A Walcha-based embroiderer and teacher has been recognised at a state level, with Yvette Stanton named the winner of the 2025 Roma Field Award for Traditional Embroidery in the Tutors and Past Winners Category.
Ms Stanton received the award for her work Starlit Windows, which judges described as “beautifully executed, showing a high level of skill.”
The Roma Field Award recognises excellence in historically based embroidery practice and was established in 2022 as a companion to the long-running Margaret Oppen Award for Contemporary Embroidery. It is named in honour of Roma Field, known as Miss Field, a founding member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of NSW who was widely respected for her commitment to teaching and encouraging traditional embroidery techniques.
Ms Stanton’s work reflects that same dedication to traditional practice. A local embroiderer and embroidery teacher, she specialises in historic whitework techniques and is internationally recognised for her expertise in Hardanger embroidery, a traditional Norwegian method. She has written multiple books on traditional embroidery styles and regularly teaches workshops in Walcha.
A tutor for the Embroiderers’ Guild of NSW, Ms Stanton was also the inaugural winner of the Roma Field Award in the Tutors category when the competition was first held in 2022. This year, she entered two works in the competition.
Her winning piece, Starlit Windows, is stitched in Hardanger embroidery. Her second entry, Dutch Heart, is a sampler in Frisian whitework, a white-on-white embroidery tradition originating in Friesland in the Netherlands.
Both works are currently on exhibition at Gallery 76 in Concord West, Sydney, as part of the Margaret Oppen and Roma Field Competitions 2025 exhibition. The exhibition showcases 38 entries received for the 2025 competitions and will run until 25 January 2026. The gallery will be closed from 20 December to 1 January.
Ms Stanton will continue to share her skills locally, teaching a beginners’ Hardanger embroidery workshop in Walcha in February, followed by a workshop in March focusing on the Dutch Heart project. Bookings and enquiries can be made on 02 6714 4708 or via www.vettycreations.com.au.
Those interested in joining the Embroiderers’ Guild of NSW can contact the Armidale group, which meets monthly. Enquiries can be directed to Judith on 0409 300 572.
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