~ ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND EMBROIDERERS GUILD ~


	JUNIOR EMBROIDERERS' At the recent Manawatu, Taranaki, Wanganui Regional Exhibition the junior guild members' work was to the forefront. These wonderful cats are the work of the New Plymouth Junior Guild and are done in canvas work. This lovely wall hanging is the work of the Central Taranaki Junior Guild, and is done in applique and surface stitch. The South Taranaki Stitchcraft Guild junior embroiderers exhibit their creative endeavours. IT'S MORE FUN TO STITCH : Lynette Crowther Timaru embroiderer Lynette Crowther would far rather prefer to be stitching than talking about her embroidery. Lynette's immaculately stitched stumpwork has been garnering praise and awards in recent years. Lynette, who hails from Australia, began stitching as a youngster. Her mother was a tailor and seamstress and taught her children how to sew. Lynette took to it "like a duck to water" and remembers creating all sorts of clothing and quilts from a young age. She went on to do domestic science at school and excelled in it - but not in English - which prompted one of her teachers to tell her that she'd make a good wife! Not something that would be said today but in that era, there was an assumption that girls would get married and have families while their husbands worked. Now of course, girls can do anything! And Lynette kept on sewing for people after getting married and also did lots of knitting for the Salvation Army. Lynette has been a dollmaker for a number of years and loved researching and creating clothes with lots of hand embroidery. Mostly her dolls are traditional in style and she has made many reproduction antiques, liking the antiques much more than the modern dolls. Her favourites have their own glass-fronted cupboard in the living room and they are all dressed in beautifully stitched and embroidered outfits. Many have won prizes at dollmaking conventions. One of her most awarded dolls `Baby Stuart' came from a small black and white portrait she found in a book. Lynette found the competitive elements of dollmaking not for her - "I enjoyed the research and hand stitching and embroidering but not all that the competition." And then she found the Guild. `When I landed here and found the Aoraki Guild, it was my absolute saviour, everyone was wonderful. I remember Elizabeth Small (former ANZEG president) was there and she was so welcoming - and I've never stopped going and embroidering. It's just like coming home." When I first talked to Lynette for this story, she was nursing a broken wrist which was frustrating her - she was itching to get stitching and work on the piece she was creating for the Regalia Exhibition, ANZEG's national invitational exhibition held in Ashburton last year. She was able to complete her piece - a beautiful reproduction doll based on a portrait of Henry VIII. Lynette created the whole doll, even down to hand-painting Henry’s beard. Lynette enjoys creating her own embroidery designs, although she doesn't draw out what she intends to do. Instead she will get an idea in her head and likes to think it through before going straight to fabric and thread. She makes notes as she goes about colours, stitches and threads so that she has a record of what she has done, which is invaluable for tutoring. Lynette's talents are much in demand to teach stumpwork - the beautiful blue Ulysses butterflies were created especially for a class. And she has since rethought the concept and will tutor it at What a Weekend in Nelson later this year. The Ulysses butterfly now stands proud of the euodia tree branch lays its eggs on. The tree has clusters of small pink flowers which Lynette has also made three dimensional. One of Lynette's proudest achievements is her daughter Fiona’s embroidery. Fiona used to make bridal wear and is a qualified milliner, but she didn't like hand stitching and always gave it to Lynette to embroider and bead. Then Lynette got too busy and Fiona found she really quite enjoyed embroidery and has now become a member of the Aoraki Guild too. Her work won a prize at the Gore exhibition, and Fiona also had a piece in Regalia. Lynette intends to go on creating and embroidering and is thoroughly enjoying doing more tutoring - she will also teach at Westport School later this year. "I love to see that look on people's faces when they achieve. That really makes my day.” she says.

butterfly

elizabethan

panda

pot garden

JUNIOR EMBROIDERERS'

At the recent Manawatu, Taranaki, Wanganui Regional Exhibition the junior guild members' work was to the forefront.

These wonderful cats are the work of the New Plymouth Junior Guild and are done in canvas work.

This lovely wall hanging is the work of the Central Taranaki Junior Guild, and is done in applique and surface stitch.

The South Taranaki Stitchcraft Guild junior embroiderers exhibit their creative endeavours.

IT'S MORE FUN TO STITCH :

Lynette Crowther

Timaru embroiderer Lynette Crowther would far rather prefer to be stitching than talking about her embroidery. Lynette's immaculately stitched stumpwork has been garnering praise and awards in recent years. Lynette, who hails from Australia, began stitching as a youngster. Her mother was a tailor and seamstress and taught her children how to sew. Lynette took to it "like a duck to water" and remembers creating all sorts of clothing and quilts from a young age. She went on to do domestic science at school and excelled in it - but not in English - which prompted one of her teachers to tell her that she'd make a good wife! Not something that would be said today but in that era, there was an assumption that girls would get married and have families while their husbands worked. Now of course, girls can do anything!

And Lynette kept on sewing for people after getting married and also did lots of knitting for the Salvation Army.

Lynette has been a dollmaker for a number of years and loved researching and creating clothes with lots of hand embroidery. Mostly her dolls are traditional in style and she has made many reproduction antiques, liking the antiques much more than the modern dolls. Her favourites have their own glass-fronted cupboard in the living room and they are all dressed in beautifully stitched and embroidered outfits. Many have won prizes at dollmaking conventions. One of her most awarded dolls `Baby Stuart' came from a small black and white portrait she found in a book. Lynette found the competitive elements of dollmaking not for her - "I enjoyed the research and hand stitching and embroidering but not all that the competition."

And then she found the Guild. `When I landed here and found the Aoraki Guild, it was my absolute saviour, everyone was wonderful. I remember Elizabeth Small (former ANZEG president) was there and she was so welcoming - and I've never stopped going and embroidering. It's just like coming home."

When I first talked to Lynette for this story, she was nursing a broken wrist which was frustrating her - she was itching to get stitching and work on the piece she was creating for the Regalia Exhibition, ANZEG's national invitational exhibition held in Ashburton last year. She was able to complete her piece - a beautiful reproduction doll based on a portrait of Henry VIII. Lynette created the whole doll, even down to hand-painting Henry’s beard.

Lynette enjoys creating her own embroidery designs, although she doesn't draw out what she intends to do. Instead she will get an idea in her head and likes to think it through before going straight to fabric and thread. She makes notes as she goes about colours, stitches and threads so that she has a record of what she has done, which is invaluable for tutoring.

Lynette's talents are much in demand to teach stumpwork - the beautiful blue Ulysses butterflies were created especially for a class. And she has since rethought the concept and will tutor it at What a Weekend in Nelson later this year.

The Ulysses butterfly now stands proud of the euodia tree branch lays its eggs on. The tree has clusters of small pink flowers which Lynette has also made three dimensional.

One of Lynette's proudest achievements is her daughter Fiona’s embroidery. Fiona used to make bridal wear and is a qualified milliner, but she didn't like hand stitching and always gave it to Lynette to embroider and bead. Then Lynette got too busy and Fiona found she really quite enjoyed embroidery and has now become a member of the Aoraki Guild too. Her work won a prize at the Gore exhibition, and Fiona also had a piece in Regalia.

Lynette intends to go on creating and embroidering and is thoroughly enjoying doing more tutoring - she will also teach at Westport School later this year. "I love to see that look on people's faces when they achieve. That really makes my day.” she says.