Goodbye to all that . . . .

This is my last post on this blog as responsibility for it has now passed to Margaret Steeden. I have moved now to Poole in Dorset so am no longer member of Macclesfield branch. Margaret has set up SilkTownStitchers2 which she will run from her own blogger identity. There are some great pix on it already, so please click on the link above to access it now.
Happy stitching everyone. I shall endeavour to convert my new local EG branch to blogging!

Stumpwork and . . .

Nice contrast here with a lovely piece of stumpwork by Dorothy Phillips, which is so precise and controlled . . . . . . and a very free composition by Margaret Waring using the bits you might sweep up from the workroom floor after a busy day stitching - fascinating.

The latter was an exhibit in Celebration of Silk at the Macclesfield Silk Museum.

Kantha workshop with Rubina Porter

Rubina, from the Merseyside RG branch, gave us a great day workshop, showing us how to use a simple running stitch in kantha work. Using 2 layers - silk and a cotton backing, both woven and bought in Bangla Desh, we chose a motif from one of the amazing kanthas Rubina had brought to show us and began stitching it, using rayon threads. She showed us how to do blocks of 3 rows to form an outline, then how to move the next row of stitches on to make the slanting columns and chevrons.
Here are our efforts:

And another of Rubina's, all bought, she says, in Bangla Desh, for pennies!

Rubina visits Sreepur Women and Children's Village in Bangla Desh regularly. Please do check out the link and read about this effort to help orphans and disadvantaged women in a culture that is stacked against them. There are great cards to be bought, made by the people there.

Fascinated by snails . . . (!)

I had for 5 or so years a small tin of escargots in my cupboard, where they came from I cannot recall. Anyway I obviously thought they would be eaten sometime. So when the time came of course they were out of date. Attached to the tin was a plastic cylinder full of 20 or more beautiful shells.

I could have thrown them on the rockery near to the Cheddar Pinks but my granddaughter Hannah looked longingly at them and so, leaving three behind off they went to Cambridge. The three sat on the window sill and then in a small tray.

But the empty slot made me think and so fascinated by the shape and possible construction I looked at spirals and helixes and made two, one for Hannah and one for me. (Margaret Waring)

Little Moreton Hall - inspired pieces . . .

. . . chosen by members to be part of further exhibiting for a wider audience. Pat Milius' knot garden box, Hilary Fish and Elaine Townsley's strip sampler, and a collection of pincushions made by various members, to a shape based on Elizabethan caps.

The pieces were originally made for 'Embroidery in Trust', exhibitions put on in 3 National Trust properties in the north-west EG region. Work had to be based on something seen at one of the properties.

Work from Catherine

Here are a few of my cushions and bags for the blog---Catherine

Reverse side of cushion using Langa Lapu South African dyed fabric and then the cushion itself made with shiny materials:

Hand made Cushion with layers of Chiffon, Organza

and the reverse:

This Bag has gone to Haze in Monaco. Made with Space died Velvet and Langa Lapu Fabric from one of my South Africam trip. Also Threads from Africa and embellished with a variety of Beads

Detail

Hand made Felt bag embellished with Beads and a variety of Stitch

Showing detail of tassel , stitch and braid:

Japanese patchwork bags

You've seen the blocks, now here are the bags, six of them anyway, more to come hopefully. Thanks to Julie Eastman, our secretary, for a really good workshop! The black border fabric makes an effective contrast and the black shapes stand out.

A different shape, with a rectangular base. The others have an oval base.

A flap fastening with velcro, and nice turquoise tassel.

Using the same centre fabric throughout, or a mixture of related fabrics, they all look good.

Something a bit different - patchwork

Dorothy (Palmer) is into patchwork as well as embroidery and has contributed these photos. She made the bag in the first pic for the EG Embroidery in Trust exhibition at Little Moreton Hall last summer. The 'stained glass' technique using black strips to outline the pieces features in this bag and in the quilts.

This bag uses a project that appeared in Stitch magazine involving stitching tucks with space-dyed thread, then stitching across them, pushing them together in alternate directions.

Magic tiles are rather clever. You begin with (here) 12 squares of 9 different fabrics. Piles are made of one of each fabric. Four cuts slice them across, making 9 pieces. These pieces are swapped around and made up into blocks with one piece from each fabric in each block. Look carefully and you'll see Dorothy has varied this a bit, to interesting effect.

Catching up . . .

. . . with the photos waiting to be posted:

1. Whitework example done at a Silk Museum workshop

2. Books made by Chris Harris, who has been coming to informal bookmaking classes run by me at home. She's used some small stitched samples on the covers.

Some more paisley blocks . .

. . . which will be on display as part of Celebration of Silk - Competition and Exhibition at the Silk Museum, Park Lane, Macclesfield 7th April 2007 – 12th May 2007 Monday to Saturday 11am – 5pm. Museum Admission Fee Charged.

People keep adding to these embroideries. In May our meeting is another hands-on session where beads and embellishments will be added to any blocks whose makers have not seen enough of them already!

Japanese Folded Patchwork Dayschool

Hooray, the icons are back, so here are some images from the dayschool taught by our branch secretary Julie Eastman earlier this month.

Basically, in this form of patchwork, one shape is folded over another, enclosing some wadding, and stitched down decoratively. Here they have folded a circle over a square. The objective was to make enough squares to join by oversewing to make a bag. The contrast of border and central fabrics and the scope for decorative stitches make this sort of work very 'moreish'. Once constructed the square/block needs no more quilting. But further embroidery, beads etc can be added of course, as desired.

Other combinations of shapes can be used - square over square, circle over hexagon, for example.

No posts lately because blogger is being awkward - nothing will publish except what I put in the title slot! Apologies to all, please don't give up!

Memories . . .

Following on from the workshop with Carol Stowe, making fabric books, Chris Harris put what she learned to good use and made a memory book about her parents, using photos and other keepsake items to create a record of their lives.