Author: Tina

  • “Zelda the Zebra” Workshop with Toni Gerdes

    “Zelda the Zebra” Workshop with Toni Gerdes

    Hosted by Connecticut River Valley Chapter.

    Dates: January 31 & March 7, 2026
    Instructor: Toni Gerdes
    Format: In-person at Thistle Needleworks in Weathersfield, CT and Zoom (hybrid class)
    Registration Deadline: November 24, 2025

    Meet Zelda!

    Get ready to fall in love with Zelda – an exuberant patchwork zebra whose colorful stripes and flirtatious “false” eyelashes will steal your heart! This whimsical design combines a stunning jewel-tone palette with sophisticated stitching techniques to create a truly captivating piece.

    What Makes Zelda Special

    Dazzling Materials:

    • Rainbow Gallery metallics for shimmer and shine
    • Luxurious Caron threads
    • Silky Straw Silk fibers
    • Planet Earth specialty threads
    • Beautiful beads for added texture and sparkle

    Sophisticated Techniques:

    • Classic favorite stitches alongside exciting new surprises
    • White-on-white diagonal background pattern that enhances Zelda’s personality
    • Advanced color and texture combinations

    Design Elements:

    • Multi-colored stripes that showcase various thread types
    • Playful “false” eyelashes that give Zelda her flirty charm
    • Jewel-tone palette that makes this zebra absolutely exquisite

    Workshop Details

    This two-session workshop allows plenty of time to master the various techniques and fully develop Zelda’s personality. Whether you join us in person at the beautiful Thistle Needleworks shop or participate via Zoom, you’ll receive expert instruction and support throughout the creative process.

    The background’s white-on-white diagonal pattern provides the perfect foundation to make Zelda’s vibrant colors pop while adding sophisticated visual interest to the overall design.

    Registration Information

    Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate
    Kit Fee: $175

    To register, access the registration form here.

    Questions about materials or techniques? Reach out to organizer Linda Berry for more details.

  • “Water Spiral” and “Earth Spiral” Stitched by Kathryn Lord

    “Water Spiral” and “Earth Spiral” Stitched by Kathryn Lord

    Our talented New England stitchers at the Connecticut River Valley Chapter have been creating stunning “Water Spiral” ornaments – the beautiful companion to last year’s popular “Earth Spiral” project! While both are spiral ornaments, the Water Spiral brings its own unique character and challenges.

    About the Project

    Ground Fabric: 28-count Cashel White linen
    Thread: Cottage Garden Thread Dark Yew in sizes 8 and 12

    These elegant 6.5″ Hardanger spiral ornaments start as 12″ long by 1.25″ wide strips worked in various traditional Hardanger stitches. The design alternates between intricate ship stitch motifs and delicate filling stitches.

    The magic happens in the finishing – the completed strip is carefully wound into a spiral and joined using Ukrainian Insertion Stitches, specifically the two-step Boikian Joining technique. The result is a sophisticated ornament that showcases both precision stitching and expert finishing skills.

    Techniques Featured

    This intermediate-level project incorporates classic Hardanger techniques including:

    • Wrapped bars and woven bars
    • Satin stitch and ship stitch
    • Dove’s eye and eyelets
    • Greek Cross filling
    • Ukrainian Insertion (Boikian Joining)

    The Learning Experience

    Taught over two sessions (February 8 and March 8, 2025), this Zoom class allowed students to master thread cutting and needle weaving techniques while working with the precision required for 28-count linen. The instructor guided participants through each step, from the initial stitching through the complex spiral joining process.

    Each finished ornament is a testament to the stitcher’s patience and skill – a beautiful keepsake that demonstrates the timeless elegance of Hardanger embroidery.

  • Blue Hills Workshop with Dawn Donnelly

    Blue Hills Workshop with Dawn Donnelly

    Register now to join us at the Blue Hills Workshop with Dawn Donnelly. Class size is limited! Registration closes July 25th, 2025.

    Date: October 4th and 5th, 2025
    Location: Seabury Retirement Community, Bloomfield, CT 06002
    Instructor: Dawn Donnelly
    Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced

    Workshop Description

    Explore the art of handmade paper manipulation through painting, wetting, tearing, and cutting techniques to create unique textural elements. This intensive workshop combines paper arts with advanced embroidery stitches for a truly distinctive piece.

    Project Details:

    • Design Size: 6¼” x 8¾”
    • Ground Fabric: 14 Count Mono Canvas
    • Final Result: A unique mixed-media embroidery piece combining handmade paper elements with advanced stitching techniques

    Techniques You’ll Learn:

    • Reverse Square Herringbone
    • French Knots
    • Branscombe Edge
    • Criss Cross Hungarian
    • Butterfly Chain Stitch
    • Oriental Stitch
    • Rhodes Stitch
    • Creating a fake Bullion

    Registration Information

    Kit Fees:

    • NER Members: $150
    • EGA Members: $170

    Class Fee: Covered by Connecticut River Valley Chapter using funds granted by NER Region from 2023 National Seminar profits.

    Registration Deadline: July 25, 2025

    Meals: Plan for Saturday and Sunday lunch! Saturday dinner will be announced soon.

    Ready to Register?

    Download the registration form and submit by the July 25th deadline. This advanced workshop fills quickly, so don’t wait!

    Questions? Contact event organizer Linda Berry.

  • “Butterflies” Stitched by Kathryn Lord

    “Butterflies” Stitched by Kathryn Lord

    Kathryn Lord, of the Connecticut River Valley Chapter, recently completed “Butterflies,” a spring pattern by Susan Jones.

  • “Brrr…Snowman” Stitched by Pat Karpenko

    “Brrr…Snowman” Stitched by Pat Karpenko

    Pat Karpenko, of the Connecticut River Valley Chapter, recently finished this adorable piece from the December “Snow Day” workshop. “Brr…Snowman” was designed by Pepperberry Designs, with a stitch guide by CRVC member Judie Solomon.

  • Favorite Medallion #1 Stitched by Laurie Sulger

    Favorite Medallion #1 Stitched by Laurie Sulger

    Laurie Sulger, of the Connecticut River Valley Chapter, recently completed Favorite Medallion #1, one of the EGA’s Petit Projects. This beautiful medallion combines pulled thread and satin work in the manner of Hetsie van Wyk of South Africa.

    Click here to download this Petit Project—just keep in mind that the basic count for the pulled thread stitches is three (not the more common two or four), so careful counting is essential!

  • Gawthorpe Poppies

    Gawthorpe Poppies

    Winta Hay recently finished Gawthorpe Poppies, designed by Deborah Wilding (Crewel Works Company). This design is based on a runner from the UK’s Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.

    Gawthorpe Textiles Collection is an internationally renowned collection of global textiles located in the heart of Pennine Lancashire. Founded by the Honourable Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth (1886-1967), the collection was amassed to educate, inspire creativity, support wellbeing and to preserve traditional craft skills by sharing knowledge, skills and expertise across cultures. Click here to learn more about the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection.

  • Backyard Birds by Suzanne Bruno

    Backyard Birds by Suzanne Bruno

    Suzanne Bruno of the Southern Maine (SoME) Chapter completed her third art collage book, Backyard Birds.

    Artist Spotlight: Suzanne Bruno

    Q: Tell us about your background in needlework and how you discovered EGA.

    A: I come from a long line of sewing women and have been a member of the Southern Maine chapter (SoME) for 18 years. I learned about EGA from some of the women in my Crazy Quilters of Maine group, a chapter of the Pine Tree Quilt Guild. My first love is crazy quilting, and when I started seeing a lot of “junk journal” and “paper collage” online, it was a natural progression for me to attempt the same techniques with fabric.

    Q: What inspired you to create “Backyard Birds” as your third embroidered book?

    A: I live on a lake in a rural area of Maine surrounded by birdsong, so the bird idea developed naturally as I searched for free images online to interpret in fabric. I set aside fabrics and trims from my stash and came up with a suitable size where I could incorporate an embroidered bird and leaves section from an antique crazy quilt, plus a small piece of an antique paisley shawl.

    Q: Can you describe your creative process for this project?

    A: The pages came together as I started layering my materials. I often take photos of my work in progress before everything is stitched in place. The challenge for me was to use only what I have in my stash. The most enjoyable part of this project was attaching and embellishing the twig and branch “perches” for the birds. Backyard Birds took me over a year of planning, collecting, and stitching.

    The challenge for me was to use only what I have in my stash. I love antique textiles and rescue the worn and torn whenever possible.

    Q: What makes this book personally meaningful to you?

    A: When I share this book with friends and family, I get very nostalgic about fabrics, trims, and embellishments from various quilts and tea cozies I’ve made over the years. Each piece tells a story and connects me to past projects and memories.

    Q: What’s next for you creatively?

    A: My next fabric collage book is in the “planning in my head” stage—it will take a while! I’m also working on my second crazy quilt, which I hope to complete for a milestone birthday in 2026.

    Suzanne Bruno’s “Backyard Birds” beautifully demonstrates how traditional needlework techniques can evolve into contemporary art forms while honoring the past through rescued antique textiles.

  • Denise Harrington Pratt Teaches at the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Region Conference

    Denise Harrington Pratt Teaches at the 2025 Mid-Atlantic Region Conference

    Denise Harrington Pratt of the Southern Maine chapter taught three classes at the EGA’s Mid-Atlantic Region conference in Gettysburg, PA. 

    In her Geometric Fascinations class, students made two boxes and stitched beautiful, color-coordinated lids.

    Photo by Vicki J. Brown, SoME Chapter
  • America’s Tapestry

    America’s Tapestry

    Be a part of America’s 250th anniversary! America’s Tapestry panels from several New England states will be set up for Region Day participant stitching in the Studio Time room.

    Members of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America across the Eastern Seaboard will be working together to embroider thirteen hand-embroidered panels, one for each of the original colonies. The panels illustrate the diverse stories of individual contributions–many overlooked–that reveal each colony’s struggle for Independence. Historical associations from across the states have volunteered to collaborate on the panels’ historical imagery and have generously agreed to host the stitchers as they work.

    After the inaugural display at William & Mary’s historic campus–a stone’s throw away from Colonial Williamsburg, “America’s Tapestry” will tour a number of other historic venues throughout the East Coast.

    If you’re interested in working on this historic project, please email Susan Polumbo.

    Click here to learn more about Region Day and register to attend.