The Embroiderers' Guild is the UK's leading educational charity promoting

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

History

The guild was formed in September 1906 at a meeting of sixteen ex-students of the

Royal School of Art Needlework The Royal School of Needlework (RSN) is a hand embroidery school in the United Kingdom, founded in 1872 and based at Hampton Court Palace since 1987. History The RSN began as the School of Art Needlework in 1872, founded by Lady Victoria Welby ...

, under the name ''The Society of Certificated Embroideresses of the Royal School of Art Needlework''. Miss Wade, head of the Royal School of Art Needlework was invited to be founder President, and Miss Scott who hosted the inaugural meeting and Beatrice Paulson Townsend, wife of W.G. Paulson Townsend, design master at the school, were invited to be vice-chairs. They separated during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

but reunited after the war and began teaching embroidery to

shell shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...

ed and disabled servicemen as a form of occupational therapy. In 1920 Louisa Frances Persel (1870-1947) was appointed as the first President. By the time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the Guild was well established and continued to promote the therapeutic value of embroidery. In the 1960s an offshoot of the Embroiderers' Guild was developed as a platform to exhibit professional embroidery to the public. Founded in 1962 and originally named 'The Professional Group of the Embroiderers' Guild', the group brought attention to textile art nationally and internationally. Around twenty years later the group was later renamed The 62 Group of Textile Artists when the group decided to extend beyond embroidery and encompass other textile disciplines.Beaney, Maries & Walker in Millar, L. (ed.) (2011) Radical Thread. The 62 Group 1962-2012. Tunbridge Wells: Direct Design Books The Guild's centre at Bucks County Museum is a registered

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

and holds a nationally significant, global collection of embroideries from early times to the present day. The Guild and its members have created and exhibited works inspired by the 2012 London Olympics (over 2000 postcard sized images of participating nations); in partnership with the British Library and Ruskin College, Oxford led the design and creation of a piece designed by Cornelia Parker commemorating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta; in partnership with the Landscape Institute/National Trust/

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

the Guild created over 40 exhibitions of work inspired by the life and times of Lancelot 'Capability' Brown (2015/2016) and in 2016 the Guild was commissioned by the London representatives of HBO Television to create a piece 3.3 metres high and 5.5 metres long depicting the WhiteWalker from 'A Game of Thrones' - 'The Hardhome Embroidery'. This piece was exhibited at 10 venues throughout the UK.

Financial crisis

In 2021 it was reported that the Guild was in financial crisis. Local branches had had their bank accounts frozen by the Guild. Some members had been unhappy for years about the way the Guild was run. Some members criticised the high salary received by the CEO, who was not himself an embroiderer, and who has been described as "a highly paid male specialist in corporate turnarounds" running an organisation whose members are mostly women. Some Guild members used

craftivism Craftivism is a form of activism, typically incorporating elements of anti-capitalism, environmentalism, solidarity, or third-wave feminism, that is centered on practices of craft - or what has traditionally be referred to as "domestic arts". Craf ...

to make their concerns public. The meeting held by trustees for members to discuss this and to vote on the future of the branches has been called "At the very best ... a PR nightmare. At the worst, it was the outward expression of a charity that was already eating itself whole". The trustees' proposal to close the branches was carried. Each branch will have a grant of at least £250 to establish itself as an independent group.

References

External links

Embroiderers' Guild official site
{{Authority control Embroidery Private companies limited by guarantee of the United Kingdom Embroidery in the United Kingdom 1906 establishments in the United Kingdom

History

Financial crisis

References

Further reading

External links