Judy McMullan

Here’s a little item that might interest you:

Our Open House was a big success with a few hundred visitors who enjoyed the embroidery and packed the Tea Room. Classes will resume in September. If you missed Open House, catch us at the St. Jacobs Quilt and Fibre Art Festival from May 22-25 or at the Black Sheep Festival of Contemporary Textile Art on July 7 in Elora. We’ll have displays at both events.

We’ve received a note from St James Cathedral in Toronto about a show by textile and mixed media artist Hilary Rice. The show runs at St James from Thurs May 10 to Sun May 20. For more information check the poster here.

The Guelph Tool Library is putting out a call for sewing machines and sewing tools to go to the far North. For more information, see this Guelph Mercury article.

Pat B will be donating. If you also have a machine that you would like to donate, Pat would be happy to deliver it for you if you can get it to her at the AGM or at Open House. It’s always a shipping problem to get machines & supplies to the north so this is a great opportunity to send some much-used tools to remote communities.

Canadian Embroiderers’ Guild London has now opened up their summer workshops to non-members. This year they have 5 days of Crazy Quilting with Judith Baker Montano, 2 days of Nature Narratives with Alice Vander Vennen and 2 days of Indigenous Beaded Artworks with Katherine Boyer. All workshops are in early June. Check the CEG London website for details. Registration deadline is April 15.

Meetings and classes begin again on Tuesday, January 16th at 9 am (library/coffee) with announcements/classes at 9:30 am. Most meetings are 2 weeks apart except for one 3 week gap between Jan 30 and Feb 20.

A description of all classes is now ready on the Classes page. Scroll down past the general information and you will see the new lists. The newsletter should be out next week.

Ann Bernard sends us this news about her upcoming blog posts:

Laura Dobrindt offered me the pieces made by our Guild to display at The Village of Arbour Trails, at 32 Bayberry Drive in Guelph, on July 3.

When they arrived here and I was looking through them, I realised that we had all created something very special. I selected and put together a seven day series (each containing 8 pieces) for a blog presentation of our work on my website. It was a fascinating, impressive and emotional experience. It gave me goosebumps. Until you go through the binders in the intensive way that I have done you will not be aware of the rich truth we have created about Canada. Believe me – it is special.

I selected pieces that told a story about Canada. The writings are included with each piece. All are unnamed. If your piece did not get selected I commiserate. My pieces did not get selected either. The pieces chosen were those that fitted a theme.

I put this blog together because it came here to be exhibited at Arbour Trails and I had the opportunity. It has been a great experience.

Are you an emerging artist? You might be interested in displaying at one of the Ontario Place 150 Festivals this summer. Thanks to Guelph Arts Council for letting us know.

The embroiderers are working on a large group project for Canada 150. Each of us is creating a 6 inch by 6 inch square on the theme “My Canada”.  The pieces will form a permanent Canada 150 project to be kept by the Guild. The unveiling will be at our annual Open House on Tuesday, April 18 from 1-5 pm. Come and celebrate Canada with us!