Covid 19 Frieze – Witwatersrand Embroiderers' Guild

Newsletter — November 2022

This is a long newsletter with some important things in it. I am going to use headings, which I think will make it easier for you to keep track of what is happening.

Market Day

What an amazing day it was on Saturday! Our first official Embroidery meeting since lockdown. The tables looked lovely, we were welcomed by a very helpful Trinity Methodist Church and it was good to see everyone again. I took a number of photographs, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to include them in this letter. They use a lot of data, and some of your domestic computers will not be able to handle the load, and you’ll miss out. I shall however put some of them on the WhatsApp group after this letter has been sent. Even though this was the first official meeting, we should express appreciation to Paputzis who hosted us at their restaurant last summer, and also St Martin’s in-the-Veld who let us use their parish room free of charge, and even provided tea and coffee for us, even though we didn’t ask them to.

I think the Piece de Resistance of the market was the frieze. Jenni Langford did a wonderful job of putting it all together, and it would not have happened had she not taken it under her wing and got on with it. However we are also grateful to Hilary Walker whose idea this was – she suggested we do something to keep us focused during what proved to be a long lockdown. Lynn Puttick, with her professional art training was a valued advisor on materials, and Robyn de Klerk, Louise von Glehn and Helen O’Hanrahan also helped in the initial stages. Thanks are also due to “Buttons and Bows” and “Ribbonfields”, both embroidery shops, who agreed to be delivery points while we weren’t able to meet. I think a valuable piece of history has been documented here. Thank you to all of you who contributed. This will truly be something to show your grandchildren.

Meeting at the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre

Now we are back to normal – if that’s possible. I am re-printing the relevant part of Danny’s letter which I sent out to you earlier this month. Mark the date – we are longing to see you all again.

I am very happy to be able to write to you with so much good news. I know some of you will have heard already, via the WhatsApp group, but for those that are not on the group here goes:

The first and most important thing is that we have arranged with Ina to reopen meetings at the Recreation Centre, from January 2023. The first meeting of the year will be on Tuesday the 10^th January, 2023, from 9am to 12 midday. The first Saturday meeting will be on the 14^th January 2023, from 1pm to 4pm. The Guild Committee will do the tea for the first meeting and we will be encouraging people to sign up to provide the eats for tea, as before.

Please start planning what you will be sewing, and come back to us!

We have had long, difficult discussions about costs, teas and subscriptions etc. The outcome of these discussions is the following:

We will no longer collect separately for tea and subs. These will be amalgamated into a membership fee of R300 per year, payable by the end of February 2023.
We have obtained a Yoco machine which will allow us to take payments using debit cards. We are still trying to establish if credit cards can be used and will let you know once we hear back from Yoco.
We would very much like to limit the collection of cash at meetings, but of course, if this is your preferred way, we will take your money! However, I feel sure that most members would prefer the convenience of paying by card.
There will not be any different charges for various age groups etc. other than for those over 90, who will be exempt from paying anything.
Payments for Workshops and any other transactions, will need to be made separately. In that vein, we have some exciting plans for future workshops, but more about that later.

Annual General Meeting

As Danny says, there are many exciting things in the pipeline. But most importantly, PUT THE DATE OF OUR AGM IN YOUR DIARIES NOW.

It will be held on:
Saturday, the 25^th March 2023 at 12h00

The committee has spent a lot of time over the last few months listening to you, thinking over the changes this Virus has brought, and what place in society our art takes. We are going to have to make some changes in our approach so as to encourage new people to come, to teach embroidery to those who have never done it, to investigate advanced forms of it, and to look seriously at promoting it amongst children and teenagers so at least they know what it is and how special it is, even if they don’t actually get as far as picking up a needle themselves. SO … We need as many of you there as possible. Some changes to the constitution will probably have to be considered (and our lawyer-chairperson Danny is well up on how to do that!) and we also need your contribution to the future of our Guild. Please make it a priority.

Guild History

We have a store room of some beautiful banners and in the minds of many of our members are memories of wonderful stories of the Guild. I have taken on the job of putting together some sort of history of the Guild – all sorts of things. What is the story behind this or that banner and who was involved? Who were some of the characters of the past? What things have been learnt? Anything special that gives you warm happy memories of your time at the Guild. Also, if you know of people who no longer can or do come to the Guild and they have good stories to tell, please put them in touch with me, and let me put it all together. You are receiving this from me, so use my email address above if you have any bright thoughts about this.

An offer we can’t refuse!

Now here is something I haven’t heard of before. A lady by the name of Suzette Plekker makes shoes and bags out of TAPESTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN WORKED! So if you have cupboards of tapestries that are beautifully done, but are too expensive to frame, you have run out of wall space and relatives to give them to, perhaps this might be an option. Apparently she will take unworked tapestries too, so if you have that kit which you bought as a bargain, or that present which really doesn’t inspire you, send that too. I’ve never seen tapestry shoes, but tapestry bags are very smart. Here are her details if you are interested:

Suzette Plekker
SUZ FABRIC ART
Facebook – SUZ Shoes; Fabric Art, Shoes and Bags
Email – suzette.p@telkomsa.net
Address – 14 Bosman Street, Paarl
Contact – 083 250 5005

Finally

We will be meeting again in January, the same arrangement as before – every Tuesday morning, and every 2^ndand 4th Saturday afternoon. Beginning on the 10^th and 14^th January 2023.

See you then!

Meetings back at the Rec Centre from January 2023

And an update on the market on this coming Saturday, 29th October

I am very happy to be able to write to you with so much good news. I know some of you will have heard already, via the WhatsApp group, but for those that are not on the group here goes:

The first and most important thing is that we have arranged with Ina to reopen meetings at the Recreation Centre, from January 2023. The first meeting of the year will be on Tuesday the 10^th January, 2023, from 9am to 12 midday. The first Saturday meeting will be on the 14^th January 2023, from 1pm to 4pm. The Guild Committee will do the tea for the first meeting and we will be encouraging people to sign up to provide the eats for tea, as before.

Please start planning what you will be sewing, and come back to us!

We have had long, difficult discussions about costs, teas and subscriptions etc. The outcome of these discussions is the following:

We will no longer collect separately for tea and subs. These will be amalgamated into a membership fee of R300 per year, payable by the end of February 2023.
We have obtained a Yoco machine which will allow us to take payments using debit cards. We are still trying to establish if credit cards can be used and will let you know once we hear back from Yoco.
We would very much like to limit the collection of cash at meetings, but of course, if this is your preferred way, we will take your money! However, I feel sure that most members would prefer the convenience of paying by card.
There will not be any different charges for various age groups etc. other than for those over 90, who will be exempt from paying anything.
Payments for Workshops and any other transactions, will need to be made separately. In that vein, we have some exciting plans for future workshops, but more about that later.

Market

Secondly, and I hope all of you know, we are having our inaugural Market this Saturday at the Trinity Methodist Church, 5^thAvenue, Linden. This market is a chance for all of us to reconnect, so please wear your badges.

Some members are manning stash-busting stalls and there are several other stalls including jewellery, soap and bath goodies, baking kits, bric a brac, Christmas goodies, smocking and cross stitch. Helen Bird is selling her books of poetry and we have pancakes, hot dogs, tea and biscuits as well as cooldrinks on sale. There will be a display of the Covid Frieze, which Jenni Langford has put together magnificently, as well as other displays of work. Please take a Covid Frieze selfie as a reminder of your contribution/s.

Helen O’Hanrahan has been working tirelessly on the market, despite having an injury to her back, and I am sure it will be a great success. It will be fun no matter what and we have already learnt so much that we can be put to use in the future.

If you are happy to lend us some work for the display, we are at the church on Friday afternoon from 4pm and Saturday morning from 7am, for drop-offs. Please do bring things, we have people on duty to guard them and it will be wonderful to show off the skills in the Guild. I am running a White Elephant to raise funds for the Guild funds, so if you have anything to donate, please feel free to bring it along on Saturday (or Friday afternoon). Anything not sold will be donated to charity.

There is a R10 entrance fee. We will add this to the Guild coffers as well.

We hope to see you all there.

Warm regards,

Danny Wimpey
Chair:
WITWATERSRAND EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD

Newsletter — October 2022

Just a short letter this time, but still an important one.

Firstly, about when we can meet again. As yet, nothing firm, but things are looking promising. The Roosevelt Park Recreation centre seems to be grinding along to finishing their renovations, but no definite date yet. The committee are investigating another venue, but there are still a few things to be managed. We’ll let you know as soon as we have definite confirmation. It will be wonderful to meet as a Guild again.

The other BIG NEWS is that our market is going ahead. On the 29^th October our Craft Market will be held, at the Trinity Methodist Church in Linden, corner 5^th Street and 5^th Avenue (bordering on Montroux – about half a Kilometre away from Arthur Bales, and round the corner from the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre). It will run between 09h00 and 15h00, and you are invited to come and spend, spend, spend, and if you don’t want to add to your stash (but we bet you won’t be able to resist it,) there will be all sorts of things to eat. I have attached the flyer (see image below, or download here). Please send it on email to EVERYONE, copy it on to your social media, and print out copies and give to your book club, your bridge club members, and you relatives. Make more copies and put some in each of your favourite shops.

One of the BIG ATTRACTONS will be the first ever display of our Covid “Through the Eye of the Needle” frieze. Jenni Langford has put it together beautifully, and we thank Robyn de Klerk (as she was then), Louise von Glehn, Lynn Puttick and Hilary Walker for their input. It is looking totally stunning!!!!!!!! Thank you to those of you who contributed to the making of it. I have added a mini-flyer for that as well, which you can also print, send, copy etc, and perhaps staple it to the main flyer (see image below, or download here). Drag your family along to look at that if nothing else, and if they don’t want to come, I suggest you go on kitchen strike for a month! That’s all for this month. See you before the next newsletter.

The first displaying of the "Through the Eye of the Needle" Covid lockdown frieze

Newsletter — July 2022

Now that we are past the shortest day of the year, we can begin to look forward to Spring and new things. and what exciting things we have in store!

Firstly, WE ARE MEETING AGAIN!! It’s official. Beginning this Tuesday, we have been given permission to meet at St Martin’s In-the-Veld church in their smaller hall, called the Parish Room. We will be meeting on the first and third Tuesday mornings of the month beginning in two day’s time, on the 5^th July, and on the second Saturday MORNING of the month beginning on the 9^th July. This is not a long term arrangement. The church is a busy one, and they are helping us out at no charge as part of their social efforts to help communities rather bruised from the Covid experience, but it will only be in the short term. The committee are busy investigating some more permanent possibilities, but in the meantime, we are meeting at this venue which is fairly central to all our members, and we can become a Guild again.

The address of the church is the corner of Eastwood Road and Cradock Avenue in Dunkeld. Cradock Avenue, which runs parallel to Oxford Road, is where you go in. There are two gates in Cradock Avenue, you go in in at the LEFT hand gate and park in the grounds. The right hand gate is the exit and you may meet someone head-on if you try to go in there.

The Tuesday meeting is at 10h30 and finishes at 12h30 at the latest. There is a service earlier in the morning, and the ladies have tea in “our” room afterwards. They usually finish at around 10h15, but we have been asked to respect their space and not go into the hall before 10h30. We will bring our own tea/coffee/milk/sugar and, while they said we can use their cups and saucers, I think it unfair to expect their staff to wash up and tidy after us when we are not paying anything towards their service, so please, as other groups in the church do, bring your own cup and spoon and take it home with you afterwards. The Saturday group will be meeting at 09h30 and finishing at 11h30 at the latest. On Saturday, the church’s craft and knitting group will be meeting in the hall, and you are welcome to look at what they do, and I have said they can come and see what you are doing.

Since we are using their premises, the committee decided that some form of donation to the church would be the decent thing to do. You can bring a cash donation or you can bring any knitted blankets, beanies, jerseys or baby clothes that you have made, and we can give to their knitting group to be distributed amongst their charities. Failing that, you can also bring some knitting yarn or bits of material for them to use in their own making of things.

Finally on this topic, you WILL be required to show your Covid vaccination certificate the first time you return. We will note it on the register, and you don’t need to bring it again unless any new venue we will find demands it. Unfortunately the committee is unanimous on this issue – no certificate, no admission. Covid has not gone away, we are just not testing any more, and we are people of a vulnerable age and our society is totally freed us from protective practices. We are not prepared either to expose a non-vaccinated person to serious illness, or unnecessarily spread this virus. Masks are at your own discretion, but the hall’s windows and doors will be open.

As regards FEES for this year, we have decided to make it one flat fee of R50 for the rest of the year. Please bring that with you to one of the meetings. The fee structure for next year will be a little different from before – much more user-friendly, and not expensive.

Secondly, the Flag project is going ahead. Danny has been extremely busy sourcing material, and Jenni likewise has been looking at threads. It’s going to be very effective, and it really puts our Guild on the map. However, we need more people who are willing to be part of this. Some of you have been unnaturally coy about your talents. No one is expecting machine embroidery perfection, so please let’s have some volunteers.

Thirdly, the committee has decided that instead of an end of year party this year, we will hold a come-and-sell-craft day. Anything you make, from jams to jerseys to duvet covers to embroidered tray-cloths, will be acceptable. There will also be the opportunity to sell those craft materials we no longer want to use, so you can make space in your home, and earn money for it. It will be on an individual table basis – you will be able to book a table, possibly for a fee, and you set up your stuff. The pricing system, we’ll let you know later. WE WILL ALSO SEE OUR COVID FRIEZE which will be on display. More details about that later.

Finally, the Keiskamma Trust will be displaying some of their magnificent work later on this year on Heritage Day, 24^th September, at the Constitutional Court. Mark the date in your calendar. This is not something to be missed.

That’s all for now – a very full and exciting time ahead. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday/Saturday, and let’s hope this is the beginning of a new era in our Guild. Like everything else, these two years have changed a lot of things, and we may have to think seriously about attracting new members, about passing on our skills to a younger generation, and about taking our work seriously once more.

I want to end with a poem by Mary Oliver. I think it may resonate with where we are now.

“I Worried”

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?

Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.”
― Mary Oliver, Swan: Poems and Prose Poems

Newsletter — June 2022

This letter is a week late, but I decided to wait until we had our committee meeting (the first full meeting in about a year) and I could keep you up-to-date about what we discussed. We have some very exciting news, and we are intentional about starting up again as soon as we have found a suitable place to meet.

Firstly, some loose ends that need to be tied up. Jenni Langford is getting the last couple of pieces of the Covid Frieze together and will put the whole thing together soon. There were not sufficient contributions to make a decent frieze, so she is forming them into a large wall hanging instead. That should be quite eye-catching.

Some people have been asking about the Instagram page that we started. It seems that there was not enough input – too few people were posting, so it is in abeyance until we start meeting regularly again. However the Facebook page “Jozi Stitch” is still running, and Jenni has been posting several useful articles, and anyone who has work to show can put it on that page. The Wits Embroidery Facebook page, a newer initiative, will be closed. There is also the WhatsApp group which has been our main source of day-to-day communication and anyone who is not on that group can ask to be included. Hilary Walker is the chief administrator.

It appears that the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre is still not ready, and no one seems to know how soon we will be able to go back there. It is really not very satisfactory but there doesn’t seem to be much else we can do. The meetings at Paputzis and Random Harvest went/are going well, but it’s an expensive way of doing things if we want to meet regularly for a longer time. We are investigating other alternatives, but other recreation centres are in exactly the same place as ours, and those which are not being renovated, are not suitable for other reasons – the lack of on-site parking being one of them. We’ll get back to you on that one. We will have to pay – nothing worthwhile comes cheaply, but we are planning to have another venue available soon. We have waited long enough.

In the meantime, we have decided to delay the need for annual subscriptions until we DO actually meet. We have also decided to delay the AGM until we are meeting regularly, and the committee has agreed to remain in office until we are back to normal. In the meantime, please download and print a copy of your Covid vaccination certificate. The Recreation centres have ruled that no one is to be admitted unless they have shown on the government official form that they have been fully vaccinated. Most other venues are likely to have similar regulations, so be prepared to present that document.

Now for some more “newsy” news. I had a phone call from Helen Bird – who is now 101 years old and recovered well after a fall from her stationary bike which resulted in a nasty cut on her leg. She was doing Sudoku at the time and wasn’t concentrating. She manages to walk to the embroidery meetings held at her village, and has at last had to get a hearing aid. But she is well, she is enjoying life to the full, and sends her love to all of you. I have tried to contact Helen Paton’s daughter to find out how she is doing, but have not managed to do so yet. I have also not been successful in contacting her retirement village either, but will keep trying and will let you know as soon as I have made contact, and I’ll let you know.

Now for a VERY EXCITING REQUEST! Our Chair, Danny Wimpey was contacted by the South Africa Air Force near Pretoria, and our Guild has been asked to make a new flag for this important part of the army. It is to replace a similar one which has become very worn, and we will have to submit a quote (yes – all expenses will be met) which will cover material, threads, and anything else we need. The flag is big – at least a metre by a metre and a half. The material will be something very durable and hard-wearing, and the thread will be most likely number 5 cotton. The design is four large proteas in each corner, and an eagle in the centre, and probably some lettering as well. All of this is to be done in satin stitch and long and short stitch, and will hopefully fly aloft for many years to come.

SO………. We need volunteers who are passionate and very good at satin stitch and long and short to offer their services. We will ask for a sample of your work – not because we have any doubt as to your capability (we wouldn’t have been asked otherwise) but we need to match tension and style so that the whole thing looks uniformly done – this is the military, after all! Please contact Danny or any one of the committee if you are willing to help, and we will let you know further details. This is a marvellous opportunity not only for our status as a Guild, but also it is a significant affirmation of our art. Please let’s hear from you.

Now for the last thing in this very long letter. We need to update our membership list. Some of you have changed address since lockdown and other details may have changed. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WE ARE POPI COMPLIANT and will never share, give away, sell or do anything else with your details without your permission. If you have left Gauteng and would like to continue receiving the Newsletter and remain on the WhatsApp group, you are very welcome to do so. Please answer ANYWAY. Don’t remain silent and let us guess whether you still are a member or not. If you wish to be taken off the membership list, please reply.

The form can be downloaded by clicking this link, and must be filled in and returned to our secretary, Toni Billing.

That’s all for the moment, have a wonderful month, and we’ll be in touch as soon as we can find a meeting place.

Newsletter — December 2021

So here we are at the last letter of the year. It seems like forever since we met, and except for those few brief meetings earlier this year, we haven’t seen one another for a very long time. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It appears that the renovations at the Roosevelt Park recreation centre are underway, at last, and, if everything goes according to plan, we should be able to meet again next year at around Easter at the latest. Let hope so anyway.

Hilary Walker has asked PLEASE if those of you who are not going away this December, would give a few hours of your time to sew up the pieces of the Covid “Eye of e Needle” project. They need to be hemmed with some lovely fabric which the team has found, and then placed on a background of the same material. This is a very arduous task when it is done by only one or two people, but if everyone does something, it will go much faster. It’s not difficult work, but it does take time.

An idea for Christmas – a woman took the pictures that her grandchildren drew for her (the stuff you keep on the fridge forever) traced them and embroidered them and made the finished work into a wall decoration as a Christmas present to the artist when she was old enough to appreciate the work gone into it. That might be an idea for you to take on if you are at a loss as to what to get children or teenagers for Christmas. I would love to show you a picture of it, but it was from a friend of a friend of a friend, so I don’t have permission to share it.

Jenni Langford has offered a special service to Guild members at this point in the year. If you need anything researched – how to do a certain stitch, information on a style of embroidery, where to buy what, or anything else embroidery connected, she will research it for you and give you whatever answers she can find. This is a generous offer, and for those of us who find trawling our way through the internet rather challenging, this is a wonderful initiative.

That’s all for now. There is not usually a newsletter in January, but if there is any news about when we can meet again, or anything else important, I will send out an interim letter. Until then, have wonderful holidays, spend time with those you love – even if it’s only electronically, keep well away from the Virus, and hopefully, we’ll see one another in the new Year.

A Christmas decoration by Mandy Kort, from the Guild's 2016 exhibition. — A Christmas decoration by Mandy Kort, from the Guild’s 2016 exhibition.

Newsletter — November 2021

I must begin this month’s newsletter by remembering our dear friend Fatima Bhabha who died at the end of last month. She was the Chair when I re-joined the Guild after 20 years’ absence, and I could not have been made to feel more welcome. She took an interest in everyone’s work, and always had a bit of practical philosophy to share when the creative process became a bit frustrating as happens, even with embroidery! We had some lovely chats, and her work was always beautiful. She will be sorely missed, and we are grateful for all that she did for the Guild and its members. RIP Fatti, and our condolences to her family and numerous friends.

A selection of Fatima’s work from the Guild’s 2016 exhibition.

Further information about our “Eye of the Needle” project – the backing material has arrived and is waiting to be used to mount our efforts. Two of the working group are on a well-deserved holiday at the moment, but no doubt over the December period there will be some progress. We look forward to seeing the end result.

Last month Jenni Langford took a lot of trouble to collate a list of all available suppliers of embroidery materials. There is a new shop which has just moved to the Jan Smuts Avenue area. It is called “Moon and Son” and as yet has small amounts of wool, embroidery thread (mostly Chameleon) and quilting material. The delightful young lady who runs it is offering classes in knitting, crochet, quilting and embroidery – she did tell me the name of the teacher, and it sounded familiar, but I’m not going to write it here and get it wrong. Since the shop is new to the area, the dominant offering will ultimately be according to whatever the demands are. The shop is situated in the Valley Shopping centre, and if you come out of Clicks, turn RIGHT and it is tucked into the northern most corner of the centre. Go and have a look. The phone number is 082 728 8103, and I’m sure she would source anything you needed.

While we are talking about lessons, Colleen Goy is teaching again, at Ribbon Fields and at Buttons and Bows. Phone the shops concerned to get days and times if you or anyone you know is interested in upping their skills.

Danny has been in touch with the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre to find out about re-opening again, but it seems as though the re-furbishment is nowhere near ready. We really don’t want to wait forever to begin again, and the committee is considering other venues. If any of you know of a possible meeting place which is within about 10 Kms of Roosevelt Park, has secure parking and also is big enough to allow for Covid protocols (and the WHO says we are only about halfway through the pandemic. We still need distancing, masks etc), please let one of the committee members know, or reply to this email and I’ll make sure it is passed on. Even if we meet only in temporary accommodation from the beginning of next year, it will be good to see everyone again.

A couple of years ago I was looking for embroidery groups around the country and I happened upon the South African artist Sally Scott, who does the most magnificent paintings of the country around the Eastern Cape. She also calls herself a “Fibre Artist,” which is like post-graduate embroidery and quilting, and some magnificent creative things are done by those groups of Fibre Artists or (Textile Artists, which is the better-known name), who create these things. At the moment there is an exhibition being held in Gqeberha (the old PE) and I asked for the brochure to be sent to me so you can see what sort of work is done. It has links with the Keiskamma project – you remember that project where a number of concerned people went to the area around Hamburg and taught the indigent women art work of various kinds. That excellent outreach is still going on, and you will see some outstanding samples of what they are producing as well. Apparently there are fibre art groups all over the country, and I am sure we can only benefit by seeing a slightly different approach to our craft. This is the link: https://gfiartgallery.com/current/.

Other than that, I hope you are finding that the heat, the exhaustion from Covid – (is it ever going to go away?) and the general winding down towards the end of the year is not stopping you. Perhaps now is the time to be a bit embroidery mad. Let’s see if you can be REALLY crazy and different. Who knows – you might be South Africa’s next great world-renown artist! We look forward to seeing your creations and bragging about you to all our friends.

Keep well and keep cheerful.

Newsletter — September 2021

Happy spring month! Let’s hope it comes with good rains, warmer weather and an increased feeling of hope and looking forward to great things. There are some things to look forward to, although there is not a lot to report this month.

Firstly, the Covid project “Through the Eye of a Needle” is officially through stage one. Around forty pieces have been collected and the “put-it-all-together” committee is looking for a place large enough where they can safely plan the layout but at the same time keep social distancing according to current regulations. There are some pieces which were handed in to other members of the committee/Guild, so will those people who have them, please make an arrangement to hand them over to Jenni ASAP so the process can continue. It would be dreadful for the whole thing to go on display and a participant brings the grandchildren to look and find that inadvertently HER piece was not included in the final work. I’m sure you won’t put us in that position!!!

Now that the project is over, I’m sure you will be looking for new things to begin – or old things to complete. If you can, please think about our retailers (shops) and producers of embroidery materials. Apparently House of Embroidery was badly affected by the riots which we all experienced recently, and have worked very hard to catch up and get their orders out. Please support them if you can and help the company get on its feet again. Chameleon threads has expanded and moved out of Benoni and the company is now based somewhere near the airport. Such a brave move during a pandemic will mean that they could use some support too. Even our imported DMC comes through a local agent. We lost Anchor cottons through lack of support. Let’s not let that happen again.

Our retailers too are finding that things are “a bit slow at the moment.” If these businesses can’t stay open, then people will be out of work, and we will be forced to use inferior materials or import anything we need. “Sales table” type of stuff doesn’t go on forever.

Jenni Langford has offered to collate and distribute a list of all the shops we know of where haberdashery is sold – with particular emphasis on embroidery things, of course. There are heaps of these little shops – gift shops, stationery shops, supermarkets, which have the odd shelf of embroidery stuff, as well as the specialist shops we all know and love. Our members also come from Alberton to Centurion and the borders of Germiston to Roodepoort. PLEASE let us know of any shop within these boundaries. I remember travelling from northern Johannesburg to Boksburg to get ONE ball of wool that I needed. Us crafty people are crazy like that, so no shop is too small or too insignificant for our list, and I’m sure the owners of the businesses would appreciate the support. And I’m sure Janis can make a plan if you need things. She’s a very local retailer! Nobody needs an excuse to buy lovely things. Take the opportunity for a good cause!

If you REALLY don’t need anything, please think about buying a few things to donate to charities. Many of our members are involved in one or other charity, either through their religious institution or other socially motivated societies. Next month, I would like to publish as well as the above-mentioned shops, all charities that could use embroidery materials, fabric, wool, scissors, needles, hooks or whatever else people use, and you as an individual or we as a Guild can support them. Even if money is tight, two balls of knitting wool, or a reel of cotton, or some embroidery skeins, will be well used, and in the October newsletter we will publish the list so, not only will you be keeping people in work, but you will be helping those who need it too. By all means, let me add the name of your pet charity. Marvellous people that you are, I’m sure you’ll contribute. How nice it will be for the poorest, struggling people in our land to have nice new stuff to work with. Other people’s “recycling” is useful, but I’m sure there’s a lot of joy in working with something brand new! Think about it! We will definitely not be meeting as a Guild at the Recreation centre this year. They are upgrading and renovating the building – work which is very necessary apparently – so no groups are meeting. A pity about that, but it’s nice to have a non-Covid reason for a change! In the meantime, we have the benefit of the internet in all its variety of communication options, so let’s keep sewing, let’s be creative, and let’s keep talking to one another.

Have a wonderful month.

Newsletter — May 2021

Before we begin with the embroidery business of this month, I’m sure we all want to wish our other centenarian, Helen Bird, hearty congratulations on reaching this awesome milestone earlier in April. You are an inspiration to us all, and we are privileged to know you. We all wish you well for the future.

Meeting again

Very Exciting – we are going to start meeting again this week – this coming Tuesday the 4th at 09h00, and this coming Saturday the 8th at 14h00. It will be wonderful to start again. However, some of us are still being very careful, and that is totally acceptable and quite understandable. If you feel safer staying away until vaccines are further down the track and the weather is warmer, by all means. You are still a valued member of the Guild. However, Ina, Danny and the committee have been very intentional about making sure everything is well within the Covid regulations, so we can safely welcome everyone who wants to attend. If we are all sensible and considerate of one another, there is no reason why a very pleasant time will not be had by all. Agness has asked that since the library was always held on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays, that we NOT hold library this week, and it will also give us time to work out the logistics of how safely to borrow books. You can however bring back books previously borrowed. I am sure Diane will be on track with the library by Saturday. I also presume those who wish to buy embroidery things from Janis have already been in touch, and that is all organised.

If any of you Tuesday ladies are prepared to come a little early this week to help with the sanitizing, the temperature taking etc, please WhatsApp or sms Danny and find out if anything from you will be needed.

The Committee

Some of you have asked who the committee for this year is – last year’s AGM took place in another era, but the committee then is as it is now:

Chair — Danny Wimpey
Secretary — Hettie Moller
Treasurer — Helen O’ Hanrahan
Library — Agness van Rensburg (Tuesday) Diane Walker (Saturday)
Tea — Sue Sylvester (in abeyance)
Sales table — Jenny Henning (in abeyance)
Workshops — Carol Robinson (Tuesday) Jenni Langford (Saturday) (both in abeyance)
Communications — Margaret Place (co-opted)

Resources

It has been suggested that we get a list of resources for embroidery things – cloth, threads, haberdashery, and also good framers. Janis will keep us supplied with the essentials, but sometimes we need something not readily available. We want not only walk-in shops (and where they are located) but also online suppliers – with their online locations too. We live in different times, and a lot of things have changed. Please help us to help you keep up to date. You can email the Guild address, let any of the committee people know, or else post it on one of the WhatsApp groups.

“Eye of the Needle” Covid project – made easier

We are in the last two months before the closing date for “the Eye of the Needle”. Covid project needs to be handed in. Some lovely things have been submitted but it’s still a little bit slow. We know that some of you are at a bit of a loss as to what to do, and to that end, Carol Robinson has made a very helpful suggestion. She says:

If choosing something to do for the frieze is too much of a challenge, we have some printed cotton fabric that lends itself to stitching and embellishing (Leek embroidery). As the fabric is printed, creating a background, only a portion needs to be worked to have an effect.

Perle No. 8 and normal embroidery thread work well
No backing fabric needed
Work out where the seams will be to ensure work done in the correct space
Use hoop to keep stitching and tension right
All kinds of stitches work fine on this fabric (stem, satin, blanket, French knots etc.)
No two pieces of fabric exactly the same design so all will be unique
Simple redwork (outline stitching) an option
Beads, lace, braids can be added

Jenni Langford has the squares at a cost of R10 per square. (see example in the picture)

All squares need to be handed in at one of the meetings by the third week of June

That’s all for this month. Have a wonderful time, and we look forward to seeing some of you this coming week.