Gardens and Requirements for June Meeting -Contemporary Satin Stitched Circle

Mary has sent us this photo of the tall stately sysirinchum striatum which she says flowers for weeks. If anyone would like seeds just let her know.

 Thanks Mary, anything that flowers for weeks is always welcome.

Sandra has sent a picture of her lilac which smells beautifully.

Requirements list for the June Meeting.

 

Shibori, Blackwork and Pulled Thread

Bev has been catching up by finishing off  various projects.

She has completed a very pretty shibori brooch started at one of our meetings.

 The blackwork was started with Liz Almond in Kendal.

and the pulled work also started in Kendal is nearly finished.

 Thanks Bev for a lovely range of work and I hope the pile of UFOs is decreasing in size!

Art Nouveau Flower 

Pauline has embroidered her flower in an electric blue and the result is beautiful.

 She has carefully worked shading on both the petals and leaves producing an eye-catching flower.
Thanks Pauline, it is wonderful. 

Seedpods and Swing Seat 

As promised, Mary has sent us a photo of the seedpods of  nectorascorum which she says look like Rhineland castles. They are unusual and I have not seen seedpods like those before. 

She has also taken delivery of a new swing seat for her garden. I am sure we all hope that she gets lots of use from it once the rain has gone through. 

 Thanks Mary for your interesting pictures.

Textile News 13

Sketchbooks, Painting and Embellishing

Fran has been very busy experimenting in her sketchbook using mainly collage as the medium.

 The more you explore a subject the more you learn about it and it might be useful  to translate some of the drawings/collage to stitch later on.

She has also got her paintings out to produce the painting below.

 -And with her newly purchased embellisher she has made  a fabric collage and some other pieces suitable as backgrounds for future stitching.

 Thanks Fran. Your sketchbook pages are intriguing and I find your painting very moody. Each time I look at it I see something different. 
The embellished piece has a lovely range of colours.
Thank you for all your work and reminding us about sketchbooks as I am planning a bit of sketchbook work for the July meeting. 

Textile News 12

Mary's Garden

 Mary has sent us 2 photographs of plants from her garden. The first is an unusual plant called nectoroscorum which she says the bees absolutely adore and has unusual seedpods. She will send a photograph of the seedpods in about 2 weeks time and if you would like some seed she will save it for you.

 The 2nd plant is a very vibrant rose to brighten any garden.

 Thank you for the pictures Mary and I am glad you have such cheery plants to lift your spirits.

Notebook Covers 

Anita has been very busy covering her notebooks from embroidery courses she has been on over the past years. She has raided her stash to make plain notebooks into works of art.

 One plain note book transformed into these bright and cheery books.

 

 

 They look wonderful Anita and what a good way to reduce your stash!

 The horse chestnut trees are looking glorious this year and Anita took this photo of the "candles." Hopefully there will be lots of conkers.

 

 You can almost smell this picture of the wild garlic.
Than you Anita for your photos and sharing them with us.

A Contemporary Twist on Crewel 

At last Sandra has finished her crewel piece that she started thinking about at our meeting in March with Stella. It has taken most of the time to think about and work out how to sew what she wanted to do!

She started off with the geometric shapes of the gherkin and thinking how they mirror the grid structures [laid work] in crewel work.

She loved the diamond and triangle pattern in the glass frames and decided to put a grid over the crewel. Some of the crewel work would be seen through and then abstract diamond shapes could be applied through both layers.

Traditional crewel embroidered with wool was sewn onto linen twill.

She then made the grid by sewing ribbon to a sheer. Where she wanted the flower to show through she cut out windows of the sheer with a soldering iron.

She then applied the grid over the crewel embroidery and attached with cross stitch.

Where the sheer was still intact she then embroidered the triangles and diamonds through both layers, with the same wool,, producing abstract shapes..

Sandra enjoys doing crewel work and loves the colours of the wool and the shading you can produce.

Thank you Sandra

Textile News 11

Reasons to be Thankful

Sandra has just finished her 4" square to say thank you to the NHS as part of a project organized by the National Embroiderers' Guild.

When they are all collected together they will be combined to make hangings to be donated to hospitals and care homes

 If anyone else would like to join in the details are on the National web site. If you have trouble logging on I can send a copy of the regulations and form.

Art Nouveau Flowers 

Mary has been busy again, this time she has embroidered three Art Nouveau flowers and they look fabulous and very elegant.

  She has used applique and then stitched the edges. I love the pattern that the flowers make in the spaces next to each other. Thank you Mary for a beautiful embroidery.

Positivity Square 

Joanna has just finished her square based on a woven grid and then embellished. Joanna loves embellishing things with lots of sparkle. Her favourite thing at the guild is the raffle.

 Thank you Joanna, It is very pretty.

Textile News 10

Anita has sent us some embroidery based on her trip to Framlingham castle in Suffolk. The castle is an intriguing mix of Medieval, Tudor and Victorian history perfect for her textile book "Stories in Stones."

Framlingham Castle Suffolk

Her book is a long term ongoing project which includes buildings that she visits when on her travels. She particularly loves the Tudor chimneys, added to the Norman castle at Framlingham: they are all different with amazing patterned bricks.
She loves the Medieval faces peering at visitors from the long distant past and couldn't resist embroidering them.

 A super book Anita and thank you for sharing it with us. The heads and the chimneys are very evocative of the building and you have replicated the stone colours beautifully.
Well done Anita! 

Garden and Tulip Weaving 

Denise has sent us a photograph of her beautiful garden with deep red tulips in the foreground.

Her weaving is also based on a photograph of deep red tulips which she manipulated in Photoshop.

The colours of the weaving are stunning and we would love to see it when finished.

Thank you Denise for those items and we know weaving is a fairly slow process. The movement you have managed to give to the weaving is beautiful and it looks as if a gentle breeze is blowing.

Face Coverings

Many of our members have already made face coverings in anticipation of being requested to wear them as the lock down eases, particularly in crowded places.

Last night Patrick from the sewing bee has asked people with machines to make them for people who perhaps cannot make their own. There are 2 patterns on the site   bigcommunitysew.co.uk

Thelma has sent a photograph of herself wearing a jaunty, leafy, green number .

Thank you Thelma.

Instructions for embroidering an Art Nouveau flower - May Meeting 2020

The trees are looking beautiful at the moment as they open into full leaf.

Instructions for the Art Nouveau Flower

Shift Dress

Bev has been busy making a summer dress and we all hope that it will not be long before we are able to put on something nice and go out again.

 The dress is beautifully neat and the material is very pretty. We hope you have a chance to wear it soon.

Thank you Bev 

Art Nouveau flower - sunglass case 

Sue has finished her Art Nouveau flower already and made it into a pretty case for her sunglasses. 

I am sure the case will protect her glasses and they will never be mislaid again! Thanks Sue it is very pretty.