Our 2025 HNAS takes place on Saturday, November 26
Download a poster here.
A History of the Heritage Needle Arts Sale
Joanne Bromilow and Miriam Birkenthal were not happy with the results of selling their embroidery work at craft sales, where people didn’t understand the amount of work involved in this type of ‘craft’. As a result, the sale at Dalnavert Museum was born. Joanne and Miriam approached the executive of WEG regarding the idea of the sale, and the executive agreed they could go ahead with the sale, but the executive wanted no part in organizing it. The executive agreed to fund them (if necessary) and do the treasurers paperwork.
Before the first sale, members of WEG were invited to participate in the sale and a meeting was held for those who were interested. At the meeting members brought samples of their work, which was judged by those in attendance. (Selling prices were set by the seller.) Eventually, an adjudicator was appointed (not a vendor) to determine acceptability of items in the sale – Victorian crafts, use of needle and thread, seminar and workshop techniques were part of the guidelines.
In November 1998, the first Dalnavert Heritage Needle Arts Sale was held, located in the attic of Dalnavert Museum. The sale was set up on Friday before the sale and taken down at the end of the day of the sale. Nine WEG members participated in the first sale, selling their hand made items, along with some items from WEG. The entire house was beautifully decorated for Christmas and really helped put shoppers in the Christmas spirit. It was a long trek up the stairs to the attic, but well worth the effort. Many wonderful pieces created by WEG members were displayed for sale. It was a great opportunity to shop for truly unique and hand-crafted gifts.
Every year, the sale got bigger and better. Eventually shoppers asked if they could pay by credit card, so the Dalnavert gift shop accepted these sales on our behalf. For the next few years of the annual sale, WEG members were positioned throughout the house, providing stitching demonstrations. In 2004 an addition was added to the main house; 2004 was the only year there was no sale at Dalnavert. From 2005 until 2013 the sale was held in this addition, the modern Dalnavert Annex. Sadly, in 2013, Dalnavert Museum closed its doors; the fate of the museum was in limbo. WEG wished the museum all the best, but it was time to move on.
The WEG Heritage Needle Arts Sales Committee (formerly referred to as the “Dalnavert Committee”) successfully searched out and secured a new venue for the sale renaming it “The Heritage Needle Arts Sale”.
WEG was excited about this opportunity and its new advantages: being more user friendly for patrons with mobility issues (no stairs), and having ample parking. The Committee also worked on the logistics of offering credit card payments during the sale, via the Square device and application.
In 2014 the Heritage Needle Arts Sale moved to St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 775 Elm Street at Grant Avenue. The sale began and ended on the same day. The first sale set up was at 8:00 a.m, and opened at 10:00 a.m. Subsequent sales started at 9:30, ending at 3:00 p.m.
The Heritage Needle Arts Sale is self-sustaining. Vendors do not have to rent table space. Vendors contribute 15% of their sales toward the rent and insurance for the venue, advertising, cost of using the ‘square’ for credit and debit purchases, other incidental expenses.
The sale continues to be organized and run by the vendors, with the WEG treasurer accepting the monies from the sale and writing cheques for the vendors and for expenses.
Joanne Bromilow and Miriam Birkenthal were not happy with the results of selling their embroidery work at craft sales, where people didn’t understand the amount of work involved in this type of ‘craft’. As a result, the sale at Dalnavert Museum was born. Joanne and Miriam approached the executive of WEG regarding the idea of the sale, and the executive agreed they could go ahead with the sale, but the executive wanted no part in organizing it. The executive agreed to fund them (if necessary) and do the treasurers paperwork.
Before the first sale, members of WEG were invited to participate in the sale and a meeting was held for those who were interested. At the meeting members brought samples of their work, which was judged by those in attendance. (Selling prices were set by the seller.) Eventually, an adjudicator was appointed (not a vendor) to determine acceptability of items in the sale – Victorian crafts, use of needle and thread, seminar and workshop techniques were part of the guidelines.
In November 1998, the first Dalnavert Heritage Needle Arts Sale was held, located in the attic of Dalnavert Museum. The sale was set up on Friday before the sale and taken down at the end of the day of the sale. Nine WEG members participated in the first sale, selling their hand made items, along with some items from WEG. The entire house was beautifully decorated for Christmas and really helped put shoppers in the Christmas spirit. It was a long trek up the stairs to the attic, but well worth the effort. Many wonderful pieces created by WEG members were displayed for sale. It was a great opportunity to shop for truly unique and hand-crafted gifts.
Every year, the sale got bigger and better. Eventually shoppers asked if they could pay by credit card, so the Dalnavert gift shop accepted these sales on our behalf. For the next few years of the annual sale, WEG members were positioned throughout the house, providing stitching demonstrations. In 2004 an addition was added to the main house; 2004 was the only year there was no sale at Dalnavert. From 2005 until 2013 the sale was held in this addition, the modern Dalnavert Annex. Sadly, in 2013, Dalnavert Museum closed its doors; the fate of the museum was in limbo. WEG wished the museum all the best, but it was time to move on.
The WEG Heritage Needle Arts Sales Committee (formerly referred to as the “Dalnavert Committee”) successfully searched out and secured a new venue for the sale renaming it “The Heritage Needle Arts Sale”.
WEG was excited about this opportunity and its new advantages: being more user friendly for patrons with mobility issues (no stairs), and having ample parking. The Committee also worked on the logistics of offering credit card payments during the sale, via the Square device and application.
In 2014 the Heritage Needle Arts Sale moved to St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 775 Elm Street at Grant Avenue. The sale began and ended on the same day. The first sale set up was at 8:00 a.m, and opened at 10:00 a.m. Subsequent sales started at 9:30, ending at 3:00 p.m.
The sales have continued at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, annually, except for Nov. 2020: the year of the Covid pandemic.
The Heritage Needle Arts Sale is self-sustaining. Vendors do not have to rent table space. Vendors contribute 15% of their sales toward the rent and insurance for the venue, advertising, cost of using the ‘square’ for credit and debit purchases, other incidental expenses.
The sale continues to be organized and run by the vendors, with the WEG treasurer accepting the monies from the sale and writing cheques for the vendors and for expenses.