The Ashburton Embroiderers’ Guild has a rich, longstanding history in our local community. In 1978, the Ashburton branch joined the Association of New Zealand Embroiderers’ Guilds, and was the seventeenth Guild in the country to be affiliated. Membership of the Guild is around 25 and members meet monthly to learn together and work on projects. They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2022.

The Magic of Needle and Thread is the 2024 incarnation of the Guild’s biennial exhibition, to which all members are invited to contribute. The exhibition brings together an impressive array of artworks to showcase the artistic practice of embroidery, and celebrate the achievements of the members. The Magic of Needle and Thread encourages the creation and display of embroidery in all its forms, with works ranging from traditional to contemporary practices.

Members of the Ashburton Embroiderers’ Guild will be available throughout the exhibition to discuss their works on display and encourage those new to embroidery to pick up a needle and thread. The customary Christmas tree raffle adorned with hand-stitched ornaments will be up for grabs, with proceeds supporting the work of the Guild.

In conjunction with the opening of this exhibition, on 31 August at 2pm we are thrilled to be hosting textile artist Rachel Ratten. Rachel graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from University of Canterbury in 2015. A figurative painter with a deep yearning for abstraction, Rachel now produces textile-based “paintings” based on the formal elements of design. Rachel will present a talk titled A journey from paint to thread, during which she will discuss her experiences with both quilting and freeform embroidery and her opposing approaches to these media.

Main image: Embroiderers’ Guild 2022 People’s Choice winner Jill Wilce, A Perfect World, ribbon & stumpwork

Left image: Lois Burridge, Persian Tile, 2022, thread on canvas