2008 Great Postcard Swap

At the recent Annual Leaders Meeting we announced a great new challenge for ALL members (including adult leaders and committee) for 2008, and this time you will receive something very special in return for making a challenge piece !

The idea is to make a stitched fabric postcard about yourself and send it in to Headquarters where we will swap it for one made by another member of YTFG. Your postcard can tell us a bit about yourself, where you live, your hobbies, your favourite school subjects, your pets, whatever you would like your swap partner to know. You will then send it along in a business sized envelope (DL) with a stamped, self addressed envelope of the same size to

YTFG Great Postcard Swap
P.O. Box 109,
Concord West 2138 NSW
by Friday August 1st, 2008

A selection of your postcards will be exhibited at the Stitches and Craft Show at Rosehill Gardens at the end of August, and then they will be swapped out by late September. You should write or email your swap partner to say thankyou. It's then up to you and them whether you keep in regular contact or not.

Important making details:
- Finished size is 4 inches by 6 inches (10 cm x 15 cm) NO BIGGER
- Make a "sandwich" with your card using fabric on the front, stiffening like pellon or iron on stiffening in the middle and a fabric or paper back. Edges variable.
- If you decorate with beads or buttons, you may need to wrap the card in some cardboard to protect it from the postal sorting machine and may need a larger envelope.
- Any kind of stitching or decoration is allowed, so be as creative as you wish!

The photos above show some of the cards made by the adult Guild members for the recent 50th Anniversary challenge, left click on a picture to enlarge it. Some more details of these cards to help you design your own are as follows:

1. Appliqued cats and a pot plant button, with quilt type binding, Bathurst
2. Painted background with organza overlay, surface stitchery, Bathurst
3. 3D flowers with an appliqued teddy, Parkes
4. Surface stitchery with sequins and beads on a hand dyed cotton background with satin stitched edge, Mt Colah and aged 79 years
5. Surface stitchery including metallic threads, Mosman
6. Appliqued on muslin background, heavily beaded, bound like a quilt, Mosman
7. Wessex stitchery on linen background, backed with cotton fabric
8. Surface stitchery on cotton fabric, Wyong
9. Surface stitchery on linen background, cardboard inside and cotton backing
10. Surface stitchery on furnishing fabric, braid around edges after overlocking

So you can see there is no limit to your technique, just the size and thickness to go through the postal sorting machinery.
If you need further instructions, look at the following link:

http://www.fibreandstitch.com/pdf/postcard.pdf

You may also bind the edges like a quilt, make a backing and binding in one, blanket stitch the edges, zig zag the edges, overlock the edges and cover with braid or ribbon, enclose edges in bias binding or ribbon, or leave raw to make a statement !

Everyone who sends in a postcard will be guaranteed to receive one in return.
Start stitching NOW !!

YTFG members successfully exhibit at Sydney Royal Easter Show

2 members of our YTFG club at Nepean were successful exhibitors at the recent show.

Lilli Harvie entered her small applique wall hanging in section S405 and gained first place, and a cash prize sponsored by the YTFG. Her sister Grace Harvie entered section 0408 for Machine Sewn Needlework 12 - 17 years, and gained second place. Well done girls, and congratulations also to your teacher of many years Del White. It's great to see our students doing so well in such an important competition as the Royal Easter Show. Next year it would be great to see even more entries from our members, wouldn't it?

YTFG at Sydney Royal Easter Show

Once again the YTFG was included in the Embroiderers' Guild display at the Royal Easter Show on Thursday 27th March. The 2 banners showing the various statewide Clubs and the Distance Course students as at October 2007 were on display. We also showcased the special work commissioned from the recent Graduate students which is on loan for 12 months for display purposes. Nola Williams and Judith Langdon spoke to many, many people who stopped to look at the work, and I'm sure some new students for the Distance Course will come from some of those discussions. We also had the Group photo album with photos of events since 1995 on show. The Group banners from the some of the country adult Guild Groups were also on display and lots of interest was shown in them too. A very successful day all around. Special thanks to Nola's husband Laurie, without his help and support we would not have had the display in Sydney on time, or Nola and Judith to (wo)man it !
Christine, outside events co-ordinator for the Guild.

Nowendoc workshop

The third and final Distance workshop was held at Nowendoc in January, where Wendy Fuller led 21 children in making a desk tidy with a Jungles theme. Using some machine embroidered animals which were kindly donated to the workshop, the children decorated recycled tins with felt and handmade braids, then added the embroidered animals to make a useful, fun desk accessory. Once again the workshop was very well received and the children of this remote area were very grateful for the opportunity through the Distance Course team. The CWA ladies provided hospitality to Nola, Laurie and Wendy once again showing that the country really does know how to look after its visitors.