Our workshop on Shiva Flowers was led by one of our own members, Sandra Kendall, who brought with her a lot of samples and photographs of flowers that were useful to use with this method and can be seen in the pictures below.
Sandra explained about taking the skin off the Shiva sticks, that the colours mix as in paint and the background colour also has an effect on the final colour.
We started off with a little warm up exercise by using a hand cut stencil of 3 shapes,attaching it to cloth by ironing, putting Shiva colour around the edges of the shape and transferring it to the cloth with a tooth brush.
Our members were then shown how to make a stencil of their chosen flower and apply the Shiva including adding stripes or different coloured centres.
Before we did any stitching Sandra suggested we make any leaves from bondawebbed silk, cut out and attach by iron. She then went through a variety of ways of making stems to suit the flower.
Sandra then demonstrated machine stitching around the flower to make it "pop out". An alternative method was to backstich by hand around the edge.
Once the edge had been sewn the flower could then be embellished by hand stitching and beading to make the centre of the flower stand out.
Most members had reached the point where they had started to add the leaves. The flowers were then taken home to finish off and to quilt the background.
The flowers were varied in color, shape and size and we are looking forward to seeing the finished embroideries soon.
Thank you to Sandra for an enjoyable day.
We are holding an exhibition of our embroidery and textile art pieces, made over the past year, on Saturday 5th September at the Methodist Hall, Grange over Sands.As well as the exhibition there will be refreshments, craft stall and raffle.
The date will soon be with us so please don't forget to bring your exhibition pieces either to the meeting on Tuesday 1st September or Friday evening at the hall.
Any offerings for the raffle or craft stall will be gratefully received.
I travelled down to to the NEC early on Thurday morning with my shopping list in my hand and hoping to see some beautiful and interesting quilts.
I was not disappointed but I had never seen the queues so long. To enter I had to join a queue which snaked all around the floor for about 15mins before I could get in! There were also queues at many of the stalls in order to pay!
I got everything on my list and here are just a few of the quilts pictured below.
As I was wandering around, who did I bump into but Mary ready for action with her steward's sash and white gloves.
The Festival of quilts is always worth a visit both for the ideas it generates and picking up things to buy that are not easy to get at home. It was a good day but very tiring.
When I arrive at Alston Hall the first thing I do is walk round the gardens which are kept beautifully.
I was the only member from North Lonsdale attending Summer School this year but I was about to learn about cyanoprinting which is something I have always wanted to have a go at.
The tutor was Ruth Brown and the first thing we did was to paint some material on frames with a light sensitive solution. These were then put in a dark cupboard to dry overnight and be ready for use in the morning.
We then put various plant materials and anything interesting to make some samples which you can see in the pictures below before they have been exposed to UV light.
The pieces were pinned slightly if they did not lie flat and keep contact with the surface. The boards were then put under the sun bed for the UV light to activate the light sensitive material. When the material started to go a dark green the objects etc were removed and the material washed and rinsed and then placed in a slightly acid bath where the beautiful shapes and blue colours emerged.
It was definitely an Ooh moment when the shapes emerged!
Ruth demonstrated different techniques of scrunching and rolling material and then gradually opening out to produce patterns on the cloth. She also showed us how to add things or take them away thus giving different exposures to objects.
Ruth then demonstrated how to cyanoprint a digital image by making a negative.
It was a very enjoyable workshop and I took home a range of samples on a variety of natural materials.I intend to have a go at home and I have some ideas for a couple of the prints!
The three day course was run by Bella May Leonard and was stitching on acetate and building up 3D structures and you can see some of the work below.
Rusting was the other course led by Alice Fox and some of their work is below.
Summer School is always worth a visit and it is good to just concentrate on one technique at a time. It is also a time to catch up with other members from the North West Region in comfort and with good food.
