White Threads

Hardanger Filling Stitches and the unique situation of Amazon Australia

pictorial index from Hardanger Filling Stitches

Following yesterday’s post, I have seen complaints about Australians waiting until March for their orders of “Hardanger Filling Stitches” from Amazon Australia.

Amazon Australia do not purchase their stock from me. If they did, they could have had it months ago, along with the rest of Australia. Instead, they purchase from either Search Press UK or USA (I do not know which, as am not privy to this). They bring UK/US stock into Australia. Because of this, the stock is delayed as the release date for the UK and US was later than the actual Australian release date.

If you’re in this position, in Australia, unfortunately this is a consequence of purchasing this book from Amazon Australia. It is quite out of my control. If you don’t want to wait any longer, you could see if you can cancel the order, and purchase from any one of the fine Australian needlework stores that stock my books. I don’t know if cancelling your Amazon order is possible, but if you’re concerned about the delay then this may be something you could try.

There are people who get angry at me when I suggest (and I’m only suggesting, not demanding!) to support small businesses rather than Amazon. But there are good reasons why I suggest this. Certainly, the purchase price for buying from Amazon Australia and buying from me is comparable. And in this case, I was able to deliver the book months before they can.

If you’re in this situation, I am truly sorry you find yourself there. Hopefully the wait will not be much longer.

Differing release dates for HFS – why?

Hardanger Filling Stitches pages

Why are the release dates for Hardanger Filling Stitches different around the world?

As Vetty Creations is the Australian and New Zealand publisher of Hardanger Filling Stitches, I do my own distribution in Australia, and orders went out as quickly as I could possibly send them. I have no control over release dates anywhere other than Australia.

NZ books are taking a while because I rely on my NZ distributors to ship the books to NZ. I send them when they ask, to their shipping agent, to be consolidated with shipments from other publishers. They only ship when they have a large enough shipment to move. It’s their logistics, not mine. If I send them earlier than they ask, they have to pay storage fees, so it doesn’t make it any quicker and it just makes them like me less!

Search Press are my co-publishers for the rest of the world, and take the book to all places other than Australia and New Zealand. The timing for this is Search Press’s timing. It’s to do with physically moving the books around the world, to warehouses, making sure the stock is ready to go at the right time etc.

Some books were shipped direct from the printer to UK, and some to US. (The rest came to me in AU.) For the US and UK shipments, they will have gone into warehouses somewhere, and then get shipped out within their regions, from there.

The UK release was later than AU because it takes longer to get to the UK than AU. US was later still because it takes longer to get to the US. And then there’s all the logistical stuff that a big warehouse needs to deal with (it’s one title amongst thousands), whereas for little me, it’s me shipping 1 title amongst 11. I’m therefore a bit more nimble!

I hope that explains why some people have had their books for [seemingly] ages, and others are still waiting. But for those who don’t have theirs yet, it won’t be too much longer! I know you’re just excited, and it’s hard to be patient when you’re excited!

Testimonial from experienced Hardanger stitcher Linda

Another lovely testimonial, this time from Linda:

I purchased the book and it is worth every penny! I have been stitching Hardanger for years and yet this book has taught me so many things I didn’t know. Thanks Yvette!!

Thank you Linda!

I’m so glad to hear that even people who are experienced Hardanger stitchers are learning heaps from it.

“Hardanger Filling Stitches” is making its way into stores in Europe at the moment. It will arrive in the US in March, and will also be arriving in New Zealand soon. The timing of all of this is out of my control. I’d love for everyone to have received theirs simultaneously! Thank you to all of you who are being so patient.

You can purchase “Hardanger Filling Stitches” from Vetty Creations.

Nicola Parkman’s review of Hardanger Filling Stitches

Yesterday Nicola Parkman of Hands Across the Sea Samplers did a short review of Hardanger Filling Stitches on her FlossTube. You can see it below. I’ve put the video to start at the point where she starts talking about it, but by all means, please watch the whole thing.

Thanks for your support, Nicola!

Also, over the weekend, my website was down. I apologise for the inconvenience of this. It didn’t help that we had a long weekend, and it was only something that could be fixed by people working during business hours! It finally came back online yesterday. There are still some bugs to be worked out (I can only access my emails on my phone), but you can now order again.

Lacemaker awarded

For many years I have been advocating that we stitchers and makers should put forward the names of those within our communities for “Big Recognition”. In Australia, we have two days of the year where Australians are awarded honours: today (26th January) there are the Australia Day Honours, and there are also the King’s Birthday Honours later in the year. Both days are part of the Australian Honours and Awards system.

Last night the Australians of the Year were announced (very worthy recipients this year!), and the awards list was released. I always check for anyone with a textiles related award. This time I noted that there was one: Olwyn Scott of Western Australia for service to the creative arts, particularly lacemaking. Congratulations!

This morning I received an excited email from Joanne, who was thrilled to let me know that Olwyn had been awarded. Joanne was part of the team who put forward Olwyn and her achievements, with all the necessary documentation. Joanne included the award citation in her email, and Olwyn’s contributions are impressive!

Joanne said, “I am elated that we were successful and Olywn was recognised. There were many detractors along the way who told us we were wasting our time as “women’s work” was never rewarded.”

So called “women’s work” IS rewarded in Australia, but only when we put the names of the creators forward. It doesn’t just happen. It takes hard work to pull together all the documentation and submit it. But when the achievements are set out so plainly and carefully, the recognition is given! Well done, Joanne and friends, for nominating Olwyn.

Who might you nominate for Big Recognition? You might not have national awards and honours in your country. But you might have something local or regional. So often our makers who are hardworking, highly skilled, and often generous with their time and knowledge, do not get recognised. Let’s ensure they do! Olwyn's award citation

Celebrating embroiderers’ guilds

Narrabri group (The Embroiderers’ Guild NSW), smøyg class, 2021

Today I thought we would celebrate embroiderers’ guilds. I’ve been a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of NSW for many years now. I have taught for them and many other guilds, in Australia and internationally. Guilds are wonderful places for learning as there are so many highly skilled stitchers from which to learn.

I have never been part of a guild group where I get together regularly with others to stitch. Because of the stage of life I’ve been in – raising children, working etc – I just haven’t had the time to devote to that. But for many, that’s the best part of being in a guild – meeting together regularly with other stitchers, and forming strong bonds of friendship, built around stitching (and as we all know, also solving all the world’s problems!).

Yeppoon group (Capricorn Coast Branch, The Embroiderers’ Guild QLD), Portuguese whitework class, 2016

For others, being part of a guild means learning from others, or sharing their skills with others. For some, it’s the access to the library (I love using our library!), or the guild collection (often some amazing treasures to be found!). Many guilds have yearly exhibitions, where members’ work is displayed for the community to enjoy.

Most guilds rely heavily on volunteers. They are often the backbone of a guild. They do so much work behind the scenes, but without them, most guilds wouldn’t exist. Often there are one or two key volunteers in a guild who are the “knowledge keepers”. I spent a year on the management committee of the NSW guild. It was at a really critical time when we were part way through the process of a large building program. It was a great way for me to give back to my guild.

Singleton group (The Embroiderers’ Guild NSW), Mountmellick class, 2016

So, tell me about the guild or guild group that you’re in. Do you meet regularly? Do you have a library? Do you have your own rooms, or do you meet in a community/church hall? In what capacity have you volunteered in your guild? Do you have a wide range of ages in your group? What activities does your guild run? Lectures, exhibitions, classes with local or visiting teachers, stitching groups, children’s stitching groups, or anything else? What are the challenges of your guild? How did you continue during the pandemic? What do you love most about your guild?

Maggie’s Mountmellick cushion

Mountmellick wildflower cushion

Another Mountmellick finish today from my recent teaching tour of New Zealand. This is Maggie’s Mountmellick Wildflower cushion. It looks beautiful! Thank you for sharing it with me, and allowing me to share it with others.

Please support small businesses

The incredible range at All Threads Embroidery in Brisbane, Australia

People across the web are asking “Where can I get your book?” Often someone suggests the large purveyor of books starting with A. Yes, you can probably get it there.

HOWEVER, from my soap box: where you can, please support small businesses. If you have a local needlework shop, please support them. If you don’t have a local needlework shop (I don’t have one either!), please order through one that is happy to post to you. There are many that are happy to post.

Why do I constantly harp on about supporting small businesses? Well, apart from the fact that mine is very small – just me! – if we want needlework shops to remain open, we have to support them. Purchasing from these shops helps them pay their bills and keep their doors open.

If we don’t buy from them, they can’t keep operating. And one day, down the track, when we need some of the wonderful advice we can find in such a store, or their ability to source those difficult to find products that we really need, or their amazing range of products all in one place, or their fabulous customer service of pulling all the threads we need for a particular project, we might just find that they’re not there anymore. It’s as simple as that.

I buy many of my beads from Beadworx, on the Gold Coast of QLD. It is over 500 km (300 miles) away. That’s not local! I’ve called her, visited her once (when o, glorious day, I happened to be in the vicinity!), and ordered through her website. She even called me the other day to let me know that some beads I had wanted were back in stock. I had not asked her to do this. That’s great service!

Recently I was talking with Kerryn, from All Threads Embroidery in Brisbane, because she needed some more books and thread from me. We discussed this topic. I assured her that I am always trying to encourage people towards buying from their favourite needlework store. And here I am today, doing it again!

If we want small needlework stores to remain open, we have to support them!

There’s a non-exhaustive list of stores around the world which sell my books in my Hardanger Filling Stitches FAQ.

Caring when serious or chronic illness strikes

Today we’re going to take a little detour away from needlework. As you may know, I’m not well, and it’s been going on for a couple of months now.

The timing is pretty awful, given that I have a new book out, but honestly, it could have been worse! At least the book was finished, and at least I did not get sick while I was teaching in New Zealand!

Many years ago, I had a period of significant illness for a longer period of time than any of us would have liked. That experience gave me certain insights I never could have understood, had I not gone through it. At the end of that time, I wrote an article on ways to care for people who are experiencing serious or chronic illness.

When I told people here some time back that I was unwell, quite a few of you responded to say that you are also experiencing ill health too. (I’m so sorry for that.) Even if you are well, I’m sure all of us know someone who has not been well for some time. So, today, I would like to share my article with you. Hopefully it will be helpful to you as you seek to care for those around you who need care, or if you’re the one who needs care yourself, maybe you can share it with others to help them understand your situation.

https://www.vettycreations.com.au/caring-serious-illness.html

Image: I took this photo of a gorgeous sky in Auckland on the morning I was due to fly home to Australia. I always am a sucker for amazing clouds.

formal needlework and embroidery education

Luce Ben Aben School of Arab Embroidery, Algeria

In the interests of evenhandedness, following my post the other day about being self-taught, today I thought I would ask people who have undertaken formal study at a needlework school to tell us what it was like, and what they loved or did not love about it.

Apart from anything you may wish to tell us, I have some questions because I am curious! Did you do it for the qualification you would gain at the end, or just for the knowledge you would acquire? If you gained a formal qualification, has that been useful to you? Was the curriculum delivered onsite or online?

I’ve looked at the Royal School of Needlework and assessed that they don’t teach what I want to learn, so I have found that learning elsewhere for myself. However, I greatly admire some of their graduates.

I know that the Japanese Embroidery Center is *the* place to learn Japanese embroidery, with a well structured and rigorous program of study. I am in awe of some of the work their students produce.

I know that the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design exists, but not much else about it.

There are probably others that I do not know of. I’d love to hear about them, and your experiences there, if you’ve been to one! If you’d like to post anonymously, you can send your reflections to my email address (please do not send them to me via messenger) and ask me to post them anonymously for you. I will post them in each of the three locations I post to (FB, Insta and my blog) unless you specify which one you’d like me to post to. yvette at vetty creations dot com dot au

Please note, if you’re from the marketing department from a needlework school, I request that you do not take this as an invitation to advertise here. I am asking for personal reflections from current or past students only.

Image: This gorgeous, public domain image is of the Luce Ben Aben School of Arab Embroidery in Algeria. It dates from the early 1900s. I wonder what learning there was like for their young students?