About Us | ANZEG | Association of New Zealand Embroiderers' Guilds Inc

©ANZEG canvaswork banner by Kathy Arthurs

Our embroiderers' guilds exist to build an awareness and appreciation of stitch and textile art. We educate, encourage, inspire, and promote the achievement of excellence.

What does the Association do?

ANZEG is the parent organisation for 57 embroiderers’ guilds around New Zealand.

We are proud to be recognised as a voice for raising the profile of textile and stitched art.

Our guilds are a great place to learn about and share embroidery – everything from cross stitch to mixed media, gold work to whitework, canvaswork to beadwork to just about any embroidery you care to name – someone, somewhere will be creating and sharing in our guilds and at events, exhibitions and workshops around New Zealand.

Members are encouraged to participate in any area of stitch they're interested in, at any level, whether its young people just learning their first stitches to professional artists extending the boundaries of textile art, or someone who simply appreciates fabric and thread.

We firmly believe that textiles are as relevant today as they have ever been, and there is a place for both the traditional, fine hand stitching alongside the bold and contemporary machine work.

There are many benefits in belonging to a guild, not least being the friendship and inspiration of your fellow stitchers. Even though we are called a 'Guild', there is nothing stuffy or exclusive about us so whether you're a child/parent/grandparent; woman/man; beginner or experienced stitcher; if you love textiles and have an interest in creating art with thread, we'd love you to join us.

ANZEG EXECUTIVE 2022
Back, from left: Felicity Willis (Taranaki/Wanganui/Manawatu),
Jill Bruce (Otago/Southland), Joanne Saunderson (Tours),
Kerry Smith (Resources).

Middle: Donna Hardie (CLP), Diane Van Diepen (Treasurer),
Trish Hughes (President), Robyn Archer (Secretary),
Susan Lennie (Cook Strait), Jane Bell (Canterbury).

Front: Caroline Strachan (Editor),
Tracey Boyd (Hawke’s Bay/Gisborne),
Lesley Anderson (Waikato/Bay of Plenty),
Paula Hucklesby (Education), Robyn Hart (Northern North Island).

Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by.

Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery.

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr

How do we assist our members?

•Education:

ANZEG offers the Embroidery Modules and Diploma syllabus with an extensive mentoring scheme to support those taking part.

•Workshops:

ANZEG's Tours Coordinator arranges an exciting array of workshops each year. Tutors from New Zealand and abroad travel nationwide teaching members various embroidery techniques.

•Resources:

ANZEG offers a comprehensive library of resources covering a variety of embroidery techinques.

Folios are supplied as folders with full instructions/patterns and can be taught to a group as a class or completed by an individual. There are also DVDs available to hire.

Resources are available exclusively to Guilds and individual guild members to borrow.

•Exhibitions:

National, regional and local exhibitions of embroidery are hosted by ANZEG and Guilds throughout the country during the year. Exhibitions demonstrate a wide variety of techniques and a wide range of skills are on display.

Check the Calendar to see if there is one on near you.

We keep all the Guilds in touch with each other through:

• Regional representatives in each of the seven
ANZEG regions of New Zealand

• A biennial Conference and week of workshops

• Our twice-yearly magazine, Threads, which features

profiles on embroiderers, competitions and challenges,

exhibitions and news about what is happening

throughout New Zealand.

• Our embroiderynz Facebook page: This group let's

everyone know when the website has been updated

or when there is something happening within the

Association.

• Our Threads Facebook page: Gorgeous inspiration.

• Our website! www.embroiderynz.co.nz