Registration for our 2019 National Seminar is now closed. Read below for more information about the seminar including hotel, classes and contact information.
Gateway to Stitching
Come join us at our
2019 National Seminar
Hosted by the Heartland Region
October 30 to November 3, 2019
Marriott St. Louis Grand in St. Louis, MO
This event has concluded. Learn about our 2020 National Seminar: Boston Stitch Party.
Welcome
Thank you for your interest in Gateway to Stitching, EGA’s 2019 National Seminar.
Registration closed on July 31, 2019.
Visit the tabs below for more information.
New Seminar Policy: Beginning with Seminar 2019 all student electronics, including task lights, used in the classrooms must be battery operated.
Be sure to “Like” us on Facebook: EGA 2019 Seminar Gateway to Stitching.
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Open Registration
Open Registration has ended
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Please read carefully
Gateway to Stitching Seminar Open Registration begins on March 16, 2019, at Noon Eastern Time and will close on July 31, 2019, at Midnight Pacific Time.
All registrations are on a first-come, first-served, space-available basis. Registration is open to EGA members. Non-EGA participants are welcome for an additional fee of $60. If you wish to join EGA, contact headquarters at (502) 589-6956, or click on the “Join Us” button at the top right of the EGA home page. Your membership must be on file or in process by May 31, 2019.
Open Registration can be processed either online or by mail.
Follow the links below to register online or download the Open Registration Instructions and Form to register by mail. Additionally, you may contact the Assistant Seminar Registrar at Registrar2019@egausa.org or (913) 894-1741 (please, no calls after 9:00 PM Central Time) to have an Open Registration Instructions and Form emailed or mailed via USPS. Registration must be postmarked or completed online between March 16 and July 31, 2019. Payment of class fees, as well as fees for special events and optional items, is due with registration. Kit fees and adjustments for mail-in registrations will be billed as received.
Click on the respective sections of this page to access descriptions and photos of classes and tours, hotel and ground transportation information, and more. Please be sure to click on the EGA Cancellation and Facility Use Policies tab before registering. You will be required to acknowledge your understanding of these policies when registering.
For the most up-to-date information on class availability, please click here. This information will be updated weekly.
Open Registrations will be accepted from EGA members and non-members for:
Five Days of Class ($655* Members OR $715* Non-members) (Wednesday, 10/30 through Sunday, 11/3/2019) includes one Friday class and one 4-day class OR one Friday class and two 2-day classes, plus Wednesday and Sunday banquets.
Four Days of Class ($580* Members OR $640* Non-members) (Wednesday, 10/30, Thursday 10/31, Saturday, 11/2, and Sunday, 11/3/2019) includes one 4-day class OR two 2-day classes, plus Wednesday and Sunday banquets.
Three Days of Class ($415* Members OR $475* Non-members) (Wednesday, 10/30 through Friday, 11/1/2019 OR Friday, 11/1 through Sunday 11/3/2019) includes one Friday class and one 2-day class, plus one banquet.
Two Days of Class ($340* Members OR $400* Non-members) (Wednesday, 10/30 through Thursday, 10/31/2019 OR Saturday, 11/2 through Sunday, 11/3/2010) includes one 2-day class, plus one banquet.
*A nonrefundable deposit ($100) is required for ALL attendees who register for two or more days of class. Fees include the nonrefundable deposit and the Hospitality Package, but DO NOT include kit, tour, special event, or optional item fees. (The Hospitality Package includes the seminar pin and handbook.)
One-Day Class ($75 Members OR $135 Non-members) includes a Friday class and no banquet.
Non-Participant ($175 Members AND Non-members) for those not taking classes at seminar. Must be registered at one of the designated seminar hotels as part of the EGA-negotiated room block. The fee includes two banquets and the Hospitality Package.
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Hotel Information
The Marriott St. Louis Grand, located in downtown St. Louis, is the site for Gateway to Stitching, EGA’s 2019 National Seminar.
Location
The hotel’s address is 800 Washington Ave St Louis, MO 63101. With a stay at Marriott St. Louis Grand, you’ll be centrally located in St. Louis. Located on trendy Washington Avenue with restaurants and entertainment easily accessible, we are also a short 11 minutes walk to Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village. This 4-star hotel is 0.6 mi (0.9 km) from City Museum and 1.6 mi (2.5 km) from the Gateway Arch and National Park.
Rooms and Amenities
Make yourself at home and relax in our redesigned guest rooms with plush platform beds and wall-mounted TVs equipped with live streaming of Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Hulu and Crackle. Our spacious guest rooms offer wireless Internet access (surcharge) to stay connected, and satellite programming available for your entertainment.
Dining
Grab a bite to eat at Zenia Bar & Grille or Starbucks, or stay in and take advantage of the grab and go items in the 8th Street Pantry or Fresh Bites delivered to your room. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. Buffet breakfasts are available for a fee. There are 40 other restaurants within walking distance of the hotel.
Seminar Rate
The seminar rate is $159.00 plus tax per night. Rooms may have a standard king bed, or two double beds, and can accommodate triple occupancy, and quadruple occupancy.
Hotel Reservations can be made at the Marriott St. Louis Grand beginning now.
Online Reservations: The hotel has opened a secure registration link dedicated to our event. To access this link click EGA Hotel Reservations.* Caution: You must use this link to obtain the seminar group rate.
Phone Reservations: Call 877-303-0104. Mention the Embroiderers’ Guild of America, Inc. 2019 Seminar to obtain the seminar group rate.
The deadline for making reservations is 6pm central time Thursday, October 3, 2019.
*If you have difficulty making hotel reservations please contact Anne Hanson, Assistant Seminar Chair by email crsurfer2000@gmail.com Note: Most people have found the online registration is the easiest way to make their reservation.
Parking
The Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel has provided a special self-parking rate for all overnight EGA guests of $22.50 per day. Valet parking is currently $38.00 per day.
Airport
The Marriott St. Louis Grand is located about 14 miles from the St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). Shuttle service is available through GoBest Transportation on your own. One-way taxi service from the airport costs about $40.
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Ground Transportation
Please note that since the Gateway to Stitching Brochure was published the shuttle provided by Go-Best Express service is no longer available. This service was discontinued June 30, 2019.
Due to the many ways you could travel around to St Louis it is recommended that you go to the Explore St. Louis website for transportation options
www.explorestlouis.com/gettingaroundCounty Cab has made available 10% off if you call and request to use their Taxi service. Their phone number is 314-991-5300 use discount code “10taxi” for 10% off a ride with them. The normal fee from the airport to the hotel would be $33.66 with code it is $30.00
They also have an App “St. Louis Taxi”. Unfortunately, you cannot use the discount code on the app. It is only available if you call.
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Tours: Friday, November 1, 9 AM - 2 PM
Tour 1 St. Louis Art Museum and the Missouri History Museum
slam.org and mohistory.org $52The Saint Louis Art Museum’s encyclopedic collection holds approximately 3500 textiles from many world cultures dating from Coptic weavings to contemporary fiber art. The strengths of the collection include early Turkish carpets, Greek Island embroideries (17-19th centuries), American quilts and printed textiles, Guatemalan textiles, Navajo weavings, and Plains Indian beadwork. The Missouri Historical Society clothing and textile collection numbers around 18,000+ pieces. This tour will view some of the samplers as well as other kinds of embroidered textiles within the collection.
Tour 2 Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and the Gateway Arch National Park
cahokiamounds.org and gatewayarch.com $69Cahokia Mounds is a World Heritage site and offers an interpretive center with an orientation film. One of the greatest cities of the world, Cahokia was larger than London was in AD 1250. Self-guided tours and trails allow you to explore the largest earthwork in North America. As the nation’s tallest monument, the Gateway Arch commemorates Thomas Jefferson’s vision and St. Louis’ role in the westward expansion of the United States. Begin your tour interactive exhibits and be transported by tram 630 feet to the top of America’s tallest man-made monument. This tour is NOT handicapped accessible.
Tour 3 Grant’s Farm and Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site
Grantsfarm.com and Nps.gov/ulsg $49At Grant’s Farm you can ride the tram for a tour of the attraction and you can visit the famous Budweiser Clydesdale stables. After lunch the bus will take you to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. Ulysses S. Grant is known as the victorious Civil War general who saved the Union and the 18th President of the United States. He first met Julia Dent, his future wife, at her family home, named White Haven. The newly married Grants lived at White Haven off and on for several years beginning in 1848. There’s a museum and guided tour of the home.
Tour 4 Missouri Botanical Garden and Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
missouribotanicalgarden.org and cathedralstl.org $85One of the oldest botanical gardens in the U.S., Missouri Botanical Garden is outstanding not only in the excellence of its displays, but also in the richness of its architectural heritage and the importance of its botanical research. Features of the garden include the Climatron and the 14-acre Japanese Garden, one of the largest in North America. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis displays the largest mosaic collection in the world outside Russia. The installation of mosaics was completed in 1988. Collectively the mosaics contain 41.5 million glass tesserae pieces in more than 7,000 colors
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International Teacher Tour 2019
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Seminar Merchandise
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Needle Arts Brochure
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2019 Gateway to Stitching Education Exhibit
To submit information for exhibit entries, please click here or on the Exhibit Form link below. After entering your contact information on the form, you may enter information for one or more exhibit entries in succession.
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Winning Ways 2019
Winning Ways is a one-day series of four lectures on various techniques and design and is sponsored by the Judges Certification Program. While it is continuing education for judges and teachers, it is open to all stitchers who wish to learn more about a technique – either to improve their skills or to decide if they want to take a class in a new technique.
Good technique and the ability to self-evaluate is your key to spectacular embroidery. Judges, teachers, aspiring judges or teachers, exhibitors and needle workers will benefit from hearing the speakers, all experts in their fields. The speakers will discuss criteria for evaluating different types of embroidery and guidelines for improving your own embroidery. This year’s focus is on embroidery techniques well as design.
Katherine Diuguid – Stitching Light: Exploring Monet’s Luminous Color Through Embroidery. Investigate optical mixing techniques in embroidery by studying the work of a master painter.
Inez Giles – Slovakia’s Embroidery Traditions. Travel through Slovakia and learn about native embroidery traditions and their role in Slovak life.
Canby Robertson – Painting, Dying and Printing: Multi-media Approaches to Ground Fabric Preparation for Surface Embroidery. Explore a number of methods to integrate the fabric we stitch on with the stitches we embroider to make a cohesive design.
Yvette Stanton – A Survey of Whitework. Learn what distinguishes various forms of whitework such as Mountmellick and early and contemporary Hardanger in this talk by the “Queen of Whitework”.
Fee $35.00
Sponsored by the EGA Judges Certification Program and the Education Department
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Seminar 2019 Teacher Showcase
Saturday evening, November 2, 2019 will feature Teacher Showcase. Teacher Showcase is a place and time for all local, national and international teachers to show off their latest teaching pieces and distribute flyers and business cards. This gives convention attendees an opportunity to learn about and connect with possible teachers for chapter and regional programs. In the past, some teachers bring along stitched models, but most have color photos or digital displays of items in their teaching portfolios. Tables or half-tables may be reserved on attendee registration forms, but you do not have to be attending the convention to participate! Contact Jane Tracy (bktracy@earthlink.net) with questions or to register just for Teacher Showcase. Table rent is $25 for 1/2 a table and a whole table for $45. So gather, your information and we will see you in St Louis.
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Merchandise Night
On Friday, November 1st, 2019, our seminar will host its annual Merchandise Night. This night is set aside for the participants (and the public) to shop for items related to needlework. And we would like to hear from potential vendors interested in showcasing their products.
As the availability of some pieces of the needlework trade become more difficult to procure, we love being able to provide this service to our membership at seminar.
Learn more on the link below.
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Volunteers Needed
Are you registered for National Seminar 2019? Do you want to help it run smoothly? Volunteers are needed before and after classes, especially during lunch! Can you find at least an hour or two to help? There are a variety of tasks and I will help you find a job that will work for you!
Not yet registered? Not sure that you want to take a class but you’d love to experience National? You can register beginning March 16 th as a Nonparticipant for a fee of just $175. The fee includes both banquets and the Hospitality Package. Nonparticipants must be registered at the Marriott St Louis Grand as part of the EGA -negotiated room block to get the reduced rate. Come stitch with friends, be of service and support Heartland Region!
To volunteer contact Jan King, Volunteer Coordinator EGA Seminar 2019 at janetklking@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your consideration.
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EGA Cancellation and Facility Use Policies
Please download and read our policies regarding cancellations.
Questions?
For additional information, you are welcome to contact any of the following:
Solveig Walstrom
2019 Seminar Chairman
solveigwalstrom@icloud.com
Sandra Gordon
2019 Seminar Dean of Faculty
gordonfaculty2019@gmail.com
Vickie Patchin
2019 Seminar Assistant Registrar
registrar2019@egausa.org