Friday 21st November
Saturday 22nd November
Sunday 23rd November
10am – 4pm
Highett RSL Private Function Room
1 Station St, Highett, 3190 Victoria
The Extraordinary Embroidery Exhibition is a celebration of all things hand embroidery. At our 2025 event we exhibited stunning embroideries, held demonstrations in a range of techniques, chowed down on delicious cakes and slices, and raised thousands at our supplies sale table.
Peter Mac is Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to treating cancer and the home of Australia’s largest cancer research group. An internationally recognised organisation with over 700 passionate researchers, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation works towards new breakthroughs and kinder treatments for cancer patients.
We had the opportunity to tour their state-of-the-art Melbourne facility in 2024, after our last exhibition, and it truly was, well, extraordinary. We are so excited to have been able to fundraise for them again. This time, we were able to raise $7000 for Peter Mac. We could not have done it without the generous support of everyone involved.
Find winners and photos below!
We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Extraordinary Embroidery Exhibition!
There was so many incredible entries, and it was a close one! With over 120 submissions, almost every piece received a vote. But right from the start there were some clear frontrunners.
A huge congratulations to our winners and a massive thank you to everyone who submitted their work. We were able to cover almost all our expenses from your support, which allowed us to raise even more money for the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation.
Thank you so much to our generous sponsors who donated the fabulous Best In Show prizes.
First Place: 2x Ana Mallah Kits, donated by Ana Mallah
Second Place: Christine Burton Spanish Blackwork Cushion Kit, donated by Christine Burton
Third Place: Signed copies of In Bloom by Ana Mallah, donated by Inspirations Studios, and Just George by George Calombaris, donated by Hellenic House Project
First Place
Journey to the Sea
Kerri Seedsman
"My inspiration for this piece came from the determination of baby sea turtles as they make their first journey toward the ocean. I wanted to capture this special moment of life and movement. Using a range of stumpwork techniques, I layered the embroidery to bring a three-dimensional quality to the turtles and the ocean. My favourite aspect of this piece is the three-dimensional effect achieved through the raised embroidery, which makes the turtles appear as if they are truly crawling toward the ocean."
Second Place
David Smyth's Garden
Maureen Bradley
Designer: Susan O'Connor
"Designed by Susan O’Connor who has a special interest in Elizabethan embroidery and has designed many other pieces in this style.
David Smyth was embroiderer to Elizabeth 1 (16th century)
Flowers and scrolls were the dominant themes for embroidery in Elizabethan times are all reflected in this design.
I chose this piece because of the beautiful flowers and scrolls stitched in lovely colours with silk and gold thread. It was a pleasure to stitch and one of my favourite pieces."
Third Place
Tibetan Girl
Ruslana Idolovich
Designer: Bozena – based on a painting by Chinese artist Ai Xua
"The girl’s eyes were do alive that it amazed me. During the process, I noticed an interesting detail: when you pass by, her eyes always look at you. 100,000 crosses on 18 count."
Highlights
Some of the favourites from the show
Mystic Orbit by Jackie Holmes
"I really loved the illustration you see below and I was inspired to convert it into an embroidered piece, as I liked the contemporary look, the colour and the flow of the lines within the design.
As the work progressed my talented teacher suggested a range of different stitches, which created texture. Added to that was the use of many different threads, beads and wool which enhanced the texture considerably. This became a real learning experience for me."
Fruits of the Hedgerow by Amy Rao
Designer:
Carolyn Pearce
Enchanted Garden by Mandy O'Brien
The Rock Wallabies by Abigail Bolton
"I really love Taetia’s designs – the colours and positioning of characters are beautiful and the whimsy and humour is great too."
Designer:
Taetia McEwen
Motherly Love by Wendy Manning
"Based on a Gustav Klimt painting. Stitched as part of a CWA Branch exhibit for a CWA exhibition. Theme was Mothers Day."
Designer:
Riolis
A Walk in the Forest by Frederica McDonnell
"I found the whimsical design of this piece very appealing as were the bright colours of the felt and threads used in stitching the hanging. It was fun to make!"
Designer:
Wendy Williams with some alterations
View of Antwerp with the Spire of Onze-Lieve- Vrouwekathedraal in the Background by Ruslana Idolovich
"A wonderful market day in the 10th century with amazing architecture in the background. 163,000 cross stitches on 24 count."
Designer:
Chimera - Based on a painting by Jan Michiel Ruyten (1813 – 1881)
Giraffe Fodder by Carol Fallon
"For my granddaughter Margot. Thank you to Norma for encouraging me to try different types of stitching and for giving me the freedom to “let fly” with any creative ideas."
Designer:
Kate Wells
La Serenissima by Sue Fairlam
"I saw this design and fell in love with it immediately. With lots of help from Catherine Howell I changed the threads from Appletons to Gumnut Yarns. Catherine helped me every step of the way."
Designer:
Talliaferro Classic Needleart
Do you have high quality photos of some of your favourites? We would love to include them!
Please contact us to send hi-res copies of your photos.
More photos from the weekend!
