Have Your Say

Guilds, Needlepoint and Two Short Minutes

Many stitchers around the world are members of their local Embroiderers’ Guild, so we received lots of positive feedback when we wrote an article in All Stitched Up! issue #333 detailing the history of the Guilds and explaining what they are. It seems we made an omission in that article, so we wanted to rectify that as well as share some other thoughts that people had.

Sheila McCoy wrote to us after a conversation with her friend Anne Shields. Anne had asked Shelia to give us some further information as we had failed to mention that Canada has Embroiderers’ Guilds as well!

The Embroiderers’ Association of Canada met for the first time formally in 1973. The head office was situated in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The location was chosen because it is the geographic centre of Canada, so it was felt the EAC could grow both to the east and to the west.

Now, the organisation is almost 50 years old, with 40 chapters and over 1500 members across the country.

There are also other groups that have developed, including The Northumberland Hills Stitchery Guild, which is a member of the Ontario Network of Needleworkers, which both Sheila and Anne are members of. This all shows that there is a vibrant Guild structure in Canada as well, which is wonderful to hear.

If you would like to find out more about the Canadian Guild, check out their website HERE.

Heather James also wrote to us about the Embroidery Association of Canada. They have recently staged their national seminar, which was a great success and they’re looking forward to their 50th anniversary celebrations in 2023.

Kate Brown wanted to tell us about her experience with The Embroiderers’ Guild, Victoria here in Australia. She is fortunate that the Guild is in her suburb, so she doesn’t have to travel far to attend. She joined after finishing her Masters degree, vowing never to study again. It wasn’t long before she had enrolled in an Intermediate Course in Embroidery!

Kate says the teachers are wonderful and the friends she met there are now friends for life. She loves the library, the guidance groups and all the other benefits, and acknowledged all the volunteers who keep the Guild running.

In All Stitched Up! issue #330, we wrote about the two-minute rule. Susan Blackburn thought it was a brilliant idea that she is going to try as it sounds perfect for her. Maryna Layedra also found the article really helpful. She often finds that when she’s stitching for pleasure without a deadline, procrastination can set in.

Using this technique could help her overcome the procrastination and anxiety that goes with it so that she can get things finished.

Finally, Chermaine Bell asked a question. She loves needlepoint and embroidery but isn’t that keen on cross stitch. However, she does love many of the cross stitch patterns she has discovered so her question is this: Is there any way to convert cross stitch to needlepoint? If anyone has successfully converted patterns, Chermaine would love to hear how you’ve done it so that she can enjoy the designs using a technique she loves.

If you have any thoughts or ideas flowing from any of our newsletters, please write in to news@inspirationsstudios.com as we love hearing from you. Or if you’d like to pose a question to the community or get a bit of help or advice on something, then get in touch too. Just imagine that we’re all sitting together in our Guild gallery or teaching room, laughing, chatting and stitching and sharing ideas in a way that only needleworkers know how.