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The purposes of the Needleworkers Guild of the West Kingdom are:
To promote the art
and enjoyment of historical needlework;
To further our knowledge
and develop our skills in different needlework styles;
--and to have fun doing it!
and enjoyment of historical needlework;
And anyone who wants to join us is welcome!
As needleworkers in the SCA, we study and live the history of needlework, and we use our creative skills to actually re-create the glory of another time. Knowledge of history increases our learning and appreciation of needlework, and our use of authentic period stitches, fabrics, threads and designs increase our understanding of history and of the achievements of the past.
The Guild sponsors regular classes and exhibitions at Kingdom events. We also meet at most of these events, to do Guild business and to inspire ourselves with "show and tell". In some years we have made presentations to Their Royal Majesties, or taken on a Guild project for the year. In between events, we publish a newletter three times a year.
Why do we spend so many hours working on the arts of centuries past? Perhaps our answer is the same as that of a Maryland woman who has hooked rugs for over forty years. She simply said that her craft "brought her sheer joy, self-knowledge, solace and dreams."
You can download a copy of our past guild newsletter by clicking here. You will need a pdf reading program, such as Adobe Acrobat, to read these file. And there should be other issues of the Guild Newsletter at the site of our e-mail list, WKNeedle
Encouraging each other
It's important for everyone to keep in mind that the purpose of the Guild is to ENCOURAGE historical needlework. We are not here to find faults in anyone's work or to make anyone feel ashamed of their efforts. Anyone can bring needlework to a "show and tell" and receive appreciation, encouragement, and admiration for the asking. We are an open forum and everyone, whatever their skill level, is welcome.
For may of us there comes a point where we feel a need to know how to solve a problem, where to find resources, or whether there are things we could improve. If and when you are at that point, all you need to do is ask. Guild mentors, listed in each issue of the newsletter, are available to make suggestions based on their own experience with the craft.
Although not by any means a requirement of the Guild, we also sponsor an Apprenticeship Program for those who wish to measure their progress in skill. This program is not a competition between members, but a self-test of individual skills learned and a discovery of new skills to be mastered.
Another way West Kingdom needleworkers share information and encourage each other is through our e-mail list. You can join our it, WKNeedle, where we discuss coming events and our projects.
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