Classes 2027

Create this gorgeous Posy of iconic New Zealand plant life, with no prior experience in goldwork needed.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn goldwork techniques such as cording, Or Nue & silk shading, felt padding & leather work, chipping & beading to create this little piece of art with a 10 cm diameter.  Using beautiful silk threads, metallic cords & wires, stunning silk gimp & metallic mesh, as well as a variety of sequins & beads, to stitch a little snippet of NZ flora.  This little snapshot, stitched on a lovely cream silk, includes the Silver Fern, a Mount Cook Buttercup, the Manuka & Kowhai flowers & a native Tawaka mushroom.

The kit contains everything to complete the Posy, including a booklet with detailed instructions accompanied by clear step-by-step illustrations & photos, that will enable comfortably completion of the Posy at home.

Tania Cohen: I have been a passionate embroiderer since I first picked up a needle 31 years ago in South Africa. I have been tutoring for the WA Guild since 2018, specialising in goldwork, surface embroidery & stumpwork. I am always exploring untried forms of embroidery, nothing gives me greater enjoyment than experimenting with untried threads, discovering a forgotten stitch & most of all sharing my knowledge with others.

This piece features eight icons of New Zealand – Kowhai, Paua, Silver Fern, Auckland Sky Tower, Pohutukawa, Fantail, a Hobbit door & Kiwi. The piece is worked in Stumpwork & Goldwork techniques, including padding with felt, working with kid leather, working detached elements two ways, using gilt twists & purls & coloured couching threads. The piece is 26cm by 8cm & is worked on green silk dupion with a range of threads, including Gloriana silks, Cascade House silks & Au Ver a Soie silks.

Alison Cole: I have been embroidering for most of my life & my love of it has seen me try my hand at a large array of techniques – but my favourite has always been Goldwork & Stumpwork embroidery. I consider myself fortunate to be a freelance artist in an industry I love, having professionally taught & designed embroidery for close to 30 years. My career has given me the opportunity to both study & teach around the world, meeting wonderful like-minded people.

Over this time, I have won several awards for my work, both in Australia & around the world – the latest being second prize in the Australian Textile Art Awards (March 2022) & second prize for Best Gold Embroidery Organisation at the International Gold Embroidery & Jewellery Festival in Bukhara, Uzbekistan (May 2022). I have worked as an artist-in-residence, a featured artist, and a guest lecturer & have contributed to many publications. I am inspired by nature, my love of period embroidery & historical art. I am passionate about passing on my knowledge.

Combining the Houses of Lancaster and York, the Tudor rose is a symbol of unity.  Using simple crewel stitches, brings this age-old symbol to life.  Perfect your satin stitch – angled with shading, over padding and long and short, along with trellis, raised stem band and some other classic stitches.  A full kit is supplied, including fabric with the design drawn on linen twill, Appleton’s wool, felt, needles and comprehensive notes. 

Maree Burnnard: All my life I have been interested in textiles and embroidery and I graduated with a Diploma of Fashion and Textile Design from Wanganui Regional Community Polytechnic in 1995. I have spent 15 years developing and refining my style of Or Nue, exploring goldwork and looking at 17th century and through this research I feel I can confidently share my knowledge and passion for these techniques.  

This class is not about a specific project but intended as a ‘doodle’ class to learn the basic stitches used in Colbert Embroidery. A number of outline and braid stitches will be taught along with methods for developing the multi-coloured ground patterns and how the weighting of colours affects the visual uptake of a pattern. Participants can choose to work on an informal sampler (doodle-cloth) for future reference or a project of their choice. They will provide their own fabric and threads, a good way to use some stash, and play with colours that may be lurking in the bottom of their thread box.

Julie Clemett: I began embroidery at an early age, taught by my mother and grandmother, and inspired by household items made by my grand- and great-grandmothers. I have a wide range of embroidery interests, mostly counted thread embroidery styles, and love to learn more about traditional embroidery and then use the techniques in modern ways. I enjoy passing on this learning and helping students develop their own talents.

This design creates a variety of textural stitches to develop a design of trees & undergrowth. Students may use their own design or the tutor’s. A photo or sketch is useful if designing their own piece, or just go with the flow & let it develop as they work. The class is suitable for all levels with a basic knowledge of basic stitches. Such as Chain, French knots, bullions & satin stitch, with some other stitches being introduced during the class. Some preparation is required before the class. The class concentrates on developing a design on their own cloth with additional stitches worked on a doodle cloth to then embroider onto their own fabric later. Students will go home with some tree trunks & foliage worked on their main fabric with many stitches on the doodle cloth to then embroider on their design piece. A relaxed class with designs taking on an individual look as their imagination takes over. The design size is approximately 30cm x 20 cm depending on fabric size. 

Heather Constantine: I have been an embroiderer for the past 30 years, with my interest growing in teaching, following on from my career as a home economics teacher. With the opportunity to teach at my local Guild on many occasions, then as a Northern North Island Regional tutor, at Stitch Tui, & the Great Escape, this has given me a great sense of satisfaction. Being able to share my knowledge with other like-minded people has enriched my embroidery outlook with enthusiasm & challenges. I am passionate about many forms of embroidery, with creative styles taking precedence over the more traditional work I have embroidered over the years.

Choose a favourite leaf as inspiration. Look at the colours & textures that surround it in the natural environment. From this, four elements will be chosen to use as a background. These elements can be textured using print, fabric manipulation & stitch to create the ground behind. The leaf itself will be stitched separately & overlaid on the background.

Participations will learn easy print techniques on fabric & choose different stitches to create a variety of textures. This is a great way to use favourite surface stitchery techniques to create an original piece of embroidery. It can be as detailed or abstract as they wish.
Construct a piece that can be used as a feature on a bag, cushion or framed. By the end of the weekend, they will have all the tools necessary to complete the piece at home & have extra printed fabric to make another piece.

This is a fun class that shows how easy it is to create wonderful effects & will inspire them to do more themselves!

Marianne Hargreaves: I have been teaching embroidery & exhibiting for over 25 years since I gained my City & Guilds Creative Studies Qualification in Embroidery. After working on the Globe Theatre Hangings, I was one of ten embroiderers chosen to exhibit at the Barbican in London. I have been involved in several group projects, including coordinating the Women’s Suffrage Wall Hanging in the Christchurch Town Hall. I won awards for my stitching & travelled to UK & USA to teach & visit textile artists. I like to use simple methods, especially incorporating basic printing techniques, to gain maximum impact in texture & embroidery.

This lovely little ‘lavender’ bag is worked on 100% linen of the student’s choice – 28, 30 or 32 count fabric. It measures 30 cm x 12 cm when stitched on 32ct. fabric. The Ukrainian Whitework motif can be stitched on one side or on both. The castellated top edging can be beaded or left plain. All the stitches will be taught in class, but the project will not be finished over the weekend. Therefore, confidence with cutting fabric threads is highly desirable as the making up of the bag will be done at home, albeit, with a cutting demonstration in class.

Trish Huges: I have had a passion for needle & thread all my life. Counted work is definitely my favourite & I have taught locally, regionally & nationally, including at 2 ANZEG conferences. I enjoy passing on my enthusiasm & knowledge on to other like-minded stitchers. 

In our western culture, the Tree of Life signifies life and immortality. The motifs in this project were inspired by European folk art and are worked in both stranded silk and cotton threads with touches of gold couching and beadwork. The different floral motifs incorporate familiar embroidery stitches with added dimension to enhance the visual impact of the work. Although the project will not be completed in the class, you will leave with comprehensive notes and all the skills required to finish it at home. 

Jenny Hunter: I am well known throughout New Zealand as an experienced quilter, embroiderer, tutor & designer. I conduct workshops for quitting & embroidery groups & have experience in both judging & designing exhibitions. I own an embroidery & quilting supply business & enjoy sharing my extensive design experience & love for colour, texture & stitch with my students.

This little landscape picture achieves a wonderful sense of depth with a few simple stitchers and layers. The back ground is preprinted, with foreground stitched. In this class, you learn perspective, depth and layering using fly and straight stitch and detached chain. 

A good amount of the stitching will be done over the 2-day class. 

Anne Jaquiery-Newall: I have been a tutor for around twenty-five years, teaching everything from small workshops at the Guild to projects like Snutki, Or-Nui, Christmas decorations, & a range of beading classes. In recent years, I have been designing & tutoring my own small embroidery pictures, inspired by scenes from around New Zealand. Each with its own unique style & character. As a tutor, I love to pass on the wonderful knowledge I have accumulated through doing classes over the years.

This is a 3D stumpwork orchid, standing in a to-scale ornamental plant pot. The orchid can also be framed in a 3D frame. It is constructed with fabric, wire & DMC stranded cotton. All aspects of the stitching & construction will be covered in the class; however, it will not be finished by the end of the weekend.

No prior experience is required

Cate Longley: I have been stitching since I was a small child, taught by my mother. I have gravitated towards surface embroidery for original designs & enjoy all types of embroidery for fun. My favourite techniques are needle painting, goldwork & stumpwork; & my designs are mainly contemporary & inspired by the natural environment.

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Students will explore the potential of simple marks & stitching to give their work interest & individuality. We will work with both paper & threads to develop an understaing of the importance of creating pieces which have a strong sense of an artistic voice. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations & exercises students will produce a useful personal resource for future experimentation.

Ronnie Martin: I am an experienced & knowledgeable tutor who delights in encouraging my students to develop an awareness of their own sense of design. I have been the Founder & Creative Director of the annual Changing Threads Fibre & Textile Awards for the past fifteen years. I have taught, exhibited & judged widely, both in NZ & overseas.

A square mat with a central panel of an Aztec Drawn Thread technique.  Usually characterised by bright coloured stripes this variation of Aztec work has alternate stripes reversed to create texture.  The hem features withdrawn & wrapped fabric threads.  Students can choose their own colours of linen & thread.  The sample is worked on a 32-count linen with DMC cotton a broder. Students need some experience of counted embroidery but not necessarily Aztec stitch or Drawn Thread. Some pre work is required.   The mat will not be completed on the weekend but sufficient of each section will be covered to confidently do so at home.

Andrea Old: I was introduced to embroidery as a teenager by my mother & have belonged to Auckland Guild for thirty years. My preference has always been for counted work on both linen & canvas, & geometric shapes rather than figures, landscape or flowers. In recent years, I have been designing my own pieces & become confident with colour. I teach regularly at my own Guild & locally.

By popular request, we are offering this class – an opportunity to work on any of their UFOs (Unfinished pieces of embroidery) with a group of fellow stitchers while enjoying the friendship and social activities of the Great Escape weekend.  

This class will not be tutor led.

Create a Golden Weta that everyone will love. With no prior goldwork experience needed, learn goldwork techniques such as felt padding & needle scrupling, working with various leathers & wires, cording & chipping.

Everything is included in the kit; Printed background fabric, printed felt, all leathers, metal wires & cords in glassine baggies to prevent tarnishing, all silk & other threads, beads & all essential needles, a pattern sheet for the leather components, a booklet with detailed instructions, accompanied by clear step-by-step illustrations & photos, will enable students to comfortably complete the Weta brooch at home.

Tania Cohen: Tania Cohen: I have been a passionate embroiderer since I first picked up a needle 31years ago in South Africa. I have been tutoring for the WA Guild since 2018, specialising in goldwork, surface embroidery & stumpwork. I am always exploring untried forms of embroidery, nothing gives me greater enjoyment than experimenting with untried threads, discovering a forgotten stitch & most of all sharing my knowledge with others.

Childhood Memories is inspired by the poem ‘The Triantiwontigongolope’ by Australian Poet CJ Dennis (1876-1938).  It was one of Alison’s favourites from studying poetry in primary school.  For those that haven’t heard of this poem, it is about a fantastical insect – which at the end of the poem, the author confesses isn’t real – but might be ‘if the trees & grass were purple & the sky was bottle green’ – hence the colour scheme of the project.  The project features a range of Stumpwork & Goldwork techniques on a background of silk dupion & mulberry bark – including use of gilt purls & couching threads, creating slips & detached elements.  The design size is 15cm x 15cm & is suitable for embroiderers of all skill levels.

Alison Cole: I have been embroidering for most of my life & my love of it has seen me try my hand at a large array of techniques – but my favourite has always been Goldwork & Stumpwork embroidery. I consider myself fortunate to be a freelance artist in an industry I love, having professionally taught & designed embroidery for close to 30 years. My career has given me the opportunity to both study & teach around the world, meeting wonderful like-minded people.

Over this time, I have won several awards for my work, both in Australia & around the world – the latest being second prize in the Australian Textile Art Awards (March 2022) & second prize for Best Gold Embroidery Organisation at the International Gold Embroidery & Jewellery Festival in Bukhara, Uzbekistan (May 2022). I have worked as an artist-in-residence, a featured artist, and a guest lecturer & have contributed to many publications. I am inspired by nature, my love of period embroidery & historical art. I am passionate about passing on my knowledge.