Our March 2024 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
The upcoming workshops are:
Our January 2024 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Meetings start again on the 9th and 13th January 2024.
Our December 2023 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Meetings start again on the 9th and 13th January 2024.
Our November 2023 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Note especially the upcoming workshops. Details are in the newsletter.
Our September 2023 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Note especially the upcoming workshops. Details are in the newsletter.
“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
Leo Tolstoy, ‘Anna Karenina’
Our August/September 2023 newsletter is in the multi-page PDF below. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Note especially the upcoming workshops. Details are in the newsletter.
Hello everyone,
Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim members. We hope you all had a happy and peaceful Eid al Adha.
Mid-winter has certainly hit us with a bang. The images of snow on the Drakensberg, and all over the Cape, as well as the excessive rainfall and associated flooding have been incredible. Its clear that extraordinary climatic events are becoming more and more common. The Winter solstice has passed and now the days are getting longer, even if we can expect many cold days in the next six weeks. Winter solstice at my son’s school was always celebrated as the festival of St John: a festival of rebirth with a bonfire and singing. The children made lanterns and we all brought soup. A precious memory.
Happy Birthday to our members who have birthdays in July and many, many more.
WORKSHOPS
EXTERNAL
Alice Per continues to run external workshops on a Saturday. If you know someone interested in embroidery, please contact us.
witsembroidery@gmail.com
INTERNAL
The next internal workshop will be on the 8th and 24th of July when Jenny Langord will be teaching felt applique.
This is one of the designs she has prepared, and she also has a house and a bunch of flowers.
After the successes of the Dorset Buttons and Ribbon Embroidery, these are sure to be wonderful.
Please let Jenni know if you want to attend and she will send you the details and include you on the Workshop WhatsApp group.
GOLDWORK and SMOCKING
These will be held during September, and November.
Goldwork: 10 and 24 September (bring your own kit and equipment)
Smocking: November date still to be finalised with Helen O’H who will be teaching it.
Those attending the Goldwork workshop, please be on the lookout for gold thread and other similar materials, as we are not making up a kit. Jenni has contacted Spinnering and Diana van der Walt has a few Gold Work items in stock. Jenni can forward details if anyone would like to know more.
PATTERN RESOURCES ON THE INTERNET
https://www.needlenthread.com/patterns This is a site run by the wonderful Mary Corbett who has a number of You Tube channels and is an excellent teacher.
Anyone who is on Instagram will know that there are a myriad of accounts with amazing embroidery. The Royal School of Needlework is a good place to start @royalneedlework
Vervaco, a Belgian needlework company, has a regular ‘Secret Stich- along’. If you are interested, here is a link:
https://cdn.flxml.eu/r-e7180e94ad2ec16301c06db39541e7ac848f5f5fbc0b99fb
Please let us know if you encounter any difficulties registering, and we will try to help you. (Spoiler alert: this one is cross stitch)
SALES
Linda Putter ran the sales table in June, and we raised a decent amount of money for the Guild. We welcome anyone who would like to sell at the Sales: you run your own table, enjoy Linda’s company, and give us 10% of your turnover, on an honesty basis. Thank you Linda for your ongoing help with this least glamourous of roles.
FROM THE COMMITTEE
SHOW AND TELL
Our inaugural “Show and Tell” displays were held on the 24th and 27th of June. To say they were a success is an understatement.
Members voted for their favourites and on Saturday these were Tricia Leishman’s Bee eater and Aneeba Imran’s Memory Book.
On Tuesday the winners were Janet Holloway’s beautiful table runner and Sarie Sawers’ Rhino.
Some of the other items on display:
We will be holding these displays regularly. If anyone has a suggestion for a theme, feel free to drop it into the suggestion box. These events are meant to be a bit of fun, and to other work.
In terms of the Constitution, they are also to allow members to share other kinds of crafts which they do, with each other. They do not have to be embroidery related as it is a chance for people to see what else is out there.
NEW CUPBOARDS
We have bought two new (second-hand) cupboards to store the workshop equipment and other stuff in. These will all be in the Strelitzia store and once we’ve moved everything, our workshop stash and other resources will be moved to its own cupboard. Hopefully this will make things much easier for Alice and Jenni.
PLAQUES
We have bought two plaques for the donated embroideries at the SAVF centre and the Trinity Methodist Church:
SPRING MARKET
Work on the next Market is proceeding. These are the initial details:
Please contact Helen O’H to book a table. As with last year, the YOCO machine will be available. We will not be taking a percentage, just the cost of the table.
OTHER SALES
Toni will continue to sell her threads and other delights on the first Tuesday and the first Saturday. As mentioned before, she also now has stock of Chameleon and House of Embroidery threads. Please do support Toni.
COMMITTEE
The committee at the moment is
Anyone willing to assist as an alternate or has a particular interest in an aspect of the committee’s work, please let me know. You will be very, very welcome.
MEMBERS’ NEWS
Dear Agness had to return to surgery for an additional clean out of her wound. She is making an excellent recovery and is as always, so cheerful, loving, and kind. She is an inspiration. Hilary Walker very kindly visited Agness and anyone else who would like to do so, please contact Danny for details if you need them.
Both Alice Per and Danny Wimpey suffered a trauma in June as their husband’s fell, in separate incidents, and each suffered a cracked rib. So painful, and very difficult for the person taking care of the injured. Please send us your strength. 😊
Our name badges are here. Please collect them from Helen and bring R35 if you have not already paid.
Please send me any members’ news you would like to (and may) include here.
IGHALI Raffle
Raffle tickets in aid of Ighali are R5.00 each, and they will be on sale until the end of July. The draw will be conducted by Ina to ensure impartiality. Contact Helen or any other committee member.
LIBRARY
The committee has decided to buy this beautiful book by Trish Burr. We have ordered it and will let you know when it arrives which will probably be in mid-July.
You can find it on her website:
https://trishburr.com/2023/06/21/kew-book-of-nature-samplers/
TEA TABLE
Please remember to put your name on the tea roster. The way we find works best is to join with someone. The Tuesday roster is on the inside of the tea cupboard. Please ask Jenni or Di for the Saturday roster. Thank you everyone who has already brought tea this year. It is always appreciated.
Stay warm in July, not long to go.
To contact the Committee or Guild members, please email us: witsembroidery@gmail.com
Our February newsletter is getting to you a little late, but is still jam-packed with information and fun. As with the January edition, it is now a multi-page PDF. You can read it here on this page by clicking within the frame below and then scrolling, or you can download it by clicking the ‘Download’ button below the cover image.
Please note that the AGM will be taking place at the Roosevelt Park Recreation Centre on Saturday, 25th March 2023 from 12h00 until 13h00.
Some changes to the WEG Constitution and Rules are being proposed and we would like input from all our Members so please make every effort to attend. Please remember that only paid-up Members are able to vote.
Dear All,
A message from Danny. Until we know a bit more about this Covid 19 virus, ALL EMBROIDERY MEETINGS ARE CANCELLED – SATURDAY AND TUESDAY. Please will you let those who are NOT on email know about this so they don’t turn up and find no one there.
As soon as we know more, we’ll let you know, and we will also tell you when meetings will resume.
In the meantime, catch up with all those UFOs you can never find time for, watch movies on TV, and enjoy the clean, traffic-free air.
Keep safe, and may your supply of soap never run out!
Margaret
Exciting news! Two days from now we will be exactly ONE YEAR away from the beginning of the first Ighali held north of the Karoo! Toni Olivier has been extremely busy getting the initial organizing going, and has sent the following information:
The original concept was that of Via Laurie, chairlady of the Helderberg Embroiderers’ Guild in 2001. The vision was a gathering of the Cape Embroidery Guilds, in order to share information and teachers.
The word “Ighali” is derived from the Xhosa word for “thread” and the idea was to host an Ighali every second year, opening it to guild members as well as the general public.
The aim was to hold hand-embroidery lessons of exceptional quality, from traditional to contemporary, and for these to be presented by skilled embroidery teachers. In so doing, participating embroiderers would be exposed to educational, informative, constructive, inspiring and hands-on embroidery workshops.
Ighali 2020 is to be hosted at the Ekudeni Exclusive Country Venue in Muldersdrift, Gauteng from Thursday 6 August to Monday 10 August. More details will be available soon, so we urge you to save the date and start saving for this awesome event.
We look forward to creating many new embroidery friendships in 2020!
Please, Please, Please let as many people as possible know about this! Ighali virtually unknown in Gauteng, and there are many little informal embroidery groups and individuals who would love to be part of this. Muldersdrift is not that far from anywhere in Gauteng, and I’m sure there will be those who would like to be day-visitors. Please start the advertising process now.
At the end of this paragraph, I have included a link to the Quilters’ Guild exhibition and conference held later this month at Heronbridge. If you are planning to visit, please give yourself an extra half an hour to get there – they are re-building the road, and Heronbridge College is right in the middle of it all.
website http://festival.quiltsouthafrica.co.za for information
As regards workshops – Jenni Langford is enjoying a well-earned tour around the UK and seems to be having a wonderful time. We look forward to hearing all about it, and learning new things from her when she returns later this month.
This month Carol Robinson is teaching the something many of us have not seen since we visited Granny in our childhood, although it is still popular, mass produced and on sale in various interior decorating shops in the country. Cutwork – an example of which you can see below – is the new skill, and I think that the classes are full, but I am certain Carol will offer it again – we must just ask her nicely. It’s very beautiful, and we look forward to adding further creativity to our efforts. That’s all for this month. I hope you have survived winter successfully, you are still sewing madly and with passion and enjoyment
