KARIN COLDREY
I have been teaching art, design, textiles and creative embroidery and been a Guild member for over 30 years. At the Victorian Embroiderers Guild I have been involved with creative exhibitions and the education committee. My teaching has included day workshops particularly in colour applications, The Continuous Thread Seminar, Proficiency (now Art of the Stitch) and coordinator for City & Guilds Part 1 Creative Embroidery 1998-2000. I am currently part of the teaching team for Diploma of Art Studio Stitch Textiles at Box Hill Institute.

JILL DICKSON
I derive good personal satisfaction from teaching. After working in the general textile and embroidery areas, I am currently specialising in working with beads. As a tutor for Intermediate Beading I am consistently impressed by the wonderful work classes are achieving. I have a great fascination for beads, there are so many types of glass finishes and the colours an be glorious.

MIRIAM BLIGHT
Miriam is a graduate of Swinburne University of Technology completing a four year course in art and design later followed by a Diploma in Education. Her love of painting, design and the crafts have led her to combine embroidery with her art work usually featuring flowers, plants and landscapes. Her interest and experience in education and teaching have been an integral part of her involvement with the Embroiderers Guild.

RINA HANNAN
Rina qualified to teach at both primary and secondary level, the latter at Burwood Institute in 1983, specialising in painting and textiles. Her experience during the next 17 years was as an art and textile teacher for years 7 through to 12. During this time Rina practiced textile dyeing, painting and embroidery as a hobby; and attended many related courses. She joined the Embroiderers Guild in 1996, and retired from teaching in 1999.

SHELAGH AMOR
Shelagh is a long standing member of the Guild and has taught many techniques. Over the years she has tended to specialise in canvas work and crewel work. Shelagh has published a book on crewel embroidery in 2002 and has a great in depth knowledge of this technique.

CYNTHIA SHILLINGLAW
Cynthia joined the Guild in 1976 on retirement. She did the Art & Design course for embroiderers at Burwood in 1989 - 1990. Cynthia has taught several techniques for the Guild, including blackwork, over many years and continues to work on a wide range of techniques for the pure enjoyment of them.

WENDY FINDLAY
My love of stitching began as a very small girl when I was surrounded by a bevy of aunts all plying their needles. These women who were awaiting the return of their men from the Second World War had an enormous influence on my lifelong devotion to using a needle, both for machining and fine embroidery. Although I have always used many embroidery techniques I have found a major interest in Smocking. I have always been enmeshed in sewing, first as a young woman making my own clothes then as the mother of children, two of whom were girls and loved to wear their smocked dresses. Now, as the grandmother of four girls, I have been able to indulge in what has become a passion for smocking. My initial training was as a Nurse and then as a Teacher Librarian, but my needlework fervour has been honed both by formal and informal training over a lifetime. I believe if you are interested enough in a subject you are constantly learning and improving your knowledge and always on the look out for something new to expand your expertise. For example my appreciation and joy of gardening enriches my world with the natural colours and textures found in flowers and plants. I have been fortunate in having work published in books and magazines and have conducted a wide variety of classes in Smocking and Embroidery over the last twenty five years. I was instrumental in forming the Smocking Arts Guild of New South Wales in 1993. Moving to Victoria in retirement and joining the Guild has opened another wonderful branch of my 'embroidery world'.

ROSEMARY TONKIN
Rosemary has been a member of the Guild since 1986. In 1990 she completed Proficiency Certificate in Pulled Thread (Drawn Fabric) and has since taught a variety of counted thread techniques in Melbourne and Country Victoria including blackwork, hardanger, pulled thread and drawn thread. She has taught the latter 3 of these techniques at Intermediate level. Rosemary completed a Masterclass in hardanger in 2001 and is currently studying in the Drawn Thread Masterclass.

SYLVIA KEMP
Sylvia learned to tat about 12 years ago from Linda Russell. She has been "forced" into doing much more tatting recently due to tightened airline regulations! She is a member of the Tatters Guild Victoria and is also a members of the Ring of Tatters in the U.K. She has just returned from the U.K. Knitting and Stitches Show with the latest trends in tatting.

PRUE BARRIDGE
I can't remember a time when I haven't been doing some type of sewing. Sewing in its many forms has always been my joy and relaxation. I am now trying to convey these feelings to others, young and old, by teaching basic hand embroidery through to machine embroidery and all the associated techniques that fall in between. No matter what type of sewing you are doing, design is always the starting point and aften the stumbling point. My aim is to teach some easy ways to find that starting point to help eliminate the stress of starting a new project.

PAT STEVENSON
Being introduced to a treadle sewing machine before eight years of age, I cannot remember a time when I did not use fabric and threads. I studied at Emily McPherson College then spent some time in the fashion industry , but my main career has been in teaching Needlework and Textiles . The course of ' Art and Design for Textiles' through the Embroiderers Guild in ' 93-94 has futher developed my personal skills . Since retirement I have taught a number of Patchwork Classes at Embroidery House, and other Patchwork Groups.

OLGA WALTERS
I have been making art quilts since 1998; my work is a fusion of fabric manipulation, reverse dyeing/ over-dyeing, transfer dyeing, fabric collage, machine quilting and free-motion machine embroidery. My teaching in these subjects has brought me work all over Victoria, interstate Australia, New Zealand and Canada. My current work is based on the forest, within this multi-layered, complex world there is an abundance of inspiration. I love to inspire people to experiment with machine stitching and the concept of changing a fabric to create something entirely new.

telephone: (03) 9509 2222
fax: (03) 9509 2109
email: embgvbigpond.net.au