CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY
CHAPTER
NEWS
September 2007
WEBSITE ADDRESS:
WWW.CRVC-EGA.ORG
October Meeting: Saturday and Sunday,
October 13th & 14th
Margaret Vant Erve will be arriving to teach a two-day class. Her
background as an artist makes her approach to stitching more interesting because
of her perspective. Below is a picture of the class piece that will be
offered and a description of the class:
Spring Garden by Margaret Vant
Erve
2 day workshop - basic surface embroidery knowledge
required
Project size - 8" x 6"
The spring garden is probably the most delightful vision for the Canadian
gardener. After a long winter it is wonderful to witness the profusion of
color that emerges from the ground. This embroidered garden features some
standard favorites; Siberian irises, tulips and daffodils nestle in front of
bleeding hearts while scattered in the foreground are dandelions and
forget-me-nots. This class will teach the student how to use combinations
of simple surface embroidery stitches to create each of the flowers in this
dense garden. DMC flosses are used on Habotai silk.
This meeting will be in the Duncaster conference room. On the
registration coupon, please check if you wish to order a lunch ($10). This
will be a sandwich, a cookie and a drink from Indigo Kitchen in Avon (homemade
bread, high quality meats, etc.). You are welcome to bring your own lunch
if you prefer. As always, you are very welcome to attend if you only wish
to join us and stitch on your own project.
What to bring:
Show and tell -- Anything you would like to share
- 2 pairs of 3/4" soft wood stretcher bars; 10" and 11" inches, available at
embroidery supply shops.
- 12" (total length with a 6" opening) Quick Grip Clamp (available from
hardware stores) OR C-Clamp OR embroidery floor clamp OR table frame clamp
- brass tacks - Japan embroidery tacks are best because they are sharper and
easier to insert into the frame - also available from embroidery supply shops
- small sharp scissors
- HB pencil or water-soluble fabric marker (Fine Point Mark-B-Gone)
Schedule for both days: 10 am to 3 pm
10
AM to 12:30
PM Morning
program
12:30
PM to 1:15 PM Lunch,
show and tell, and a short
meeting
1:15
PM to 3
PM Afternoon
program
We are making all of our classes available to EGA members in other chapters,
so it is important to register early if you want to make sure you have a place
in the class. The cost of this class is $35.
Here are directions to Duncaster: (Official address is 40 Loeffler Road,
Bloomfield, CT, but we would like you to enter the building on the Mountain
Avenue side)
84 Westbound from Manchester
Take Rt. 291, exit 61. Follow
Rt. 291 to Rt. 218 exit. Take left onto Rt. 218. Follow for about 3
miles. Take right onto Rt. 189 and follow to the center of
Bloomfield. Take a left on Rt. 178. Continue straight on Rt. 178 for
1.4 miles. To use the new front entrance, turn right onto Mountain Avenue
and continue approx. ½ mile to entrance on the left into Duncaster. From
the Loeffler Road entrance or the Mountain Avenue entrance, once on the campus,
visitors should follow the signs to the Aquatics & Fitness Center
Entrance.
84 Eastbound from Farmington:
Take exit 41. Go left on South Main
St. [which becomes North Main St. at West Hartford Center] for 4.6 miles to Rt.
185. Turn left on Rt. 185 for 1.8 miles. Turn right on Rt.
178. To use the new front entrance, after about ½ mile turn left onto
Mountain Avenue and continue approx. ½ mile to entrance on the left into
Duncaster. From the Loeffler Road entrance or the Mountain Avenue
entrance, once on the campus, visitors should follow the signs to the
Aquatics & Fitness Center Entrance.
91 [North or South]
Take exit 36. Go west on Rt. 178 for 4.5 miles
to the center of Bloomfield. At the traffic light continue straight on Rt.
178 for 1.4 miles. To use new front entrance, turn right onto Mountain
Avenue and continue approx. ½ mile to entrance on the left into Duncaster.
From the Loeffler Road entrance or the Mountain Avenue entrance, once on the
campus, visitors should follow the signs to the Aquatics & Fitness Center
Entrance.
December Meeting: Saturday, December 1, 2007
Our meeting will include a program at the Connecticut Historical Society in
Hartford. As you may recall, chair seats were stitched by CRVC members for
the Governor's Mansion in the 1970's. They now are in the collection of
the Historical Society and will be preserved by them. The information
below gives a more detailed description of the morning program.
Connecticut Needlework, 1740-1840: Masterworks and New Discoveries
from the
Connecticut Historical Society Museum Collections
CHS
Director of Museum Collections, Dr. Susan P. Schoelwer, will survey
the
rich artistic and decorative legacy of needlework produced in
Connecticut
prior to 1840. During a period when paintings and prints
were few and far
between, a variety of needlework genres provided
Connecticut households with
color and artistry -- canvaswork (needlepoint),
crewel embroidered bed
hangings, silk embroidered pictures, samplers,
memorial pictures, and whole
cloth quilting. Several genres appear to
be distinctively Connecticut
creations, including "mermaid" petticoats, bed
rugs, crewel embroidered
garments, and a unique series of religious and
allegorical scenes worked
during the American Revolution by Prudence
Punderson of Preston. The CHS
Museum's unparalleled collection of
nearly 300 examples is the starting
point for a major study of regional
needlework, funded by the Coby
Foundation, Inc., and the National Endowment
for the Arts, to be presented
in a forthcoming book and exhibition.
Program participants will get a
"sneak preview" of this exciting project,
with a slide presentation followed
by a "behind-the-scenes" tour to see
collection highlights first hand.
When the morning program is completed, we will gather for a holiday luncheon
at the Pond House in Elizabeth Park.
February Meeting: Saturday, February 2,
2008
(Snow
date -- February 9th)
Karen Duggan will visit our
chapter again, but this time she will teach
us one of her pieces. Last February we enjoyed her discussion on how to
improve our needlework and what judges look for. This time we will benefit
from her vast experience in stitching and enjoy more of her wonderful sense of
humor. More information will be in future newsletters.
April Meeting: Saturday & Sunday, April 5 & 6, 2008
It will be a great pleasure to have Carole
Lake visit our chapter for two days of classes. The Saturday
class will be her "How to Write a Stitch Guide" class, and it will meet in the
classroom at Thistle Needleworks. Carole can discuss about 8 canvases in a
one-day class. By the time we've discussed them, students should be able
to write a simple stitch guide for themselves. If you have a canvas you
would like us to use as one of the eight, please let us know.
More news about the Sunday class will follow in future issues.
SAVE THESE DATES for a wonderful weekend with this excellent, nationally known
teacher. We've had to schedule her two years ahead of time, so join us
while she is in this area.
NER Region Day - Saturday, October 4,
2008
Plans are in the works for a wonderful Region Day next fall in the
Framingham area. The exciting news is that Tanya Berlin will
present the program for the day. This should be a fabulous chance to take
a class with her, and to add to your pleasure, CRVC will offer
classes with her on Friday, October 3rd and Sunday, October
5th. Below is some of her biography information from her
website:
Hi my name is Tanja Berlin, I have been a professional
embroidery teacher and designer for over 10 years.
I started my training in all aspects of embroidery in
1990 at the Royal School of Needlework, where I attended their three year
apprenticeship course in all aspects of hand embroidery. I completed the
apprenticeship with high honours and then stayed a further two years working on
restoration, conservation and commission embroidery pieces in the work
room. I also taught day and weekend classes for the apprenticeship course
and outside visitors. I also taught classes for the embroiderers guilds in
the UK.
In 1995 I took a break from embroidery and spent three years travelling
throughout South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the US. I met my
now husband on my travels and we ended our journey back in his home city of
Calgary in Canada where we are now settled.
When I first arrived in Canada I realized that most of my
embroidery techniques that I teach were unheard of by many stitchers or very
little practiced in Canada, I also discovered that the students were
enthusiastic to try these new techniques. I have formatted my classes so
that I teach the class with the absolute beginner in mind so that every detail
of the embroidery is covered. This does not mean that the pace of my class
is slow and basic, contrary to that I have kept my classes well informed but at
a good pace for experienced embroiderers to get all they need from the classes,
but covering all the points for the less experienced.
This is also the approach I take when writing the instruction booklets for my
kits. The instructions I provide are not the standard one diagram and a
few lines of instructions that you will find with cross-stitch and most other
embroidery patterns, but detailed well informed instructions with lots of
diagrams and the option to email me at any time if you have any questions.
I understand that the techniques I offer are unusual and am willing to help
people learn them and not to keep the knowledge of these wonderful techniques
secret for myself.
FUTURE BOARD MEETINGS (All members are welcome)
Tuesday, September 11th
Tuesday, November 13th |
Stitching Getaways:
The West Side Day group will be meeting on Sept.
11th from 10 AM to 1 PM at Thistle Needleworks. We will be
reviewing materials from Ann Norton's collection.
Pequot Colony - The Sept. meeting will be at Stephanie Thorp's
home. At that meeting we will be making up the schedule for the coming
year. Anyone who is interested can always call Doris Boas at: (860)
572-8441 or Stephanie at: (860)
536-0912.
NER Seminar 2009
The site for this seminar has been decided! It will be at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel in Pittsfield, Mass. on April 17th,
18th and 19th, 2009. Julia and Lisa
went to Pittsfield to check out the hotel as a site for our seminar, and the
upshot of our visit is that this hotel will be very suitable and the prices are
right. They seem anxious to have our business and eager to give us
whatever we need. A double room rate will be $109 plus taxes; rooms
with good exterior light and fairly good interior lighting are available and the
food is excellent. All in all, we think they are a great choice.
Please put these dates on your calendar as we are planning to have a
wonderful group of teachers from all over the country.
CRVC Program Registration Form -- October 13th
& 14th Meeting
Mail completed form to: Linda Berry, 203 Tunxis Road, West
Hartford, CT 06107-3201. Make check payable to
CRVC-EGA. The deadline for signing up for this class
is September 15th.
"Spring Garden" with Margaret Vant
Erve
______Kit fee of $35
______I have enclosed $10 to pay for my lunch.
Name:
___________________________________________________ Phone:
_______________________
Email:______________________ |
CRVC Program Registration Form -- December 1st Meeting
Mail completed form to: Linda Berry,
203 Tunxis Road, West Hartford, CT 06107-3201. Make check payable to
CRVC-EGA. The deadline for signing up for this class
is November 20th.
Connecticut Needlework,
1740-1840; Masterworks and New Discoveries from the Connecticut
Historical Society Museum Collections
______I have enclosed $20 to pay for my
lunch.
Name:
___________________________________________________ Phone:
_______________________
Email:______________________ |
CRVC-EGA Membership
$47. Primary
Membership $15. Plural Membership (NER) $18. Plural
Membership (not NER)
For a membership card, please enclose a SASE.
Amt. Pd. ____________
Check # ____________
Date Pd. ____________
(keep as your receipt) |
|
CRVC-EGA Membership and Address Change Form
Mail your completed form to: Suzanne Newton, CRVC-EGA Membership,
14 Madison Lane, West Simsbury, CT 06092. Make check payable to
CRVC-EGA. Enclose SASE for membership card.
__ Address Change
__ CRVC Primary Membership ($47)
__ Plural Membership, Primary Chapter in New England
Region ($15) __ Plural Membership,
Primary Chapter not in New England Region ($18)
Name:
____________________________________________________
Address:
____________________________________________________
City, ST,ZIP ____________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________
Email:________________________
Primary Chapter:
________________________________________________
Membership No. _______________________ Total Enclosed
$___________ |