Guild sewing exhibit success

SEVEN days out of each month, the Ballarat Bridge Club hosts a different kind of gathering where cards are tucked away in favour of the needle and thread.

Embroidery kits scatter the hall near the corner of Eyre and Ripon streets and people sit shoulder-to-shoulder pouring their lives into fabrics and spinning and stitching works.

Now those creations will soon be displayed at St. Patrick’s Hall.

The group behind the upcoming show and works of needlepoint is the Ballarat Embroiderers Guild, one of the largest branches of Embroiderers Guild Victoria’s 12 divisions, with a membership totalling around 100.

Convenor of the exhibition sub-committee Alison Allen said the branch functions more like a fellowship than a typical club.

“Members here are very sharing, not just of their stitching skills but of pretty much anything,” she said.

“If someone’s really stuck then everyone helps out, it’s just a lovely little community.”

First established in 1982, the branch is preparing to host their bi-annual exhibit in March where they will display members’ works both past and present.

Featured artists will be highlighted, one of which will serve as a tribute to the guild’s previous exhibition convenor, Beverly Hawkes, who passed away last year.

A variety of embroidered pieces and supplies will also be for sale, with a dedicated boutique and six prizes to be won via raffle.

The success of each exhibition is what allows the guild to continue operating, with proceeds going towards maintaining their residency at the Bridge Club.

The branch’s regular meetings are generally centred around a specific embroidering technique like quilting and smocking.

Professional tutors are hired often from interstate or overseas, and are shared between branches to give seminars based around members’ suggestions.

“It’s always very exciting cause you end up with a dozen or so items from the class,” Allen said.

“They’re the exact same item but each person puts their own nuance into it. It’s wonderful to see their creativeness shining through”

The group aims to carry the art of embroidering across to the next generation, but Allen said the Ballarat branch is more than their mission statement.

“We share our worries, we share our joys, we show a lot of grandkids’ photos. It really is a fellowship,” she said.

“The art will be lost if not continually pursued. It’s an art of giving and it’s diminishing, and we want to keep it going however we can.

“That’s one of the things that I value so much about the ladies is their wonderful generosity of time and help and caring.”

The Stitch exhibition will take place at St. Patrick’s Hall from Saturday, 12 March until Monday, 14 March, running from 10am to 4.30pm each day.

Entry will be $7 for adults, and entry is free for children under 16.