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.

Completed Cross Structure Binding Books

The pictures show some of the completed books from last month's meeting. The red leather book was made by Brenda and the pale blue silvery one by Janet. Mivvy made the green and brown books [I am sorry if I have got that wrong] and Sandra made the orange book with dyed material from last year's Summer School. They are all so very different yet we started with the same instructions. Thank you Elizabeth for inspiring everyone.