July 2014
This was a members meeting busy with fund raising via a raffle and sales table full of donated items, time to socialise, notices, updates on The Embroiderer's Guild from speeches by CEO Terry Murphy, and a DVD presentation featuring Robina Porter speaking about her work including embroidery and weaving in Bangladesh.
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| Sales table |
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| Additional Sales table |
Raffle Prizes
And the winners with their selected prizes
June 2014
‘Inspiration from Africa’ by Mary Sleigh
Mary originally trained as a teacher and has
combined that experience with her passion for fabric, thread and collecting.
She enjoyed her years of teaching creative textile courses as well as acting as
an External Verifier for City & Guilds qualifications.
Now, she is enjoying
the freedom of spending more time developing her own personal work. For many
years Mary has collected and kept such items and her current work is an
extension of that process: finding, sorting, remembering, ordering and
presenting. The collections mark moments in her life, map where she has been,
and continue to fire her imagination.
She enjoys the industrious
process of creating work and investigating materials and processes. Much of the
joy in what she creates is in the actual making; allowing work to change
through construction, finding visual, inventive and expressive ways of
capturing fleeting moments; the essence of a place or people that have had an
impact on my life. Combining fabric and paper, stitched surfaces and unexpected
materials and found objects is exciting and allows connections to emerge.
The display that Mary created consisted of a selection of
items of interest that she has collected which provide her with ideas and
inspiration.
Some of these pieces were woven textiles from West Africa or The
Democratic Republic of Congo obtained many (30+) years ago – it is difficult to
tell the exact age as they would be woven and kept to sell at a later date
providing ongoing income.
From the Congo cloths woven from Raffia and also sewn
with raffia which have a tufted pile like cut velvet, some feature patchwork
and appliqué or just appliqué designs with all the hems on the front of the
pieces. Many of these would be worn round the body for festivals.
Applique and patchwork
Raffia cloth
Edging - hem on front
Applique
Hauser Robe from Ghana which would be worn by someone of
great status– beige with circles and patterns which show an Islamic influence –
this is 70 -90 years old with the fabric being strip woven from raw silk, then
pieced together, embroidered by hand and lined with indigo dyed fabric.
Detail on robe
Eastern Cape the Causa people consisted of many tribal
groups including the Temba (Nelson Mandela belonged to this group) and were
united by the language. The skirt which would be worn at a festival/ rite of
passage is 60 -70 years old and is made from peasant cotton featuring a striped
design at the bottom which are hand stitched appliqué.
Bead work items – these are worked on wires and used to
form arm decoration, neck collars etc (now plastic beads are used rather than
the traditional glass beads) examples include:
Neck collars – the dark blue one is typical of those
found, every village would have its own combination of colours to identify them
and their origin. The smaller collar would probably have been worn by a woman.
Tobacco bag
Bags used
for items like tobacco as well as denoting
gender with the female bag having short tassels whilst that for the male would
have longer tassels.
Beaded ‘Apron’ – this has a fastening strap made from
solid brass washers which the men brought back from the factories or mines in
the industrial areas, other ‘found’ objects would be incorporated into the bead
work.
Gourds are used to drink from and are decorated with
beadwork.
Worn by women on special occasions
Beads and found items
Mfengu ‘Love letter necklace’ consists of mother of
pearl buttons which were originally from the missionaries. Due to the African
peoples love of beads Mary includes beads in her pieces of work.
Maasai people –
the beads in costumes or as neck cascade/collars reflect the light so on
special occasions when they are worn to dance illuminated by the flickering
light of the fire the result is fantastic.
Ear rings – these go through the ear – the metal arrows
are symbolic of cow’s horns and are made by beating out metal from old
saucepans.
Zulu – spoon holders are for special ‘symbolic’ spoons
and are made from raffia covered with beads.
Mary’s journey as a maker, embroiderer, ‘stitcher’ is not
a straight line but is about revisiting and reflecting. The African landscape
and light is very different to that in Northern Europe – clear blue skies, semi
arid desert, dried, desiccated, distorted plants, different vegetation like the
whistling thorn tree in which ants nest and protect the tree, markets crowded
with people wearing brilliant colours and patterns all these are recorded in
neo colour crayons in sketch books.
Other influences:
She worked with the Himba people all the men are covered
with Ochre (ground stone) which is mixed with fat, they wear hats and jewellery
made from leather and metal.
Mary became fascinated by lizards and has created
many hangings featuring them.
Itosha in Namibia is a salt pan which glistens and
glitters in the sun, this is very similar to the deserts where the sand
crystals sparkle.
Mary uses painted backgrounds and seeding stitches,
combining them with thorns from trees etc, she also works in strips which she
pieces together. Her work has been influenced by recycling and sustainability
of people she has met.
The Masai women and their jewellery, the men who decorate
themselves with body paint, those peoples who wear anklets to denote the group
they belong to have led to pieces where she attaches found and recycled objects
to her work.
Leather is used by many people to hang things hence her
work in leather – dyed, painted and stitched.
In the Cameroon – stitch resist fabric tie dye (fabric is
stitched, dyed and the stitches removed) is practiced and used.
The people she has met on the journey have taught Mary a
lot, changing her way of thinking and working as well as provoking her to
capture the work in books before it disappeared.
She believes that our own
craft and textile heritage, as well as those of other cultures, should be
celebrated and passed on to future generations. Marys work is enriched by study
of her own collection of Southern African and Indian textiles and artifacts.
Going back to the familiar and seeing again with new eyes, the innovation, use
of materials and construction skills refresh her own way of working.
|
| Applique and patchwork |
| | |||||||
| Raffia cloth |
|
| Edging - hem on front |
|
| Applique |
Hauser Robe from Ghana which would be worn by someone of great status– beige with circles and patterns which show an Islamic influence – this is 70 -90 years old with the fabric being strip woven from raw silk, then pieced together, embroidered by hand and lined with indigo dyed fabric.
| ||||
| Detail on robe |
Eastern Cape the Causa people consisted of many tribal
groups including the Temba (Nelson Mandela belonged to this group) and were
united by the language. The skirt which would be worn at a festival/ rite of
passage is 60 -70 years old and is made from peasant cotton featuring a striped
design at the bottom which are hand stitched appliqué.Neck collars – the dark blue one is typical of those
found, every village would have its own combination of colours to identify them
and their origin. The smaller collar would probably have been worn by a woman. |
| Tobacco bag |
Bags used for items like tobacco as well as denoting gender with the female bag having short tassels whilst that for the male would have longer tassels.
Beaded ‘Apron’ – this has a fastening strap made from
solid brass washers which the men brought back from the factories or mines in
the industrial areas, other ‘found’ objects would be incorporated into the bead
work.Gourds are used to drink from and are decorated with
beadwork. |
| Worn by women on special occasions |
|
| Beads and found items |
Mfengu ‘Love letter necklace’ consists of mother of
pearl buttons which were originally from the missionaries. Due to the African
peoples love of beads Mary includes beads in her pieces of work.Maasai people –
the beads in costumes or as neck cascade/collars reflect the light so on
special occasions when they are worn to dance illuminated by the flickering
light of the fire the result is fantastic.Ear rings – these go through the ear – the metal arrows
are symbolic of cow’s horns and are made by beating out metal from old
saucepans.Zulu – spoon holders are for special ‘symbolic’ spoons
and are made from raffia covered with beads.May 2014
Creative Icebreaking by Angie Hughes
Angie is a textile artist and tutor, who lives and works
in Ledbury, Herefordshire. She has been interested in textiles since she left
school although only discovered creative embroidery in 1994 when she began
studying City & Guilds at Malvern Hills College.
While a student she won
the prestigious Charles Henry Foyle Trust Award for Stitched Textiles with her
piece 'Unfolding Word' and had 'Shroud' accepted for Art of the Stitch.
Angie
studied for her HNC (hand stitch, felting, machine embroidery etc) at Gloucester
with Liz Harding and whilst struggling for a theme for her work was inspired by
poetry. In particular that of Mark Stephenson – a poem about Ledbury telling a
story about going to a pub down a cobbled street.
She used the cobbles as a
background eventually using a grid format created by weaving used bits of fabric
together and then to create soft edges stitching as circles onto which she
applied the letters and words of the poem.
This inspired new ideas and ways of
working including a workshop on textural book wraps where letter blocks were
used to stamp on the surface and then were machine embroidered over.
Another workshop – Buds and Blooms revealed a change to
her colour palette to bright colours and pinks.
Her artwork is inspired by many themes but particularly poetry or text and the
natural world, particularly plant forms.
From drawings and photography Angie has developed her visual ideas
through embroidery inventing simplified botanical forms.
Angie identified groups of ‘things’ which inspire her as
follows:
Artists like Hilary Blower – a visual artist working in
cloth, paper, metal and wood who makes you think what you are doing. Make marks
on white paper, turn it over so you cannot see and rip it up, turn it over and
look at the piece– serves as inspiration.
Angie made the pieces up into books
and used them to record her travels in Australia and New Zealand.
Stitching hero’s (books and work) e.g.
Alice Kettle a contemporary textile/fibre artist who has
established a unique area of practice. The scale of her work belies their
component parts: individual tiny stitches, which combine to form great swathes
of colour, painterly backgrounds incorporating rich hues and metallic sheen.
Angie discovered her work particularly a self portrait and tries to work out
how to achieve different elements of the work perhaps through loosening machine
tension (top or lower)to produce looping.
Tilleke Schwarz uses mixed media with a focus on
hand embroidery on linen and on drawings and paintings and tells a story
through stitch (a kind of visual poetry). It is a mixture of contemporary
influences, graffiti, icons, texts and traditional images from samplers. The
embroidery contains narrative elements-not complete stories, which are used as
a form of communication with the viewer. The viewer is invited to decipher
connections or may assemble the stories and to produce chronological and causal
structures. The work also relates to the history of humanity that is determined
through stories.
Nicola Henley whose textile pieces are made by a
combination of dying, painting, and screen-printing cotton calico and texturing
the surface with various materials stitched into the cloth. The change of scale
from bold printing and painting to the intimacy of close stitching helps to
convey the concept of near detail with open space of a landscape or seascape.
Gwen Hedley who works in mixed media, Kaffe Fassett has inspired through his use of different
fabrics, sense of colour and triggers to interest in terms of what he puts
together e.g. pile of fruit/vegetables.
Gustav Klimt whose painting of Adele Bloch – Bauer is
used by Angie( particularly the section by her head on the left hand side) to
create bags featuring velvet, metallic threads, sweet wrappers etc in various
shapes – squares, ovals, spirals and squiggles.
Work by Kandinsky (one of the pioneers of
abstract painting who championed a
mystical approach to art) has led to peacock feather designs on black
ground used as Kindle cases.
Angie Lewin is a printmaker working in linocut, wood
engraving, lithography and screen printing her work has inspired painted
flowers on pelmet Vilene and paper.
Books e.g. The Night Circus which Angie was listening to
provided inspiration and subliminal thoughts in her work in terms of leaves and
feathers in rectangles and features from moths in one of the stories.(Prodigal Summer)
Stories
– tales of mystery for example A Humument: A treated Victorian novel is an
altered book by British artist Tom Phillips It is a piece of art created over W H Mallock's 1892 novel A Human
Document whose title results from the partial deletion of the original
title: A Human document.' Phillips drew, painted, and collaged over the pages, while leaving
some of the original text to show through. The final product was a new story
with a new protagonist named Bill Toge, whose name appears only when the word
"together" or "altogether" appears in Mallock's original
text.
This is
inventive and like Picasso not being discouraged by materials which links into
sketch books particularly making them from paper which has been used previously
so that a blank new page does not put you off.
Angie
likes being surprised and a round robin sketchbook from many artists produces
lots of different ideas.
Friends – especially likeminded people e.g. illustrators,
ceramicists, textile artists, art historians talking/discussing/working
together produces ideas.
Angie tries to keep one day a week for sewing with
friends and has made animals/creatures like glove ears the hare(using gloves)
she has also made felted ‘Russian dolls’ one featuring the ‘apron of
disappointment’ and Suffolk puffs to make the cuffs.
Things - Houses and gardens - especially gardens that
were once tamed but struggle and often succeed in becoming wild. She enjoys the
juxtaposition of randomly ‘placed’ plants alongside the order the gardener
tries to contain.
Imagining these gardens in shadowy moonlit illumination, her
colours have become almost monochromatic, silvers and blacks and those hard to
name colours when light has faded.
This has led to Verdant Spaces a piece with
leaves/flowers /alliums/birds all fitting together and worked on velvet (in
purples).
Also Night Garden reflecting a dark mysterious place these pieces of
work have seen her explore discharged and painted velvets, the use of heat
transferred foils and layered organza which becomes intensely machine
embroidered.
From drawings and photography Angie has developed her visual ideas
through embroidery inventing simplified botanical forms.
Balloon Ride –
higher than birds shows the use of her own stamps and more regular shapes this
reflects elements of Hundertwasser who observes landscapes from above.
These cushions have a repeat pattern of circles featuring reverse applique
She used the cobbles as a
background eventually using a grid format created by weaving used bits of fabric
together and then to create soft edges stitching as circles onto which she
applied the letters and words of the poem. This inspired new ideas and ways of
working including a workshop on textural book wraps where letter blocks were
used to stamp on the surface and then were machine embroidered over.Another workshop – Buds and Blooms revealed a change to
her colour palette to bright colours and pinks. Her artwork is inspired by many themes but particularly poetry or text and the natural world, particularly plant forms. From drawings and photography Angie has developed her visual ideas through embroidery inventing simplified botanical forms.
Angie made the pieces up into books
and used them to record her travels in Australia and New Zealand.Gustav Klimt whose painting of Adele Bloch – Bauer is
used by Angie( particularly the section by her head on the left hand side) to
create bags featuring velvet, metallic threads, sweet wrappers etc in various
shapes – squares, ovals, spirals and squiggles. Work by Kandinsky (one of the pioneers of abstract painting who championed a mystical approach to art) has led to peacock feather designs on black ground used as Kindle cases.
Angie Lewin is a printmaker working in linocut, wood
engraving, lithography and screen printing her work has inspired painted
flowers on pelmet Vilene and paper.Books e.g. The Night Circus which Angie was listening to
provided inspiration and subliminal thoughts in her work in terms of leaves and
feathers in rectangles and features from moths in one of the stories.(Prodigal Summer)Friends – especially likeminded people e.g. illustrators, ceramicists, textile artists, art historians talking/discussing/working together produces ideas.
Angie tries to keep one day a week for sewing with
friends and has made animals/creatures like glove ears the hare(using gloves)
she has also made felted ‘Russian dolls’ one featuring the ‘apron of
disappointment’ and Suffolk puffs to make the cuffs.Things - Houses and gardens - especially gardens that were once tamed but struggle and often succeed in becoming wild. She enjoys the juxtaposition of randomly ‘placed’ plants alongside the order the gardener tries to contain.
Imagining these gardens in shadowy moonlit illumination, her
colours have become almost monochromatic, silvers and blacks and those hard to
name colours when light has faded. This has led to Verdant Spaces a piece with leaves/flowers /alliums/birds all fitting together and worked on velvet (in purples).
Also Night Garden reflecting a dark mysterious place these pieces of
work have seen her explore discharged and painted velvets, the use of heat
transferred foils and layered organza which becomes intensely machine
embroidered. These cushions have a repeat pattern of circles featuring reverse applique
17th April
Maryke Phillips – My Quilting Obsession
Discussing one of her books
This ‘Journey’ started approx 45 to 50 years ago when she
was ‘dragged’ by a colleague to a fabric shop in order to help to select a
pattern and fabric - Maryke went along but under protest!
She had never thought about fabric until she saw the dress
(60’s style) being worn but this inspired her to go and buy fabric to make a
mini dress – The first seed of the obsession was planted.
The second seed was that having made dresses Maryke’s shoes
did not match and so she dyed her shoes to coordinate.
Dressmaking continued including making her wedding dress and
four bridesmaids outfits – the finishing touches being applied on day of the
wedding as deadlines always encourage completion!
Following the arrival of her
family there was a break until one day her daughter showed an interest in
changing her bedroom leading to a visit to Laura Ashley to buy fabric to make
curtains, soon the house had new curtains.
The problem was what to do with the
leftover pieces of fabric; Maryke’s solution was to cut them into 4” squares (in
the days before rotary cutters and cutting mats) and sew them together. Once
sewn together she made them up into a throw (not quilted) so when washed the
inner filling moved from the edges to the centre the solution was to sew the
corners (the start of quilting?)
A move away from London to live in Clun provided the next
seed as Maryke visited an Art and craft exhibition in the village hall and saw
a large quilt which inspired her (The maker was in fact a neighbour).
Following this she then went
to West Hope College to attend a patchwork and quilting course which was a City
and Guilds part 1 and included preparing working designs – this changed her
perspective on fabric /quilts etc.
A visit
to Stokesay Castle (English Heritage) revealed old tiles which Maryke wanted to
use as a basis for a quilt featuring them as they would have appeared when new,
when older and then when very old. She used the Fibonacci sequence for this
with the 2 small squares being painted and the flying geese round the edge also
being applied with acrylic paint, the appliqué shapes are bonded onto the other
fabric.
In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers or Fibonacci sequence
are the numbers in the following integer sequence: 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,...
By
definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1 and 1, and each
subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.
A 6 month period of
travelling round Britain in a motor home provided the opportunity for many
photographs, including sunsets and as Maryke needed something to stitch which
was small she made hexagons using ‘free spirit’ fabric to represent the colours
in the sunsets ranging from yellow through reds to blues and violet. When
forming into a quilt the thread used changes colour with the hexagons as do the
beads.
In January each year there is an exhibition in Ludlow
entitled ‘Hidden Talents’ – Maryke had 2 quilts with flying geese edging
embellished with stipple stitch and beads.
At the Minerva Art Centre the quilt made featured Batik inspired
fabric in Double running log cabin patchwork, with the spare fabric pieced to
make the back of the work. She then quilted using free machine stitch and blue thread
on the front of the work this was ideal and by a happy accident the colour also
enhanced the back.
Featuring folded patchwork on top
Comments
about the
quilts featuring a lot of black fabric led to Maryke creating a series
of 6
long wall hangings – all worked in log cabin featuring leaf shapes,
writing,
beads, embroidery stitches, felted flowers, mirrors and batik flowers –
but in
different colours. When displayed the work did not show up particularly
well
until a black under layer was added, this had the leaf used on the front
stenciled on and quilted and the colours featuring on the front
repeated in
the binding for the edges.
Marykes Dutch background inspired a ‘Tulips from Amsterdam’
quilt featuring pockets, tulips, embroidery and lettering.
Drunkard's path patchwork is 4 blocks where one is turned to
make another circle (no black involved!)
Batiks n beads started six
years ago quite by accident when a person at a meeting approached Maryke
to ask if it was possible to purchase one of the ‘fat quarters’ ,that she had
on display as part of her talk, in order to finish her quilt. By the end of the
session all of Marykes’ personal collection of fabrics had disappeared having
been bought indicating a need for a supplier of batik fabric fat quarters. She
approached her supplier and bought fabric and has continued to sell however to
keep a record of the first fabrics sold a quilt was born! (wwwbatiksnbeads.co.uk)
Courthouse steps (type of log cabin )patchwork
Batiksnbeads threads
Batiksnbeads fabric selection
Four and a half years ago Maryke was invited to a workshop
at Busy Bees and found a change in direction from quilts to books.
The first
‘Stitch’ book on embroidery took 8 months to complete, using Stef Francis
variegated threads and featuring Lazy Daisy, Blanket, Chain , Line, Cross,
Couching, Feather and Detached Stitches. Other items and ideas used were
buttons, straws, washers, train tickets, bags, pouches, lace, bells and also
included labels – Journey, Stitches, and Embroidery.
Book 2 was ‘A Walk in the Wild’ about the Montgomery shire
Canal featuring its wild flowers, fungi and leaves.
Book 3 – Ash
Book 4 – Oak including beaded acorns, leaves, patchwork,
embroidery, bags and verses and completed with acorn tassels
Book 5- Holly with a silk velvet cover
Book 6 – Apple
Maryke has completed a full circle returning to 4” squares
with a Trip round the world designed to provide ideas for beginners. As with
most of her work the back of the quilt is pieced as well.
Other ideas are
Batiks n Beads bags to an authentic Indian design which in India are worn attached to the belt.
Embroidered bags for embroidery groups again using Indian embroidery and ideas.
Felt bags featuring Shisha mirrors, lazy daisy stitch and french knots.
She continues to work because she loves it and her advice is
‘Enjoy your work’.
|
| Discussing one of her books |
A visit
to Stokesay Castle (English Heritage) revealed old tiles which Maryke wanted to
use as a basis for a quilt featuring them as they would have appeared when new,
when older and then when very old. She used the Fibonacci sequence for this
with the 2 small squares being painted and the flying geese round the edge also
being applied with acrylic paint, the appliqué shapes are bonded onto the other
fabric. By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 1 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two.
|
| Featuring folded patchwork on top |
Comments
about the
quilts featuring a lot of black fabric led to Maryke creating a series
of 6
long wall hangings – all worked in log cabin featuring leaf shapes,
writing,
beads, embroidery stitches, felted flowers, mirrors and batik flowers –
but in
different colours. When displayed the work did not show up particularly
well
until a black under layer was added, this had the leaf used on the front
stenciled on and quilted and the colours featuring on the front
repeated in
the binding for the edges.
Marykes Dutch background inspired a ‘Tulips from Amsterdam’ quilt featuring pockets, tulips, embroidery and lettering.
Drunkard's path patchwork is 4 blocks where one is turned to make another circle (no black involved!)
Batiks n beads started six years ago quite by accident when a person at a meeting approached Maryke to ask if it was possible to purchase one of the ‘fat quarters’ ,that she had on display as part of her talk, in order to finish her quilt. By the end of the session all of Marykes’ personal collection of fabrics had disappeared having been bought indicating a need for a supplier of batik fabric fat quarters. She approached her supplier and bought fabric and has continued to sell however to keep a record of the first fabrics sold a quilt was born! (wwwbatiksnbeads.co.uk)
|
| Courthouse steps (type of log cabin )patchwork |
|
| Batiksnbeads threads |
|
| Batiksnbeads fabric selection |
Four and a half years ago Maryke was invited to a workshop at Busy Bees and found a change in direction from quilts to books.
The first ‘Stitch’ book on embroidery took 8 months to complete, using Stef Francis variegated threads and featuring Lazy Daisy, Blanket, Chain , Line, Cross, Couching, Feather and Detached Stitches. Other items and ideas used were buttons, straws, washers, train tickets, bags, pouches, lace, bells and also included labels – Journey, Stitches, and Embroidery.
Book 3 – Ash
Book 4 – Oak including beaded acorns, leaves, patchwork,
embroidery, bags and verses and completed with acorn tassels Book 5- Holly with a silk velvet cover
Book 6 – Apple
Maryke has completed a full circle returning to 4” squares
with a Trip round the world designed to provide ideas for beginners. As with
most of her work the back of the quilt is pieced as well.Other ideas are
Batiks n Beads bags to an authentic Indian design which in India are worn attached to the belt.Embroidered bags for embroidery groups again using Indian embroidery and ideas.
Felt bags featuring Shisha mirrors, lazy daisy stitch and french knots.She continues to work because she loves it and her advice is ‘Enjoy your work’.
20th March 2014
A Continuous Thread presentation by Isabel Dibden Wright
“Life may be compared to an embroidered cloth, having
both a face side and a reverse side. In the first half of his life a man sees
only the face side, in the second half he beholds the reverse, which – though less
attractive – is more instructive, for it reveals how the threads intertwine and
join together.” (Arthur Schopenhauer, German
philosopher)
A journey always
begins with the first step and for more than thirty years Isabel has made
stitched textiles, being embroidery trained and having a love of patchwork. She
has been a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University teaching on the BA
(Hons) Embroidery course and taught summer schools and short courses as well as
undertaking many commissions for both public spaces and private collectors. Her
work has been exhibited in this country, Europe, Japan and the USA.
She grew up in Newport Monmouthshire and every day on her route to and from school passed the Art College, her dream was to go there. This eventually happened and led to a Foundation course at Manchester followed by a degree at Loughborough.
The 1970’s were a time for learning the tools of her
trade including colour, various techniques, drawing and design.
Quilts from North America featuring different quilting
patterns and embroidery started to be exhibited at this time and inspired
Isabel to experiment further.
During this period
she was teaching in Manchester and also undertook commissions including panels for
Saddleworth to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, and
several for Lord Hervey Rhodes of Saddleworth. These were more traditional in
style and colour featuring log cabin type of patchwork enhanced with embroidery.
Colour was one of her interests and she learned how to
use colour, including how different fabrics reacted to dyes and the use of
colour in designs. Isabel was also encouraging her students to experiment and
learn through colour and material workshops.
During the 1980’s travel influenced her work as she returned to live in Singapore and also visited Japan.
In the 1990’s a book - Making
your own Patchwork and Quilting 1994 involved a lot of time
making the many patchwork and quilted items together with the detailed instructions
for creating them. At this time Commissions included a collection of pieces for
the waiting areas of an oncology unit one which featured ‘objects of delight’
found in nature like feathers, unusual leaves, shells, stones etc whilst the
other one was a series of six panels each of which focused on two months of the
year e.g. January and February depicting them through colours and related
images. Isabel used Log Cabin techniques and also embroidered onto Organdie by
machine and/ or hand which she then applied on to the quilts.
The next period was Isabel’s ‘return home’ this saw her
using the pieces of organdie with the holes in them (saved from the previous
commissions) by patching them together, bonding onto a background ( e.g.
Stayflex this is cotton with a heat fusible surface which is more flexible than
Vilene) and sewing into them. This work unusually just ‘happened’ it was not as
previously designed and planned.
Isabel’s work is inspired by her garden as her
studio overlooks the garden, and every day she observes its changes. The passing
show with fleeting moments, reflections on ponds, sunshine through flowers and
leaves, and insubstantial shadows are all aspects that Isabel aims to convey in
her work.
Isabel was also involved in Art in Action(Inspired by the
simple principle that people are fascinated when artists and craftsmen openly
demonstrate their skills and discuss their work, Art in Action was born.)
where
many artists set up mini studios to demonstrate techniques, showcase their work
and communicate with visitors, explanations, questions and answer etc.
At Sheffield Children's Hospital she undertook
a ‘Helping Hands’ panel where patients, parents, staff and Michael Palin drew
round their hands. These were sent to her and Isabel cut round these in fabric,
positioned them so they touched each other, showing the connection, and then sewed the on.Since her retirement from teaching three years ago Isabel is now doing what she wants to do colour mixing, dying her own fabrics and sheers, colour studies, drawings, using organdie, making use of existing items ( she does not throw anything away).
A current project is using a collection of postage stamps left
to her by her father, Isabel saw an old quilt which had been made using paper
templates and on investigation of the worn areas found that the paper used was in
fact stamps. She is using these to create a patchwork, but they are difficult
to work with as they vary in size, shape, are not very thick, lose detail when
covered and because of their size are difficult to piece together.
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| Stamps prepared for use |
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| Enlarged view of stamps in folder |
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| Stamps pieced together by hand |
Isabel’s aim is for her work to reflect her love of and delight in the beauty that she finds in the natural world. The colour and the qualities of the textiles she uses are of great importance and she is also inspired by the working methods that embroiderers and quiltmakers use, and have used in the past, and is proud to be a part of this long tradition.
Look to the stars, not your feet, be curious. (Stephen Hawking)
The fabrics that Isabel uses are mostly Cotton Organdie and Silk Organza which she dyes herself using reactive and acid dyes. For suppliers of fabric and dyes see information below
20th February 2014
Maralyn Hepworth - From Flax to Fabric
Maralyn is a
textile artist who lives and works in Shropshire. She dabbled for many years in
a variety of crafts, was trained in Art and Design, focused on natural dying
and spinning and eventually specialised in tapestry weaving (City and Guilds) at
West Hope College Shropshire and West
Dean College Sussex.
She uses tapestry
weaving and other textile techniques to explore themes around sustainability in
its widest sense. Maralyn often uses local fleece and natural dyestuffs, or
recycled materials and her work varies from the functional to wallhangings,
from traditional to wacky.
Tapestry weaving provides me with the opportunity to
expand my interest in sustainability through artistic endeavour. Weaving from
yarn that has often been grown locally, spun and dyed in Shropshire, then
developing this into a tapestry weaving often inspired by Shropshire’s country
and urban environment, allows me to ponder the source of our textiles, wonder
at the diversity of colour and texture and experiment with new skills.
Shropshire’s heritage is linked to the textile industry, from the wool
trade of medieval times, which resulted in many of Shrewsbury’s finest
buildings, to Shrewsbury’s Flaxmill Maltings. The Flaxmill dates from 1797 and
was one of the first iron framed buildings in the world. It was used for weaving for a brief time but its main function was that of spinning due to the damp conditions.Following the decline in the flax trade it was used for malting although since the
malting business left in 1986 and the mill has become increasingly
derelict despite being a grade 1 listed building.
English Heritage bought the
mill in 2005 and after some work started to put on tours/ exhibitions and it
was to one of these that Maralyn went. The tour guide however tended to focus
on the building and the malting period of its history and it was Maralyn that
answered questions about the flax era.
Following this she became a ‘Friend of
the Flax mill’ and as she is a spinner and weaver, proposed a project about flax.
The “Flax to Fabric” project was born but required money
so Maralyn applied for Arts Council
funding however in order to meet the growing season for flax ‘The Shropshire
Organic Gardeners’ gave £50 for the purchase of Flax seeds -60 people took the seeds
and growing instructions and grew their
own flax and after 90 days harvested it and 50 growers returned the flax to her
to use to produce fabric.
It was whilst the flax was growing that Maralyn went to ‘Flax
land’ in Gloucestershire to learn about the tools required and the stages in
the processing of the flax in order to be able to create the fibre to spin and
make the tapestry hanging featuring the Flax mill, flowers etc. to hang in the
regenerated Flaxmill Maltings. (A DVD was also produced as part of the
project)
Tapestry made with using the flax showing the mill
The flax plant grown for its fibres to create
the fabric is taller than the one you see grown for oil although it has similar
blue flowers. The species of flax grown for fibre and seed production is an
annual called Linum
usitatissimum; that’s Latin for “the most useful kind of flax.” The
seeds are planted close together in rows to get tall straight stems. Each
individual plant makes one or more slender, erect stems about 3 feet tall,
scattered with narrow, pale green leaves about 1 inch long. The stems branch
near the top to bear blue or white round, 1/2-inch-wide flowers with five
petals. Each flower lasts less than one day but each plant makes dozens of
flowers for three to four weeks. Then seedpods swell to the size of a pea and
turn from green to gold as the seeds inside ripen, and the plants dry out and
die.
The fibres in the stem of the
flax plant form a thin layer between the woody core and the outer skin or
epidermis that runs all the way from the roots to the tips. The fibres have
already reached their full length when the flax begins to flower, about two
months after planting, but they are still thin, delicate and weak. From
flowering until the death of the plant, the fibres become increasingly thicker
and stronger, but also more stiff and brittle. Unfortunately, fibre quality
peaks before the seeds have fully ripened. If you harvest the plants early
enough (usually about three months after planting) to get top-quality fibre,
you sacrifice most of the seed crop. If you wait until the seeds are ripe (about
four months after planting), the fibre has become coarse.
The quality of the flax is affected greatly by its
growing conditions – so growing in different places by different growers does not
lead to a consistent fibre.
After flowering and before the seeds are ready the flax
is harvested by pulling it up (do not cut the stems as this reduces the length
of the fibres), forming into bundles and then either retting it or leave to dry
ready to process later.
Retted and dried flax stems
Rippling or winnowing
is the process which removes the seeds.
Processing the bundles of stems to extract the fibres for spinning is a
complex task that requires simple but special tools, a lot of hard physical
work. The first step, called retting, involves soaking or wetting the stems for
a period of days or weeks to promote bacterial action, which separates the
different layers of stem tissues and loosens the fibres.
There are two ways of retting one in which the flax
bundles are kept submerged in water for approx 1 week, whilst the other – dew
retting sees the bundles laid on grass, being regularly turned to keep them
warm and damp this takes approx 2 weeks. The retting causes the breakdown of
the pectin which holds the inner and outer cores of the flax stem together and
releases the fibres. Dew-retted fibre is generally darker in colour
and of poorer quality than water-retted fibre.
After retting, the stems are dried again either in the sun or
in barns over fires (prior to the dressing process), then crushed
between the wooden blades of a tool called a break or brake, which breaks the
woody core into short bits that fall away from the mass of fibres. Finally, the
bundles are combed through metal-tined combs called hackles. The result: a
smooth bundle of long, straight fibres called line flax and a pile of fluffy,
tangled, shorter fibres called tow- hence the term ‘tow rag’ a
rough rag or cloth.
The line flax is used to make
crisp, glossy fabrics, and the tow is used for everyday goods including rope. From
flax 2% is line and 5% is tow hence the expense of linen.
Dressing
the flax is the term given to removing the straw from the fibres. Dressing
consists of three steps: breaking, scutching, and heckling. The breaking breaks
up the straw, then some of the straw is scraped from the fibres in the
scutching process, then the fibre is pulled through heckles to remove the last
bits of straw.
The
dressing is done as follows:
Breaking: The process of breaking breaks
up the straw into short segments. To do it, take the bundles of flax and untie
them. Next, in small handfuls, put it between the beater of the breaking
machine (a set of wooden blades that mesh together when the upper jaw is
lowered, which look like a paper cutter but instead of having a big knife it
has a blunt arm), and beat it till the three or four inches that have been
beaten appear to be soft. Move the flax a little higher and continue to beat it
till all is soft, and the wood is separated from the fibre. When half of the
flax is broken, hold the beaten end and beat the rest in the same way as the
other end was beaten, till the wood is separated.
Breaking equipment
Scutching: In order to remove some of the straw from the fibre, it helps to swing a wooden
scutching knife down the fibres while they hang vertically, thus scraping the
edge of the knife along the fibres and pull away pieces of the stalk. Some of
the fibre will also be scutched away; this cannot be helped and is a normal
part of the process.
Scutching device
Heckling: In this process the fibre is
pulled through various different sized heckling combs or heckles. A heckle is a bed of
"nails"—sharp, long-tapered, tempered, polished steel pins driven
into wooden blocks at regular spacing. A good progression is from 4 pins per
square inch, to 12, to 25 to 48 to 80. The first three will remove the straw,
and the last two will split and polish the fibres. Some of the finer stuff that
comes off in the last hackles is called "tow" and can be carded like wool and spun. It will
produce a coarser yarn than the fibres pulled through the heckles because it
will still have some straw in it.
Heckling device with Scutching process in the background
The flax is then spun into yarns and woven or knitted
into linen textiles. These textiles can then be bleached, dyed, printed on, or
finished with a number of treatments or coatings. The woven the fabric is beaten to soften it
and can be bleached naturally by laying it out in the sun.
Maralyn spinning the flax
The 'home' grown flax
Shropshire’s heritage is linked to the textile industry, from the wool trade of medieval times, which resulted in many of Shrewsbury’s finest buildings, to Shrewsbury’s Flaxmill Maltings. The Flaxmill dates from 1797 and was one of the first iron framed buildings in the world. It was used for weaving for a brief time but its main function was that of spinning due to the damp conditions.Following the decline in the flax trade it was used for malting although since the malting business left in 1986 and the mill has become increasingly derelict despite being a grade 1 listed building.
|
| Tapestry made with using the flax showing the mill |
|
| Retted and dried flax stems |
Dressing the flax is the term given to removing the straw from the fibres. Dressing consists of three steps: breaking, scutching, and heckling. The breaking breaks up the straw, then some of the straw is scraped from the fibres in the scutching process, then the fibre is pulled through heckles to remove the last bits of straw.
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| Breaking equipment |
|
| Scutching device |
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| Heckling device with Scutching process in the background |
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| Maralyn spinning the flax |
| ||
| The 'home' grown flax |
 |
| Examples of spun flax |
 | ||||
| Flax ready to use |
16th January 2014
Demonstrations by members
Printing with Marianne Grime – using shaving foam and
liquid silk dyes.
“Get Knotted” with Val Mackin
Beading with Carrie Evans
Travelling Books
12th December 2013
Christmas Lunch
Arrival at Brookfield Golf Club was 10 to 10.30 am for
coffee and chat prior to the ‘Surprise speaker’ and lunch. On arrival members
we welcomed by Chris and Judith, who informed them as to the table they would
be seated at for the meal.
Meeting and greeting
Coffee and chat
The tables this year were designated by different
fabrics (Bombazine, Chiffon, Damask, Georgette, Organza and Taffeta to give a
flavour) with each having a card with information about the origins and uses of
the particular fabric (Bombazine – made with a silk warp and worsted weft,
twilled or corded used for dress material and in the past for mourning wear),
showing it is possible to learn something new every day.
The ‘Christmas swap’ this year was a bookmark which proved
very popular with members (despite the availability of e books) as there were approximately
40. These showcased a variety of techniques as well as making a wonderful
display and talking point.
Pete Turner (a professional close up magician) was our ‘speaker’
and his Journey into Magic demonstrated his skills. His range of magic tricks was closely observed
by selected assistants as well as the members, particularly those on the front
rows.
Pete the Magician setting up
Members finding seats
Maggi holding the chain
His starting point was the Chain and Ring trick; Maggii held
the chain, the ring was checked (by another member)to see that it was closed and
then Pete moved ring upwards from the bottom of the chain and then Maggii was
left holding the chain with the ring attached to it – Magic!
The next a trick performed by ‘Dynamo’ this required a purse from
one of members which was held in the palm of an assistant and covered over,
Pete then took a length of green silk which he pushed into his clenched hand
and the magic was the silk disappeared only to be found in the purse this
despite very close observation by Carrie throughout the time.
Rope trick
Other tricks involving selection of playing cards, drawing
out ‘named’( one from Pat and the other with Carrie on) two pence coins in a
bag of unnamed ones, making 3 pieces of rope of different lengths into pieces
of the same length (scrutinized by Sylvia),replication of an animal drawn by a
member and sealed into an envelope, guessing suits and numbers of 4 cards
selected at random and held by the members involved in their choice and finally
ESP using 5 cards featuring a circle, star, wavy line, square and plus where
members of the audience were’ influenced ‘to replicate the order in which Pete
had placed the first 5 cards in the frame.
Identification of the random cards held by members
Trisha thanked Pete for his magical performance and very
entertaining session.
Then to lunch with a felt flower serviette holder for
everyone, an enjoyable meal, opportunity for getting to know other members, good
conversation and a cyclamen (the table decoration) for one of the table with the
lucky number 2 on their name card.
 |
| Meeting and greeting |
 |
| Coffee and chat |
The tables this year were designated by different
fabrics (Bombazine, Chiffon, Damask, Georgette, Organza and Taffeta to give a
flavour) with each having a card with information about the origins and uses of
the particular fabric (Bombazine – made with a silk warp and worsted weft,
twilled or corded used for dress material and in the past for mourning wear),
showing it is possible to learn something new every day. 
Pete Turner (a professional close up magician) was our ‘speaker’ and his Journey into Magic demonstrated his skills. His range of magic tricks was closely observed by selected assistants as well as the members, particularly those on the front rows.
 |
| Pete the Magician setting up |
 |
| Members finding seats |
 |
| Maggi holding the chain |
The next a trick performed by ‘Dynamo’ this required a purse from
one of members which was held in the palm of an assistant and covered over,
Pete then took a length of green silk which he pushed into his clenched hand
and the magic was the silk disappeared only to be found in the purse this
despite very close observation by Carrie throughout the time. |
| Rope trick |
 |
| Identification of the random cards held by members |
Trisha thanked Pete for his magical performance and very entertaining session.
21st November
Edwina Mackinnon: The Story So Far - this is an illustrated talk about my development as a quiltmaker and the various influences along the way.
Edwina
loves dying and printing, experimenting and using ideas from different
countries – currently all things Italian having just returned from Italy.
It is 40
years since the start of Edwina getting involved in Textiles, which began in
Abingdon, Oxford at the Embroiderers Guild where she became involved with
embroidery techniques and workshops.
This was
followed by a City and Guilds course on embroidery (when in Droitwich) which
led to the teaching of City and Guild course on embroidery and patchwork. Whilst
in Hereford another City and Guilds course introduced the art of Indigo dying
and this features in her work on a regular basis.
The indigo quilt ‘Memories’ features aspects of Vancouver and Seatle, the fabric is dyed and the pictures taken whilst on the holiday visit are used as inspiration and the basis of the design, the buttons used are made from Abalone shells from the Pacific north west.
Following embroidery she was introduced to patchwork when asked to create a patchwork block during a design and make workshop in Oxford. This first experience was a printed, curved patchwork in silk! Edwina loves the idea of patchwork and returns to it frequently in her work.
Kaleidoscope
8”block - ‘Ashes of Roses’(2003) titled due to the colour of dusky pink
roses. It is made with two sets of four triangles with triangles on the corners
and alternates straight and diagonal pieces to create the swirling design. The idea started with a piece of fabric bought for the colours which Edwina then matched/dyed a varied range of other fabrics (not necessarily cotton). Stitching the circles to quilt was a challenge and she was fortunate enough to be able to use a long arm quilting machine. The gaps in between the circles are ‘seeded’ with large stitches using hand dyed threads.
The
exciting aspect of patchwork is taking one block (6”) and experimenting to get
different effects and use dyed fabrics to achieve varied colours. Squares are
easier to work with than circles and once finished can be applied as a panel to
dyed fabric.
A group
project (rather like the travelling books) involves 14 members of the C and G course;
each comes up with a theme for the quilt and puts together fabrics in the
desired colours. Each person makes three 6” blocks and after a period of time
each member ends up with a pile of blocks to piece together and then quilt.
Edwina selected ‘trellis and trailing plants’ for her theme and started with 3
leaves making use of techniques like reverse appliqué and it was this leaf
design that she then used to print on the reverse of the fabric to achieve an
even quilting effect on the finished item. 
The latest project of this group involves a photo of a sunset cut into 14 slivers so everyone has a coloured piece to work from, uses blocks (10” x 7”) with fabrics selected and the first block completed with the person who made the block quilting it.
Edwina
also has story quilts one based on shoes, inspired by her father who worked
with shoes, which is indigo dyed calico with shoes printed using a stencil and
then quilted with a twin needle to create the effect of shelves.
An exhibition at the Weavers gallery in
Ledbury featured ‘Sea Fever’ created using lots of different fabrics, printing,
(using a thermofax screen from a photo of sand) beading etc to produce the sea
and sand.
The theme of ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ by Elgar
was interpreted into colour and featured the first few bars of Land of Hope and
Glory. Edwina quilted this using a profile of the Malvern Hills which is where
Elgar drew inspiration from as he walked.
Iris by
Moonlight – is discharge printed and features the moon and leaves.
Edwina
uses indigo and potassium permanganate which produces a chocolate colour on
silk and a sandy colour on cotton. She starts by putting fabric into the
potassium permanganate and then into the indigo dye. 
For the
Festival of Quilts the theme was ‘Summer in the City’ (Birmingham) – this demonstrated different techniques
in printing and dying including the use of black, batik using soy wax, variegated
thread and protein dyes fixed with soda ash. The pavement was created by using
string for the divisions and was then overlaid with screen printing.
The theme
of ‘Midland Architecture’ was used for the Contemporary Quilt group with the
piece being based on a derelict canal warehouse which was red brick with broken
glass in the windows. A picture of one of the broken windows provided the starting point and Edwina used a silk screen covered with a flour and water batter into which she scratched the design and then screen printed the fabric using colours ranging from grey via green to red. Then at the side of the printing is the written history of the building which enhances the finished piece.
Pojagi - Korean Patchwork (Bojagi
or bo for short,also pojagi or bojaki is a traditional Korean wrapping cloth. Bojagi are square
and can be made from a variety of materials, though silk is common.)
To use this technique she used Indigo dyed
cotton organdie, and created the design based on the idea of a tea house using
the seams which were hand stitched run and fell flat seams.
Edwina also worked to a theme of ‘Orientation’
which sparked the idea of ‘The Orient’ with the tea house and Sushi links. The
Sushi led to a series on the theme with a quilt featuring plates which were cut
up into segments then bonded onto linen with the marks being made free hand
with dye pens and the background seeded to give texture. The Bento box which
the Sushi comes in together with the chopsticks was created using the discharge
technique.
Cut and come again is a quick patchwork
technique for those who do not like to measure. ( indigo)The ‘Four Seasons’ quilts were for the Festival of Quilts with the circular mat being foundation pieced onto paper which was then removed, whilst the squares had words on and featured appropriate colours to provide the seasonal feel. Mettler threads, Batik using soy wax, printed grasses and appliqué were used in the creation of the pieces.
 |
| Autumn |
 |
| Summer |
Edwina is currently working on a piece for the Festival of Quilts based on ‘Identity ‘
17th October 2013
Annette Emms - Gargoyles, Ghosts and Gravestones
Annette is a Textile Artist (originally from
Herefordshire),who lives and works in
the beautiful Vale of Evesham, where Shakespeares’ Avon flows through fruit
orchards, against a backdrop of the Cotswold Hills.
Since she was a child, she has played with fabric, thread and stories. Her work
combines this and a fascination with the natural world, old churches, history
and local legends.
As she explores the countryside around her she loves to weave a story around
her work. This land teems with legends which are waiting to be re- discovered
and secret places, full of magic and mystery.
Annette aims to build layers of fabric and stitch, which form interesting textures. These are then used to create dimensional pieces through which she hopes the observer can glimpse a little ‘Magic’.
As she explores the countryside around her she loves to weave a story around
her work. This land teems with legends which are waiting to be re- discovered
and secret places, full of magic and mystery.
Annette aims to build layers of fabric and stitch, which form interesting textures. These are then used to create dimensional pieces through which she hopes the observer can glimpse a little ‘Magic’.
She said that she believes that, as Roal Dahl says: 'if you watch the world
with glittering eyes, secrets are found in the most unexpected places'. In her work she tries to express that which
enchants. She has a huge interest in
ancient myths, legends, history and delights in the study of places, buildings
and parish churches. She said that her
husband now stops the car automatically as it passes any interesting old church
without being asked, so that she can make rubbings of tiles and brasses, do
sketches and take photographs, how well trained is he! In her wanderings around the country's
ancient and sacred places she has met many really interesting people and some
that have been rather strange too!
She took the Guild Meeting on a tour, via her work, of Hereford and
Cornwall in particular, with detours to Durham and Pembrokeshire. She creates beautiful pieces which tell the
stories of fairies, dragons, princesses, pilgrims and ancient people, weaving
the tales of magic, mystery and enchantment into her work. Her textural pieces are built up of layers
of fabric, felt and stitch which have a wonderful ethereal atmosphere about
them.
As you can see from the photographs, she displayed a wide variety of fabric
books and three dimensional pieces. It
was obvious the members found her talk enthralling and were keen that she might
return at some future date.
As you can see from the photographs, she displayed a wide variety of fabric books and three dimensional pieces. It was obvious the members found her talk enthralling and were keen that she might return at some future date.
Annette ran a mini-workshop in the afternoon during which we were able to
learn about needle felting and created a brooch. Everybody lucky enough to be at the
workshop thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
 |
To find out more about Annette Emms go to www.annetteemms.co.uk
19th September 2013
AGM
 |
| Meeting and greeting |
 |
| Decisions decisions - members challenge |
 |
| Terry talking with members |
SOUTH CHESHIRE EMBROIDERERS GUILD
MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 19 SEPTEMBER 2013
Present: Trisha James (Chair)
Pat
Parry (Treasurer)
Rita
Duncan (Secretary)
Jean
Marshall
Ruth
Colley
Janet
Clarke
Glenys
Jenkins
Judith
Booth
Hazel
Cable
In Attendance: Terry Murphy (EG Chief Executive)
Judith
Lawton (EG NW Region, Area Representative)
General
Membership
Apologies: Jackie Woolsey (President)
Chris
Smith
Judy
Fairless
Gillian
Milner
Margaret
Jefferson
Sylvia
Stead
Agnes Monaghan
Rosemary
Capper
Jan
Aldersay
Alisa
McGregor
1.
Welcome
and Introductions
Trish warmly welcomed all those present and introduced Terry
Murphy and Judith Lawton and thanked them for their attendance, which was much
appreciated. She said that Terry Murphy
would speak after the formal AGM.
2.
Minutes
of Previous AGM
The minutes of the previous AGM were read by Anne Watson,
who was Secretary at the time, they were signed and approved by Trisha James
and seconded by Rita Duncan.
3.
Treasurer's
Report
Pat Parry then presented the audited accounts (copy
attached) which show an overall loss for the year of £1,546.52. However, the Branch Assets were
£4,789.93. The reason for the loss, Pat
pointed out, was that it had been agreed that Branch funds would subsidize the
2012 Christmas Lunch and also the Annual Guild Fees of £2 for year 2012/13,
together with a supporting subsidy for the Young Embroiderers Group which came
to £184.32.
During the year it had been found that coach trips to Harrogate
and Oxford, together with workshops had run at a loss. It was, therefore, suggested that, in
future, the expenditure for this type of event should be covered by those
taking part, wherever possible. The
subsidy to the Young Embroiderers Group would be £150 for the forthcoming
year. Pat asked the membership to try
to pay amounts of £10 and over by cheque to simplify paying-in to the bank.
Proposed: Carrie
Evans
Seconded: Sheila
Jones
4.
Young
Embroiderers Report
Ruth Dalby said that the group was now named Fabric Art
Creative Textiles (FACTS), although the link with the Embroiderers Guild would
be maintained in all publicity and that they were grateful for the financial
support, which had enabled them to plan ahead. The group currently meets on the last
Saturday afternoon of most months at Nantwich Museum. Membership included the three original
members, with six girls who will hopefully become full members and any
additional visitors. She said that the
group were very grateful to all those who helped at meetings. The YE Committee would report back to EG
after their meeting in October. There
are plans for several exciting meetings for the forthcoming YE programme.
5. Chair's
Report
Trisha thanked all the members of the Committee for their
support and work during the year and said that the Committee was now a full and
active one. She also thanked all those
who had managed the tea rota and those that had been on the rota. This had worked very well throughout the
whole year.
She praised the strong and active membership and said that
it was wonderful to have such large attendances. She also praised the Membership for their
exciting collection of work, both Members' Challenge (Water Pieces) and
Travelling Books. She thanked all those
involved and hoped that this sharing of
work and knowledge would continue into the forthcoming year.
The range of speakers throughout the year had been
inspirational and varied, Trisha thanked the previous Committee for arranging
these.
Workshops, both full day and mini, had been well
supported, both traditional and
contemporary.
The Travelling Books had been a huge success and motivation,
they had created a buzz at the Branch Meetings and had meant that Members met
up in their various groups to exchange books and get to know each other. There would be a new sign-up for Travelling
Books in October/November and these would start in January.
The South Cheshire EG had changed Regions during the year
and is now in the West Midlands Region.
Members had attended a Regional Day and had be made to feel most welcome
and nine members were intending to attend the WM Regional AGM.
Regarding outings, Trisha said that the coach that went to
Harrogate had not been full and had run at a loss and, as this year's show fell
on a Branch Meeting Thursday, it had been decided not to run a coach for the
show in November 2013.
The trip to Ashmolean Museum in Oxford had been
inspirational and all those attending had thoroughly enjoyed the trip. However, this was under-subscribed, despite
several places having been taken by non-members.
The visit to Gawthorpe Hall had likewise been most
informative and enjoyable, but had only just broken even.
It was agreed that outings and trips would be discussed at
the next Branch Members Meeting in January 2014.
Trisha said that the Committee proposed to charge £3.50 for
mini-workshops in future to cover the cost of the hall, tea and coffee. Full day workshops would be £25. She said that as there was so much talent
and skill within the Branch, anybody volunteers willing to run a mini-workshop
and share techniques would be welcomed.
6. Election of
Officers
Trish James
(Chair)
Pat Parry
(Treasurer)
Rita Duncan
(Secretary)
Hazel Cable
(Assistant Treasurer)
Glenys Jenkins
(Membership Secretary)
Proposed: Pam Jones
Seconded: Sylvia Renn
7. Continuing
Committee Membership
Jean Marshall
Janet
Clarke
Ruth Colley
Proposed: Sue Jones
Seconded: Becky Evans
8. New
Committee Members
Chris Smith
Judith
Booth
Proposed: Val Mackin
Seconded: Maggie Phillips
9.
Any
Other Business
The next AGM will be on Thursday, 18 September 2014.
There being no other business the formal part of the meeting
closed.
20th June 2013
Jean Littlejohn - Pathways to Stitch
Jean teaches
lectures and exhibits her work in the UK and overseas. She writes and publishes
books with colleague Jan Beaney with their company Double Trouble. They are
both involved in the Embroiderers Guild as they believe in its aims and like
the community feel, the vast variety of interests demonstrated by members and the fact that it joins us all together.
Jean talking to members
Jean
stressed that she and Jan work separately to stitch and create but join
together in order to exhibit.
This results in two issues that require
consideration
What am I going to do?
How am I
going to achieve this?
Unfortunately
the ‘What’ is slightly more difficult and as with many of us can result in
unfinished items/pieces which are not quite right, or the technique selected
does not suit us and so the enthusiasm is lost.
Drawing
and designing are an important element in the process of thinking about what to
do and it is important to have a small notebook (with non removable pages) to
carry with you so that you can sketch ideas and keep records. This can often
guide you to a theme for example ‘the sea’, a ‘field’ which you can record at
various times of the day or through different seasons in this way you have
different light, colours, textures etc.
Indeed
Jean had kept a record when she accompanied her husband on the Titanic 2012 anniversary
cruise, this included sketches, photos, and notes which could inform future work.
Once you are
‘enthused’ by a subject or idea you need to work round it, sampling through the
use of different stitches, various techniques (lace, layering, knitting,
felting, use of embellisher machine), use of different fabrics for texture, different
colours etc then you will be more ready to start your project.
Knitted sample
Jeans’
work reflect a continuing fascination with pathways and journeys, routines and
rhythms and traditional patterns of worn carpets. Her surfaces describe echoes
from the past, layers of life and experience and aspects of decay. Some pieces
look close to home for their inspiration and celebrate the beauty in humble
things, an everyday journey to the shops, a walk across the park or a pathway
to the station. Each day there will be small differences that hint at the lives
of the people who use them. The worn surfaces of a zebra crossing have inspired
a series of open lace-like pieces.
 |
| Jean talking to members |
Drawing
and designing are an important element in the process of thinking about what to
do and it is important to have a small notebook (with non removable pages) to
carry with you so that you can sketch ideas and keep records. This can often
guide you to a theme for example ‘the sea’, a ‘field’ which you can record at
various times of the day or through different seasons in this way you have
different light, colours, textures etc. 
Indeed
Jean had kept a record when she accompanied her husband on the Titanic 2012 anniversary
cruise, this included sketches, photos, and notes which could inform future work. |
| Knitted sample |
The most recent pieces refer to a part of the Dorset coast that is slowly and surely eroding into the sea. As it does it reveals fossil forms that acknowledge ancient times. This has lead to the exploration of notions concerning revealing and concealing. The techniques and materials vary depending on the inspiration for the work but they always involve stitch by hand and or machine and often the use of the needle punch machine to combine and integrate surfaces.
 |
| Lace collar made with hooks, eyes, nails pretty from a distance although it has a harshness - appearances are deceptive |
 |
| Showing detail of the lace collar |
A series of cuffs - multitask, ties that bind, golden hand cuff, for hands that do dishes.
Stones - covered with felt which has been made and stitched into
16th May 2013
The Blackwork Journey New Beginnings by Elizabeth Almond
www.blackworkjourney.co.uk/ Web site which was founded in 2008 to sell
embroidery patterns in PDF format.
Elizabeth used
to live in Cheshire and said how lovely it was for her and her husband George (who
is assisting Liz since the accident) to return for the visit.
She worked on
her City and Guilds course in Manchester and experienced many different
techniques and processes, some of which she decided were not for her whilst
others she has employed throughout her career. For many years Liz was involved
in embroidering white on white and became fed up with this, so after her family
she took up ‘Blackwork’ .
 |
| Hugh Starkey |
Her first piece was large and very complex (exactly
the opposite of what it should have been) and was of a Knight Hugh Starkey (Gentleman
Usher to Henry VIII) taken from a brass rubbing of his tomb. Liz
used blue linen and traced the brass rubbing from the tomb on to it, then
decided which areas were to be light or dark and started on the face, based on
the idea that the face needed to be right for the whole piece to work, she then
continued to complete the piece.
She loves the
connection that Blackwork has with history the fact that it was in the country
before Chaucer, having arrived with Catherine of Aragon who brought Moorish
Blackwork featuring geometric patterns etc. with her. The only evidence we have
of the stitches and designs used in Blackwork comes from the paintings of the
time in which many of the women were portrayed working embroidery.
 |
| Portrait showing Blackwork |
Holbein stitch is a simple, reversible line embroidery stitch most commonly used in Blackwork embroidery. The stitch is named after Hans Holbein (1497-1543), a 16th-century portrait painter best known for his paintings of Henry VIII and his children, almost all of whom are depicted wearing clothing decorated with blackwork embroidery.
Although similar to Back stitch the Holbein stitch produces a smoother line and a pattern that is identical on both sides of the fabric. It can be worked in straight lines, diagonally, or in a stepped fashion to make a zigzag line and is well suited to creating outlines or intricate filling patterns.
Holbein stitch is also known as double running stitch, line stitch, Spanish stitch, Chiara stitch and two-sided line stitch.)
Description of the
technique
Holbein
stitch is usually worked on an Evenweave fabric where the threads can be counted to
ensure perfect regularity and is worked in two stages. Firstly, a row of evenly
spaced running stitches is worked along the line to be covered. Then the return
journey is completed, filling in the spaces between stitches made on the first
journey and sharing the same holes:
Blackwork does
not have to be black thread on a white ground indeed historically blues,
greens, reds etc were used.
The use of
blackwork seemed to disappear until the 1920’s when it returned featuring the
flower motifs typical of the period.
As Blackwork is
geometric it means that it is very easy to see and consequently correct any
mistakes. In order to make Blackwork more accessible, rather than using the
more complicated Holbein Stitch, an easy to do backstitch is used.
Fabrics –
historically these were linen although now many fabrics are used including evenweave
(28 count is ideal to work on) and Aida (
14,16 or 18 count Aida although 18 count is very fine and really you need to
see the stitches). It is easier on the eyes to carry out Blackwork on cream,
ivory or ecru coloured fabrics rather than on white.
Threads
Gutterman Sulky 30 is ideal for Blackwork and also comes in variegated colours.
Silks – Anchor
or DMC stranded although the Anchor Black is better than the DMC black as it is
not as ‘fluffy’. The blackwork only
requires the use of 1 strand of the silk at a time and is therefore not too
expensive.
Cotton Perle No
12 – ideal for achieving curved shapes/outline like a dome as you backstitch
the outline and then whip it to pull the stitches into the shape required.
Metallic thread
– difficult to work with so only use in small amounts /areas and then sew with
small lengths. It is however very effective in Blackwork.
NB A good substitute
for metallic threads is DMC 680 Old Gold.
Reminder – some
dyed threads are not colour fast therefore always test for colourfastness prior
to use as black, red etc can run when washed.
Needles – select
a size that you are able to thread easily rather than struggling and giving up
the piece of work.
Hoops, rings,
frames – these can be difficult to use in terms of getting the
tightness/tension required and in terms of accessibility for example bending
over frame, struggling to hold frame and reach the area of work required. Much
better are the circular picture frame rings with the ‘plastic’ frames which fit
over the inner and hold the fabric tight as well as being easy to use.
NB do
not use the brown coloured frames as these leave a mark on the fabric.
Beads – use a
good quality e.g. Millhill as many others can lose their colour over time or
the pearls can shed their outer layer. Take care when ironing as the beads,
being plastic, can melt!
Pens/ pencils –
trace outline using a HB pencil of a Blue water soluble pen (sometimes several
washes are required to remove the blue colour from the design.)
Ability to see
the work – ensure that you have a good source of light and if required a
magnifying lens.
In Blackwork the
density is due to the stitches being closer together and possibly smaller and
not the thickness of the thread. Stitches which are far apart give a light,
delicate effect whilst stitches which are closer together give a darker,
heavier, textured effect.
Sources of inspiration - Elizabeth has used her travels to help in
this, she identified China was a wonderful source of inspiration with an
endless supply of fascinating buildings such as the Temple of Heaven with its
ornate wall paintings and lattice screens in Beijing and the abandoned city of
Fengdu which was soon to be flooded by the Three Gorges Dam project on the
Yangzi River.
Every corner seemed to hold a different challenge for the
designer and the images give a very small insight into an ever changing
country.
The dome is
probably the most prominent feature of Mughal, Islamic and Indian architecture.
It is a symbolic representation of the vault of heaven.The dome’s silhouette
may vary from hemispherical, pointed, shallow or onion shaped and may be
constructed in a variety of ways. They are often decorated externally as well
as internally providing an impressive architectural feature wherever they are
found. According to Islam, God’s throne in paradise is a gigantic pearl on four
pillars through which the rivers of grace run through.
In Abu Dhabi,a
new white marble mosque with 83 domes, countless columns and surrounded by
reflecting pools, with rich internal decoration of geometric decoration and
Islamic patterns has proved a wonderful stimulus for future work.
Islamic architecture and geometric patterns are major influences on her designs and she has travelled extensively throughout the Middle East and Asia finding inspiration for her work.
Ideas for
projects – once you have the idea for the design, the colours that are suitable,
beads and the threads then what will your finished item be?
If you have too
many pieces of work that end up as pictures then consider making cushions
(cover the base piece of fabric in Blackwork and work your design on to this),
boxes, book covers, placemats (sew on blackwork panel), towel edgings,
pincushions, hand bag mirror (cover and case).
Many of these can also be used
as presents, all items can be future heirlooms so ensure you include your
initials/name and date on all work.
Helpful reminders
If using metal
threads in your work then incorporate these in to your planned design towards the
end.
If using beads in
your work then incorporate these in to your planned design towards the end.
The back of your
work should be as good as the front so always hold work up to the light and
snip off any ends of thread.
To start
stitches do not use a knot but work the first stitch leaving a 4-5inch end of
thread, work your stitches and then work in the tail of thread to your stitches
and trim off remainder.
Crochet cotton
can be used to work the Blackwork panels to be sewn on to towels etc.
To store your
Blackwork embroidery roll it up so that it does not crack/mark at the folds.
She has taught classes in community education, given talks and day schools to groups throughout England, exhibited, worked to commission and created charts and custom-made kits of her designs. Elizabeth has also embroidered for a number of London businesses during her career.
Working with the problems of aging and embroidery, selecting suitable equipment and materials is an integral part of my work. I ran an “agony aunt” column for needleworkers for some time and found that there are ways round most problems if you know who to ask.
She publishes on a regular basis in magazines such as “The World of Cross Stitch”, “Just Cross Stitch”, “Cross Stitch and Embroidery” and “The Gift of Stitching” where she writes a monthly column..
Elizabeth’s
recent interests have been in developing alternative approaches to blackwork
away from the historical concepts, hence her logo: BLACKWORK JOURNEY.
18th April 2013
'Contemporary Embroidery using Nostalgic Themes' - Priscilla Jones
Priscilla has been producing contemporary, stitched, mixed media pieces in 2D and 3D since completing her degree in Embroidery at Manchester Metropolitan University in 1997. |
| Tape measure, buttons and stitch all add to the finished card |
Priscilla works in higher education as well as for herself
where she creates pieces of work that are stitched or sculptural or a
combination of both techniques.
An example of one of her sketch books
She undertook her degree at MMU where all her work was
underpinned by extensive drawings which she then translated into print and
stitched into using hand stitches, edge stitch and also machine embroidery.
Cotton reel flowers and birds
Priscilla also explored the manipulation of fabric as well as the use of
recycled fabrics and haberdashery. Many of her pieces make use of small scraps
of fabric which she joins together, layers and embellishes.
For the exhibition, as part of her course, she created a range of pieces based
around the theme of undergarments which could be worn for example 1 stocking, 1
bloomer leg etc.
Panel featuring undergarments
Section of previous panel
In many cases she uses a heat transfer press to incorporate
drawings that have been photocopied onto fabric into the fabric being used in
the piece of work.
All the materials used in Priscilla’s work are recycled or re
found with corset stays, leather gloves, buttons etc featuring and provoking
ideas for pieces of work.
3D Cup, saucer and spoon
3D Teapot
Other sources of inspiration were a show in the Gallery
based on jugs as a 3D item which led into the theme of tea related objects a
cup, saucer and spoons. All of these required wire to make the structure with
layers of organza, lace and batik wax to join together. Other additions to this
series were a coffee jug and teapot and then tiny (12cm) pots which used pelmet
Vilene for handles and spout.
This also led to pictures and cards with the 'tea time' theme.
Enhanced with stitch and buttons
Teaspoons enhanced with buttons
In commissions Priscilla has used various objects as
starting points like a shoe as an image, a 2D bodice on canvas using paint and
gloves, collars made using gloves which are folded, stitched, have an edge
treatment applied, wax silk can also be used to create the structure for
collars. A bustle made using gloves and lilies( actual flowers which changed as
they wilted and died altering the visual impact of the piece of work) – this
theme was linked to remembrance in death where research showed a pair of white
leather gloves were left as a mark of respect.
Shoe
3D shoe, cake and jug
'A loom with a view' was exhibited at Gawthorpe this did not involve stitch but focused on
the working conditions in the cotton mills with these images applied to cones
which hold the cotton thread.
For work around WW2 Aprons featured as another starting
point again making use of recycled materials like silk, with drawings applied
to the fabric. The aprons had separate pockets attached to contain a range of
related items but as the pockets were heavily starched they were difficult to
stitch into. The three aprons focused on different aspects of the period like
wartime cooking where a recipe was stitched round the edge and paper arm
sleeves were added.
Priscilla works in higher education as well as for herself where she creates pieces of work that are stitched or sculptural or a combination of both techniques.
 |
| An example of one of her sketch books |
|
| Cotton reel flowers and birds |
Priscilla also explored the manipulation of fabric as well as the use of recycled fabrics and haberdashery. Many of her pieces make use of small scraps of fabric which she joins together, layers and embellishes.
For the exhibition, as part of her course, she created a range of pieces based around the theme of undergarments which could be worn for example 1 stocking, 1 bloomer leg etc.
 |
| Panel featuring undergarments |
 |
| Section of previous panel |
In many cases she uses a heat transfer press to incorporate drawings that have been photocopied onto fabric into the fabric being used in the piece of work.
 |
| 3D Cup, saucer and spoon |
 |
| 3D Teapot |
Other sources of inspiration were a show in the Gallery based on jugs as a 3D item which led into the theme of tea related objects a cup, saucer and spoons. All of these required wire to make the structure with layers of organza, lace and batik wax to join together. Other additions to this series were a coffee jug and teapot and then tiny (12cm) pots which used pelmet Vilene for handles and spout.
This also led to pictures and cards with the 'tea time' theme.
 | ||||
| Enhanced with stitch and buttons |
 |
| Teaspoons enhanced with buttons |
In commissions Priscilla has used various objects as starting points like a shoe as an image, a 2D bodice on canvas using paint and gloves, collars made using gloves which are folded, stitched, have an edge treatment applied, wax silk can also be used to create the structure for collars. A bustle made using gloves and lilies( actual flowers which changed as they wilted and died altering the visual impact of the piece of work) – this theme was linked to remembrance in death where research showed a pair of white leather gloves were left as a mark of respect.
 |
| Shoe |
 |
| 3D shoe, cake and jug |
'A loom with a view' was exhibited at Gawthorpe this did not involve stitch but focused on the working conditions in the cotton mills with these images applied to cones which hold the cotton thread.
 |
| Detail of kitchen implements from the apron |
21st March 2013
"The Fabric of the Universe" - Anne Menary
'The Fabric of the Universe' -based on the inspiration behind the ‘Planets
and Galaxies’ picture series.
Anne is a textile artist based in North
Derbyshire. She has a degree in embroidery and an art teaching qualification
from Goldsmiths and splits her time between teaching (embroidery and creative
design) and her own work.
She works by hand creating textile collage
hangings, pictures and fabric postcards which illustrate an 'other
worldly' take on life. Each individually made piece is stitched using her
collection of recycled fabrics, handmade felt, lace and trimmings.
Her inspiration comes from everywhere and Anne keeps sketchbooks full of
observations about art, science, cave paintings as well as her travels. She is
also influenced by words, quotes, cave paintings and the work of other artists
e.g. Miero who uses symbolic figuresFrom these musings she concludes the cosmos is full of little people with similar preoccupations as us, such as:
What on Earth is String Theory?
Can it be stitched into the Fabric of the Universe?
Can I use my old curtains?
The Fabric of the Universe – this series of pictures is
based on the 9 planets which draw inspiration from news headlines, quotes, cave
painting style figures and animals,text, a range of recycled fabrics, handmade
felt, silk, chiffon all incorporated into
the final form using various techniques - layering, appliqué, reverse appliqué,
embroidery like spiders web, couching, sorbelolo stitch(figures), French
knots(heads) etc. The important thing is to have a theme or links between the
pictures e.g. the spaceman to create the series.
Flight Tasting based on a quote by Leonardo da
Vinci “Once you
have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned
skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”
Living on the edge of the Milky Way – this is where the
sun is situated and pictures from the Hubble space telescope inspired the
content in this.
Icarus – Flying too close to the sun will burn your
wings. The link from the last work being the sun and incorporating the idea of
falling angels.
Mercury – ‘Mercurys winged wellingtons’ were the
alterative words that provoked this with buttons applied using stitches looking
like wings.
Mercurys Mariner – in search of fallen wings which links
to Icarus falling from the sun, here Anne uses Shiska glass mirrors for the
craters and incorporates the spaceman visiting all the planets.
A view from Venus – Earths toxic twin ‘from the frying
pan into the fire’ (what we might do to our planet if we do not care for the
environment/atmosphere). Research gave ideas for the colours and buttons were
used to represent the earth and moon.
Watching earth rise - view from the moon- taken from the
Apollo missions when the astronauts looked at the earth from the moon. Anne
used crimplene for the moon’s surface and included the Lunar module.
Mars roving – the search for chocolate intensifies(many
chocolate bars have names connected with space) Red fabrics used for the planet
Mars and planet Earth features in the background.
Galileo gazing on Jupiter – the 4 moons of Jupiter with Saturn
in the distance.
Welcome to Titan – looks like a nice place to stay! It is
one of the moons of Saturn and the idea of a nice place to go camping produced
the caravan images.
Counting moons on Uranus – marbled fabric and many moons.
Voyage to Neptune( God of the sea) – Hence images of
swimmer, fish, planet, spaceship, spaceman traveller. This piece used felt made
between two pieces of net to which CMC paste was applied, once the glue is dry
the net is removed and felt can be cut up easily.
Where is Pluto? – incorporates a small spaceman toy and
‘clanger’ type images as well as stitches, figures and techniques used
previously to give continuity and enhance the theme.
Postcards
From A Time Traveller
Provoked
by a great interest in the big questions of life:
Where are we going?
Can we travel back in time?
What will we wear?
This has inspired a series of 12 hand stitched pictures entitled: 'Postcards
from a Time Traveller' providing timely information for the would-be time
tourist. These have stamps printed onto the fabric using the computer (permission
required to use image of stamp)
Where are we going?
Can we travel back in time?
What will we wear?
This has inspired a series of 12 hand stitched pictures entitled: 'Postcards
from a Time Traveller' providing timely information for the would-be time
tourist. These have stamps printed onto the fabric using the computer (permission
required to use image of stamp)
Gathering
moon dust, Fly me to the moon, Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and
Mars (red planet with little green men – transfer print used), moon
bathing(used patterns /shapes visible on moon e.g. sea of
tranquillity),Travelling light ( Cubist in form with angels and people based on
work of artist Shegal), Fly me to the Moon(needle lace stitch represents
‘String Theory’), Heaven is all around, Const
