Did you know that several EGA chapters have their own social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok? We are always happy to see chapters like SOME Chapter EGA, Knoxville Chapter, Susquehanna Chapter, Bucks County Chapter, Virginia Tech Chapter, Philadelphia Chapter, Tucson Chapter, and Louisville Chapter consistently post photos and videos showcasing their thriving, inspirational communities.
However, there are more than 230 EGA chapters, and only a handful host their own online social media communities. EGA has tried to foster our chapters to create more content for social media because we know it’s a great way to spread a love of the needle arts and reach new embroiderers (you can learn tips on how to grow your chapter with Instagram here). To better understand how our chapters can better engage with their community and their online audience, we sat down with Bryce Romig who runs the Louisville Chapter Instagram account (Louisville Chapter also runs an excellent Facebook account!) Bryce shared his experiences crafting his chapter’s content for Instagram and included some tips to help other chapter members grow their own social media accounts.
How did you become involved in managing a social media account for your EGA Chapter?
Sitting with a hoop in my hand at one of our monthly chapter meetings, a few of the members and myself were talking about outreach and ways to improve our reach to new people, specifically young adults. “Where are they and how can we find them? Are they looking for us but can’t find us? What could we change?” These are the questions we discussed, and being a young adult myself, it was rather easy to answer.
Facebook, whilst important and once prolific, doesn’t have the same impact on the younger generation. By the time I graduated high school, most of my peers deleted their accounts. Many adults, young and old, have traded out Facebook for social media that has a bigger emphasis on aesthetics and imagery. They like to curate their feeds using photos that showcase beautiful colors, textures, aesthetics, art, and music. They want to look at something that feels put together, accessible, welcoming, and easy to understand. To find that crowd, we needed to venture into that same world. And what a perfect match it was.
Being a creative art, embroidery finds the perfect home and audience on Instagram. From the various types of needlework, to the gorgeous hues and textures of thread, your feed is destined to be beautiful. Showcasing the talented chapter members allows you to create an interesting visual feed that highlights various different types of embroidery. It was the perfect place to find our target audience. I knew they were there, we just had to find them and show them who we are. From individuals who already enjoy needlework to people that would like to learn, Instagram is the place to find them and make your presence known. I had a bit of a cheat code though, as years before I had run a successful baking account. I had already learned all of the features needed to curate a beautiful feed, and I was happy to use those skills to help our chapter find a new audience.
Where do you find the great content you’re sharing on social media? Do you take the photos yourself? How do you encourage your chapter members to share images of their finished projects?
That is perhaps the best part of curating an Instagram for the creative arts. The art just falls into your lap. It really can be as simple or complex as you want. At first, I asked members to pick out some of their favorite finished projects. I either took the photos myself, or had them photograph them. I find that the most important part of a visually captivating Instagram feed is lighting and color, and I keep these in mind when instructing others to take photos—but don’t overcomplicate it!
It’s important that members know all they actually have to do is send in a photo using their phone cameras. You’ll handle the posting, the hashtags, and the editing. All you need from them is a photo. Many people are unfamiliar with Instagram, and it may seem daunting to those who haven’t used it before. It’s your job to make it easy for them.
It’s really as simple as setting the piece against a table and snapping a photo. I instructed members to try and take photos with bright, natural light against a backdrop that is either simple or staged. Simple meaning the finished piece, usually in a frame or hoop, is against a plain backdrop such as a desk, table, or wall. These are great because they are quick to take and easy to send. It doesn’t always need to be fancy. Some of the best photos on our feed are rather simple.
But if you want to make it more complex, you can stage the photos, which is always lots of fun. Usually I will take these types of pictures for members unless they want to do it on their own (and some do!). For staging photos, ask yourself—what feelings does the piece portray? Brainstorm how a piece makes you feel and use it to your advantage. My favorite way to dress up a photo is by utilizing my favorite needlework accessories. A few skeins of thread. A needle minder. A seam ripper. Spools. Fabric. Antique needles or pincushions. Instead of just showing the completed art, now you’re telling a story. You essentially are having a mini photoshoot that looks driven and purposeful.
But really, the most important part is getting the photos of work members are proud of, no matter how simple or complex. It attracts potential members, and showcases how talented members are. It is really important to post completed projects from stitchers of all levels and experience. From the basics to more complex designs, all stitchers and potential members need to see that they have a place in EGA. Encourage members of all skill levels to send their photos in! Instagram is really neat. Instead of just a few eyes seeing a completed piece at a home or stitch-in, Instagram opens it up to a whole creative audience. It’s a win for your chapter, and also your members. I’m proud to be part of such a talented group, and I truly do feel that the world should see the art these members can create with their hands.
How have you developed a way for members to share photos with you?
The most important part is making it easy and accessible for members to both take and send in photos. After all, the only thing you need from them is the photos!
I utilize Facebook Messenger most often because most members are usually already familiar with it. Some of them will even text me photos after completing a project, which is always exciting.
I encourage them to not only send the photos, but also any information about the piece they stitched. The designer, the inspiration, why they chose certain colors. Any and all information is good to have, and they can send it right over Facebook Messenger (or text) along with the photo. Sometimes I will even ask them to include a sentence or two talking about their favorite part of stitching the piece, which I will use in the instagram caption.
I also post in our chapter’s Facebook group asking for photos of completed projects they wouldn’t mind sharing on Instagram. Nearly everyone has been gracious enough to allow us to post their art. Stitch-ins, workshops, and retreats are also great places to get lots of photos in a short amount of time. I will take photos of any recently completed projects they bring, and will also take photos and videos of them stitching.
Socializing and having fun together is a big part of EGA, and I love reels and video stories because it brings that aspect of us to life. You can see us interacting, learning, having fun and stitching. It’s a great way to convey what we are all about. And the bonus is Instagram’s algorithm loves videos, and you can use that to your advantage! One of the coolest posts I had the honor to make was of members Linda Reed and Ellen Yunker examining the embroidery on garments at The Filson Historical Society here in Louisville (seen above and below). It was a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at how we create and put workshops together, and really added a personal element to our feed.
Why is it important to you to have an active social media channel for your chapter? Why should EGA Chapters invest in their own social media profiles?
It is important because it is necessary. In our modern world, the bulletin board at your local church or cafe has been replaced with Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. People find groups, clubs, and guilds through online networking. Some guilds have gone online completely and hold meetings via Zoom and Messenger.
It is extremely important to use these tools as they are necessary for our chapter’s survival. Younger people need to be able to easily find us. We need to be accessible and personable to the next generation. I would encourage all EGA chapters to start one, and soon. Take the time and effort (and maybe get one of the younger members to help you!) to create a visually captivating feed. While there is a learning curve in the beginning, it’s rather easy to get ahead of. Once you throw yourself in and understand how to post and what visually looks the best, it’s exciting! Do not be intimidated. You’re essentially celebrating how talented your chapter is.
You can also network with other Instagram accounts to help find potential members. We always post a few Instagram Stories during stitch-ins, especially at libraries. When I tagged our local library in Stories, they reshared our post and a few people came the next week and stated they found us because of it. It’s an easy and free way to advertise what your chapter is all about, and we need to take advantage. It is the way going forward, best to get ahead of the curve now!
Have you learned anything interesting from hosting a social media profile?
Other than getting to see so much amazing talent from our members, it’s been quite fun interacting with other EGA chapters, needlework guilds, and artists. When I post completed projects, I tag the pattern designer if there is one. The pattern and chart designers absolutely love to see people completing their work, and it’s fun to interact with them. They sometimes will even repost the actual photo onto their Instagram stories, which is another great way to network. Using hashtags and the location tag, it’s been fun seeing who finds us and follows us. The needlework community is vast, and seeing all of the various artists is inspiring.
What advice do you have for other EGA Chapters interested in growing their social media profiles?
Aesthetics matter. This isn’t your standard Facebook post, this is a curated feed! It needs to be pretty, and it needs to be purposeful.
After members send their photos, it’s your job to make the magic happen. Familiarize yourself with Instagram’s photo editing functions. Every photo won’t be the same, which is a great thing, but it needs to be just as high quality as the next. Use many hashtags and use them often. When you type the pound sign and start spelling out the word embroidery, it will automatically come up with various tags created by the community. Use all of them. It will only help your account grow. Tag your city. There is a spot right before you post that says “add location.” Always do it. Even if it’s just the city you’re in. I always make sure to add Louisville as my location so the algorithm promotes us to our local community. If we are at a retreat, museum, or library, I will make that the location instead. It’s been great in growing our account’s reach.
When people click your profile, they need to be enticed to find out more. That’s your job, and it isn’t as daunting as it sounds. I switch it up from time to time—I’ll zoom in and post a high-quality photo of someone’s individual stitching, or even just photos of their favorite tools and colors. I also like to do posts centered around specific themes, such as holidays or stitching buddies (aka, pets!). Many members have cats or dogs that sit with them while they stitch, and it makes for a great photo op and cute post! Play around with it, make it exciting. It’s a great way to get to know and engage with current members as well.
Does the Lousiville EGA Chapter have any upcoming events that you’d like stitchers to know about?
I reached out to our Outreach Chair, Ellen Yunker, to give us details about our upcoming events for this year:
Our chapter is thrilled to be partnering with the Filson Historical Society in two ways. On May 31, chapter members are teaching an embroidery workshop at the Filson inspired by their newest exhibit, “From Bustles to Blue Jeans.” The exhibit features some of the over 5,000 garments in the Filson collection, and is a must-see through August 15th of this year. The embroidery designs are original pieces, which work directly back to garments in the exhibit.
In addition, the Filson has asked EGA to collaborate on their participation in the 2025 Cultural Pass, a free summer learning opportunity sponsored by Fund for the Arts and Metro Louisville. The Pass allows students up to age 16 to visit over 50 arts and culture venues from June 2 through July 25 at no charge. Students will tour Filson exhibits, participate in a scavenger hunt, and embroider a bookmark as a memento of their visit.
We have stitch-ins weekly at the St. Matthews library and twice monthly at the Floyd County library in New Albany. In addition, local shop Rogue Stitching welcomes EGA and the public the fourth Saturday of each month. Stitchers can find these opportunities and more listed on our website and Facebook. Partnering with local libraries is usually free and accessible—take advantage of that! Our librarians love to see us visit and share our work with them and their patrons.
I can’t overstate how vital it is to just get out there! The social media posts, the stitch-ins, Quilters’ Day Out and Stitch in Public Day; it all works to get EGA out there. Be prepared with brochures and a list of stitch-ins, and just chat with everyone you see. Be approachable! And remember in the nonprofit world, they say it takes ten asks to get a “yes”—so just keep talking and sharing!
