The Southern Maine Chapter (SOME) is pleased to offer “Sherry for Jack”, a series of four surface embroidery Zoom classes taught by Hazel Blomkamp, beginning on January 7th, 2026.The design is as featured in Hazel’s book, Crewel Intentions.
The Piece
SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate to Advanced TECHNIQUE(S): Surface Embroidery SIZE: 8 1/8” x 4 ¾”
The Details
This16-hour class will be presented in four, four-hour sessions, beginning on January 7th, 2026.
LOCATION: ZOOM (Attend from home!) DATES: Every Wednesday in January (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th), 2026 TIME: 9 AM – 1 PM, EST. REGISTER BY: OCTOBER 15th, 2025
TOOLS & MATERIALS
Participants will need a copy of Hazel Blomkamp’s book, Crewel Intentions. If the book isn’t available at your library, you can purchase one from Hazel for $16.00 by checking the box in the registration form. The book contains 7 patterns with valuable embroidery instruction that will help you stitch other pieces.
TECHNIQUES
This project includes and iterates on the basic embroidery stitches, making it a great class for stitchers seeking both familiarity and challenge. In addition to practicing old favorites, participants will learn a wide range of intermediate embroidery techniques including:
Couching & Trellis Couching
Whipped Backstitch
Padded Buttonhole Stitch
Coral Stitch
Raised Herringbone
Padded Satin Stitch
Bead Embroidery
The Instructor
Hazel Blomkamp has dabbled with all the needlecrafts since childhood. When her children were babies she developed a passion for embroidery to break the tedium of life with toddlers, using it as her evening reward for having got through the day with her sanity intact. her children are now young adults and she still embroiders in front of the television every night. She has been designing for the past 18 years. Preferring to design projects which appear to be traditional, she pushes the boundaries by introducing other forms of needlecraft into traditional techniques, exploring further in everything that she does. Along with designing, she runs a busy website from home. She teaches at her home studio, in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, and travels throughout South Africa and to Australia teaching embroidery and fine beadwork. She is a regular contributor to South African and Australian embroidery magazines and is a columnist for South African Stitches Magazine.
Region Day is Saturday, November 1st, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Nashua, NH. Both classes have sold out, but you can still be part of the fun—registration for Studio Time is open through October 10!
Many thanks to everyone who has registered for classes and Studio Time—it’s going to be a wonderful day!
We have recently confirmed that all four New England panels from the America’s Tapestry project—Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island—will be available in the Region Day Studio Time room! Everyone is invited to stop by to view and stitch on any of the panels. The state coordinators will be available to answer your questions about the stories depicted in each panel.
The NER EGA Education Committee (Deb Damrell, Beth Lindsay, Natalie Feilchenfeld, Lisa Green, Martha Roberts & Carol Wood) sent out two surveys this past summer to all EGA members in the New England Region:
The Event Interest Survey asked for your input on events such as stitch-ins, retreats and seminars
The Technique Interest Survey collected feedback on techniques you’d like to explore and workshop skill levels
Over 25% of NER EGA members replied to each survey! This is a tremendous response! Thank you, everyone, for your feedback and suggestions. We are using the information you provided to plan future education events for the New England Region.
Watch for details soon on Stitch-in-Public Day 2026, virtual stitch-ins, and a region seminar in 2027!
UPCOMING EVENTS
“Zelda the Zebra”
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
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.
The Southern Maine Chapter (SOME) is pleased to offer “Sherry for Jack”, a series of four surface embroidery Zoom classes taught by Hazel Blomkamp, beginning on January 7th, 2026. The design is as featured in Hazel’s book, Crewel Intentions. Registration closes October 15th, 2025.
Deb Damrell (Mayflower Chapter) finished Kris Andrews’ Gold Medallion Sampler. This fun piece was offered by the Merrimack Valley Chapter in July 2025 to all NER members. It was an excellent introduction to goldwork.
The Connecticut River Valley Chapter (CRVC) recently posted this interesting bit of history on their website: CRVC Pre-Internet!
If you have, or remember once owning, a CRVC 3-ring binder like this one then you will remember when it held a copy of the CRVC By-laws as well as the membership list.
And…………… you might have kept your copies of the newsletter in it, since it was published in 5.5″ x 8.5″ form, hole-punched, and mailed to every member.
The newsletters had cover art and “spacers” between the paragraphs of news that were drawings from member Lynn Payette.
Help Get Your Chapter Online
We need information from each chapter so we can build pages just for you. For an example, see the Connecticut River Valley page and the Southern Maine page. Whenever anything relating to your chapter is published to the website, it is tagged with your chapter’s name. In addition to appearing on our main pages (News, Events, Show & Tell), these tagged posts will automatically appear on your chapter page when they are posted.
Deb Damrell (Mayflower Chapter) finished Kris Andrews’ Gold Medallion Sampler. This fun piece was offered by the Merrimack Valley Chapter in July 2025 to all NER members. It was an excellent introduction to goldwork.
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
Questions about materials or techniques? Reach out to organizer Linda Berry for more details.
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.
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED. This page is archived here for recordkeeping (and sentimental) purposes.
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.
