Award Winners: 50 Years Plus One
It’s finally a reality! Photos of the EAC/ACB Members’ Exhibition winning entries have been added to the EAC/ACB website. As one of the 50th Anniversary Committee projects, many volunteers tracked down pictures, matched photos to entries, renamed files to help keep them in order, and finally uploaded them to the website galleries. The photos for the Seminar Group Project awards and the Board Challenge winners will be live soon! Many thanks to the efforts of Beryl Burnett of Winnipeg Embroiderers’ Guild, Helen Bartel of Winnipeg Embroiderers’ Guild, Shannon Johnson of Virtual Threads, Suzan Lee of Vancouver Guild of Embroiderers and Kathryn Robicheau, an Individual Member. Unfortunately, you’ll notice that we are missing some photos. However, we have chosen to identify the winning stitchers. If you have a photograph of any of the missing winning pieces, please send them to us. You can reach us via the contact page to find out how. The award-winning photos from the EAC/ACB Members’ Exhibition will be added to the galleries each year as they become available.
2023 Leonida Leatherdale Award
The first-place winner of the 2023 Leonida Leatherdale Award was Diane Scott. Her entry is titled What I Learned at Seminar. Diane designed these stunning orchids and used various stumpwork techniques to bring them to life. Second place went to Kim Beamish for her original design, Masquerade II. Kim’s three-dimensional mask showcases a variety of embroidery techniques. The base is pulled thread and whitework. The stumpwork is needle lace and pulled thread. Beading is worked on the base and around the piece for embellishment. Designed and stitched by Marcella Pedersen, Marco Polo Blessings took third place. Marcella’s piece features blackwork stitches with gray floss to create shading on the linen sails; polyester sewing thread for the stumpwork components; wooden hull, snakeskin net, cotton batting clouds, stretched jersey fabric to create the wavy sea, and polycotton fabric for the sky.
Viewers’ Choice Awards 2023
1st Place Odette Gaudet, Chickadee Chapter of Needlearts: Dedication and Service, Original Design As a young woman, I took notice of Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Canada in 2010. Everything about her inspired me. Her dress, professionalism, duty and service. On her 21st birthday in 1947, she said, “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.” She honoured that declaration. This project has been a labour of love, from learning pattern making and dressmaking to goldwork, silk ribbon, bespoke hand beading, crewel and stumpwork. Various sizes of sequins, beads, and pearls were used with wool, velvet, silk, and cotton threads on satin fabric. Stitches include satin, satin stitch padding, backstitch, straight, split, cable, feather, fly, trellis stitches, colonial knots, couching, and wrapped cording. 2nd Place Megan McLoughlin, Individual Member: Tropical Punch designed by Debbie Rowley of DebBee’s Designs Tropical Punch is a fun-to-stitch symmetrical piece in a palette of primarily blues and lavenders, with vibrant splashes of colour thrown in. Due to the variety of threads called for by the designer, the different textures create interest, and the piece is filled with intermediate and advanced counted canvas work stitches. 3rd Place Shirley Ganske, Winnipeg Embroiderers’ Guild: Dimensional Beadwork Display, Various Designers
LLA Now Annual
The Leonida Leatherdale Award is now annual! Winnipeg Embroiderers’ Guild has decided to sponsor the award honouring the driving force behind our association’s formation every year. The Leonida Leatherdale Award (LLA) will be given for an original design or adaptation that takes the traditional art of needlework and raises it to new heights. This award is presented for a work of needle art that best exemplifies Leonida’s vision and purpose “to encourage and promote the practice and knowledge of the art of embroidery in all its forms.” Find out how to submit your entry for Seminar 2024: Endless Horizons.
Avis Plumarius Takes Flight
Our gal loves bling! She’s flirty and sassy, sparkles and dazzles! Avis’ plumage is the combined effort of 22 enthusiastic embroiderers who teamed up to create her 24 feathers.
In 3rd: EGP’s Endless Scene: Out for a Walk
Endless Scene: Out for a Walk is a myriorama of 14 embroidered and embellished scenes.
A Celebration of Bears Takes 2nd Place
A celebration indeed! The Winnipeg Embroiderers’ Guild’s entry titled A Celebration of Bears was awarded 2nd place in the Seminar Group Project category at the 2023 Members’ Exhibition. Thirty-four members of WEG stitched the 193 bears that make up this entry.