The Embroiderers’ Guild started over 100 years ago and is a registered educational charity whose aim is to share opportunities for discovery and creativity. The Guild has an extensive museum collection of embroidered items from all over the world. Being a member of the Guild, joining a branch and attending regional activities provides an opportunity to meet, share and learn with like minded people.
The South West Region of the Embroiderers’ Guild covers Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the Channel Islands. There are 22 branches and 6 Young Embroiderers groups most of which meet once a month. The branches run in a variety of ways: some have regular lectures at their meetings with a separate workshop programme, others run workshops at most meetings in which you can take part or take you own work and watch. All branches have a varied programme so that there is something of interest for all the members.
The region, with the help of a host branch, runs an annual festival day at a different venue each year. This year’s is at Totnes, Devon on the 15th March. A regional exhibition is held every two or three years. More details can be found on the Embroiderers’ Guild web site www.embroiderersguild.com and then by following the link to regions and branches.
The work illustrated is ‘Light on the Levels’ by Margaret Heath from the Marlborough branch. She explains its origin:
"Light on the Levels was inspired by seeing the Somerset Levels in low winter sunlight when they were under heavy flood. The air was still and the light gleamed and glinted on the surface of the water as we passed by, long shadows or reflections were cast by the willows as they stood in the steel grey flood.
The work was done on layered silk with silk thread couching down the silver filaments. The willow motifs and foreground were made by machine and hand embroidery also in silk."
Margaret Heath is the first winner of the SW Region’s Valerie Campbell-Harding Memorial Cup. Her piece ‘Light on the Levels’ was exhibited at the regional exhibition ‘Waterways’ held at the City Museum, Gloucester in Autumn 2007 where it was voted winner by the visitors. It was thought that this was a fitting way to remember Valerie Campbell-Harding who was an active Guild member in our region. Valerie was a well respected teacher, lecturer, one time editor of Embroidery magazine as well as author of many books.
By profession Margaret is a primary school teacher but has pursued her love of stitching with a Foundation course in Art and Design and has completed City and Guilds Creative Embroidery parts 1 and 2. She has exhibited her work widely in the South West with the Guild and as a member of the Bath Textile Artists and Beyond the Green. She has worked on stitch and paint projects with children in schools and clubs and is currently working on a commission of a wall-hanging for a village hall which involves design and management of the project. She teaches workshops and gives talks.
The Embroiderers’ Guild is not only for professionals like Margaret but for any person interested in stitching. We all have to begin somewhere and the Guild is a good starting point for everyone.