This month Sue, one of our members, introduced us to the style of working like Richard Box. She brought some beautiful samples with her so that we could see the possible outcomes.
Sue demonstrated tracing her flower picture and then showed us how to cut out the first part covering the background with small cuttings of material each applied with a minute amount of glue.
We were all ready to start working on our own flower[s].
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It was suggested we vary the shades of the colour we were using to produce a more pleasing effect. Once we had finished covering the first part we then cut out the next part and covered that area and so on until the whole area was covered including the background.
Once we had totally covered our flower and background Sue showed us how to machine stitch the piece mainly with zig-zag to hold down all the fabric pieces also bringing the piece together.
One of our members started machining but most of us took the piece home to machine and then finish with hand stitching.
Thank you Sue for a very enjoyable, interesting day and introducing us to a way of working which was new to most of us.
The clematis has been finished and used on the cover of a sketchbook.
The brief was to make a panel inspired by nature 12.5cm x 16cm, portrait orientation, in any style using any technique but each embroidery was to have some silver somewhere. The completed pieces are to be part of our library exhibition celebrating our silver anniversary.
Sandra had sent out the size of each panel that we were to make before the meeting so some members had already made a start on theirs.
Sandra had made some samples with different backgrounds, using a wide range of techniques and using some silver. [See below]
Members started their panels with enthusiasm and the range of techniques and subjects was very variable from spider's webs to the moon over Morecambe Bay.
Mounting board and cotton was handed out so members could lace their finished piece over the board and then stitch a piece of cotton over the lacing to neaten the back.
Some members took an extra piece of board to make a second embroidery!
I am afraid I had a senior moment and forgot to take some photographs but I will add members work to the blog as they send their photographs to me. [See below]
The work will be exhibited in Grange Library towards the end of October and will demonstrate a wide range of creative embroidery techniques.
Thank you to Sandra for leading the day for us.
Agnes Halliwell, one of our own members, delivered part 2 of her interesting workshop on More ways with Threads. Agnes has a wealth of experience in a full range of embroidery techniques. She brought books of samples and individual pieces to show us the possibilities of using threads in more creative ways. Some of the beautiful inspirational samples are below.
Agnes started with knitting and by varying the size of needles and thickness of wools/threads we could produce differing effects to use in our embroidery.
Agnes explained that we could put fabrics behind the knitting or thread things through.
If you have ever watched people knit the way they hold their needles and their wool depends are where they were taught to knit. So next time you are on holiday and you see people knitting have a look at the way they hold their needles and progress the wool and it will depend on the knitting culture they were brought up in.
We were then shown some beautiful cords and a whole variety of ways we could cover and use them. We also rediscovered the cord maker which our guild owns!
By the end of the session we had all completed lots of samples but more importantly we had added new ideas and skills to our repertoires that we could use any time in the future in our stitching.
A big thank you to Agnes for sharing her experience, skill and creativity with us to improve our artistic use of stitching in future projects.
This month our workshop on mono printing was led by Sandra Kendall one of our own members who brought some samples to inspire us. [See below]
Sandra told us that mono print means one print but sometimes you can get a second "ghost print " and this is often the most attractive.
We worked mainly on paper because it is nor an exact science and there can be some waste. However, anything that can be printed on paper can be printed onto material.
The prints can make good backgrounds to embroider into or as a placement for an embroidery to set it off. They are also useful for sketchbook work.
We used fairly basic materials but the results were good enough for member to decide if they liked the process and take it further with more expensive equipment
Each member was provided with a laminated sheet to use as the plate and a plastic pocket on which to mix the paint. We used either printing inks or acrylics with extender to prolong the drying time .
The first few exercises were to practice inking the plate with the right amount of paint and practice getting the equipment ready before inking so there was no delay to let the paint dry. We aimed for an orange peel texture with a rasping sound!
After that members tried out various methods systematically -addition, subtraction using a whole variety of objects including plant material to make marks in the paint building up texture to produce a good print.
There was also opportunity to make a mask, funky foam stamp and a tyvek stencil to use alongside bought stencils and stamps.
Mono printing is not for everyone because it can be messy and there is an element of chance in the outcome but if you persevere you can often produce something unique with its own attraction.
Members who took part enjoyed the day and a thank you to Sandra for organizing the workshop.
