Even though I arrived late, I was warmly welcomed by a group of women who were busily working away. A chair was pulled up for me, a space cleared at the table, and I was handed a kit of materials that, mysteriously, included a piece of foil from a tube of tomato paste. I’d come here to learn embroidery but perhaps I first had to take out the recycling? 

All soon became apparent as the process was explained to me. In this class we were going to make illuminated initial notebooks, and the foil from the tomato paste tubes would become the golden illuminated initial.  

I joined the Otago Embroiderers’ Guild this year because I wanted to learn embroidery. I’d previously done cross stitch but wanted to learn some new techniques and was overwhelmed by the swathes of online information. I wanted somewhere that I could sit next to someone and have them show me what to do. I was now in a room full of women ready to share with me as much information about embroidery as I could take in.  

Between them, the guild members have spent lifetimes learning, crafting, and coming together to share their knowledge. They are creating not only art, but a community. They are doing things that I never even knew were possible with a needle and thread, all while building friendships that have lasted decades, pouring countless hours into creating masterpieces, by sharing and supporting each other. 

Guild meetings often have the feeling of catching up with friends for a cuppa. I sit back and listen as everyone chats about friends and family, what they’re working on, upcoming classes and exhibitions. They’ll talk about different techniques, which ones they like and which ones they don’t. They can tell you who has a particular skill for certain styles or methods. From listening to these conversations and coming along to guild meetings I’ve learned about an extensive textile and fibre art community in New Zealand that I was never aware of. I’ve been exposed to some incredibly talented artists that I never knew about, resources I didn’t know were there and opened up doors to opportunities that would have otherwise passed me by.  

I learned more than some new embroidery stitches that day. I learned the value of being able to sit next to someone and soak up their years of experience while they guide your hand in creating something new. I learned that we have a priceless resource in the skills and knowledge of these women, and the best way to make use of that resource is to come along and ask, “Can you show me how?”  

I was sent home with instructions on how to complete my notebook and I had such fun putting it all together. Who knew that scraps of foil from a finished tube of tomato paste (something I would throw away without even thinking about it) could become a work of art? 

The Otago Embroiderers’ guild meets at the Leith Bowling Club on the fourth Thursday evening of every month during summer months, and on the fourth Saturday morning of every month during Winter months.

Contact otago.guild@gmail.com for more information.