February 2023
Have you checked out the RSN Stitchbank yet? It is a great stitch resource. Currently there are 275 stitches. Each stitch has a step by step guide with illustrations, photos and video. There is also a history of each stitch. This is a great online resource for all stitchers whether novice or experienced. Check it out at https://rsnstitchbank.org/
Thursday 18 March 2021
2020 was a strange year, and everyday since seems to be a new normal, with Covid mutating. Hopefully now that there is a vaccine, the world will return to a semblance of normality that we are familiar with, and borders will once again open. Due to lockdowns there haven’t been as many exhibitions to see, but we did get the chance earlier this year to go to Te Papa and see the World of Wearable Art exhibition. It was a great opportunity to see some of the award winning costumes up close. Being up close to the designs, you can really appreciate the work that goes into them, the variety of materials used from leather, plastic, felt, wood, metal…the list is endless. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy WOW this year, I see that tickets for the 2021 shows are due to go on sale in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed, stay safe, keep washing your hands and wearing masks as required, then we can all enjoy the unique spectacle of WOW
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Moving Continents: Japan Blue Aizome , September 2019
A friend and I went to view this exhibition on Monday, it closes on Friday 20th September. The exhibition is the second in a series exploring immigrant stories explored through craft, art and design in Japanese and New Zealand sourced textiles and fibres. The exhibition shows work from a collaboration between Deb Donnelly (NZ) and Hiroshi Tomihisa (Japan). Many of the works are for sale, and it is reading the price list that you learn what each item is made up of. We spent a pleasant time looking at the exhibits, it was a shame that there was no one in the gallery to answer questions or talk about the pieces in greater depth. If you can, do go and see the exhibition at Te Auaha gallery, exhibition space, Dixon Street.
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Information about the artists:
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The Festival of Samplers, Sydney June 2019
In June I spent a few days in Sydney, timing it to coincide with the Quilt and Craft Fair held at the ICC in Darling Harbour. On a particularly wet Monday, a friend and I ventured out to Concord West to the headquarters of the Embroiderers’ Guild of New South Wales. The building was light and airy, with plenty of workspace, with a number of workrooms, and large library. The ground floor is used as a gallery space, allowing them to hold many exhibitions. The exhibition we saw was the Festival of Samplers.
Samplers on display ranged from the seventeenth century to the modern day. On the ground floor some of the oldest samplers on display were mourning samplers. There were darning samplers, a collection of small clothing, for babies or dolls, and map samplers. I apologise to the donors and the Guild of NSW for not recording who donated or created the exhibits.
The second floor had several examples of whitework on display
The top floor had modern samplers on display
There was also some colourful stitch collection ‘books’
And finally a book of samplers with a hardanger bookmark
If you do head over to Sydney, I recommend going for a visit to the Embroiderers’ Guild of New South Wales, you will receive a warm welcome and they are very obliging. There are also a number of courses they are holding this summer which are open to non-members, so check out their website and Facebook page for further details.
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The Winners from the recent Regional Workday 17th March 2018
Winner of Diana Parkes Challenge: Billee Mutton
Winner of Viewers Choice: Sara Keppel
Keep checking back for fresh new work from our members – aren’t they talented!
Wellington Embroiderers' Guild 