Wednesday, August 17, 2011

October School Holiday Workshop announcement

Come along and make a little needlebook
to keep your needles safe. Your initial on the front
or make one as a gift

Thursday 6th October, 10am - 2 pm

“NIFTY NEEDLEBOOK” with Dianne Magro



Cost $20 for YTFG Members, $25 for non-Members

All materials provided, bring your own food and drink and sewing kit if you have one



Bookings at Guild on 9743 2501 Chris or Janet
Limit 10 students, waiting list may apply

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Distance Club News August 2011

YTFG DISTANCE CLUB NEWS
by Wendy Fuller

The Club has now enrolled 158 students. We’re so pleased that children are still accessing “Fun with Stitches” lessons and learning to express their creativity with needles, threads and fabrics. Presently lessons are being sent to five students in Year 1 and ten students in Year 2.
Several of these children are able to enjoy “Fun with Stitches” because of the sponsorships generously offered by various of our NSW Guild Groups. Thank you so much for this practical support.

Sophie, 11 years, comes from Wellington, situated between Dubbo and Mudgee and on the Mitchell Highway. The Macquarie River flows through the area and as I write this in early July, morning frosts would be crisping up the morning air and the grass underfoot. Sophie is mentored by her Grandmother and they enjoy “sewing days” together. Sophie’s Mum echoes an oft read sentiment: “My daughter is learning skills which I never did”. Interestingly, Lesson 4, Huckaback, introduced both grandmother and Sophie to Huck stitching, which they each enjoyed. “It was fun and I found it quite easy to do”, says Sophie. We’re all happy!



Victoria lives on a farm near Merriwa, which is west of Muswellbrook. Her membership to YTFG Distance Club was a gift from her aunt, and she has just returned her first lesson, a lovely bag. “My name is Victoria. I am 13 years old. I live on a farm with horses, cows, goats and a few sheep. When I make things I like using buttons. Some of my favourite things are reading, drawing, riding my horse and going to the beach”. From her mother: “These projects are good as it allows Victoria to learn something that I don’t particularly do or have time to do as a mother of four children.”



Samantha lives at Nowra Hill, which is semi rural and a few kms south west of Nowra. She really enjoys her embroidery, particularly counted thread and beading. Sam is really comfortable reading cross stitch patterns and transferring them to fabric. When beading can be added she’s even happier. We’ve become used to seeing really interesting buttons on her finished embroideries. Soon, this ten year old will be commencing Lesson 6, Canvas Work, and when this is finished she will be another happy graduate of “Fun with Stitches”, having extended her skills and her creativity.

We’re always excited to enrol new students to the YTFG Distance Club course “Fun with Stitches”. Spread the word…. Check the web page for examples of children’s work and tell others about this course. Who knows? We may be up to 200 enrolments by this time next year and many more children will have put “wow” factors into their designing and stitching. We can then admire their growing self confidence and their beautiful pieces of work. If you know a young person between 8 and 18 who would enjoy sewing, please contact Guild Headquarters.

Re-published with permission from The Record, Embroiderers’ Guild NSW Inc August 2011

Lismore Garden Wall



This fabulous Club group project was created in 2010 to exhibit at the Lismore Embroiderers' Guild exhibtion "Our Built Environment". A piece of hand dyed cotton was padded to make the "wall" then individual "bricks" were worked in creative canvas work by the children. A trailing vine with leaves was added to make the wall look realistic and 3D fabric flowers were attached to satay sticks and displayed in a garden trough in front of the wall hanging. For Darling Harbour the flowers were pinned to the main wall for ease of transport and display reasons.

Lismore embroiderer Jane Freidreksen brought "The Garden Wall" to Sydney when she represented Lismore Club at the Annual Leaders' Conference in late April and instructed us how to re-assemble the wooden frame for display. On the day of set-up we couldn't remember the details so the fabric was thumb tacked over the frame and the whole thing suspended successfully on the wall thanks to a few T-pins. Next time we'll make sure to draw some diagrams ! Thankyou to Jane for bringing the Wall to Sydney for the Show, it was certainly a drawcard to the Stand along with the Convenor's Challenge. Thanks also to our friend Annie Huntley of Room for Threads who returned the Wall to Lismore on her way home from the Show on Sunday.

Below are some detailed photos of some of the colourful blocks









Darling Harbour Craft and Quilt Fair June 2011



Wow, what a successful Show for the Guild and especially YTFG.
The YTFG Committee was so pleased with the visitors' positive responses to our 2010 Feature Display that we resolved to again pay for a seperate stand to the Guild one in 2011 so that we'd have room to display the children's work to best advantage.

We launched The Convenors' Colourwheel Challenge late last year and set the deadline for mid June hoping that we'd receive lots of brightly worked panels for the Darling Harbour display. Well, we were delighted and amazed at the number of wonderful panels when they started arriving at Guild Headquarters from the Clubs. We had 81 panels in total, and every colour allocated was represented. Concord West, Dubbo, Lismore, Milton/Ulladulla, North District, Parkes and Wagga Wagga clubs all sent in their work for us to display. We had intended to swap out the panels, but so many children wanted to keep their own work that we decided to return it to them after the display. Photos of selected blocks will be used on the Guild website YTFG section in the near future. All of the blocks have now been returned to the Clubs along with Participation Certificates for their makers.



Here is the overall display, information about the other major piece shown will be in the next post.

Royal Easter Show in Sydney April 2011


This year the Guild displayed for the last 2 days of the Show. We set up on the first day and pulled down in the evening of the 2nd day, such a nice change for us. We'd collected some Group banners and display material from the Guild earlier in the week, ready to arrive bright and early to set up the display on the appointed day. Our stand received many visitors as we were located near the side entrance to the Arts Pavilion where people go in and out to get food and also to visit the Show Bag Pavilion.



On the last day we offered a rolling mini-workshop with a little Dotee Easter Bunny ornament. About 10 bunnies were made thanks to Alana and her son Terry who spoke to lots of children passing by and asked them to join him to make one too. Lots of the kids had never stitched before and we were really pleased they got the chance to try a new skill, and perhaps we'll get some new members too.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

July 2011 School Holiday Workshop



Thursday July 14th at Embroiderers' Guild Headquarters
76 Queen Street, Concord West

"Fabulous Foil" with Guild tutor Cathy Jack Coupland

Explore the wonderful textures and colour that can be created using foil as a background for your embroidery. This will be worked on a backing of felt with layers of foil embossed with your very own design. Add richness and colour with beads, organza and thread to produce a very special artwork.

Cost $20, all materials provided

Bring a basic sewing kit, lunch and a drink, limit 10 students

Bookings to Janet or Chris on 9743 2501