About Us
Our Aim
Our aim is to preserve traditional techniques and promote new challenges in the art of embroidery through education and networking.
Our Purpose
- To encourage and promote the practice and knowledge of the art of embroidery in all its forms.
- To have a fellowship of persons who enjoy needlework and wish to learn and share their knowledge; and thereby to work towards maintaining higher standards of design, colour and workmanship.
History
The idea for a national Embroiderers' Association began with a small group of dedicated embroiderers who met in Winnipeg, in the studio of Leonida Leatherdale. Letters were sent to needlework groups and guilds across Canada. The first formal organizational meeting was held September 27th, 1973. With the aid of competent legal advice, bylaws were drafted and approved by the federal government, and in November of 1974 the Embroiderers' Association of Canada, Incorporated officially came into existence. The head office was in Winnipeg, Manitoba—the geographic centre of Canada—where, it was felt, EAC could grow to the east and to the west.
The first EAC chapter was the Winnipeg Embroiderers' Guild, who sponsored the first two Seminars with participants from across Canada and the United States. Annual Seminars were held at various Canadian locales thereafter, and EAC began to gain members and chapters. Currently EAC has 44 chapters, and 6 youth groups with nearly 2,000 members in Canada and other countries throughout the world.
