As always, it was lovely spending time with other embroiderers, talking embroidery, thread, [...]]]> I spent yesterday at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, demonstrating on the Embroiderer’s Guild of NSW stand. There were four of us there, and we all turned up with quite different embroidery to work on. Well planned? No, just complete chance!

As always, it was lovely spending time with other embroiderers, talking embroidery, thread, fabric, sewing, sewing machines, textiles, fashion etc… The day went very quickly, and I was pleased to get quite a lot of embroidery done. I was working on some Portuguese whitework.

I took a half an hour to have a little wander around in the vicinity of where the Embroiderer’s Guild stand was, which was situated in the Arts and Crafts Pavilion. Now, the Royal Easter Show is really all about the country coming to the city, but to me, its always been about the arts and crafts.

So I took a wander through the crafts section yesterday. When I was little, I used to dream of having something of mine in the Cabinet of Excellence display. I used to look at all the embroidery and be completely inspired and amazed. My first embroidery that went in the show was entered in the needlework section when I was in Year 10 at school. It was part of my school’s entry in the school section. We won, thus whetting my appetite for more competition at the Royal Easter Show. I entered quite a few more embroideries in the needlework section over the years, and made it into the Cabinet of Excellence twice, I think.

Well, yesterday’s viewing of the competition was really quite depressing. There were hardly any entries. It has been getting less and less each year, and is now really very small. Sometimes there are only three entries in each category. The standard didn’t seem particularly high, though there were some outstanding entries.

I have wondered many times over the past few years why it is getting so small. I’m sure the organisers have wondered the same! My thoughts are that perhaps it is just a reflection on society in general – not so many people are involved in these painstaking crafts anymore. However, even the patchwork section is getting smaller, and as far as I know, patchworking is still going strong. Another reason could be that the prizes are ridiculously small (for the amount of work that often goes into a piece of top embroidery) and the entry prices are too high. Perhaps the categories aren’t meeting the needs of embroiderers who want to enter, but can’t find an appropriate category.

Its not a problem I can solve, but it is sad to see.

In my wander around the vicinity of the Arts and Crafts Pavilion, I avoided the Showbag Pavilion – can’t remember the last time I went in there. I visited the one where there is clothing and “lifestyle” stuff; the Dome, where all the food is, and the district exhibits; and the other “lifestyle” type pavilion adjacent to the Arts and Crafts. The food used to interest me, but now I walk through and note all the things I can’t eat anymore, legacy of having had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The Lifestyle type displays show many things that “might” make my life better, but probably will really just lighten my wallet.

As for showbags, I think I’m still feeling culture shock from returning from Ethiopia there. In my mind, they are full of overpriced plastic junk that’s going to break, sit uselessly on the shelf, or be used once and then discarded.

I did NOT get the chance to go to see the animals – my purpose was to be at the show for the guild, not for sightseeing – but I feel that not seeing those parts of the show really left me with a very skewed opinion of the show. Because of the things I did see, to me, it seemed very much about overconsumption (of food and non-food junk) and consumerism. It seemed to be about excess and spending money.

It left me feeling quite sad. I must still be feeling quite a lot of culture shock.

My only issue with the site is that it does not identify who is behind it. I think if we had some idea of who, that would make me feel like it had [...]]]> There’s a new blog that’s been set up about needlework and copyright. Go and have a read, it is interesting and worthwhile.

My only issue with the site is that it does not identify who is behind it. I think if we had some idea of who, that would make me feel like it had more credibility. My guess is that it could be either one concerned individual or a group of needlework designers who are fed up with copyright theft. Either way, it would be nice to know.

Regardless of that, I hope their campaign has a positive effect.

Here is an explanation of why it hurts designers, and ultimately hurts everyone including the stitchers who are completely honorable, [...]]]> Just hopping up on my soapbox here. “Sharing” patterns is not sharing. It is stealing. Pure and simple. It happens all over this industry, and that makes many of us very sad, and even angry.

Here is an explanation of why it hurts designers, and ultimately hurts everyone including the stitchers who are completely honorable, who don’t “share” anything with their nearest and dearest 1000 friends…

You [...]]]> If you were learning silk shading embroidery, one would assume that you would use silk thread to stitch with, right? If you went off to a class to learn this, and completely ignored the requirements list and brought a supply of crewel wool instead, do you think you would get the right effect?

You wouldn’t get the feel for how silk stitches. You wouldn’t get the feel for how silk strands entwine and mix in the shading. You wouldn’t get the smooth sheen of the silk threads all working together.

Sure, the crewel wools could provide similar colour gradations, but they would be fuzzy, and most likely thicker than the silk threads, meaning scale would be different too.

Have I made my point? You can’t just substitute a different thread for the one you are meant to be using, as you will not learn how its really meant to look or work.

So, why do people think that they can use coton a broder, pearl cotton, candlewicking cotton, silk thread, or just about any other thread you could care to think of for Mountmellick embroidery?

Mountmellick embroidery traditionally uses white cotton matt thread. It is finely twisted and lovely and soft. It has no shine. It has no fuzz.

If you want to learn the correct technique, you use the correct materials. The right tools for the job.

Otherwise, why bother?

It really annoys me that for some reason, while people wouldn’t think of using crewel wool for silk shading, they think that its ok to use any old thing for Mountmellick embroidery. Its not right, and if its not white, cotton, matt thread, its not Mountmelllick embroidery that you are doing.

I acknowledge that Mountmellick embroidery supplies are not as readily available, but they are available, and they should be used. To make life easy for you, you can find them here.

Ok, now I will step down off my soapbox. Here endeth the lesson.