Evelyn Baxter Scholarship School postponed from 2020 for Federation classes to now be offered in 2022
The subject that was chosen by the H & H Committee for the 2021 Evelyn Baxter Scholarship is ‘Improve Your Basic Knitting & Finishing’. Due to the Coronavirus, this was postponed. The revised dates for The Scholarship School will be held in SWI Headquarters from 20th – 22nd of April. Please note those who have previously applied have been contacted.
A few additional places are being offered again, at a cost of £200.00 to fee paying pupils only. The number of fee-paying pupils may be oversubscribed and therefore a ballot will be necessary. All will be notified.
Applications should reach Headquarters not later than Friday 29th January 2021
The following has been emailed out to the Federations and Handcrafts & Homeskills Secretaries
Handcraft Judges Certificates will be in the SWI Headquarters, 42 Heriot Row, Edinburgh. The dates will be the 23rd – 25th February 2021.
Please note these are the subjects postponed from 2020 being offered again:– Bobbin Lace, Contemporary Embroidery, Dolls, Hand Knitting, Lampshade Making, Papercraft, Hand Quilting, Soft Furnishings, Toymaking, Trimmings, Whitework
Please contact your Federation or Handcrafts & Homeskills Secretary for an application form. The closing date for applications to be received here at SWI headquarters is Friday 13th November 2020.
Request for Items.
Thank you to everyone who has already contributed. However, due to possible further applications. It would be greatly appreciated if you are able to provide items for these certificates. If you can assist please contact the Handcrafts & Homeskills Events Co-ordinator. The email address is: hand.house@theswi.org.uk to let her know what items can be provided on loan.
Due to the circumstances and Government Guidelines. It is highly recommended that items be posted by either Special delivery or Registered post. This will be refunded. Items being delivered in person to the office must contact the Events Co-ordinator in advance to arrange this. The items would need to be received at the office by February the 18th at the latest.
At a recent zoom meeting of the Handcrafts & Homeskills Committee, one of the subjects for discussion was the arrangement of the certificates.
Corona Virus - Due to various reasons, such as whether venues would be open and also members safety. The committee decided that the Spring 2020 and Autumn 2020 Certificates that should have taken place this year, will now take place next year.
For example federations that were due to have their certificates in Spring 2021 and Autumn 2021 will now be able to sit them in Spring and Autumn of 2022. The deadlines for the 2022 certificates will now be October 2021 for Spring 2022 and 1st March 2022 for Autumn 2022.This will affect future federations eligiblity to sit their certificates. Federation and Handcrafts & Homeskills Secretaries have now been informed. Please contact your secretary or the Handcrafts & Homeskills Events Co-ordinator. Email: hand.house@the swi.org.uk
In the meantime, please bear with the SWI as we try to adjust to the current circumstances which has had a profound effect on all SWI events.
We hope to hold the Matter of Opinion and National Quiz on Saturday 31st October 2020. This may need to be a virtual competition, depending on Government guidelines, but it gives us all something to look forward to. Although Federations may struggle to hold eliminations, we would hope to receive Matter of Opinion and quiz team entries. If Federations have teams interested in the Matter of Opinion competition, please notify Carrie on educ.int@theswi.org.uk of the number of interested teams to see if the competition is viable. To ensure that the competition goes ahead, there may be no limit on numbers of teams from each Federation (as a one off due to the circumstances).
Likewise, entries for the Quiz will be very welcome. Please note that there will be no entry fee and this is open to SWI members only. Thank you.
The 2021 Study Tour will be to the Cotswolds. All travel will be by coach.
The price of the Study Tour is £400 per person which includes all travel, four nights’ accommodation, dinner, bed, breakfast and admissions.
The tour will travel down to Stratford-Upon-Avon. There will be pick up points in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Gretna Services. The tour is based for four nights at the Stratford Manor Hotel. Single accommodation may be available at a supplement of £100.00. However, there are a limited number of single rooms. The closing date for applications is Friday 22nd November 2020. The Itinerary and further information for the study tour can be downloaded from the members' area, login required, or by emailing educ.int@theswi.org.uk.
The 2020 Warnock Trophy Competition has been cancelled, all entries will be carried forward to the 2021 competition.
The Warnock Trophy, which was gifted to the SWI by the late Mrs E Warnock, Lanarkshire, is awarded for an annual competition in connection with the SWI magazine. The competition is for a five lined limerick beginning with ‘There was a young woman’.
The Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) European Conference in Scotland has been rescheduled to 10-14 May 2021. at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel, Clydebank, Glasgow. All those who have already registered will receive an email about the change (unless we don't have an email address). Please note that you can still register at this time by completing and returning the form below. For further information, please email educ.int@theswi.org.uk
2021 ACWW Conference Registration Form
Please note this is for members who attended the 2019 Federation classes only.
The 2020 competition will be for:
‘An Embroidered Bird’
Worked using up to eight of the stitches used in the class.
Should you wish to enter please contact the Handcrafts & Homeskills Events Co-ordinator (hand.house@theswi.org.uk or 0131 285 7117). The fee to enter is £3.00. Further details and specifications are on the entry form. The entry form is available to download from the members' area of the website, login required (committees/handcrafts-and-homeskills/Evelyn Baxter Trophy Competition)
The entry form should be returned to the Handcrafts & Homeskills Events Co-ordinator by Friday 11th September. Entries should be delivered to the Handcrafts and Homeskills Events Co-ordinator at Headquarters by Friday 25th September.
SWI organises national competitions in curling, stadium bowling, outdoor bowling and golf. Federations select a team(s), usually by competition, to represent them in the competition. Further information can be obtained from the Education and International Events Co-ordinator - educ.int@theswi.org.uk
Due to issues with catering at previous sports competitions, all refreshments must be ordered and paid for in advance for players and spectators. Refreshment vouchers will be distributed on the day and these should be handed over for refreshments.
Unfortunately the following 2020 competitions have been cancelled, in line with Government advice:
The National Golf Competition 2020
Ruralympics
Outdoor Bowling Competition
Stadium Bowling Competition
*Please click the side arrow to access the Guidelines relating to events.
For federations who are hosting, or interested in hosting, SWI Sports Competitions, you can view our Guidelines for the following:
Proficiency Certificate Schedule
Welcome to our Education & International Committee Proficiency Certificate Programme.
We are delighted that you are considering sitting a certificate.
The downloadable booklet will give you all the answers to any queries you may have.
The new schedules are now available. For the Homeskills there will be an additional new certificate. Once completed, it will be put on to this website and the Federations in the Central area will receive this as soon as is possible.
Homeskills Proficiency Schedule
Please note for the Coloured Embroidery, the hints No. 4 should read ‘only 1 article in Counted Thread on evenweave fabric’
SWI offers members the opportunity to attend weekend schools, particularly in handcrafts and Scottish Country Dancing. These are held in suitable venues in various parts of the Scotland.
The date of the 2021 Scottish Country Dance Weekend for SWI members is to be confirmed.
The Handcrafts Weekend School has been postponed until a later date. Details will follow.
SWI organises Study Tours, both abroad and to other parts of the UK, which include programmes of educational visits and meetings with members of our sister organisations.
The 2021 Study Tour will be to the Cotswolds and take place between 3-7th May 2021. Further information can be downloaded from the members' area.
For further information, please contact the Education and International Secretary email: educ.int@theswi.org.uk.