1st and 3rd Thursdays (September to June)
We have two meeting options:
Day Group: 10:00 am to 4 pm; Evening Group: 7 to 9:30 pm
Blythwood Baptist Church
80 Blythwood Road, Toronto, ON M4N 1A4
See the location on Google Maps
www.tgsweb.ca/
tgspresident@tgsweb.ca
Report – October 2025
submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
Guild members reunited on September 4th for their first meeting of Our 50th Anniversary Year. Our president Michele Young presented some fun facts, compliments of our archivist, Lorna Anderson.
● TGS’ first meeting was on November 6, 1975 at Rosedale United Church
● The meetings occurred in various locations when the evening group was added. But we finally established one consistent location at Blythwood Road Baptist Church in 2006
● In 1976 there were 67 members. By 1991 TGS “hit its zenith in terms of numbers” with 191 members. Now, in 2025, we are 92 members strong.
● Our library has grown from 9 books in 1978 to 275 books and 124 magazines in 2025
● We launched our first website in 2000 ( Y2K)
The Guild is excited to offer an introductory Outreach embroidery course at a small downtown branch of the Toronto Public Library. This course will be lead by Lorna Anderson at the end of September; there are several other guild members volunteering to help as well. Stay tuned for an update on how the course goes in the next ONN newsletter.
Programme:
September 4th: Members were given a kit to make a pin cushion using an IKEA cork coaster. Members could stitch French knots, satin, seed, chain stitch, etc., to complete the surface embroidery. The original idea was from Meagan Mather of Kimat and she also kindly lent us a stamp for the fabric.
The attached image was taken by Victoria Moorehead.
50th Anniversary Celebrations:
TGS officially celebrates its anniversary on Nov 6th, 2025
The year ahead is exciting! There are lots of plans in process. First up: guild members will showcase their work at the Toronto Civic Hall. Stay tuned for the next ONN newsletter submission for more details.
Mini Workshop: September 18th for both day and evening groups – Lace Circle Needlepoint
Letje Jackovich facilitated a 2 hour free workshop to make a lovely Susan Johnson design. Letje was very patient with new learners and managed to make herself available whenever someone was stuck! (I am referring to myself 😉
Saturday September 27: Saturday Speaker Stitch-In Event
We are honoured to welcome by zoom all the way from Adelaide Australia, Margaret Lee, a distinguished specialist tutor of Asian embroidery, with expertise in Chinese Embroidery, Traditional Japanese Silk Embroidery, and Japanese-Style Bead Embroidery. Her presentation on Technique vs. Stitch explores the key factors that influence both Eastern and Western embroidery traditions, highlighting their differences and examining their relevance for today’s embroiderers.
Saturday October 25: Canadian Opera Company Special presentation of Costumes.
Guild members are invited to join Sandra Corozza, head of the Canadian Opera House costume department, on a guided tour of the costume shop. Sandra will review the creative process of mounting an opera – taking us from sketch to stage. Following the presentation, members will meet for lunch at the Mill Street Brewery in the Distillery District off Front Street in downtown Toronto.
Report – July 2025
submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
A group of members travelled in May to the annual EAC Seminar in Calgary where 2 of our members Pat Armour and Diane Scott were facilitating classes! The weather was beautiful and the camaraderie with new and old friends made the trip to western Canada fulfilling. The inspiration of the talented embroiderers across Canada is contagious!
We carried on with our regular TGS meetings in April, May and June with interesting guest speakers and some creative “program” learnings.
Programme:
April: we made collapsible Ort boxes to store some of little bits and bobs when we creating. We also made scissor fobs! What a great way to ensure we take home our own scissors 🙂
May: The Bayeux Stitch used in the Bayeux Tapestry ( 11th Century England) was taught.
Alessandra Abballe, textile artist who completed her MFA in Visual Arts from York University (2025) presented her designs and artistic process.
June: Kits were distributed to members to create their one “Crazy Quilted Mug Carrier” – giving us another project to complete over the summer break.
TGS 50th Anniversary:
We are marking our calendars and saving dates for the busy year ahead. Committee members have planned something for each month to celebrate the occasion.
We are looking forward to the first 50th Anniversary workshop for guild members in September presented by our own Ietje Jackovich. Lace Circle Project, a Susan Johnson Design:
During the summer break, members have the opportunity to gather at one members cottage or at another’s apartment building meeting room. We bring our projects, stitch and have fellowship. It’s a lovely way to stay connected during the sometimes busy or sometimes quiet summer months.
Report – March 2025
submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
It was a winter of limited transportation with all those snow storms and crazy weather. So it was good that we had some interesting programmes lined up!
Programme:
● January: Sunshine & Shadow card inserts — blackwork and more. We were given kits to make a greeting card in either blackwork or cross stitch to contribute one to the Sunshine and Shadows Greeting Cards for members celebrating or needing some cheering up.
● February: TGS Book Club- members shared favourite books, patterns and magazines. A list of authors and titles was added to the guild website.
● March: Bayeux stitch pattern: how to make a knot bag using a tea towel.
Several TGS members created leaves for the Reflections of Ourselves Exhibition: 115 leaves celebrating the rich cultural heritage of Canadians. It was on exhibit from January 11 – March 1, 2025 at King Heritage & Cultural Centre, King City. Check our Tracey Lawko’s website for more details and to watch the documentary:
https://www.traceylawko.com/maple-leaf-project/
February Stitch Day and Stash Sale: members stitched, chatted, enjoyed snacks and plundered the treasure trove of items available to take home and add to our “to be worked on” lists. There was a display of completed previous stash sale purchases. Congratulations to Diane Scott on her submission: Winner of the Viewer’s Choice Award!
February: some members went to the ROM to view the Quilt Exhibit https://www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/exhibitions/quilts-made-canada
which has inspired more of us to attend the Etobicoke Quilter’s Guild – Quilt Fever 2025, March 28 & 29. see: www.etobicokequiltersguild.com for details
March 15th: Another successful Saturday afternoon Stitch in Pub was held at the Duke of York in Toronto, preceded by a tour to the Bata Museum on Bloor Street.
March 22nd – TGS member Dianna Thorne hosted an EAC speaker series featuring: Japan Textiles and Craft Tour Presentation.
Upcoming Textile Artist Speaker at May meeting: Alessandra Abballe, Bachelor Fine Arts, TMU is an image based artist and arts educator, and currently a Masters of Fine Arts, Visual Arts candidate at York University (2025)
EAC Seminar May 12 -18th: Stitching Under the Arch
Two of TGS’s members are facilitating 2 – 2 Day Classes and several members travelling to Calgary May 13 – 18th.
TGS is celebrating 50 years!! Lots of interesting activities are in the works. We are starting the celebrations with a 50th Anniversary Sampler Round Robin. Groups of 10 stitchers will choose a theme and create a unique piece of embroidery in the form of a sampler, using either surface embroidery or counted thread. Groups will start in the summer 2025 to be completed by May 2026. We will post the final projects in 2026.
Report – December 2024
submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
The Toronto Guild of Stitchery has had an active Fall season!
Online members are enjoying the meetings even more now that zoom has been updated with an integrated central microphone and camera. This means everyone has the same view of the speaker as well as “Show and Share” where members share their finished projects. It’s a much more satisfying experience for everyone.
In September, TGS kick started the new “year” with a 2 day Elizabethan Cherry Tree workshop with Mike Parr, a textile artist and teacher with a lifelong passion for embroidery and history. Mike is known for designs in stump work, gold work and white work. He is a contributor to Embroidery Canada, Needlearts and Inspirations magazines, and he teaches frequently throughout North America.
We had 12 in the class and we all had a fabulous experience learning surface embroidery and historic goldwork techniques recovered from the 16th century. The techniques are taken from an Elizabethan Guild Crown that doesn’t exist on any other surviving piece of embroidery. Mike said it would be the last time he was able to teach this class because the supplies are so difficult to source.
Members enjoy learning new techniques at our monthly meetings. In September, members made embellished wool felt polar bears designed by TGS member Pat Armour.
October – members of the Ecclesiastical Needlework Committee from the Anglican Church of Canada, Diocese of Toronto shared what they do to preserve or repair ecclesiastical vestments and textiles.
November – TGS member Rosemary Marchand presented “shadow work” technique. At the 2nd November meeting, “FIFI” ( Find It Finish It) registered members learned how to hand finish a pillow.
December – we made Christmas ornaments! It was a happy holiday celebration with sweet treats shared by all.
Stitch in Pub happened twice this fall. Interested members meet up at the Duke of York in downtown Toronto on Prince Arthur St.. What a blast! It’s a great way for us to meet up outside of the Guild atmosphere. The pub is on the TTC route, we have our “own” waiter who makes sure everyone has their choice of food and drink. People often stop by and ask about our creations. We ensure that we have confirmed numbers before making a reservation but it is open to everyone. We often will share stash too. Only drawback is that the Duke of York isn’t accessible.
Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season. Here are some examples of December’s Show and Share!
Penny Milton – Cone Flower with Monarch
Anne Connie – String Art for a card insert
Diane Scott – ornaments
Report – September 2024
Submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
The Toronto Guild of Stitchery TGS resumed regular in person meetings on September 5th after a 2 month long summer break. TGS has Regular Business Meetings the first Thursday of the month, and FIFI (“Find it, Finish it”) is the third Thursday of each month at both 10am and 7PM – all hybrid (in person and on zoom)
Check out our website above for events. Effort is being made to integrate zoom more seamlessly so that our members from home are able to see the speaker and participate more easily.
On September 21st we enjoyed a Stitch in Public Event at the Duke of York Pub near Bloor St & Avenue Rd.. Several members enjoyed sharing a meal, drinks and then stayed a while to stitch! It was a great way to get everyone back stitching after a summer break.
There is a lot of planning underway for the TGS 50th Anniversary as a guild in 2025. We are super excited that Jennifer Robson, the author of The Gown will be coming November 15th, 2025 for the TGS gala luncheon at the Islington Gold and Country Club.
TGS offers Programme after the monthly business meetings. This September we embellished wool felt polar bears. In October we will be learning about Ecclesiastical Stitching; November – Rosemary Marchard is presenting shadow work; December – we will be making Christmas ornaments. These programme meetings are always a great way to work with our other guild members and continue learning together.
We hope to share some samples of members’ projects from the Mike Parr: Elizabethan Cherry Tree workshop happening on September 28 – 29th in the next ONN Newsletter.
Report – July 2024
submitted by Audrey Chaput, ONN Rep
Hello ONN Members, Toronto Guild of Stitchery typically takes a break from meeting over summer months. However, this summer one member has offered to host casual “FIFI” ( Find it Finish it) days on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays at her apartment’s meeting room. Members were excited that we could continue to socialize and stitch together as fellow learners. TGS is always welcoming new members.
The first official meeting date back is in September on Thursday Sept 5th. We have a day time meeting at 10am and an evening meeting at 7pm. We also run both these meetings by Zoom for members who cannot travel into the 80 Blythwood Rd location. Please look at https://www.tgsweb.ca and on Facebook: Toronto Guild of Stitchery – TGS to find out more about our guild. We now have 100 members, that’s 5 new members since March/2024.
Take a peek inside the EAC Spring 2024 Issue Volume 51, Number 2. Three TGS members have their work featured: Catherine Leeson’s formal Hawaiian embroidered suit, pg 23; Victoria Moorshead’s mini embroidery hoop earrings, pg.36; Michele Young: Smocking -Timeless Wearable Embroidery, pg 57.
Tracey Lawko, TGS member, has an exhibit at the SAQA (Studio Art Quilt Associates) Canada exhibition “Renewal” at Homer Watson House & Gallery in Kitchener, July 5 – Sept 8, 2024. She has created a stitched nature study “Harbingers” that captures a honeybee she found in her snowdrops this past March.
Please be sure to check back for the Fall ONN Newsletter where we will be sharing upcoming TGS 50th Anniversary news. There is a lot of planning in progress for a very busy 2025 as we celebrate the 50 years of TGS creativity.
Report – March 2024
submitted by Lorna Anderson
Greetings ONN Members,
Toronto Guild of Stitchery holds two day and evening meetings a month. The first Thursday of the month is a regular meeting which includes business, program and show & share. The third Thursday is a relaxing day of stitching and socializing called FIFI (“Find it, Finish it”). There are always members helping each other with their stitching. The times for both days are 10am and 7pm and Zoom is available too. Check out our website at https://www.tgsweb.ca and Facebook at Toronto Guild of Stitchery – TGS. To date we have 95 members with 3 new members in March.
The January to March programmes were full of exciting activities. Thanks to Diane Scott for giving an overview of the creative TGS 50th Anniversary Biscornu project. There are so many possible variations. Julia Paris taught us how to create lovely Yorkshire buttons that can be used for buttons, making needle minders, scissor fobs and more. We are excited to see everyone’s projects. Another successful Stitch and Stash Sale was held in February. The registration for the Mike Parr workshop closed on April 1st.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the ONN Fair on May 4th. Some of the images shown here will be on display at the fair. In the meantime, Stay Calm and Stitch On.
Report – December 2023
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Happy New Year ONN members
Toronto Guild of Stitchery (TGS) wishes everyone a healthy and safe new year. TGS meets continues to meet in person and virtually for all meetings. At present we have 89 members including three new members in December.
Once again, two retreats were held in the fall. One at Nottawasaga Inn and another at Crieff Hills Retreat with 21 and 17 members attending respectively. There are a few spots remaining for the upcoming retreat at BMO/IFL on March 22 -24, 2024. Registration is open to all stitchers, not only TGS members. Please contact Heather James at 1975TGSretreat@gmail.com for details. BMO/IFL is located at 3550 Pharmacy Avenue, Toronto.
Mavis Brown gave an exciting and novel talk at both morning and evening meetings on 2nd November, about her life in the Arctic for 9 years in the 1970’s. It was an eye opening and tactile event as Mavis brought many of the items she stitched including mittens, mukluks, pieced fur blankets and pillows, along with fur samples and a plethora of carved objects such as miniscule birds of shell sitting on a cliff of whalebone, the bow and string and stick used for starting a fire, many soapstone, bone and ivory carvings of life in the Arctic and tufted Caribou-(neck)-fur pictures. It was an exhilarating presentation as Mavis told us stories of the polar bear who jumped onto her living room window, ice fishing, the advantage of being able to reach other educational/medical personnel and help a child get braces to walk and play, the mind-stretching planning of how much toilet paper to order for a year (or butter, or flour, or?). She had numerous stories of her experiences: A slide show gave us the images of summer versus winter parkas, the storage of meat, the bathroom facilities, the school and other tidbits of life from her three locales. For all those that attended, including some church staff, the talk was thoroughly enjoyed.
TGS members, Pia and Diane attended the World Needlework Convention October 5-11, 2023. They gave an exciting, well organized and informative presentation to members on December 7th. Please enjoy the brief summary of their trip.
This convention held in southern England was a trip of a lifetime!
It was exciting, well organized and very informative both from a historical and an embroidery perspective. In an all-inclusive adventure, we were treated to great accommodations and cuisine in London and at Luton Hoo. Over the span of the event, registrants chose three two-day classes from a lineup of 28 tutors with 18 techniques and over 82 projects. We had admission to excursions to the Knitting and Stitching Show, The Crown to Couture exhibit at Kensington Palace, Parham House, and the City of London Guildhall Art Gallery. There were keynote speakers and talks by RSN tutors almost daily. The conference hosted 140 participants from the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, France, and India. We ranged in age from 39 to 86.
We decided to treat ourselves to some sightseeing. The day we arrived we took a Big Bus Hop On Hop Off tour through the centre of London. Sitting atop a double decker bus and entertained with our personal audio we saw great views — Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square (the true centre of London), the Court of Justice, the Parliament Buildings, the Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. On our last day in London, we took a walking tour of significant places — Westminster Abbey, the changing of the guards at Buckingham and St James Palaces, a walk down the Mall, past the Admiralty Arch and on to Trafalgar Square. After lunch we were guided down Whitehall past 10 Downing Street to the Thames River where we boarded a cruise. There were many sights to see along the Thames including the London Eye and Tower Bridge where the cruise ended. Here we strode off to the Tower of London and had an excellent tour of all the nooks and crannies including the Crown Jewels.
Details below on the workshop TGS is hosting in September:
At the annual holiday party meeting in December, an optional holiday ornament exchange was replaced by members being invited to support Blythwood Church with an optional donation for the Out of the Cold program. Plans continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of TGS. The actual date is November 6, 2025. A grateful thank you to the members who contributed beautifully written articles and photos for this newsletter.
Report – September 2023
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN Members,
We are back meeting in person and ZOOM. At the day and evening September meetings, Dianna instructed members how to needle weave a beautiful bouquet. TGS members have been busy the past few months. We are delighted to show pictures of their work.
Several years ago, at a TGS evening meeting, Pat, Judy and Christy presented a programme to make cute polar bears. The pattern was featured in a 2009 issue of Embroidery Canada. At the EAC/ACB seminar in June this year, Winnipeg Embroiders’ Guild won second place for their entry in the seminar group project ‘A Celebration of Bears’. Congratulations to Winnipeg members; they made 193 bears. Congratulations to Pat, Judy and Christy for being recognized as designers of the pattern.
Congratulations to Diana Thorne for winning the Original Design Award-An Education Award with EAC/ACB with her beautiful entry ‘Fall Floor’.
Reflections of Ourselves”, a collaborative art project which celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Canadians, will be on exhibit at Wellington Heritage Museum, 290 Main Street, Wellington, Prince Edward County, ON, September 16 – December 18, 2023. The tree continues to grow! Currently, 112 Indigenous, settler and immigrant Canadians from across the country have created a leaf in honour of their heritage. The leaves are as varied as their creators, each telling an individual story through different materials, techniques and imagery. For more information visit these websites. https://www.thecounty.ca/residents/services/museums/wellington-heritage-museum/ www.traceylawko.com
Please enjoy images of embroidery by members. Happy Stitching.
Respectfully submitted,
Lorna Anderson
Report – July 2023
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN Members,
Summer is here and I hope you are enjoying it.
Here are a few updates from the Toronto Guild of Stitchery (TGS). Our members enrich the guild activities with members who so willingly help other members. Presentations are made and workshops are organized. This includes members who make presentations and organize workshops. Recently these activities included Barbara Kershaw helping members with pulled thread stitches and Rosemary Marchant making a presentation on raised and 3D stitches. Catherine Monahan presented photos and gave a talk on the history of Royal School of Needlework and its anniversary exhibit. Dianna Thorne along with Diane Scott organized a workshop titled “Trees”. Our membership is stable at 90 members. Last year members appreciated a fee free year. This year we are back up running and running at full speed with executive and committee positions filled.
Diane Scott won the Leonida Leatherdale Award for an original design or adaptation at the EAC/ACB seminar, The Stitch Goes On, held in Winnipeg in June for her piece titled “What I learnt at Seminar”.
This fall two (2) retreats are offered to TGS members, one at Nottawasaga Inn Resort & Conference Centre and the second at Crieff Hills-Inn and Conference Centre.
TGS member Lisa Carlin created a beautiful and unique beaded mask during Covid. Congratulations to Lisa, her mask is included in the exhibit title “Breathe”. The exhibit continues to October 1st, 2023, at the Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Street, Toronto. This exhibition was organized by Natalie Bertin and Lisa Shepherd to showcase traditionally crafted masks demonstrating resiliency through 21st Century pandemic. This exhibition has travelled across Canada for the past two years and the Textile Museum is the final showing. For details and tickets go to: https://textilemuseum.ca
Many of our members attended a recent stitch day hosted by Kimat Designs. Another stitch day is on offer on August 18, 2023 in Lemonville. For details and registration go to: https://www.kimatdesigns.com
Please enjoy images of embroidery by members. Happy Stitching.
Report – March 2023
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN Members
The new year is off to a good start. TGS member Barb Crowther invited members to join her in a Stitch-a-Long (SAL). “One Stitch At a Time” was generously shared from Seminar by the authors. Barb shares her notes, resources, instructions, updates and includes her own journey with SAL. Many members are enthusiastically participating. A couple of images of SAL in progress are included below.
TGS has a regular business, programme and show & share meeting on the first Thursday of the month. FIFI (“Find it, Finish it”) is a relaxing stitching day the third Thursday of each month. The times for both days are 10am and 7pm and hybrid is available too. Check out our website: https://www.tgsweb.ca and our new Facebook page Toronto Guild of Stitchery – TGS
The following message is from Tracey Lawko. If you have an opportunity, visit her spectacular show, “Reflections of Ourselves”.
“Reflections of Ourselves”, a collaborative art project which celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Canadians, is now exhibited at Homer Watson House & Gallery, 1754 Old Mill Rd., Kitchener, Ontario until June 25, 2023. https://www.homerwatson.on.ca/exhibitions/reflections-of-ourselves/ New cultural leaves have been added and this genealogical maple tree continues to grow! It looks wonderful under the clerestory windows of the Watson Gallery. Reception: Sunday, April 30th from 2 – 4 pm.
A FREE online Textile Talk webinar on April 5th at 2pm will feature a talk by lead artist, Tracey Lawko, about growing this grass-roots collaborative art project, and will air the documentary video of “Reflections of Ourselves” funded by the Ontario Arts Council. All welcome. Registration required https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ePcWwX1CR7asnbgPwS60ng
Take care and happy spring.
Report – December 2022
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN members,
Toronto Guild of Stitchery wishes everyone a happy holiday season and best wishes for a healthy and safe new year. TGS meets in person and virtually for all meetings. Attendance at both is lower than early 2020 but we are meeting and stitching. Our membership is stable at 87 members.
Two retreats were held in the fall, one at Nottawasaga Inn and the second at Crieff Hills Retreat with 27 and 12 members attending respectively. March 24-26, 2023, are the dates for an upcoming retreat at BMO/IFl at 3550 Pharmacy Avenue, Toronto. Registration is open to all stitchers, not only TGS members. Please contact Heather James at 1975TGSretreat@gmail.com for details.
TGS adopted the Greek Cross Filling Stitch for the Royal School of Needlework’s stitch bank. As part of their 150-year anniversary, the RSN decided to create a stitch bank to electronically preserve stitches from all over the world. https://rsnstitchbank.org/stitch/greek-cross-filling-stitch.
With grateful thanks to Barb Crowther for preparing the images.
Please enjoy images of our members’ work:
Report – September 2022
Greetings ONN Members,
The best way to describe what is going on right now is a rebuilding phase. TGS’s main accomplishment over the past few years has been to organize and host the highly successful EAC-ACB Seminar 2022 “Hues in Harmony” while confronting and managing the many hurdles and challenges of the pandemic. We are and should be very proud of the result. The organizing committee was stellar and the event was seamless.
Despite not being able to meet in person for more than two years TGS has kept going with meetings being held on Zoom. We not only had the opportunity to see each other virtually but also were able to host a guest speakers at almost every meeting. Because there are members who weren’t able, or were not interested in online engagement we also had a number of mailed updates “Notes and Links” and gifts go to all members. Regular emails kept us connected as well. As we go forward we will attempt to keep a hybrid meeting model through the use of Zoom.
Surprisingly we have managed to keep our membership numbers reasonably stable. New members have joined and are on the younger side of our average age.
One of the biggest struggles is getting members to step into the leadership roles. For the time being we will be following a more casual meeting plan to make the guild more manageable for the existing smaller executive. Even so, plans are moving ahead for some themed meetings, retreats, an interesting workshop, and our annual stash sale.
The guild is always on the lookout for skilled teachers and interesting program ideas. Any way that ONN can help with this would be appreciated.
Respectfully submitted and with grateful thanks from TGS members Julia Paris and Karen Doak,
Lorna Anderson
Report – July 2022
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN members,
Hope you are enjoying the summer and finding time to relax and do some stitching. The guild continues to have a variety of programmes and regular project challenges. The plan is to return to in person meetings in September with a hybrid model offered as well.
TGS member, Tracey Lawko invites you to see “Reflections of Ourselves”, a collaborative art project that celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Canadians. Over 100 Indigenous, settler and immigrant Canadians have created a leaf in honour of their heritage. The leaves are as varied as their creators, each telling an individual story through different materials, techniques and imagery. Several TGS members have each contributed an embroidered leaf. The leaves hang from a textile tree. The tree is a metaphor for our human community where distinctions in human culture are like the variations of individual leaves on a tree. The exhibition continues until Sept 3, 2022 at Orillia Museum of Art & History, 30 Peter St. S., Orillia, ON. Tues – Sat: 10 – 4 pm.
In April, TGS member Diana Thorne made an interesting and well researched presentation on 3D embroidery.
In May, Carolyn Mitchell shared her Stitching Story. Carolyn has been designing, teaching and inspiring stitchers for years.
In June, the Annual Meeting was held with the slate of officers being voted into their respective roles. The June programme included stitching themed games. The monthly Countdown to Christmas 2022 (CTC2022) continues with patterns being offered every month. We are looking forward to a parade of ornaments in December. There will also be a surprise programme mailout to members at the beginning of summer.
TGS hosted the EAC seminar Hues in Harmony in May. Co-Chairs Pia Kallas-Harvey and Heather James send this report.
Hues in Harmony Seminar 2022 A Great Success
Thank you!
On behalf of our committee, we would like to thank everyone who participated in Seminar 2022. It was an exhilarating roller coaster ride to the finish line but from the feedback you gave us, it was a tremendous success. All the efforts we put into making it one of the best Seminars ever was well worth it. This could not have been done without the support of a very dedicated committee and members of the Toronto Guild of Stitchery – a real team effort. We also extend our gratitude to the BMO Institute for Learning for assisting us to make the event such an enjoyable accomplishment!
At the Hues in Harmony seminar in May, TGS was awarded 3rd place for their display of embroidered palettes. Here they are and please enjoy.
Report – March 2022
submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Rep
Greetings ONN members,
First a report from the seminar co-chairs, Heather and Pia.
Hues in Harmony Report March 2022
Seminar 2022 Hues in Harmony is only 8 weeks away! May 16-21, 2022! We are still accepting registrations! We do have classes that are not filled, so take a look at our website www.eac-acb.ca/seminar! We are welcoming all like-minded stitchers to this in real life event! COVID protocols are relaxing but we are asking that all participants are fully vaccinated to keep everyone safe! At this time the BMO IFL is requiring masks, but the times are ever changing so we do not know what the rules will be at the time of Seminar. We are looking forward to a fabulous exhibition in the Forum displaying stitching from the 2020 Seminar, the 2021 Seminar and the 2022 Seminar! We have a marvellous stitching boutique – KIMAT Designs that is open every day 8:30 am – 5:30 pm except on May 18th when it will be open 8:30 am – 8:30 pm! We encourage a visit to our Market Mall night May 18th which is open in The Bow at the BMO/IFL from 5:00 pm until 8:30 pm, located at 3550 Pharmacy Avenue, Toronto with free parking. We hope to see you there!
Along with the many members organizing the seminar, the guild continues to have a variety of programmes and regular project challenges.
In January Anne Armstrong, a docent from ROM gave an informative talk on Chintz titled ‘The Cloth That Changed The World: India’s Painted and Printed Cottons’.
Rosemary Marchant, TGS member presented an interesting program on Appliqué.
Pat Armour, TGS Member, discussed how she begins a design and progresses to the final pattern. Members were given the pattern with detailed instructions for an 18th century shoe project. Pat had previously taught the shoe project at the Bata Shoe Museum.
Please enjoy images of members’ work that have been shown at Find It Finish It (FIFI) meetings.
Karen
Janice
Two pieces by Sylvia
Iris
Four pieces by Judy
Five pieces by Barbara
Two pieces by Michele
Heather
3 pieces by Suzzanne
Four pieces by Cathy
Three pieces from Julia
Four images from Catherine
Four pieces by Dianna
Report – December 2021
Submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Representative
Greetings ONN members,
TGS continues to meet by ZOOM for day and evening meetings. This report includes three (3) sections. The first is a review of programmes for October, November and December. The second section is a reminder of the upcoming seminar in May 2022. The third section is a special project titled ‘Reflections of Ourselves” by TGS member Tracey Lawko. Tracey’s contact information is included, and readers are encouraged to consider contributing to Tracey’s mammoth project. Keep on stitching, take care, stay safe and best wishes for a Happy New Year.
- October – Narrative Embroidery – TGS member Rosemary Marchant. Rosemary did extensive research on tapestries embroidered through the years. Rosemary’s presentation of images and details of the tapestries was awe-inspiring.
November – Anne Ward from UK – WW1 quilt mystery – check it out: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58683162.amp and for Facebook users: https://www.facebook.com/groups/448902116425497/. Anne and Damian Ward of Wales gave a fascinating presentation on the embroidered quilt she happened upon at their local charity shop.
December – Jo Gatenby made a prestation on her unique take on Hardanger embroidery. Jo will be teaching at the ‘Hues in Harmony’ seminar in May 2022 in Toronto.
- Hues in Harmony Seminar 2022 is rolling.
We have welcomed many registrants and we thank you. We continue to encourage members to visit our website and check out the wonderful classes. https://eac-acb.ca/seminar/
The BMO Institute for Learning is a phenomenal venue to host our in real life Seminar. It is truly an all-inclusive experience. Please join us May 16-21, 2022.
Any questions please contact 2022cochairs@eac-acb.ca
- TGS member Tracey Lawko is looking for participants for a collaborative art project called “Reflections of Ourselves” — a large sculptural artwork that celebrates the diverse cultural heritage of Canadians. Tracey is seeking one person for each of the roughly 180 cultural groups present in Canada. Many have already signed up, but participants are still required to represent a number of cultures.
Participants create a textile maple leaf that honours their heritage. The work should be the shape and size of a life-size maple leaf template that Tracey will provide (approx. 8” wide by 7” high). The work should represent the participant’s cultural heritage. A brief artist statement should describe how their design links to their heritage. The content and technique are up to each participant, but please avoid commercial patterns, political symbols, and flags.
Contributions will be acknowledged by:
-the participant’s label on the leaf
-the participant’s name in a master list of contributors
-the participant’s artist statement of up to 120 words which will be exhibited with the artwork, and
-an honorarium
Leaves must be received by February 28, 2022.
The opening exhibition will be at the Orillia Museum of Art and History from May 28 – September 10, 2022.
More information is on Tracey’s website https://traceylawko.com/maple-leaf-project/
If your cultural heritage is on the list of cultures needing representation, please sign up by clicking the REGISTER HERE button on the website or contact Tracey at tlawko@sympatico.ca with your questions.
Tracey Lawko
Drawn with thread
416-432-1254
tlawko@sympatico.ca
www.traceylawko.com
www.facebook.com/traceylawkotextileart/
www.instagram.com/traceylawko/
Report – September 2021
Submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Representative
Greetings ONN members.
Toronto Guild of Stitchery started this year using ZOOM with day and evening meetings on September 2nd. Our members enjoyed being together again and our guild will continue to meet virtually for now. The programme theme was ‘What I Did On My Summer Vacation’. Our second meeting called FIFI (find it finish it) was on September 19th and again with day and evening meetings. Members chatted and stitched. We were also introduced to ‘breakout rooms’ on ZOOM, a very interesting virtual tool. This newsletter includes two items. First is an update on Seminar 2022 ‘Hues in Harmony’. Second are images of embroidery by members done during the summer. Keep on stitching, take care, and stay safe.
Toronto Guild of Stitchery is hosting ‘Hues in Harmony’ seminar May 16 – 21, 2022. The following is a report from the Co-Chairs of the seminar committee.
Registration is open! Our registration gates opened September 1st and the registrations are flowing in!
Please take a minute to check out the ‘Hues in Harmony’ website at eac-acb.ca/seminar/ where you will learn about the great teacher roster that we have lined up with a variety of techniques to be taught at different levels of ability.
Get a glimpse of the magnificent BMO Institute for Learning venue that provides an all-inclusive feel to your stay! This venue is strictly following all COVID protocols.
Accommodation in singles only is an added safety feature. All registrations received by October 31st, 2021, will be considered equally.
Our Excursions for the Options Day are now listed on the website –
1. An all-day trip to the McMichael Gallery in Kleinberg that includes a tour of the gallery and your lunch.
- A trip to Toronto’s lively Distillery District followed by a trip to the Queen Street West fashion district for shopping for anything needle and thread.
At the end of September, we provided everyone an opportunity to Meet the Classes with Zoom sessions featuring the instructors teaching at Hues in Harmony.
The teachers talked about their projects and answered questions from participants. We are looking forward to seeing you May 16-21, 2022!
Information to become a member of EAC can be found on the website: https://eac-acb.ca/membership/.
‘What I Did on My Summer Vacation’
The following beautiful images show a variety of embroidery techniques.
Report – July 2021
Submitted by Lorna Anderson, ONN Representative
Greetings ONN members. Toronto Guild of Stitchery finished the stitching year as it started in September 2020. Two meetings were held each month with both meetings offered at 10AM and 7PM. The first meeting of the month was a business meeting with a programme. The second meeting was Find It Finish It (FIFI) with Show and Share. April, May and June meeting programs were run by our members. Virtual FIFI meetings were offered in the summer too.
In April we were challenged to stitch an Easter egg.
May’s challenge was to send images of ‘My Favourite Things for stitching’. Everything from scissors, needle threaders, lamps, magnifiers, chocolate, and more were shown.
Prior to the June meeting, members received a package in the mail of suitable stash and were invited to create a Spring Dress for a Fashion Show. At the June, meeting twenty-four creative and beautiful dresses were on the runway. Here are a few.
TGS was undaunted by pandemic challenges and found a way to continue our tradition of stash sales, holding two this year. Both were on online auctions. Organizing the event took many hours by dedicated volunteers. Members dropped off their stash at different porches in and outside the city, items were sorted, photographed and details loaded on to the auction site. Bidding took place over two days. After the auction, items were resorted, and members were able to go back to the porches and pick up their purchases. These sales proved to be a good fund-raiser.
Bata Shoe Museum invited TGS to design and teach a shoe themed virtual workshop to offer to the public. The workshop was a success. The same virtual workshop has been taught at our sister guild, Marigold Guild of Needle Arts in Truro, Nova Scotia and will be offered to TGS members next year.
2022 May is coming and with it the Toronto Guild of Stitchery is hosting an EAC/ACB Seminar, ‘Hues in Harmony’. We are working very hard to make sure it is a fun, safe, and educational event. Check out the website for details. https://eac-acb.ca/seminar/ The site with seminar information is open to members as well as non-members of EAC/ACB. Contact 2022CoChairs@eac-acb.ca for more information. Hope to see you there.
Report – March 2021
Submitted by Heather James, ONN Rep
Well you just can’t keep a good Guild down! We have not stopped since last April when we went to virtual meetings, including our AGM, and then carried on with FIFI during the Summer. We returned to Regular Format – but Virtually done – in September and we have hardly looked back. Like the rest of you we have had our moments of reflection, remembrance and sadness shared without hugs, but women have been amazing through the pandemic so far. We look forward to the fall with hopefully enough 2nd vaccines to make us feel safe to be together again!
Besides the regular business of running a Guild, we have had a speaker presentation at every meeting – and that often means 10am and 7pm so both non-working and working can attend. A few have been from within, but mostly new speakers to the Guild: Here are some of the presentations we have seen:
Crazy Quilting by Judy Ekhardt
Kantha – Pat Bowley
My Stitching Journey – Rosemary Oliver
Postcards – Pat Armour
Needles – Kim Mather
Introduction to Sashiko – Alma Laidlaw
and
Why did we pick this place? Seminar 2022 presented the Board Report to the Guild in preparing us all for next May.
Every Regular Meeting has a Surprise (often a presentation), a Challenge to be stitched (usually tied into the Presentation), and some Legacy Project reminders. Check out some of our many challenges:
Julia made a RIP container for her broken needles and pins. So did Pia (below)
Brenda stitched “outside of the box” – FLYSWATTER!
I think this is a great POSTCARD CHALLENGE! (Pia)
Colleen!
Catherine really got into CRAZY QUILTING!
Laura did a CRAZY QUILT idea on this pillow!
Jenny is trying out some Kantha!
Lisa covered her face mask with an abundance of BEADS!
We have also found the will to run an on-line stash sale, and had fun doing it! We have had several members take vignette videos of our local supply shops and share those with the Guild in our BUY LOCAL push.
On FIFI weeks (1 Thursday a month) we virtually hug each other, share the work we are doing or seek help for the hard bits, and talk, and talk. And often the FIFI becomes our “Show & Share” as the output of projects and UFO’s finished is impressive.
Every member received a Christmas Gift in the mail with fabric, a tea bag, a chocolate and a pattern to stitch a teapot. Jenny went further and stitched her favourite cookies to be a fob set!
Cathy finished Alison Cole’s design of the Welsh Dragon!
Cathy finished a sampler!
Pia did a Hygge Horse. Julia finished her Long Dog Sampler.
Lucky Peggy’s grandkids get a doll & blanket and Spiderman!
2022 May is coming and with it our Toronto Guild of Stitchery and EAC-ACB Seminar! We are working very hard to make sure it is a fun, safe, and educational! Can’t wait to see you all again!
Heather James,
President,
Toronto Guild of Stitchery
March 2021
Report – December 2020
Submitted by Heather James
6th December 2020
I think the entire Guild went home on the 16th of March and closed the doors and windows. We know what’s good for us! The VP called all of our members at the beginning of April and again in mid-April as some had not joined the Zoom meetings but were ok. At that point many of our members had begun stitching what would amount to THOUSANDS of masks for charity!
All of our meetings, including our AGM in June have been conducted via Zoom. From the 93 members we had in March we have lost a few – some because life is very busy in other areas (like parent-caring) and others have passed away- and now we are at 85. And two are new since covid!
We have a number of teckkies in the group who pulled up their own Zoom accounts to share until September when we bought our own- after all, we do love to chat and an hour just isn’t enough sometimes.
Unusually, we continued our twice monthly meetings throughout the summer adopting a FIFI format – we would do “show and share” and then general chit chat about the world, our feelings, freebies from the stitching world, best tv shows for yoga, exercise, humour etc. After these meetings a short email was sent covering some of the chat and adding the links recommended (not just for stitching 😉
A very few met socially distanced in local parks but our members stretch across a large area (160+ km east to west x 24 km north to south!).
Once fall arrived we got down to business and ran a regular business meeting on the first Thursdays of the month – at 10am and 7pm so that the members working during the day could meet with everyone who wanted to. We have about 10 members who do not have a computer, so they call in sometimes and other times our phone tree reads them the (new) Notes & Links that the President provides after each meeting. We have tried to continue normally – so having a presentation of a new technique, new artist, etc. before the business brings fresh air into the group.
We have set out to have 3 program items for each meeting:
1. Legacy – we asked each stitcher to put themselves in their stitching so we “know them” by looking at a piece no bigger than half a page. We will stitch these together so we can say “I remember her” or “she does that technique”!
2. Surprise – this has run from a Roving Guilder who (wears a mask) and visits a local store to other things planned (but I can’t tell you yet). It’s a way of reminding people what is in the store and how to order – buy local is our mantra. We have interviews planned with our SAGE stitchers (Senior AGE stitchers who know so much) as a way to check in what excites them. “A small snippet of something relevant” is the goal.
3. Challenge – Usually related to the presentation asking members things like “stitch outside of the box” where we saw tennis rackets, colanders, safari hats decorated. We had an awesome presentation by Judy Eckhardt on Crazy Quilting and if anyone needed stash our Program person put a few things in an envelope and sent it off! We just had Pat Bowley excite our group with mindful stitching so I know of a number of projects coming to show and share from that.
The first 5 completed on a challenge are eligible for a small prize – usually a wee kit that is mailed to them. Who doesn’t love more stash?
And now for something entirely different – we are holding our very first STASH SALE on-line auction. It will run for two weeks. We are not even using everybody’s stash right now but we were the beneficiaries of some bundles and books. We found free software and will let you know how it goes!
For Christmas our members are getting a wee surprise in their mailbox they can make for themselves and the tree. Can’t tell you more yet ~
We are also planning to hold the EAC-ACB Seminar in 2022 so lots of work ahead!
Gotta run!
Safe stitching!
Heather James
President, TGS and
2022 EAC Seminar Co-Chair
With Pia Kallas-Harvey
Upcoming Courses – January 2020
The Toronto Guild of Stitchery has got two workshops starting in the new year and both have space left.
The first is a one day beginners stumpwork class taught by Carol Arsenault on 18 Jan 2020 at the Latvian Centre (Don Valley Parkway and Eglinton). The cost is $75 plus $40 kit fees. Here is a photo of the work (which appeared in Inspirations Magazine a few months back).
The second workshop will be led by Pat Armour and will focus on surface embroidery. The cost is $80 plus $35 kit fees plus bring your own threads (a list of colours will be supplied). Here is a photo of that project (and it too appeared in Inspirations Magazine).
The workshop will be held over three Thursdays (20 Feb 2020, 19 Mar 2020, and 16 Apr 2020) from 1 to 3 pm at the Blythwood Baptist Church (Yonge and Lawrence). Surface embroidery information sheet
If there are any questions or to register, please contact Barb Crowther at 279rax@gmail.com.
___________________
Helen O’Malley also sent us this photo of Ann Condie’s finished piece of last year’s canvas challenge from Toronto Guild of Stitchery:
Report – October 2019
Submitted by Susan Knight
The Toronto Guild of Stitchery is having a workshop with Mike Parr on October 5th & 6th. It is called Jacobean Crewel. It will be held at the Latvian Canadian Cultural Centre in North York and there are still some spaces available. For more information contact Barb Crowther at 279rax@gmail.com.
Report – January 2019
Submitted by Alice Fiander
We are continuing with learning new stitches to put on our Tablet/Ebook Reader Covers. In January, we received instructions for several stitches – Jessica, Crescent, Amadeus, Chilly Hollow, and Walneto. In February we will learn more string art stitches.
Midori Sakurai will be doing a felt workshop of a panda at the January 17 meeting, both in the afternoon and evening.
Barbara Kershaw will be teaching a pulled thread workshop “Symphony” for both day and evening groups on the February, March and April Fi-Fi/Alternate meetings.
On February 9th, we will have a Stitch and Stash Sale.
Our President, Diane Scott has put out a challenge to make 2019 a year of completing UFOs.
Report – April 2018
Alice Fiander, ONN Representative
The program for January to May of this year has been designing and stitching a three-dimensional house. A book by Meg Evershed, 3-D Cross Stitch: More Than 25 Original Designs.
In April, the day program will be creating windows using basic hardanger designs and embellishing with cross stitch. Several design patterns will be provided. The evening program is origami ort boxes.
In May, we will learn how to finish our houses. A Stitch and Stash day has been organized for Saturday, May 26.
In May, Tanya Berlin will be teaching two two-day classes in blackwork and needle painting. Several designs are available in each technique and are at different skill levels. Both classes are full.
In June, we will have our Annual General Meeting.
Report – December 2017
In December there will be a gift exchange at both day and evening meetings. Lunch and/or dinner will be provided to those who signed up.
In January, Lorene Salt, a Canadian canvaswork designer, will be talking about choosing colours that coordinate when planning the stitching for our houses in March.
In February, we will be colouring fabric with crayons that we will then iron to create a pattern for stitching.
In March, we will choose our own house patterns and start stitching them.
In April, the day program is creating windows using a basic hardanger design and embellishing with cross stitch foliage. The evening program is origami ORT boxes.
A Saturday Stitch day has been organized for February.
In May, Tanya Berlin will be teaching classes in blackwork and needle-painting. Several designs are available in each technique and are at different skill levels.
Ontario Network of Needleworkers 