Pixie Boots

Mary was inspired to make these pretty and delicate boots for her grandaughter after seeing the idea in this month's Stitch. They included a little scroll wishing her grandaughter good luck and a successful outcome with her A Levels and any other tests and exams in the future. We are sure they will work!

Congratulations are also due to Mary for being awarded her 25 year badge by The Embroiderers' Guild. Well Done Mary!

North West Regional Day 2011

On Saturday 16th April Elizabeth, Gillian, Janet, Dorothy, Anne C., Anne W. and Sandra travelled to Lytham St. Annes for the Regional Day.

Blackpool and Lytham Branches hosted the meeting and made us all feel very welcome. The day was well organised with a programme setting out the day's events and telling us where everything was.

The day started with tea/coffee and biscuits followed by the business part of the day. The hall was full and there is definately a feeling that the guild has now turned a corner and is slowly turning into a 21st Century Organization.

The new Chairperson Pauline Hannon spoke to everyone and by the reception she received she is obviously a popular appointment.

We were then able to look at the competition pieces, a display of work by the host branches and a sports hall full of things to buy!

We all enjoyed the lunch and the hall was set out attractively.

The Madeira Lecture was given by Paddy Killer who told us about her textile journey and her inspirations in a very amusing manner.

Prizes were then awarded for the various competitions and North Lonsdale won the Rose Bowl.

It was a very enjoyable day and a thank you must go to the host branches of Blackpool and Lytham St. Annes for organizing things so well.

North West Regional Day Rose Bowl Competition

Sandra was very pleased to be awarded the Rose Bowl at the North West Regional Day for her embroidered book, inspired by the 14th Century Luttrell Psalter. The cover was based on a tile pattern and the inside pages were inspired by the illuminated letters of the original book.

April Meeting 2011 Designer Crochet

We were pleased to welcome Pauline Turner to our April Meeting.Pauline gave us a history of crochet and its development which she illustrated with samples of domestic, fashion and artistic crochet. The pieces ranged from tablecloths to jackets and shawls and included pieces of freeform crochet just for the sheer enjoyment of colour and texture.

We were all fascinated with the texture and the blending of colours which a range of crochet stiches and different ways of working them could bring to a piece.

Pauline then demonstrated how to make a crochet button and then it was over to us how we went forward.

One group were determined to master the buttons another group started a piece of freeform while another group practised perfecting their tension with a few basic stitches!

We were also shown neater ways of decreasing and edging our garments.

Everyone went home with something and I have the feeling that crochet is going to be very fashionable around South Cumbria!!!!

Thank you Pauline for an interesting day.

Annual Guild Lunch

On Tuesday 22nd March we held our annual lunch at the Netherwood Hotel, Grange-over-Sands. The menu offered us a choice of chicken, beef, salmon or rissotto for main course followed by small portions of five different sweets.

Afterwards we were served tea or coffee with a chance for a chat in a private room.

The Netherwood made us feel welcome and looked after us very well. It was a most enjoyable lunch with a chance to catch up on news which we sometimes don't have time to do at the monthly meetings.

New Ways of Felting

Sandra went on a felting course with Ewa Kuniczak at the beginning of this week. She had to take a photograph or drawing for inspiration and Sandra took a drawing of foxgloves. Ewa asked everyone to draw the important lines from their picture and then the parts that were important to them. Everyone was then asked to draw over the lines with more than one colour of wax crayons so that colour was built up gradually. A weak wash of acrylic paint was then put over the top and texture built up by printing with a screwed up hand towel! The drawing is on the right of the above photograph.

The main lines of the picture were traced onto a piece of plastic and placed picture side onto the table. The felt picture was then built up from the front to the back by laying wool tops. When the picture was completed it was felted by rolling in a blind with a dowelling stick.

The completed hanging can be seen above and the comparison with the drawing.

Sandra said it was a most enjoyable course but the rolling was like a work out!!!

March Meeting 2011 My Quilts and Me

This month we were pleased to welcome Barbars Slee who came to talk about her Quilts, most of which she had made herself but with a few specials such as an Amish quilt which she had purchased.

She told us that she first got into patchwork and quilting when she lived in the U.S.A. and at that stage in her life she even had to learn how to sew! She spoke with great affection of her time in America, the friends she made through quilting and the way it started her on a life journey with an interest in quilts and their making.

She brought a huge number of quilts to show us mostly traditional in style, some with a sentimental attachment but all very awe inspiring.

You can see some of Barbara's quilts in the pictures and cannot help but be impressed with the patterns, colours and the artistic layouts.

We enjoyed the talk enormously and it was very interesting to hear someone talk about what set them going on a craft and the inspiration along the way.

Thank you Barbara for a lovely afternoon.