May Notices

Embroiderer’s Guild Birmingham Branch Notices May 2016

Welcome to tonight’s meeting and an especial welcome to any new members. Tonight we are having a member’s session and asking you all to help with some further organising for the Regional day 18^th June. We are also having a demonstration of silk paper making from Margaret using the library silks, these will be added to the goody bags on the regional day. Margaret has also brought along the beautiful tree she has made, so that you can all see what we are going to do at National Stitch day. When buying raffle tickets and paying on the door tonight and at our next meeting, can you please, if possible, pay in coins, we can then use that as our float for the regional day, saving a trip to the bank for Anne!

National stitch day will be celebrated at the Library on the first Saturday in August 6th. Please come along if you possibly can, we want to make an impact. We will be inviting people on the day to stitch a leaf and add it to the tree, we can also use the tree in subsequent visits and then display it when we visit the library. In the meantime don’t forget the next Library get together on 4^th June.

Sadly we won’t be at CoCoMAD this year as they haven’t allocated us a stall. We are disappointed about this as we have been a loyal supporter of the festival. The committee will think about how to take this further; whether to pursue for next year or look for a local alternative. Any ideas gratefully received.

Clare continues to be our link person for the Capability Brown Project. As you know our branch’s exhibition time at Charlecote will start on 10th August and go on till 31st October. Don’t forget that five members of our branch are invited to a private viewing of Leamington Branch Exhibition on 26^th May at 6.30pm. If you are interested in being one of the 5 see Clare. It is also still not too late for you to make your own piece for our exhibition. We will be having a viewing of that exhibition on 15^th September so please put that date in your diary.

If you would like to car share for meetings don’t forget to look at Meriel’s map and contact people near to you.

Regional Day 18^th June. The committee met recently to work further on this and all is going well. Put the date in your diary please if you can and volunteer to help if you are able, we will be sorting out some of the details about this tonight. Sadly Tina Francis who has worked incredibly hard on this day is having to have an operation so has had to pull out. She will be very much missed, so the rest of us have to work even harder! We wish her a swift recovery.

The group who volunteered to produce a 30 cm square representing our branch and area have come up with a great plan, so we offer them our heartfelt thanks and look forward to seeing the finished piece.

Another group working hard is the planning group for next year’s programme. Again this is shaping up to be excellent ( we may have a speaker from the Royal Ballet!) don’t forget Day Schools and sign up with Margaret if you fancy Cas Holmes on 19^th June the day after she has spoken at the regional day, also don’t forget Nicola Jarvis on 8^th October, and Edwina McKinnon 28^th November.

I went to the National AGM on 7^th May in Manchester on behalf of the branch and I am pleased to say that one of our newer members, Rachel, also attended. We had a lovely day in particular an inspirational speaker Sally Vickery one of the best talks I have ever attended, so if you ever get a chance to hear her speak grab it with both hands. An official account of the decisions of the meeting and current national issues will be coming out from the centre. I left the day feeling positive on the whole. What was really positive was to meet the new trustees and to reflect on all the national projects including Capability Brown that have happened recently, it does feel good to be part of a proactive organisation. A major piece of news is that a permanent home has been found for the Guild Collection. This will be at Buckingham County Museum in Aylesbury so easier for us to get to and they will properly conserve and display the collection in a dedicated room. Next year’s competition is entitled Imprisoned Splendour.

There are however still financial pressures facing the guild. I will say a little about this tonight, but we will be asked to help with fundraising ideas (details to follow from the centre). National membership is going up to £33 a year (there was no increase last year), this was voted for by a large majority of those present and the proxy votes. I am happy to do my best to answer any questions tonight.

Don’t forget if any branch members have exhibitions or events they would like to tell members about please email me at least a week before the branch meeting and if I can I will include in the notices we can also include information on the blog.

Please keep bringing in items for sale at the meetings, things like kits that you have made (at a discount to members), finished pieces of work you would like to sell again at a discount if sold elsewhere as well, and items made by you that are being sold on behalf of recognised charities or to raise money for the branch.

Thank you as well for your continuing support for the raffle. June’s colour is Turquoise please, if you can, bring a small contribution to add to a bag.

Don’t forget to get stitching for upcoming competitions in particular ‘Within a thousand steps of your home” for the regional day and ‘colour carnival’ for our summer party. Our next meeting is a talk ‘what if… what next’ by Jude Lovatt from Wolverhampton branch; looks likely to be an interesting and stimulating evening. Looking ahead to July which will be our summer party we are going to hear from our own member Marion Plumb always a treat.

Bernadette Wilkinson on behalf of the committee.