All wired up Priscilla Jones June Meeting 2014

This month we were lucky to have Priscilla Jones take our June workshop. Whenever we think of Priscilla we think of tea cups and saucers imbibed with her own delicate charm. She is now moving on to working in porcelain with found pieces of interest. Some of her pieces are below.

We were going to make either a 2D or 3D structure with wire. Priscilla showed us how to twist the wire and squeeze the twists with pliers. As soon as we had decided what to make we set about twisting our wire into the shapes we wanted, which was not as easy as Priscilla made it look!

We then cut up fine material such as silk or chiffon and applied it to the structure with hot wax which gave a delicate translucent effect.

We were then able to stitch into the structure and sew on buttons beads etc..

Most of us either finished or nearly finished our structures and we took our efforts home proudly. All thanks go to Priscilla for such a fun and enjoyable day.

Storey Exhibition May/June 2014

Yesterday Brenda and I went to the preview of the Storey  Exhibition and you will all be delighted that as you walk along the corridor to the room you will see our joint effort of Starry Night in front of you.

Some of our postcards from the Athletes of the World project are  displayed with other cards from  North West Branches.

Our basket of flowers made from ties is hung in the corner with other pieces from the tie challenge.

Sandra K. has an individual piece entitled Remembrance-tied to the past.

Remembrance-tied to the past

The exhibition is well worth a visit as it has a wide range of stitch, both traditional and contemporary.  The colourful, creative and finely stitched  pieces  have all been displayed in a pleasing way and  a few  of the pieces exhibited are shown below.

I hope you will find time to visit the Exhibition as it is well worth a look. Thanks must go to Monica and her helpers for organising it.

Kimono and Craft May Meeting 2014

This month  Katie Chaplin introduced us to the art of Kimono dressing. She explained about the fabric of each layer of the outfit and some of the ritual and story behind the item as she dressed her mannequin.

Katie dressing the mannequin in the under kimono over the cotton underwear slip

 

The kimono being held out so we could admire the hand painted and embroidered silk

Katie adjusting the fit of the kimono with a tie

A sash is fixed around the middle to be tied at the back

The sash is tied at the back in a special way over a little pillow

The fully dressed mannequin apart from the socks and shoes

Katie informed us that in Japan it takes about four hours for a woman to be dressed properly in a kimono! It looked beautiful but very few of us would want to spend that kind of time getting ready.

After lunch we started the craft part of the workshop where we each chose two fat quarters of Japanese fabric to make a small folded hand stitched Japanese bag. The fabrics we chose from were beautiful many printed with flowers and gold.

By the end of the afternoon most of us were finishing off the bag by threading the draw string and adding the beads.
We all felt pleased wth our hana bags as we took them home and a big thank you to Katie for telling us a bit more about Japanese culture.

A completed Japanese folded bag with drawstring

The Harris Museum, Preston, April Meeting 2014

This month we had an excursion to the Harris Museum to see the Textile collection and learn how it is conserved and stored.
The Museum is a very impressive building with a Greek revival facade and a fine interior.

Harris Museum

We started off by looking at a variety of textiles in small groups each of which was led by a volunteer who explained:

•  how special coathangers are made to protect the garments from chafing.

• how samplers, many made my children, are mounted on card and then stored in acid free acetate pockets.

• how items are cleaned with soft brushes and occasionally a small hoover through netting so as not to damage the threads and then stored in acid free tissue.

 

• how lace is stored and identified.

• how they involved the museum in a joint patchwork venture with the people of Preston.

Our members looking at items in storage and how they are protected from light, fingers, incorrect storage/hanging, insect damage etc.

 After a very pleasant lunch in the museum cafe we were given a tour of the textile gallery by the curator.

A selection of the fashion plates

1950's dresses

Horrock's dresses, with sample books, which were made in Preston

Back and front of a C19 dress

Various dresses with one taken apart to show how it had been made

Various accessories

Goldwork badges and insignia

It was a very interesting day and we learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in a museum to preserve textiles for the interest and enjoyment of future generations.
A thank you to Sandra W. for arranging the day.