Meets: 1st Wednesday every month – 1:00 to 4:00 pm
3rd Wednesday every month – 6:30 to 9:30 pm
September to May
The Cottage, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant
20 Ava Road, Brantford
Report – December 2025
Submitted by Barbara Cook ONN Rep
We continue holding our regular meetings on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday afternoons of each month at the Coach House at Glenhyrst. Our meetings include show-and-tell, exploring a new stitch, as well as working on our projects
This season, we learned about many types and styles of stitched buttons from Kathryn, one of our members. She showed us how to make a poinsettia button (in a rather large size as a tree ornament)
We held our last meeting of this year and as usual, it included a lunch and card exchange.
In the new year, we will continue working on pieces for a show of our work in the Glenhyrst Art Gallery this summer. More information on this show will follow as details are finalized.
Report – October 2025
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
After the summer hiatus, we are excited to reconnect at our regular meetings held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday afternoons of each month at the Coach House at Glenhyrst.
This season, we will be working on new pieces as well as completing unfinished projects. The plan is to have completed projects in a variety of techniques and styles. After the end of this season, in the summer of 2026, there will be a show of our work in the Glenhyrst Art Gallery. More information on this show will follow as details are finalized.
Report – September 2024
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
September 25, 2024
Brant Needle Arts Guild has started their new season of stitching with the first meeting held at Glenhyrst on September 18th. It was great to see everyone again and catch up on what everyone has worked on over the summer. As a small group with an informal program, we discussed our plans for new projects and techniques to be tried. We also began discussion on a show that will be held at the Glenhyrst gallery in 2026
Through the season, we will continue with our usual program items that includes a stitch-of-the-month, show and tell, and a card exchange. Members will also work on their individual projects.
Report – December 2023
submitted by Barbara Cook ONN Rep
Brant Needle Arts Guild has continued meeting at Glenhyrst and have enjoyed stitching together and sharing ideas and information.
We held our last meeting of this year and as usual, it included a lunch and card exchange.
In the new year, we will continue with our program that includes a stitch-of-the-month. Members will also continue working on their individual projects in a variety of techniques, including several gold work projects. We look forward to seeing how everyone’s project progresses.
Report – September 2023
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
Brant Needle Arts Guild held our first meeting for the new season. It was great to see everyone again and to welcome our new member.
We started our season with a stitch-of-the-month. Through the season, we will be working on individual projects; TGIF(Thank goodness it’s finished) where members will plan and complete a project in the technique of their choice that has been on hold or unfinished for a while. This year several of our members are planning to do a project in gold work and we will be sharing ideas and expertise to help see the finished product.
Report – July 2023
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
Brant Needle Arts Guild has been on hiatus over the summer but we are in the planning stage for the upcoming season starting in September. Our preliminary plans include usual items such as the stitch-of-the month and a card exchange. This year, the plan is: TGIF (Thank goodness it’s finished). Through the year, members can plan and complete a project in the technique of their choice that has been on hold or unfinished for a while. We will be sharing ideas and expertise as well as sharing our stash to help see the finished product.
Report – December 2022
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
This season, we have been able to meet in person and catch up on projects that members have been able to work and on and complete during the lock downs.
Our program for this year is providing the opportunity to gain or increase knowledge in several counted work techniques. So far, we have explored Cross stitch, Blackwork, and several Sashiko techniques including Kogin.
We ended the season with our usual social lunch and card exchange.
Here are a few of our Sashiko pieces…
Report – September 2022
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
We are counting on a full year of in-person meetings and we did hold our first meeting of the season at Glenhyrst. Our theme for the program year is “COUNT ON IT!” and is an opportunity to gain, increase, and share knowledge in several techniques including: Cross stitch, Blackwork, Kogin, Canvas Work, Hardanger, and more.
As well, our annual challenge is to create any object by upcycling any ‘old’ or ‘no longer used’ garment or item to create any needlework piece using any technique.
Report – July 2022
submitted by Barbara Cook, ONN Rep
Our Guild has not been able to hold any formal meetings over the summer. We have been planning for the fall and we are looking forward to being able to meet in person starting in September.
Report – March 2022
submitted by Barbara Cook
The season has continued to challenge any plans to meet in person. Nevertheless, we continue to work on our embroidery and to stay connected as the situation allows. Our year-long ‘twinchie’ project continues and individual projects are progressing. At the end of the season, we hope to reveal the finished projects at an in-person meeting.
We are starting to gather ideas for next year and looking forward to getting together to catch up and to discuss our upcoming program
Twinchies in completed projects:
And some projects that were completed in our isolation, using only materials on hand:
Also:
Two of our members had some of their work included in The Art of Textile show in St. Mary’s Station Gallery that ran from Feb 4th to Mar 19th. This was a One Of A Kind show of needleworks and fabric based pictures and sculptures. After being collected and assembled, displayed and photographed the show almost didn’t make it to the public due to another pandemic shutdown. However, the art gods prevailed and the gallery was granted permission to open.
Deborah Downey
“Drusilla: A Book Dragon” is a 6ft fabric sculpted dragon, mainly done by hand.
She was made using fabrics, threads, and a myriad of objects already on hand and recycled into the project.
The Iona Book, “Fergal; the Fisherman and Justus; the Farmer” is an imagined tale of how these two men met, lived in the monastery that Columba founded, and interacted in the society therein.
The book is made from folded and cut watercolour paper, painted and sewn, woven and pasted, embroidered and beaded and finally edged with chamois leather.
Barbara-Helen Hill
Oak Faeries
Mixed Media (fabric, felt, beads, wire armature, acorn cap), interpretation of the faeries that look after the oak trees.
The dolls represent the little people, faeries, a connection to the universe and creation. In indigenous teachings ‘we are all related’
Water Spirits
Mixed Media (Fabric, wire armature, beads, ribbons, trims, embroidery threads)
The picture of the Sea Horses represents the elementals that take care of the water. I don’t have any idea what the elementals look like, they probably aren’t sea horses but I liked the idea of the animals, fish, amoeba etc. all taking care of the water.
Report – December 2021
submitted by Barbara Cook
This year is another season with no in person meetings and the fall weather did not cooperate for outdoor meetings. Nevertheless, we are managing to stay connected and to share our love of embroidery.
For this season, we have a year-long ‘twinchie’ project underway. Members that participate decide what their end project will be. Each member of the group will make a twinchie for each participant’s project based on communication with that person. At the end of the season, we will reveal the finished projects.
A few twinchie samples by Kay
Beth has completed some beautiful Brazil work
Barbara’s clock
A finally finished etui by Barbara
Report – September 2021 – Brant Needle Arts Guild
submitted by Barbara Cook
After our hiatus year, we are looking forward to reconnecting with a new program that will begin in October. While the details are still to be finalized, the program promises to be one that will encourage collaboration, in-person or otherwise, among all our members over the course of the 2021-2022 season.
Stay tuned
Report – December 2020
Helma reports that Brant has not been meeting since the pandemic lockdown and they have no itinerary for the next few months.
Report – October 2019
Submitted by Helma Bos, ONN Rep
Brant Needle Arts Guild
With a new season of embroidery starting, we at Brant Broderers have also started the year with a new name. We have changed our name to the Brant Needle Arts Guild. After lengthy discussions last year within our group, it was felt that the name Broderers (a short form of Embroidery) was too vague of a word for people to understand what our group is about. The name change makes it clearer as to what our group is about.
This season our theme for the year is “It’s Personal” with the emphasis on individual members creating personal objects or a series of objects using any techniques a member would like. The season will not revolve around classes taught by members but will be of individual learning with members of the guild assisting.
We will continue with some of our guild’s more popular traditions. Stitch of the month will be taught once a month by various members, our holey card exchange and the yearly Mystery Box Challenge (which always brings out the most creative results) are always things we look forward to.
While we meet on Wednesdays, once a year we like to come together on a Saturday to do an all day workshop. Coming in November our member Barb Cook will be teaching a workshop on goldwork. Barb is our group’s goldwork expert and we are all looking forward to creating the goldwork butterfly she has designed for us to make.
We all look forward to a season of friendship and creativity,
Helma
Brant Needle Arts Guild
Report – April 2019
Helma Bos, ONN Representative
This spring the Brant Broderers had several classes in techniques new to us. This included Dorset Feather Stitchery and Romanian Point Lace. Barb taught us Dorset Feather Stitchery which was something none of us had heard of before. The current form was developed by Olivia Pass in the 1950s and combines feather and buttonhole stitches with other stitches like chain, fly and lazy daisies. I taught Romanian Point Lace which is a type of lace work that is done with a crochet cord and connected using various filling stitches. Other classes taught this season have been crazy patch, crewel and stump work flowers taught by Kay.
Report – December 2017
Brant Broderers had an eventful fall. We started in September with a banner challenge. Each of us where to create a triangle shape banner using whatever technique we wanted to so. The results of this was revealed at our Christmas meeting. A wide variety of techniques where used and the results was a sight to see. The banners will be used by the guild for public displays in the future.
In November, several members of our guild had the pleasure of joining up with Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild to take a work shop with Naomi Smith. The workshop was on a traditional technique of moose hair tufting. Different beading techniques were also taught.
Our yearlong project is a canvas work piece involving several different techniques that will be given out once a month. The end results will be about 8 by 10 inches.
Our Christmas meeting included the very popular Chinese takeout and holey card raffle.
2016 Card Raffle
Ontario Network of Needleworkers 