Summer School 2011

Last Thursday, Elizabeth, Jennifer and Sandra went to Summer School at Alston Hall. There was a choice of three courses, stitched books, 3D crewel work and a stitched collage.
All three of our members had chosen to make a stitched book with Frances Pickering.
Frances brought with her many of her stitched books which were inspirational as you can see from the pictures below.

Members working hard on designing and making their own books on subjects personal to them.

The covers were made from pelmet vilene which was coloured with transfer dyes. The pages were also coloured with dyes and then stitched to the cover to make a book. The pages were then ready to draw on and stitch into about a subject of the members choice.

Elizabeth completed her cover and stitched in the pages. She began working on the pages, including some of her own photographs taken on a recent holiday in Scotland. The book will be about the machair found in the Hebrides.

Jennifer finished the cover and made a bookmark for her book. She sewed in the pages and took it home to complete.It will be a book on memories.

Sandra completed the cover and sewed in the pages. She then started working on the pages and has nearly covered 4. Only 36 pages to go!

The crewel work group produced beautiful embroidery with a modern slant on 3D crewel work, including a pea pod, a hare a butterfly and flowers with a rabbit.

These are just a few of the vibrant and cheery stitched collages created with Liliane Taylor.

All three of our members enjoyed their time at Alston Hall and hope to return next year.

July Meeting 2011 Fabric Bowls

This month's meeting was taken by one of our own members Pat Patterson. Pat showed us her fabric bowls last year and the members asked her if she would run a workshop.

She brought with her a wonderful selection of beautifully coloured and dainty examples.

Pat suggested we choose a colour scheme and to use light materials, fibres and threads. We were then shown how to lay the cut up materials on the solufleece and we were advised not to be too heavy handed. We were then shown how to put the second piece of solufleece on top and then put in a ring ready for stitching.

We began by placing cut up glitzy fabric, threads and fibres between two sheets of solufleece. The resultant fabric was held in a ring and then machine stitched in matching and contrasting threads.

When all the stitching was linked together it was time to dissolve the solufleece.

Once the solufleece had been disolved in water the bowl was put over a mould covered in cling film. A little PVA glue was spread on the bowl and smoothed down.

The bowls made by Sandra, Jennifer, Janet and Ann were then left to dry on the moulds.

Sandra dried her Venetian inspired bowl in the airing cupboard and then removed it from the mould.
It was a very enjoyable workshop all thanks to Pat.

Cushion front

Gillian has finished embroidering her Shiva Stick picture from last month's meeting and put it into the front of a cushion.

The picture was hand embroidered and the background quilted with running stitch which gives a lovely rippled effect.

The cushion will be completed when Gillian finds the backing fabric!