Meets: Alternate Tuesdays
(September to April)
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
https://kwembroideryguild.wixsite.com/guildsite
Instagram: @kw_ceg
Report – December 2025
Submitted by MJ Alexander, ONN Rep
We’ve had a great first half of the year at the Kitchener-Waterloo Embroiderers’ Guild. New members and old have been learning new stitches side by side for this year’s projects.
We started the year with a bear ornament covered in Lazy Daisies and French Knots, taught by our President, Maria Smit. It was wonderful to see all the colourful variations created by our members. Some of these bears ended up in our Christmas ornament exchange, which was a real treat.
We then followed with another class taught by Maria. This time it was a beautiful Assisi border. Some class members chose to complete the entire border – no small feat – while others used the pattern to make a lovely embellished bookmark.
Our final project for the first half of this year was a Deerfield class taught by Brenda Warner. This was quite a challenge with roughly 5 stitches being taught at each class. As well as demonstrating the stitches, Brenda also explained the historical context of Deerfield stitching, why the stitches are done using certain techniques and the reasons why Deerfield traditionally is done in either blue or brown. Pam Cardases used her sewing skills to turn her project into a stunning green and white blouse.
Our Christmas party at the end of the semester was a big success. We held our annual ornament exchange and members brought an assortment of baked goods to enjoy.
Report – October 2025
submitted by Lea Wright, ONN Rep
The CEG K-W has been quite busy of late! Our executive committee boasts two new members,
MJ Alexander as vice president and Rachel Metzger as treasurer. We would like to thank Pat FitzGerald for the time and effort that she put in as treasurer for the past two years.
Over the summer we had three stitch-ins; two were at the houses of members and one was at the Stanley Park Library in Kitchener. We also had a showcase of members’ work in a display case at the Stanley Park Library. We’ve also added 6 new books to our own lending library at the guild.
Our first meeting of the year was held on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 7 pm. We are still holding meetings at the same location as previous years, however the name of the building has changed from Grace Mennonite Brethren Church to Belmont Village Church. On our first night back we saw a good number of new stitchers show up and become members – our guild now boasts 27 members.
On September 13th, MJ and Debbie hosted an info table at the K-W Knitters’ Fair, hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitters’ Guild. We showcased items made by guild members and handed out brochures to people interested in joining the guild. Thank you to the K-W Knitters’ Guild for hosting the event!
Report – March 2024
submitted by Lea Wright, ONN Rep
Winter was a quiet term for the KW chapter of the Embroiderers Guild! We have been working steadily on our colour block canvas work project along with name tags and personal projects. Now that the snow is gone we shouldn’t have to cancel any meetings as we transition into spring
Report – December 2024
submitted by Lea Wright, ONN Rep
The KW chapter of the Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild just wrapped up its holiday party, with our ever popular ornament exchange, pictured. This term, we worked on some great projects including a gradient canvas piece that has been the object of desire for many of the members. We look forward to reconvening in January and hope the weather will be in our favour.
Maria Smit, from CEG K_W, also sent us an email with some favourite stitching websites:
“I visit Flosstube for mainly the cross stitching but every so often an embroidery flosstuber shows up and I’ve been watching them and suggesting the sites to our members.
Two others have caught my attention. Jennifer Clouston. She is from South Africa but now lives in Australia. She has a number of books about stitching flowers and videos on YouTube.
Then last week I came across Marion’s World. She’s from the UK and the best of all, she’s a left handed stitcher!!! What caught my eye was the title of the video Craft Your Own Embroidery Pocket. She stitches a floral design on a piece of linen and then makes it into a pocket.
I looked at some other of her videos and I liked them. In one she states she learned embroidery from her grandmother and mother.”
Report – September 2024
submitted by Lea Wright, ONN Rep
Welcome to a new year of stitching with the Kitchener-Waterloo branch of the Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild at the Grace Mennonite Brethren Church located at 546 Belmont Avenue, Kitchener. We will be starting our meetings on September 3, 2024. Meetings will be from 7 to 9 pm as per previous years. I am looking forward to the gathering of the stitchers. So nice to be surrounded with people of like mind.
During the summer we have held a number of stitch-ins at members’ homes and the Stanley Park Library. On June 15th we gathered at the home of Anna Rose, and on July we gathered at Hillary’s. Both days held sunshine, stitching and conversation. Always good on a Saturday in the summer. In August we gathered at the Stanley Park Library to stitch and show people wandering the library what our guild does.
Report – July 2024
submitted by Lea Wright, ONN Rep
The KW branch of The Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild is having a quiet summer. Our glorious president Maria is having Tuesday stitch ins on her back porch on nice afternoons.
Our 2024/2025 term promises to be busting with beautiful projects such as thread painting, a very popular trend right now, finishing a biscornu, and our marquee piece is a canvaswork design featuring a sampler of stitches done in a beautiful gradient pattern.
We start up on September third!
Report – May 2024
submitted by Lea Wright
The KW guild has been busy bees this spring term with some creative projects! We used Crayola crayons to create beautiful bases for embroidery and had a rocking holiday party! Our term for spring 2024 ends May 7th with a wonderfully productive and creative year!
Report – September 2023
submitted by Lea Wright
The Kitchener-Waterloo chapter has gone through some changes! We’ve updated our website to a much cleaner Wix site, https://kwembroideryguild.wixsite.com/guildsite, and we’ve got a brand new Instagram @kw_ceg.
This year, we are all about back to basics, covering stumpwork, candlewicking, surface embroidery using variegated yarn, and a unique course about using Crayola crayons to create a beautiful organic background for abstract embroidery projects. We’ve revived our popular Learn-A-Stitch as well, where members show off their favorite stich and teach it to the group, and we’ve got two seminars planned this year: design, colour and embellishment, and modern technology in embroidery.
Attached is some of the beautiful pieces our talented guild members have done! You can find more on our Instagram!
Report – December 2021
submitted by Brenda Warner
The Kitchener-Waterloo chapter has had one meeting in December where we exchanged Christmas ornaments.
We intend to meet regularly starting in mid-January, but we will try to have members who do not want to attend in person to participate by Zoom. We are leaving space after Christmas in case of COVID transmission during the holidays. We are a very small group and expect that we can meet safely. We will be doing projects that our own members can teach. We are planned to do some blackwork with a session on mounting work, and we will make some Dorset buttons. The projects that we did before the lockdown were dry needle felting, crewel (a whimsical squirrel), Sashiko coasters and shadow work. The hardanger class was cancelled.
Over the past few months, some members have been catching up unfinished projects. Some are Christmas themed.
The needlepoint gnome is keeping a Christmas gift company. It is a painted wooden box with a cross-stitch insert under glass.
Some are not.
Report – September 2021
submitted by Brenda Warner
We do not have an ONN representative right now. We are continuing by email only but hope to start meetings again in a few months. Meanwhile, we are doing challenges. Over the summer, the challenge was Flower Power using any type of embroidery finished in the quarter (but did not have to be started in the quarter). We had a few submissions.
From Maria, we have a cross stitch piece with roses, tulips and violets. Included are close ups of parts of it. The designer of “Keeping Tradition” Anne Van Damme is from Belgium:
From Karen, we have a cross stitch tablecloth that her mother started some time ago:
From Brenda, a cross stitch Scottish thistle scissors fob:
Report – July 2021
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
CEG, K-W has grown in members in the past few months despite the absence of formal in-person or online meetings. Our president, Lea, is sharing her stitching experience on several forms of social media and has generated interest in our group. Plans of reconvening in-person meetings are in the works, and we hope to begin those in the winter of 2022 with formal registration and membership fees being collected for the partial year. Brenda, our program coordinator, is in the process of scheduling classes.
Some of our members have gathered informally in small groups outdoors this summer to reconnect with one another through our love of stitching.
Our spring-themed challenge was met enthusiastically by some, as other members continued to follow their own path of stitching interests.
A few examples include this Oriole submitted by Karen. Her husband took a picture of the bird sitting on their fence. Karen then matched DMC colours from the photograph and drew the outline on the fabric and then stitched this lovely piece.
Karen also dug through her stash and completed the coaster set from times gone by – a bird house for the Oriole perhaps?!
Maria submitted several intricate cross stitch works.
Brenda’s thoughts turned to butterflies when she created this crocheted coverlet for the spring challenge:
Lorraine’s spring themed projects included flowers and birds.
Cathy chose to meet the spring challenge with a kit from the Stitchery.
Lea’s intricate cross stitch is just one example of her many night-time stitching projects.
We are all very much looking forward to once again meeting to stitch and learn new techniques through classes. Our hopes are for a first indoor Christmas gathering in December.
Report – March 2021
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
Tributes, Exchanges, Memorials & Van Gogh
Many CEG, K-W members have remained committed to stitching, despite our lack of meetings.
We are in the midst of a new challenge to create a spring themed item. Members are keeping mum about what they are stitching, which is not due until June. But, in the meantime, we have been busy doing plenty of other artistic creations as well as stitching.
Gerda P sent pictures from The Netherlands of her hexagons.
Sonya is branching out with her artistic endeavours to include micro-knotting and painting from a virtual class:
Hillary’s version of Van Gogh’s Starry Night moved from Provence to the U.K. and includes the river Tee between Yorkshire and Durham counties. The lower left includes the distinctive outline of Roseberry Topping (Google it) and the lower right is her hometown of Billingham, showing the Saxon church and village green.
Brenda stitched the beautiful black and white piece, and Maria must stay up all night creating her many cross stitch pieces. Here are some samples:
A challenge in early January to make something ‘heart’ related by February 14 rendered a variety of results. Hilary G. stitched a lace-trimmed heart using silk and silk thread which she purchased in Rome, as well as a potpourri heart.
Lorraine baked dozens and dozens of heart shaped cookies for staff of a long term care home who were coping with Covid-19 challenges. She is also very committed to the Girl Guides and has been putting kits together for them.
Kathie D. used an adaptation of an Aunt Martha transfer from the 30’s to make her image more cat-like. Her beloved feline succumbed to an illness a few days after starting this project. She says it was stitched with lots of love, using hearts and forget-me-not flowers.
Karen K created a heart monogram sampler in honour of her 40th wedding anniversary. She incorporated many stitches that we have learned and used on past projects during our guild meetings, including Bullion, Blanket, Chain, Eyelet, Feather, Fishbone, French Knot, Lazy Daisy, Ribbed Spider Web, Satin, Star, Stem, Straight and woven wheel stitches. And to top off that lovely piece, she made a heart-themed book mark AND heart cookies.
A variety of other projects from the January challenge proved that members are still very involved in needlecrafts.
Our Christmas ornament exchange was quite popular, with many of our members participating.
We are all looking forward to the day we can resume in-person meetings to continue our Guild’s commitment to increasing our skills and the promotion of embroidery in our community.
Report – December 2020
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
Members of CEG-K-W have not met formally, either in person or virtually since before the initial pandemic lockdown.
Gardening for three seasons – a chance to escape the confines of our homes – was reportedly a very important and enjoyable activity for many. Others were dealing with challenges of working from home and child care concerns, while some of us, missing contact with our grandchildren, sent out many pleas for more pictures of them, as a way of feeling closer to them in the absence of in-person visits.
Our members have had varying experiences keeping up with their stitching. But – for many – stitching continued, and lots of it!
One member, being very proud of her new, expansive deck, took advantage of warm weather in November to host a very small impromptu stitch-in, all the while wearing masks and keeping appropriate distances apart.
Another member, despite being very far from home in the early days of the pandemic, did not let that deter her from several creative embroidery endeavours. The jean jacket was embroidered with Celtic mythology symbols.
A few members have reported some success in completing their UFOs, as with this butterfly that was begun about two years ago with our stumpwork class.
Many members have reported doing lots and lots of crocheting, knitting and quilting. A couple of others have dabbled in water colour painting and other artistic projects. And of course, making many many masks for family members and others.
These are matching quilts for grandkids and their baby dolls.
Here is an example of the popular jean patchwork embroidery from a very prolific member who successfully covered a hole in her jeans.
This is one of the Swedish weaving projects that kept our resident expert in that art form busy, along with her other many talents of crocheting, knitting and quilting.
Quite a number of us have participated in a Christmas ornament exchange as a way of staying connected. Two members provided the bulk of the organization for that project. We are just in the midst of finalizing the exchange.
This blackwork piece was stitched with a weekly pattern release from a stitch-a-long.
Many, many, MANY cross stitch examples kept fingers busy over the months – here are a few:
Report – August 2020
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep 4 August 2020
CEG-KW is suspending our program for the upcoming season. We will still have an ornament exchange (secret Santa style), with a volunteer doing the delivering. Our president will continue email communication to current members, and we may have some virtual gatherings.
Report – March 2020
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep 23 March 2020
The stitchers of CEG-KW have kept themselves quite busy over the fall and winter months, some busily stitching their own creations while others took part in our planned schedule of classes.
Shadow work with Annerose kept many members busy through to the end of October.
In between the evening class schedule, many members attended an all day workshop on Dry Felting by Trish Lockie.
Sashiko stitching was well taught and well received by our long time guild member, Pat F.
Crewel work, taught by Brenda W. kept many members stitching up to the beginning of March.
Several other members kept themselves very busy and were quite prolific, creating numerous pieces of work.
Marcie has been working on this lovely piece to welcome spring.
To date, our much anticipated Hardanger class that was to be taught by Alison Jackson, is paused while we all undertake our singular activities, sheltering at home.
Report – October 2019
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
CEG, Kitchener-Waterloo began the 2019-2020 stitching year with registration on Tuesday, September 3rd at our usual place and time: Grace Mennonite Brethren Church at 7:00 p.m.
Members shared the results of their summer stitching efforts, inspiring some of us to get those ‘someday’ projects out in the open and begin stitching. As a matter of fact, we devised a challenge involving those UFOs (unfinished object) and PHDs (project half done). Members can voluntarily enter as many SIPs (still incomplete piece) they wish, for $1 each. As they complete each item, a ballot is entered into a draw to win the kitty at the end of the year.
On registration night, as well as other times when there is a break in scheduled teaching, we will be working on various stitches throughout the year. This is a great way to hone the skills of those members who are new to embroidery, but also a good way to keep practicing stitches we may not use often. We’ll share our results at the end of the year.
We have just begun our first project, which is Shadow Work, led by Annerose. Sashiko, led by Pat, will follow in November, and conclude the beginning of January. Brenda will lead Crewel Work beginning January 21st, and concluding the beginning of March. And finally, Allison Jackson will lead a Hardanger class starting March 17 for four nights.
Here are a few of the projects our members were working on over the summer, and indeed, many of them have summer themes!
Report – August 2019
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
CEG-KW completed our 2018-2019 season on May 14, in part, by celebrating our 30th anniversary, enjoying a cake brought by Maria, one of our longest standing members. At this meeting we also completed the selection for the executive for next year. The focus for next year’s embroidery topics was also determined by a survey completed by members.
Monthly stitch-ins in June and July have brought us together as we complete projects, begin new ones, and chat about new ideas and trends in the needle arts community.
We are currently finalizing our program for next year, as well as organizing outreach activities.
The fall season will begin with registration on September 3rd at 7 p.m. at Grace Mennonite Brethren Church in Kitchener. We have four main focuses this coming year, beginning with shadow work on September 17th.
Other main topics chosen for this year include Sashiko, Crewel embroidery, and Hardanger. In between the main topics, we will offer a few nights to focus on perfecting stitches as well as offering time to work on individual projects.
Report – April 2019
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Representative
CEG, K-W has enjoyed a busy winter season of embroidery projects, despite having to venture out to the evening meetings into the icy cold that engulfed southern Ontario. We began Huck (Swedish) weaving in January, led by our own Brenda W. who shared her expertise and a lovely very large afghan that had been created by her mother.
Here are several examples of the patterns on towels that were created by those members who took part in the project.
Beginning in February, a bead embroidery project, led by Angela Grasse, kept us stitching undersea life!
While many members took part in the winter instruction, others brought their own work, which provided inspiration and variety for us all.
Our last instructional program for this season will be stitching a needle roll, using some creative stitching applications on wool.
Report – January 2019
Submitted by Cathy Moore, ONN Rep
Counted canvas work occupied much of our time in Kitchener-Waterloo this fall, beginning with an outing to London’s Stitch It Central to gather supplies. The project was led by Maria, a founding member of the KW guild, and who has had much experience in counted canvas work and cross stitch. As you see, the background colour and thread choice can create such different pieces using the same pattern.
Other members not participating in the main project this fall kept us enthralled with their individual projects using a variety of needlework techniques.
Many attendees enjoyed our gingerbread man Christmas ornament workshop, introducing them to four embroidery stitches; chain stitch, satin stitch, French knots, and back stitch. This outreach project, which is one of a number that our guild has offered through the local library, proved to be so popular that our dedicated volunteers, Jean, Maria, Debbie, and Brenda, added a second workshop to accommodate attendees on the waiting list.
We paused at our last meeting in December to share snacks, chat and participate in a Christmas ornament exchange, which of course, was made up of ornaments created by our own hands; a few of which you see below.
The winter program begins January 8th with Huck Weaving, followed by Bead Embroidery. Participation in these planned stitching techniques is voluntary. Members can choose to do their own project at our meetings while still enjoying the camaraderie gained from belonging to a group of like-minded needle workers.
We welcome spring by working on appliqué and creative stitching.
Report – April 2018
Submitted by Pat FitzGerald, ONN Representative
As winter draws to a close (we hope), CEG-KW has been trying encourage spring with flowers – flowers in ribbon embroidery, a class led by our own Sonya Vanderheide in February, and then stumpwork, also mainly flowers, led by Ruth Douglas of CEG-Guelph in March.
Our year winds up with an annual meeting in May and then we switch to a more informal mode for the summer — stitch-ins at members homes or in more public venues where we may meet other folks who would be interested in what we do.
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STASH SALE / EMBROIDERY YARD SALE
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
84 AVONDALE AVENUE SOUTH, WATERLOO
Don’t miss our giant stash sale coming up in June. We are starting with embroidery supplies from a former member and another friend of our guild, with additions. Definitely worth a trip to Waterloo on Saturday morning, June 9th. The sale starts at 9:00 a.m. and is centrally located in Waterloo. If you need directions, call 519-744-8275.
We have tote bags and project bags, aida and evenweaves and linens; lots of floss, skeins that never have been used. We have used floss in Floss Away bags and on floss bobbins. We have magazines and charts. There are lots of Q snaps in various sizes, stretcher bars, scroll frames and rods. Cross Stitch kits, numerous John Clayton ladies from the UK, magnetic boards, scissors, scissor pockets. A Christmas afghan that has the bottom row completed, the charts and flosses for the rest of the project. Come and check us out!
Report – December 2017
This fall our CEG-Kitchener-Waterloo started of with a little “back to basics” project – a napkin ring in Assisi Embroidery, a cross stitch variation where the background is stitched and the motif itself is left unstitched. The ring was finished with nun-stitch, a nice finish for a small piece where a hem might be cumbersome.
Beginning in October, Ana Maria Kramer was our guest instructor for some Schwalm embroidery, a sampler of the technique to be made up as embroidery accessories – pincushion, needle-case, and scissors fob. These sessions were interesting and our group rose to the challenge. Thank-you Ana Maria.
As usual, we closed the calendar year with seasonal goodies and our traditional Ornament exchange – amazing variety for both the treats and the Christmas ornaments!
In January, we will be planning and making a small piece to go in a mini picture frame or a little box with space for an inserted piece of embroidery. The pattern and technique are members’ choice, just as long as it fits the frame.
Then we will do some ribbon embroidery, and in the spring we’ll try our hand at stumpwork, with Ruth Douglas coming to us as instructor.
Also, in April we are planning a mini-workshop for non-guild-members at Kitchener Public Library, introducing a small piece of Hardanger work, with some of our members instructing.
Ontario Network of Needleworkers 