THREE local embroiderers will have their work on display at the ‘Art Through the Eye of the Needle’ exhibition this week, where their talents will be showcased to the south-west.

Members of the Hamilton Embroidery Guidance Group - Hamilton’s Jill Wilson, and Dunkeld’s Dot Callander and Heather Funk - have each loaned several pieces to the exhibition.

The exhibition will pay tribute to Ms Wilson’s embroidery talents through a retrospective which will feature a selection of her pieces consisting of different stitches.

Ms Wilson said she was “honoured” to have her skills recognised on a larger scale that would show her scope of ability.

“There’s about 10 pieces in the retrospective … it will be very varied,” she said.

“(They were made) over the last 20 years because earlier pieces were left in mum and dad’s house and they were just used to death and you don’t get them back.”

Ms Wilson has been stitching since she was five or six years old with her mother teaching her how to do a stem stitch and a satin stitch, which featured heavily in her early pieces.

Ms Wilson said she is mostly self-taught through books and magazines and jumped at the opportunity to join the Hamilton Embroidery Guidance Group, becoming the convenor from 2001-2010, and then taking on the role again from 2016 until present day.

With a love for embroidery that is contagious, the smile cannot be wiped off Ms Wilson’s face as she discusses the relaxation she feels while making a piece of embroidery.

“I’ve always loved to have a needle in my hand,” she said.

Ms Callander said she had four pieces that would be part of the exhibition including a piece she was creating for her granddaughter which was a separate embroidery for each letter of her name, all featuring different Australian birds set on the same background colour with the same alphabet used for the letters.

Her other pieces in the exhibition include a brooch, a piece of canvas work that she used to decorate the lid of a wooden jewellery box, and a collage piece titled ‘On the forest floor’ featuring dead leaves, a frog and beetle made using stumpwork.

Ms Callander said she had been making embroidery since she was seven or eight years old and found the group to be a fantastic help with progressing her skills.

“It is absolutely marvellous because you can learn so much,” she said.

“When I joined the group I sort of knew two or three basic stitches and was in absolute awe of what everyone else was doing.

“I thought, ‘you’re too good I don’t belong here’ but through Jill, the workshops and guidance days I’ve learnt so much.”

Ms Funk has been part of the Hamilton Embroidery Guidance Group since around 2010 and said she joined when they previously held night sessions as a way of expanding her talents and meeting likeminded people.

“It was a great way to get off the farm and meet other people and do something I enjoyed,” she said.

“I’ve always done something (with embroidery) ever since I was little - I wouldn’t say how well it was done but it was done - and when they put a piece in the paper saying they were starting a night group I thought, ‘oh this sounds interesting’.

“Members come and go for various reasons but it’s a very welcoming group.

“You’re thought no less of if you embroider all day every day or if you do it once.”

Ms Funk said she has lent a few pieces to the upcoming exhibition including a brooch featuring a tudor rose made from crewel work and a larger piece of flowers and insects made using a variety of embroidery stitches and techniques.

While all three ladies have had their work feature in other exhibitions, including some in Hamilton, they said it was still exciting to have their work on display for members of the community to see.

The retrospective works of Margaret Hope from Portland will also be featured in the exhibition, alongside other traditional and contemporary needlework by members throughout Western Victoria including Hamilton, Portland, and Warrnambool groups.

The exhibition is presented by the South Western Branch of The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, and runs between 10am - 4pm from March 17-19 at the Masonic Centre, Warrnambool, with some pieces able to be purchased.

Anyone interested in joining the Hamilton Embroidery Guidance Group or who wants more information can contact Jill Wilson on 0413 106 877.