenys Mann, drinks and nibblies and of course the stunning exhibition.