2nd and 4th Wednesdays (September to June)
7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Waterford United Church
135 Main St S
Location on Google Maps
Heather Hollands, ONN Representative
Report – December 2025
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
This Fall members of our group have been working on finishing their own projects. Also, some of our members enjoyed a road trip to Stitch it Central, where supplies were purchased to start a canvas work project entitled Pieces of Eight . They will start this in the new year. We have decided that during the winter months we will only have one evening meeting instead of two that we have had in the past. Our weekly Monday stitch ins will continue as weather permits.
We concluded our evening meetings for 2025 with a Christmas dinner meeting at the Blue Elephant restaurant in Simcoe.
Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild would like to wish all our fellow stitchers a Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year with lots of stitching!
Report – October 2025
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our guild continued to meet during the summer months on Mondays during the day for informal stitch ins. Pictured below are a couple of projects completed by members.
Now that the Fall is upon us, we have resumed our evening meetings on the second and fourth Wednesday from 7 pm-9 pm at Waterford United Church. The Wednesday meeting at the beginning of the month is a business meeting, where as the fourth Wednesday of the month is a programme meeting.
To begin our year for our programme, we went through our stash of stitching stuff and wrapped up things to auction off, with the proceeds going to our guild. When all was said and done, our bank accounts gained just under $100.
For the remainder of the programme this fall, Lotte Von Wuerzen is teaching some embroidery stitches that are used in two different floral designs. It is very beneficial to refresh our memories with stitches we have not used for some time, such as the turkey stitch.
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our presentation on samplers by Lianne van Leyen due to lack of interest for our small guild to afford this endeavour.
In the upcoming months we will look forward to celebrating our 40th year as a guild , perhaps with a retreat in the spring. Hopefully there will be more ideas forthcoming.
Report – July 2025
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
During the summer months, our guild members have continued to meet during the day on Mondays, working away and finishing individual projects, some of which are completed and shown below.
This year, our guild will celebrate its 40th anniversary and, when our business meetings begin again in September, we will be discussing how to honour this milestone. A display of work over the years, along with a tea are some of the ideas that come to mind.
Also, to begin our 40th fall season, we will be hosting a presentation by Lianne van Leyen. She will be discussing antique samplers, as well as showing us some of her very valuable collection. This is set to take place at Waterford United Church in Waterford, Ontario on SEPTEMBER 20th from 9 am – 4 pm. The cost will be $20 per person, with lunch included. We hope that many of O.N.N. Members will come and share the experience with us. More information is on the O.N.N home page. Please call the numbers listed to register. We are hopeful this will be a successful event to kick off our 40th year!
Report – March 2025
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our guild has been busy this winter organizing some of our guild’s stash as well as completing many projects, some of which are illustrated below. Early in the winter, our guild received a generous donation from a past member who is no longer able to embroider. This gift consisted of some fabric, kits and lots of floss. It was like a second Christmas discovering what was in the tote. If members saw something they liked, it could be purchased for a nominal fee to the guild. After the floss was organized into our already large stash, members were encouraged to check their threads at home and to replenish what we needed for a nominal fee of a quarter per skein. Our newest member had a wonderful time building up her own stash!
Next month our guild will be 40 years old. We are I. The process of discussing how we will celebrate this milestone and hopefully more information will be coming soon.
Also, as part of our programme we are hoping to have Lianne Van Leyen come to our guild and discuss antique samplers with us. This will be part of our fall programme.
Report – December 2024
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our guild continues to meet every Monday from 10 am – 3 pm for informal stitching ins.our Wednesday evening meetings concluded for 2024 with a Christmas dinner and business meeting combined at a local restaurant. The evening meetings will resume on January 8, 2025.
This year N.O.N.A.G does not have a formal programme, as our members seem to be content working and finishing projects of their choice. Our president, Marlene Robinson includes an interesting stitch from the Royal School of Needlework’s website for us to practice if we wish. This month it was the Brussels stitch. It has been discussed that perhaps we will start another round robin in the new year. Below, are some of the many pieces of work finished by our members.
Report – September 2024
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our guild began our new year with the business meeting, held on September 11, 2024. We continue to meet every Monday for informal stitching at Waterford United Church, except on the first Monday of the month when we meet at the home of Kim Smit. Our evening meetings are on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 7-9 pm at Waterford United Church.
At our first evening meeting, we were to bring stitchery projects that have been recently completed. Some of them are pictured below. Our task for our next meeting was to bring things for our annual N.O.N.A.G stitch auction. It is a fun evening, where each member brings wrapped gifts, one being a fun or gag item and the other something from your stash that you are willing to part with that is useful. Members then bid on the items with the proceeds going to our guild for future use. It is an enjoyable evening and a great way to start the year.
Our programme for the future is open right now, as many of us are still working on the drawn thread sampler. Another round robin has been suggested for future consideration.
Report – July 2024
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
As summer rolls along, Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild continues to meet informally for stitch ins at Waterford United Church on Mondays. The exception is on the first Monday of the month our stitch ins are held at the home of Kim Smit in Simcoe. Our members are busy completing some of their unfinished projects as well as beginning new ones of their choice. Below are some that have been completed thus far: another lovely sampler stitched by Kim Smit, a gorgeous hydrangea in stumpwork and thread painting from Inspirations magazine and stitched by Lotte Von Wuerzen and a wedding sampler, also stitched by Lotte.
Our evening meetings ended in June, with a dinner at our favourite restaurant and will resume in September.
Our programme is left open at the moment, except for many of us still will be working on our drawn thread sampler that we started in the spring. It looks as if this project will still be ongoing for several months.
Beginning in September, on the second and fourth Wednesday evenings each month our evening meetings will resume.
Report – March 2024
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Happy Spring
Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild members have been working away, mostly on the completion of unfinished projects. Our Monday informal stitch ins have continued to be successful with most members of our small group attending. However, some of the Wednesday evening meetings were cancelled due to issues with the winter weather.
Our programme consists mainly of the drawn thread sampler that was purchased at the EAC seminar last year. We tried to work together, stitching one band at a time, but that was not working out well. We decided to let people work at the speed at which they were comfortable, with the more experienced stitchers working ahead and they will be able to assist others if necessary. It appears that this project will be continuing for the remainder of this year and possibly next year as well. Along with this, members are also stitching their own projects as well. Below are some of the projects that have been recently completed.
The samplers are stitched by Kim Smit. In the pair of blue samplers Kim inserted her own floral design in the centre of each one where words were designed to fit in the original pattern. The other piece pictured is an exquisite medallion stitched by Charlene Beeson and designed by Hazel Blomkamp. It was stitched using a laid beading technique, along with metal threads.
Report – December 2023
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Greetings,
This has been a busy Autumn for our guild. We began with a workshop, the beaded poppy, taught by Naomi Smith. Proudly we were able to wear our finished poppy for Remembrance Day. We still purchased our poppies from the legion, but now we have one for our inside clothing as well as the legion poppies for our outer wear.
Following this, our guild set up a display at Waterford United church in October. This was an evening of organ and piano music, along with displays from local artists. Following this display, several of our pieces were displayed at the Simcoe Public Library for the month of November (pictured below in three consecutive shots.) It is our hope that these displays will help us find new members.
Within our guild meetings, we have started stitching a drawn thread sampler, which was an EAC fundraiser. The first portion is a black work area, to be completed by our January meeting. Also, threads are to be withdrawn, ready for section two.
During our informal stitch ins on Mondays, members continue to complete their projects from seminar as well as personal choice items, some of which are pictured below. Kim Smith went on a stitching retreat and completed a retreat sampler, as well as another one pictured. Cori Angus completed her seminar project taught by Kathy Andrew’s of silk embroidery and also the silk and metal scarab, a gorgeous design from Inspirations magazine. To conclude our stitching session for 2023, we had a dinner celebration at one of our local restaurant.
We are looking forward to forward to the New Year, continuing to stitch and learn together!
Happy Stitching from
Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild
Report – September 2023
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Over the summer months our guild continued to meet informally on Mondays working on completing some projects. Pictured below is a beautiful sampler completed by Kim Smit, a gorgeous Swedish weaving blanket stitched by Elizabeth Kellner, and a seminar project entitled Pax ( the white peacock) designed by Kathryn Drummond and stitched by Heather Hollands.
We began our Wednesday evening meetings on September 13 with a short business meeting, followed by the unveiling of our round robin samplers. It was delightful seeing all the different stitches and colour combinations used.
On Saturday September 23rd, we hosted a workshop where Naomi Smith taught our group as well as members of the Brant Needle Arts Guild a raised beaded poppy. It was a most enjoyable day. Naomi also brought many other beaded works of art that she designed and stitched, for us to see.
Our next meeting will be on September27th when we will have our annual fund raiser auction.
In October we will begin working on a drawn thread sampler, which will probably take at least a year long in order to complete. Also in October we will have a display of our members work at a music and art night at Waterford United Church.
In November our work will be on display at the Simcoe Public Library. It is our hope that these displays will encourage more people to come and join our group.
Even though we are a small group of only 13 members, we enthusiastically stitch and learn together.
Sampler by Kim Smit & Swedish Weaving by Elizabeth Kellner
“Pax” designed by Kathryn Drummond and stitched by Heather Hollands and unveiling of the round robin samplers
Naomi Smith Beaded Poppy Workshop
Report – July 2023
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild continues to meet informally on every Monday for stitch ins, however our Wednesday evening business and project meetings are adjourned until September.
Seven of our members attended the Embroiderers Association of Canada seminar in Winnipeg and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although we have not completed our seminar projects yet, many of us are working diligently to do so, as well as other projects. ( Below is a picture of a lovely sampler, stitched by Kim Smit on beautiful hand dyed Annabel fabric.)We have passed on our round robins for the last time. They will be completed over the summer and the unveiling will be at our first meeting in September. Plans are underway to have Naomi Smith come and teach her beaded poppy design in September. As well, we will begin a drawn thread sampler as a group project, learning as we go.
Report – March 2023
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our Guild continues to meet on a regular basis. During our weekly stitch ins many individual projects are being completed, which are illustrated below. These include the cross stitch sampler, stitched by Kim Smit; Romanian point lace designed by Sylvia Moreno and stitched by Jane Hunter; a Hapsburg lace sampler designed by Tanja Berlin and stitched by Heather Hollands and the beautiful pulled thread floral heart designed by Kim Beamish and completed by Cori Angus. Seven of our members are registered to participate in the upcoming Embroiderers Association of Canada seminar and are therefore endeavouring to complete some of the unfinished projects on hand. We are very much looking forward to celebrate the 50th anniversary of EAC from June 6-11 in Winnipeg Manitoba.
At our first evening meeting in March, eight of our members began participating in a round robin sampler. Members were to pick out their fabric, threads and any add ins such as beads and to complete the first band of stitching. The bags were then passed on with the only rules being that you must use ONLY the materials supplied and also record what stitch or stitches were used on each band. The bags will the be passed on every 2 weeks to the next stitcher.
For our next upcoming programme at the end of April we have arranged for a therapeutic yoga instructor to work with us. She will be showing us some exercises for our hands to help keep them flexible and reduce stiffness. We will also be doing similar exercises for the foot fascia. We are looking forward to this assistance and perhaps will consider similar workshops in the future.
Report – December 2022
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our Guild continued to meet on a regular basis, both informally on Mondays and formally on the second and fourth Wednesday evenings of each month.
We completed the hardanger ornaments from a workshop earlier in the fall.
Our next workshop was taught by Cori and Tanoo Angus. It was the two bead edging technique that is used on many indigenous items, such as straps on bandolier bags, octopus bags and Iroquois clothing edges and moccasin flaps and dozens of other applications. For our group, we learned the technique used as a decorative edging on the felt birds pictured below. Most of us plan on using them as Christmas tree ornaments.
We finished off our evening meetings with a lovely dinner at one of our local restaurants, The Blue Elephant, to celebrate the Christmas season.
In the new year, plans are underway to do a round robin sampler. More details will come in the new year.
Our Guild would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you the very best for 2023!
Report – September 2022
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
During the summer months, members of Norfolk’ Own Needle Arts Guild continued to meet each Monday for informal stitching at Waterford United Church. Each member was working on projects of their choice, some of them continuing to work on things learned at seminar in May.
We began our Fall evening meetings on the second Wednesday in September, also at Waterford United Church. We started with a short business meeting, followed by a Penny Social, which has become an annual fundraising event. Each member brings a good, but inexpensive wrapped gift along with a wrapped “gag” gift and each of us bid on the ones we think we would like. It is a fun evening with lots of laughs!
Our next meeting consisted of a Hardanger workshop taught by Lotte . It is a small Christmas ornament, seen in the pictures below. Some of our group are working on Hardanger projects they have on the go instead of the ornament. This project will continue in October. There are also samples of other pieces of Hardanger on display below.
Also, during September we received our new Embroidery Canada magazine. We are all having a good look at the brochure inside, showing all the courses offered at Seminar 2023 to be held in Winnipeg and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of EAC.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the virtual O.N.N. Meeting and hope that we will receive minutes to keep us informed. [Minutes have since been distributed. – Ed.] We do value belonging to O.N.N. and look forward to an in person meeting in the future.
Report – July 2022
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Spring has been a busy time for several of our Guild members. Seven out of our eleven members attended the Embroiderers’ Association Of Canada annual seminar, which was hosted this year by the Toronto Stitchery Guild. It was a wonderful week where we were kept busy with the many interesting workshops that were offered. It was also great to meet many new fellow stitchers from across Canada, as well as becoming re-acquainted with friends from past seminars. I feel that all of us came home freshly inspired and anxious to complete our projects. Two of our industrious members were able to complete their projects at seminar. Pictured below is the adorable knitting gnome, completed by Kim Smit. The other completed project pictured here is the lovely sweet grass basket with the beaded top by Tanoo Angus. The other pictures are of Jane Hunter and Cori Angus who are diligently working on their pulled thread floral heart.
For the remainder of our Guild year we have continued to work on our seminar pieces.
We completed our evening meetings in June with a dinner at one of the local restaurants in Simcoe.
We are continuing to have our informal stitch ins every Monday during the summer.
During the month of August, we will have a display of our work featuring many techniques, at the Simcoe Public Library. It is hoped that this will inspire people to come and join us in the future.
Report – March 2022
submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our Guild has continued to meet on a regular basis, during the day on Mondays and also for the second and fourth Wednesday evening meetings for business and programme. This year, we have decided to have members pick an interesting technique or stitch and present it to the Guild. Our latest stitch was taught by Marlene Robinson – the sorbello stitch. It is pictured below, where Jane Hunter adapted the design to fit in a greeting card. We are looking forward to Libby Kellner teaching us Yorkshire buttons. Some of our members are also beginning to work on a goldwork dragonfly designed by Jane Nicolas and which was featured in the Inspirations magazine.
Pictured below are other completed projects . The thread painted bluebird is a piece that was a workshop at an EAC seminar, taught and designed by Tanja Berlin and stitched by Jane Hunter. The stump work rose was a design featured in Inspirations magazine designed by Susan Porter and stitched by Heather Hollands. Next are the two cross stitch samplers, stitched by Kim Smit. Also is the stunning goldwork lion designed and taught by Tanja Berlin, stitched by Cori Angus.
The EAC seminar is fast approaching In May and seven of our eleven members are looking forward to attending and coming away with new projects to work on.
As part of our business meeting in March, we discussed our vision for the future of ONN. We felt that ONN should endeavour to proceed as it has been, but with some modifications. We felt that meetings should be held each year in person, as it helps to promote cohesiveness of the guilds and is very valuable for programme ideas as well as viewing the stitchers’ accomplishments of other guilds for inspiration. We felt strongly that an executive is not necessary as it would add to expenses and also may present travel problems for meetings. Our Guild did not like the idea of online meetings as not everyone has a computer or is interested in corresponding in that manner. It was felt that in person meetings could be scaled back considerably, such as; no goodie bags, no speakers, no vendors and bring your own lunch, with coffee, tea and water provided. We are, however, open to try an online meeting in the fall.
Respectfully submitted
Heather Hollands
Report – December 2021
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
During the fall, our guild has continued to meet informally every Monday from 10 am – 4pm working on our own projects. We have also been able to meet on the second and fourth Wednesday evenings, with one being a business meeting and the other one a programme. Since we can not have outside teachers, it was decided that each of our members would choose a technique or interesting tip to teach or share with the group. Grace Smith did our first programme in November, where she demonstrated the five bead knot stitch. It is done like a cross stitch over 4 threads. The first part of the cross has 2 ends on it and the second trip to complete the cross has 3 beads on it. This makes the stitch look like a small flower. Some people did several of these stitches, then added some stems and leaves and they then placed them in cards that we will sell at a local shop in Waterford.
Also, this fall, eight of us signed up for the EAC seminar to be held in Toronto in May, 2022. We have received our classes information, and booked our rooms and anxiously wait and hope that this will be able to happen as planned!
We finished off our evening meetings with a Christmas dinner at a local restaurant in Simcoe, where everyone had a great time.
In the new year, our plans are to continue to have our members teach a small project each month and also to start a gold work dragonfly project.
Report – September 2021
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Our guild has been able to have social distance stitch ins from early June until the present. During the pandemic we have been concentrating on completing our unfinished projects.
Two of our members had registered for the EAC seminar which was to be held in Richmond, BC. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, going to Richmond had to be cancelled. However, seminar proceeded online. Our two members had signed up for the Assisi sewing pocketbook. These courses took place on Friday afternoons for six weeks via zoom, straight from the instructor’s home in Italy. It was an interesting experience, complete with a tour of her lovely 17th century home .
At our final evening meeting in June, one of our members presented us with an interesting challenge. We were each given scraps of window screening and some leaves that she had preserved and told to complete something with them to be shown at our September meeting. Some of our completed pieces are photographed below.
This coming year we have plans to work on a goldwork dragonfly design and also to make some all occasion cards that our group sells at a local shop. We are also planning to make some temari ornaments as a Christmas project.
Report – January 2020
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
We have had a busy fall, as the pictures below will illustrate. In October some of our guild joined with the Tulip Tree guild for a retreat at Elmhurst Inn in Ingersoll. It was a wonderful time away with lots of stitching accomplished. We felt spoiled, as the accommodations and food were lovely.
Also four of our members participated in a goldwork workshop hosted by the Brant Embroiderers guild. It was a lovely butterfly designed and taught by Barb Cook. We thoroughly enjoyed this and now goldwork does not seem as intimidating for some. It was a wonderful day!
Our Fall project within our guild consisted of a goldwork pendant kit that we ordered from Tanja Berlin. The instructions were very precise and most members completed their pendant.
Our stitching year ended with our Christmas dinner at the Blue Elephant in Simcoe.
We are looking forward to the New Year where one of our projects will be a canvas work maple leaf pattern which is a fundraiser for the EAC 2020 seminar in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Report – October 2019
Submitted by Heather Hollands, ONN Rep
Report – April 2018
As the winter is finishing up, many in our group are just finishing up our fall and winter Mountmellick sampler and looking forward to starting some new projects this spring.
In a recent calendar produced by EAC, there was an article about hornbooks, which are a wooden paddle-like shape and were used in the past by children in school. On these hornbooks would be the alphabet or numbers to help the children learn. Embroiderers have used the idea of a hornbook where a small piece of stitching can be secured, and with loops attached to the stitched piece, it can have threads for a project attached and organized. One of our family members has a woodworker who made these hornbooks for us, with each one a little different. We are now busy stitching a small 3- to 4-inch square of stitching of our choice to attach to our hornbooks and they will be ready to use to hold our threads.
Also, we are beginning a stitchers challenge to be completed by our final meeting in June. Each member received a bag with an object inside with a design on it. Our challenge is to reproduce the design in whatever type of stitching we feel would best reproduce the design. We are to use whatever materials we like, with our background fabric being 6 by 6 inches.
Also, in the near future we are planning to do a stump work sampler designed by Sherri Del Rizzo.
We have also been contacted by CEG Guelph to assist them with the upcoming ONN annual general meeting scheduled for October. We will be responsible for sending out and collecting the registration forms.
So, as you can see, spring promises to be a busy and exciting time for Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild.
Report – December 2017
Norfolk’s Own Needle Arts Guild has had a busy fall. In September our new programme chair, Cori Angus introduced us to a Mountmellick sampler which we have started and will continue to work on throughout the year. It consists of 21 leaves placed on a twill fabric in three rows of seven leaves or to design your own sampler. Each of the leaves will be a different Mountmellick stitch. We have found it necessary to have a practice piece to help us get the correct and even tension before working on our good design.
Also, in November, we had a guest teacher, Naomi Smith, come and do a workshop with us on moose hair tufting. In order to help cover the expenses we extended an invitation to other local guilds who may have been interested. It was a really wonderful experience and left many of us with the feeling we would like to do more, if only we had access to moose and caribou hair!
As Christmas draws near, many in our group are working on Christmas cards and finishing gifts for special loved ones.
In the new year we will be continuing our Mountmellick sampler and will be adding a stitched crazy patch round robin.
Ontario Network of Needleworkers 