– DMC being the brand of embroidery thread she has become well acquainted with over many decades of needlecraft.
Handwork has been a constant in Margaret’s life ever since she was introduced to it by a cousin’s grandmother, aged about six. Around this time she also learnt to use a treadle Singer sewing machine. She was born in North Carolina, the daughter of an American GI and a Wairarapa girl. She came to New Zealand with her family when she was a toddler and later attended St Matthews as a boarder. Since then, she has always had a base in Wairarapa and always regarded the region as home, despite living in Wellington and overseas with husband Derek and five children at different periods.
Margaret says she’s always had to have “something on the go,” and this exhibition showcases her wide variety of work and the high level of artistry she has achieved. But she insists that there’s nothing difficult about embroidery: “All you have to have is stamina,” she says.
