Linda was my beautiful younger sister...
She was an art educator in charge of public programmes at the AGNSW. Linda was also instrumental in establishing the gallery guide programme. She was loved & respected by her staff & colleagues for the gentle & encouraging way she fulfilled her role. Linda was also a much-loved mother, partner, daughter, sister & friend.
Modest, funny, kind & artistic
Linda (née Slutzkin) 1950 -2005
Missed...

Marica was my mother. She passed a couple of years ago and is greatly missed.
Stitched in blue for her beautiful blue eyes.
Three flowers, one each for my sister and I and one for her only grandson.
The cat, for all the cats that found their way to her and ended up having a warm loving home.

This is for Aretha Franklin who is my favourite singer, and a woman who has had a huge influence on me as a musician. It’s made using gold metallic thread and has a crown because she was, is, and will always be the Queen of Soul. There’s also a song reference in the stitch I chose (I couldn’t resist!).

Vanila (Rita Maria Barbosa Fontainha Netto), showed me art.
And a passion that surprised me.
I was lucky.
I have not known her life for many years. It’s difficult to write a few sentences.

Jane is my middle name and coincidently that of numerous friends, thus we add it on when we refer to each other. The word actually means “God is gracious” so I’m fortunate to be surrounded by so many divine women. It creates a bond for all of us being double syllable Janes, as if we are from the same clan or tribe. Having Jane at the end sounds like a character from a novel, sitcom or film. There also happen to be many awesome Janes in real life including Austen, Goodall, Fonda and Lynch. I’ve never come across a Plain Jane.

Ruby was my Nana, she was an excellent sewer and an all round good person.

Chrissie, Chris, Kit, was my maternal grandmother, my Nanny. She was a very talented dressmaker who taught me to sew, knit, crochet and embroider. She made beautiful dolls clothes for my sister and I and wonderful fancy dress costumes for us too, cooked delicious cakes and grew Lily of the Valley and red guavas which we ate with cream and sugar.
Without realising until I was much older, she was my inspiration.
Christina was the eldest girl and second child in a family of three girls and five boys.

Beatrice is my mother's name. She has inspired me all my life with her creativity, patience and inquisitiveness. She taught her family by example and has always been very connected to the community doing years of voluntary work across a variety of organisations. My granddaughter is named after her and I hope I can inspire her in the same way - so the family traditions continue on.

Tse Yuet Shi
謝月時 (pronounced Jeer Yurt See, 1903-1989) was my grandmother. According to Chinese custom, we called her Ma, Paternal Grandmother. She was born in Southern China, and being poor, had a pretty tough early life. She married my grandfather, who was up to then a stranger to her and nearly three times her age. She became pregnant but he promptly returned to NZ. At about 8 months into her pregnancy, she was sent to join him here, at his laundry business in Wellington, on the edge of Chinatown. When my dad Samuel, their only child, was about 10, she was left a widow. She continued with the laundry – tough physical work, with long hours, as well as bringing in boarders, and occasionally knitting, to bring in an income. Retirement was a blessing to her. Despite her 65 years in New Zealand, she was virtually illiterate and spoke little English.
All those who remember her consider her as ‘formidable’.
I chose navy for the background as that was one of the colours she liked to wear, and gold for the stuff that brought our family to New Zealand.

Jenny Briscoe-Hough is a passionate community advocate and extraordinary human being. She wears many hats. Amongst other things, Jenny is the force behind Tender Funerals, a not for profit funeral service based in Port Kembla that is now taking their model to communities across Australia. She continues to work in the Illawarra community at making change from the ground up.

Jeanette is my mother. She has a never ending capacity to share her kindness, strength and warmth to me and to many, many others. We share a love of the sea, a fondness for colour and we love coconut palms! 

Maria has an eye for beauty, and discovers it in the everyday and unexpected. She is a natural teacher and has helped us all to learn to be more present in our daily lives, to seek out and appreciate the beauty around us.

Perhaps growing up in Rome informed her attention and love of detail, colour and form. Maria has enriched our lives with her passion for life, photography, travel, cooking and love and pride of all things Italian.

We have embroidered the sunflower, as Maria always finds the sunshine.

Your stitching group friends

Glenys is my mum. When I was very very small she took me to a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Botanic Gardens and opened my eyes to the magic of art.

He wahine toa a Naida na te mea ko ia te "wahine kia ora" no 1984. ki oku nei whakaaro, ma tātou te reo e whakairia ki runga. ko te reo te taikura ō te whakaaro marama.

Freddie is my mother - Frederika. She taught me to make things and much more.

The name Patricia belongs to my mother Patricia Kay who will be 93 in August. Patricia was a Waikato representative golfer in her 50s and played golf competitively until she was over 80. A wonderful gardener all her life, she still gardens actively her home today. Knitting is now her passion as is watching the tauhou ( wax-eye birds) who visit her garden.

My embroidery is in memory of my wonderful mum - Marlene, now sadly no longer around to share her many handiwork talents and advice with me. She was my original crafting inspiration and teacher. Sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, tapestry, cross stitch, she turned her hand to it all. She made the most beautiful clothers for me, and for my dolls, when I was young, and even after I moved out of home, she would uncomplainingly fix or finish off my sewing or knitting projects that I'd lost patience with. Now that she's gone I miss our outings to the fabirc stores and craft fairs, out TV dates to watch the latest Sewing Bee or Homemade Home episode, and our Christmas crafting sessions together.

My contribution to the project is to honour Tara, a mental health professional who has been a guiding light in my life. The name Tara means 'star' in Sanskrit and she truly is a living star. I added gold stars to the peice in acknowledgement.

Dominique is my inspiration. She has dedicated her life to educating children as a mother, teacher, librarian and foster mother. She gives and gives. Dom has been my best friend for 41 years. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, she's there for me.

Sonya is an extremely organised woman. She prioritises and manages her time with efficiency and competence. She has to becuase so much of her time is about giving and helping others in her community. She gives of herself in a capable no fuss way. She's only a tiny thing, but her energy, sparkle and generosity is huge.

Janet ( Jan, Janks and Friendie) is my godmother and my mother’s best friend of over ninety years. Growing up in Tasmania we spent most of our holidays together as two families. Janet has a great sense of humour and is fun to be with. She has an eye for colour expressed in her clothing and home decorating.

Wai-Chee is my mother’s Chinese name. Mum used to sew and knit - she made her own wedding dress and many of our clothes when my sister and I were young. (I remember that I used to think as a child, "when can I get a dress bought from a store?!”) My mum has always been someone to ‘mend and make do’, which makes her creative and resourceful. I love you Mum xoxo

Nan, big old nan was the rainbow in all our lives, she taught us all our love of the arts. Our childhood was spent drawing and building clay sculptures that she would fire in the slow combustion stove. This encouragement for art was fostered in our teen years and into adulthood, five of her grandchildren now make a living within the arts and we hope that many of her great grandchildren will too, thanks to her.

NONA is my mum, my rock and someone who continues to be a source of joy, empathy, non-judgement and peace. She has had some desperately shit times in her life, namely her childhood, however she has built resilience over time and now I look to her even when she shows vulnerability as a strong loving, intelligent and committed Nona. I love her. xxx