Our President called the meeting to order. Committee Reports were shared and questions answered.
There was little bit of a recap of the retreat at Hobby House Needleworks. Three members who have never been able to attend a meeting because of where they live (Ohio, NY close to Montreal, Canada and upstate NY) were able to join us. It was so great they got to join us. Organizer's asked stitchers to bring any old charts for a ‘raffle’ to help defray the costs. Those stitchers were the best and brought in enough old charts, kits and supplies to create 21 baskets. There were even more kits and charts that were set aside for door prizes at upcoming events. Once all the costs were covered, $301 was donated to the APS Memorial Sampler Conservation Fund. The Treasurer noted that all costs were covered by the attendees and no money from the Guild’s treasury was needed for the event.
Stitcher’s working on one of the two Make-it/Take it activities. This one was beaded scissor fob.
Everyone enjoyed playing Left-Right-Center
 |
Now and forever know as the “table of misbehavior”. Not really. Lots of laughs and good fun.
It was such fun and everyone enjoyed themselves so we will probably do a summer retreat again. Maybe every other year; maybe to a different location.
Programs - September - Teresa Miller Primitive Designs. The class list has been submitted to Teresa. The class will be during the September Meeting. We will have the room until 3 p.m. on that day. Please bring your own beverages and a packed lunch. We will be ordering pizza as well at a cost of $5 per person if you would like to have pizza. If you are an Away Stitcher, you will receive your kit in the mail directly from Teresa. Becky and Amy will have the Delaware Tapestry there to work on for those not taking the class. 
October - Garage Sale - There will be no Zoom for this meeting. Bring in your unwanted charts and needlework supplies to sell. Bargains will be found!
November - Catherine Theron Classes - Class limit of 30. Please check with Stacy if you are interested to see if there are any seats available. Those who have signed, have been notified if they made the cut off.
December - Holiday Exchange and Luncheon. If you wish to participate in the exchange, please bring a sampler related small. You need to include the guild’s initials, the year and your initials on the piece. The Guild will provide sandwiches and members should their own beverages and a covered dish to share.
It is Secret Stitcher Reveal Month so make sure you get your final gift sent and let your stitcher know who you are. Also, it is time to sign up for next year’s Secret Stitcher Exchange.
Stacy has the 2026 programming lined up. Please check out our Facebook page, under files, to see the 2026 Program Calendar.
If there is a class you would like to have or a demonstration you would like to see, please reach out to Stacy and, if appropriate, she will work to add it to the schedule. She is already planning 2027!
Today’s Program
We were joined by Jennifer RIchardson of Violets & Verses. Jennifer is such a wealth of knowledge and she conveys that knowledge in a way that is very inviting to follow. She is a retired school teacher and it must have been a joy to be one of her students.
Stitching was a skill passed down from Mother to Daughter; grandmother to granddaughter; aunt to niece; and even sister to sister. Jennifer learned from her aunt. One summer on vacation her aunt insisted the two cousin learn to stitch. Not to excited to miss pool and beach time they did as they were told. Who would know it would become a life-long passion for both of them.
The word “sampler” comes from the (archaic) French term, “essamplaire” meaning an example; a model to copy; a pattern to imitate. It was a milestone in a young girl’s life to complete her marking sampler. It was a resume of her work.
In boarding schools such as Ackworth and Westtown, needlework was part of the curriculum.
Jennifer shared a funny excerpt regarding thoughts on needlework - “……taught in a conventional way, which may result in the acquirement by the pupil of the power of making microscopic stitches at the expense of her eyes, her time and her temper……..”. Surely this was a non-stitcher that wrote this gibberish!
Jennifer also provided a free drum design she charted from a Bristol Sampler she owns. The pattern is in the latest newsletter.
For our program, she started with a little history of samplers, what makes a sampler, etc. She shared pictures of several of her samplers. Her upcoming release, the two sister’s samplers, is what she focused on. These samplers will be available after the Summer Needlework Market. Members, stay tuned for information on ordering the chart, the chart and fabric, or the chart, fibers and fabric from Salty Yarns with Guild members receiving a discount.
See all Jennifer’s charts at Violetsverse.com
Thank you Jennifer for sharing all your knowledge and your samplers.
Thank you Kelly E for providing a Show ‘n Tell Slide show.
Thank you Amy G for your photography.
61 attended the meeting via Zoom.
Next meeting - Live and Zoom - September 13, 2025. 10 am until 3pm
No comments:
Post a Comment