Keswick Stitchers

January Meeting Wessex Stitchery

2012-01-22T20:10:00.000Z

Sally Evans has an amazing knowledge of all kinds of embroidery, and in our January meeting she introduced us to Wessex Stitchery. A counted thread technique 'invented' in the 1920's/30's , it is suitable to use on different weights of fabric, and with almost any threads, as long as they are bright. Once the basic stitches are mastered, the possibilities are endless.

Some of us had not heard of Wessex Stitchery until now, and it is interesting to note that the comprehensive book about this technique,not very old, is very hard to come by, now............ one copy on Amazon is for sale for £326!!!!

Below are some of our efforts , and also some of Sally's more finished work in Wessex Stitchery.

The Sun came out!

2012-01-05T20:39:00.000Z

Thursday 5th January 2012

The first meeting of 2012 was our informal in Threlkeld, and the weather was awful when everyone left home. It's been so long since we've seen the sun in these parts that we hardly recognised it when it made its appearance, late morning!

It was good to get together after the Christmas and New Year break, and catch up with all our news, enjoy a shared lunch and see what others are doing in the way of sewing projects.

We have our Olympic postcards ready, now; our assigned country was Lesotho.

Also completed; Val's Lutradur book from the November workshop;

Next meeting, in two weeks, at The Friends' meeting House in Keswick.

First Informal of 2012!

2012-01-03T15:04:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

Just a reminder that our first informal meeting of the the new year will be Thursday 5th January, at Pat's house in Threlkeld. Bring some sewing, along with either your lunch or something to share, and something for the raffle.

See you there!

Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-11T13:46:00.005Z

What a lovely festive atmosphere greeted us at the Horse and Farrier in Threlkeld when we arrived for our Christmas lunch. It was a return visit, as we were all so impressed last year that we had very little discussion about where to go this time, This traditional Lakeland inn had been beautifully decorated, as you will see from the pictures.

The food was delicious, too, with a varied menu, and very good service.

We altered the proceedings a little this year; instead of each making a gift to exchange, we made a card instead, and each received one of those. Lovely they were, too! The aim is to keep them all safe until our exhibition in July, and have them on show, then.I didn't photograph them; they'll have their first showing at the Moot Hall.

Our lunch was a lovely, relaxed and comfortable occasion, though we were missing some of of our members through illness.

Happy Christmas, everyone!

Knitting and Stitching Show 2011 Harrogate

2011-11-30T20:13:00.003Z

It amuses me to think of all the stitchers in the North of England heading for Harrogate last week, from every guild and group. Lots of our members were there, mainly on the Thursday, I think, and as ever, there was almost too much to see. It's a bit overwhelming, and takes great determination to get round everything, even over the two days that some of us had. Two of our group did a box-weaving workshop, and I was allowed to see the results over dinner on Thursday evening. A photo may appear here , who knows? I did Hilary Hollingsworth's Bayeux Stitch workshop, which I found very interesting, and although I only managed to get a tiny bit of the cartoon image finished, I do intend to work on this more. Again, I'll post a picture when there's something to see!
The weather got worse over the course of the show. I went in to the Hall on Friday, while it was a crisp, dry day, and emerged a few hours later to horrible wind and rain, managing to get thoroughly wet, twice, on the way to the station. I know it got even worse on the Saturday. And people think we do this for pleasure!

I particularly liked the work by Ten-Plus Textiles,

Linda Young

Caroline Turner

The Prestonpans Tapestry, two panels here,

Seven men, and Highland charge,

MA work by a student from The University of Cumbria, whose name I will add shortly,

and the stunning exhibition of work by Beryl Dean.

An exhausting but rewarding trip, and there may be thoughts from other members added soon.

Lutradur Books....Some inspiring work on felt...and Newsletter.....

2011-11-22T21:16:00.009Z

Making Books with Lutradur

For our November meeting, we dabbled with Lutradur, the very versatile spun-bond 'fabric' and experimented with the soldering iron.

The Lutradur had already been dyed with silk paints, and we used the sheets to construct a book with folded pocket pages and a cover. A soldering iron was used to cut out shapes, either free-hand or drawing round a metal shape.

The front covers were decorated with a mixture hand of machine embroidery, beads, copper sheeting, fine wires, and some of them were soldered round the edges.

The techniques used to construct and decorate the books were some of those developed by Lynda Monk, and by Margaret Beal. Most of the creations weren't quite finished at the end of the day, but hopefully they will be, soon.

This weekend, I visited the Country Living Christmas Fair in Glasgow. It's always a good start to Christmas shopping, and as usual there lots of inspiring hand-made goods, many of them textiles. But my very favourite work was that by Moy Mackay, who usually shows her work in galleries, and not in shows. She creates astonishing landscapes using machine embroidery on hand-made felt. Her pictures are truly beautiful. I thought i'd seen her work somewhere, and in fact, she has exhibited at Percy House in Cockermouth. If you get the chance to see any of her pictures, do go along. Here are some images from her 2012 calendar.

November Newsletter from Zena;

Keg newsletter

Nov 2011

Our next formal meeting will be at the Horse & Farrier Inn at Threlkeld for Christmas lunch, on December 8th. It’s at 12.00 for 12.30 and if you have not already done so you need to decide if you would like 2 courses for £11.95 0r 3 courses for £14.95. Meals will be ordered on the day, but we need to know definite numbers by 1 Dec. They also need to be paid for by that date, so we can just give the pub one cheque on the day of the meal

The embroidered cards that we are making to exchange as pressies, could you put a greeting and date on them as we would like to display them at our exhibition on 6 July 2012 at the Moot Hall in Keswick.

Our next informal meeting is on 1 Dec at Pat’s house, Corvus at Trelkeld. The colour for the raffle is yellow/gold or orange, if you could bring some buttons, fabric, ribbon or threads, to give you some ideas.

Bring your sewing or embroidery to do whilst chatting and something to share for lunch,

The informals for next year, weather permitting, will be 5 Jan, 2 Feb and 1 Mar, again

at Pat’s house.

There is a North West Region Summer School at Alston Hall, Longridge, Preston from 19 to 22 July 2012. Tutors are Janet Browne –Stitching Journeys, Sheila Smith-Surface Texture in Stitch with Felt and Katie Pirson – Wonderful Whitework

You need to decide by the start of next year.

Any queries Zena Smedley 016973 71023

November Informal Meeting

2011-11-11T14:35:00.000Z

Meeting as we do in the heart of the Lake District, we all travel through spectacular countryside to get together.Sometimes the weather conspires to make life difficult for us, but there are also beautiful Autumn days when we can really appreciate where we live. This was the view from Pat's sitting-room, where we met for our November informal .

Lots of chatting, and planning .........some people are off to the exhibition at Barton Grange, and lots of us are looking forward to the Knitting and Stitching Show this month.And we perused the menu for the Horse and Farrier, in Threlkeld where we will be having our Christmas Lunch.

As always, we enjoyed our shared lunch, and had our raffle.(This month's colour was red.) Most people did some sewing, too, getting on with various 'works in progress'.

Pat's disappearing nine-patch........

Val's crewel work..........

Gloria.........

Lena's long-term bag project...........

Our next meeting is 17th November, when we will be making a small book from Lutradur.

Costumes at Rheged ....... Marilyn's report

2011-10-23T12:54:00.003+01:00

Rheged Visit

On 11th Oct a small group from KEG enjoyed a visit to the Costume Exhibition at Rheged

On display were 15 costumes worn by the leading actors in such films as Death on the Nile (1978) through to The Kings Speech (2010). All the costumes were well displayed with large photographs of the actors along side. We were all very interested in being able to study at close quarters the costume detail, especially the embroidery.

I was particularly interested in the design boards produced for the costumes, which were very impressive, being works of art in themselves. I think they gave us all an insight into the minds of the designers.

The photographs below give a flavour of the exhibition, but it is well worth a visit and is on until 30th October 2011.

Other Exhibitions coming up are -

Lake Artists Winter Exhibition - 5th Nov’11 – 8th Jan’12

WOW (World of Wool) on 14th Jan - 15th April 2012. I shall look forward to seeing the seat covered in knitting for real!

This Year's Programme

2011-10-02T16:58:00.002+01:00

I have posted the list of planned meetings for this year. The committee have tried to achieve a good balance here, of the traditional and the contemporary, with workshops by our own members and outside tutors. They hope you will approve, and support the workshops each month. Also, you are welcome at the informal meetings, which are a lovely way to get to know other members, and spend some time just working on an ongoing project, enjoying a shared lunch, and trying your luck in the colour raffle.Bring a friend!

September Meeting

2011-09-21T20:20:00.001+01:00

September's meeting began with The AGM. Pat Knifton stood down as Secretary after two busy terms and Zena Smedley was elected to replace her. Melanie Vincent is leaving the area, and so resigned from the committee, and Janet Earle was elected. The rest of the committee remains in place.

The squares we made during last year are completed and are hanging in the room where we meet. Val received a lovely letter of thanks from Michael Evans on behalf of the Friends, which I have copied below.

'When Friends met on Sunday, they were all struck by the beautiful wall-hanging which Keswick Embroiderers have presented to the meeting. We feel that the beauty of the workmanship contributes an element of Spirituality to a room that is normally used for prosaic and mundane purposes. We are delighted that you use our premises for your meetings and are grateful for your contribution to their appearance.
Please thank your members for all the skilled and thoughtful work which was entailed.'

We spent some time discussing the Olympic postcards. Our designated country is Lesotho.

The meeting continued into the afternoon. Unfortunately, I had to leave at lunchtime, but Val was all set to deliver a talk and Powerpoint presentation. Someone may write a report on this ...........

More Festival of Quilts

2011-08-27T15:05:00.002+01:00

I must have walked miles at the FOQ recently, and looked at hundreds of quilts.Yet, when I read blogs written by others who were there, I see things I never glimpsed, or I can't remember. It just shows how big the whole show was. Here are just a few more of the things I photographed, and then I'm going to look forward to posting news and pictures of our workshops and meetings at The Friends'Meeting House in Keswick. Starting in September, with the AGM.

FESTIVAL

This was the winner of the Quilters'Guild Challenge, and was by Alison Bramley

I posted details of this before, but not the whole thing. The texture of the machine quilting really caught my eye.

Another of the garments from the Fashion show.

This was a variation on a traditional theme..... machine stitch patterns in the style of Victorian samplers

Festival of Quilts 2011

2011-08-13T20:35:00.007+01:00

I have just had two wonderful days at the Festival of Quilts.Well worth the long trek, and the feeling of complete exhaustion from trying to get round everything, and take it all in. Nearly 1200 exhibits. I'm sure there are things I missed. What inspirational work! From exquisite work using traditional skills, through fabulous and amazing art quilts, to group projects, contemporary quilts which explore new boundaries, work by children and young people. Some with a message, others just invoking the joy of working in fabric and thread. Magic.

Here are some photographs...... firstly some I was interested in because of their local (Cumbria) connections.

Autumn Fairy Rosalind Pollock , Cockermouth (Look at her blog, Down by the River)

Passion(flowers) for Patchwork Gill Reid Workington

The Fun of the Fair Eve Westwood, of Cockermouth won first prize in the Young Quilter/Young Embroiderer 9-11 years for this........ well done!

Now, some of the other quilts that made an impression on me.... Not all expertly photographed, and not always the winners.

Tiny hexagons and applique flowers

Click on the two above, to see the detailed stitching better.

Thursday Evening was the fashion show, which was great fun, and designers competed for the audience's vote for their patchwork and quilted creations. they were superb, witty, clever. The photos of them, static, the next day, don't have quite the same power, but they still look impressive.

And some 'quilt creations' ......

Sweet undoing Greta Fitchett

There are lots more, which I will post another time. Last for now, though, the 'Bell Quilt', a group project to commemorate the victims of the earthquake in New Zealand, symbolised by the bells of Christchurch Cathedral. Pippa Moss, of Welsh Quilts, designed this quilt and put it together with the contributions of readers of her blog. One of the blocks is mine!

A wonderful show.

'In the Garden' Exhibition in Kendal..

2011-08-06T20:14:00.001+01:00

Marilyn went to the 'In the Garden' Exhibition in Kendal...........

IFA Felting Exhibition at Signature Gallery - Kendal – August.

This small gallery is getting a reputation for its Textile Exhibitions. These are usually displayed in the upstairs gallery and those of you that are interested in felt are in for a treat if you visit this month. Region 10 of The International Felt makers Association have their Exhibition ‘A Walk in the Garden’ on at the moment, which shows the versatility of felt. The items on display range from fine silky scarves through to thick hardwearing rugs with lots more items in between. Waistcoats, hats, scarves and the most exquisite jacket, clocks, flowers, pictures and vessels are just a few of the items showing a variety of felting techniques. You will be amazed at the variety of work on display. One of my favourites was the reversible circular rug based on a Peacock feather. I came away inspired.

www.signature-gallery.co.uk/

www.feltmakers.com/static/InTheGarden3.pdf

The Gallery is on the opposite side of the road to the Abbots Hall Car Park. Best approached from the South of Kendal.

Abbots Hall Art Gallery and Museum of Lakeland life and also the Kendal Museum are all worth a visit if you want to make a day of it, not to mention shopping!

Can recommend the Abbots Hall Cafe.

Marilyn

Retail Therapy........

2011-07-25T17:50:00.002+01:00

If you are in the Knutsford Area, and in need of some retail therapy, this little shop, Fibre and Clay might be the answer. Situated in Minshull Street, it is full of the most beautiful and unusual ceramics, and inspired textile pieces, including work by Jackie Cardy, Jackie Lunn, and many others. Bags, jewellery, scarves and more, feature alongside lovely wools and buttons.

I only manage one visit a year, and am always impressed by the variety and quality of work on sale.

2011-07-18T16:14:00.003+01:00

A wet weekend in July

Pat's report on this year's Summer School.....

I went along to the Regional Residential Summer School at Alston Hall for the first time this year and I’ve had such a good time.

I chose to do the Pictorial Collages workshop with Liliane Taylor, and we dyed fabrics and papers, did fast sketching exercises getting to know our plant/container subjects, did Batik dying, wet ink on wet sketches, etc, and then launched into our ‘masterpieces’ with non-stop advice from our tutor. We worked till 10.30pm on Friday and Saturday nights and started Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9am, only stopping briefly for coffee and meal breaks (excellent food!) and sleep. It was exhausting! But lovely to be so engrossed in the subject for two-and-a-half days.

The whole atmosphere was friendly and cheerful, I’ve met some lovely people, and the staff at Alston Hall were magnificent. The other workshops were Modern 3-D Crewelwork and Books to Cherish, and we all had beautiful results to ‘show and tell’ by Sunday afternoon. However, I’m pleased I chose a course which was new to me, which allowed me to learn many techniques I had never tried before, and I ended up with a real feeling of achievement.

Thank you North West Region for putting on such an excellent opportunity for fun and instruction!

Pat Knifton

No wonder you were pleased, Pat. This is lovely. (Lesley)

Out and about... in Ireland

2011-07-10T12:25:00.004+01:00

Marilyn sent this after a visit to Enniskillen.....

Sheelin Vintage Lace Museum, Enniskillen

During a recent trip to Enniskillen, Ireland I came across one of the most incredible little museums I have ever visited. The Vintage Lace Museum and shop is housed in two rooms and I have never seen so much exquisite lace. Everything in the first room was for sale, dresses, tablecloths, christening gowns, bags, lampshade and many other items, it seemed like every inch (sorry 2.5cm) was covered with stunning pieces of Vintage Lace.

In the second room was the Museum (£2.50) where beautiful dresses were displayed around the room with further lace samples on the walls and in cabinets. There was also a small display of lace making equipment and an unusual glass globe shape, which was used to magnify the work. Information boards explained the history of making the different types of lace and there were many. Some of the lace was stitched with thread finer than a human, but my favourite was the Carrickmacross, which was embroidery onto a net & muslin background, which was then trimmed away leaving only the delicate embroidered lace.

For anyone that is interested in textiles, not just lace, it is well worth a look.

The website below has an enormous amount of excellent photos, close ups too.

http://rosemarycathcarttextiletreasures.blogspot.com/2011/03/sheelin-irish-lace-museum.html

Also next door is an excellent tea shop with a fabulous selection of unusual cakes!

No photographs, please......Woolfest 2011.

2011-06-25T20:54:00.003+01:00

Woolfest 2011

Of course, I understand why artists don't allow their work to be photographed at shows, but I would have loved to share some of the highlights of 'Woolfest' here. We are lucky to have this show in Cumbria, attracting as it does exhibitors from all over the country with exciting products and equipment, and inspiring work from artists in all sorts of media, the main one being, of course, wool.....

....in all its forms; spinning and weaving, dyeing, knitting and crochet, felting, and more. Lots of demonstrations, and also live music all day if you needed to go and sit down and have a rest.

There's a good friendly atmosphere at this show, too, in spite of the huge numbers that were there yesterday.

My favourites? Jackie Lunn and Jenny Pepper's stalls showcasing their fantastic talent in felt-making, Jan Beadle's beautiful weaving, being able to buy gorgeous bits for embroidery from Oliver Twists, and finally buying Ruth Lee's book on three-dimensional embroidery.

The only picture, shown with encouragement from the organisers, features 'flock', "a public art project which aims to encourage creativity and collaboration while supporting and celebrating the sheep farming and wool industry".

It involves groups and individuals in making thousands of pompom sheep for a large installation in Spring 2012, with a smaller one in Penrith during September this year. Further details are available at www.jointheflock.co.uk

I came home with the usual stock of threads, fabrics, books and good intentions!

'In the Garden' exhibition , Kendal, Cumbria

2011-06-20T20:24:00.000+01:00

News of an up-coming exhibition in Kendal..............

I'm looking forward to seeing these pieces of work.

Also, remember Woolfest next weekend!

Chelsea Flower Show

2011-05-28T20:46:00.003+01:00

Excuse my self-indulgence........ This post has little to do with Keswick Embroiderers, and only the slightest hint of a link with stitching.............. I went to Chelsea this week, and thought I'd share a picture or two, taken whilst sheltering from torrential rain, thunder and lightning, and HAILSTONES! I thought these creations were very clever. Designers made jockey's 'silks' using flowers and plants. They could almost have been embroideries!

I was also pleased to see Alison Holt at her stand . She had some of her lovely machine embroidered landscapes for sale. (Out of my price-range, sadly!) But it was good to see the work I've admired in her books, and DVD.

Gardens that could become stitched pictures..........

And especially this one....................

and this...................

Watch this space!

More Squares, and May meeting

2011-05-21T17:38:00.000+01:00

May 19th The stitch makes an image.........

This was the third of our 'Stitch' workshops, where we worked on developing a the idea of using one particular stitch to make an image. Some of us carried on with the stitch from the previous sessions, while others changed completely. I don't think anyone finished their masterpiece, so maybe we will have pictures at a future date.

The final sets of squares for the Meeting house display were ready today, and we were able to admire the whole set. They look very impressive, all shown together, and we were give an idea of how they may be arranged. This is not quite decided yet. These are the latest offerings.......

It will be interesting to see the final arrangement, and to have them on display in the room we use for our meetings. Final arrangements are being made for the annual KEG day out, so contact Pat if you haven't already, and would like to join us to see the embroideries at Askham church in June.

May Newsletter from Pat

2011-05-05T19:11:00.000+01:00

Newsletter

May 2011

The North West Regional meeting at Lytham St Annes was enjoyable – the talk was interesting, the facilities including lunch were very good, and there was ample opportunity for some retail therapy. Five of us attended and met lots of people from other branches in the county. In April, those of us who managed to attend enjoyed the talk given by Jackie Cardy, and had great fun playing with inks and dyes during the afternoon. A good chance to see some lovely artistic items from Jackie, and appreciate her journey to her very individual style. A good day with an inspiring tutor.

_______ooOOOoo_______

Our Next meeting - Thursday, 19^th May at the Friends’ Meeting House, is The Stitch Makes an Image - an opportunity to further the theme of using just one stitch to create a piece of work, using different threads, colours, etc.

This time we will take one stitch (either one you have been pursuing in the last two of the series, or another you would like to try) and create a simple landscape or image that is recognisable, using the one stitch in any size, any direction. Bring a picture that would guide you, if it helps. Bring your normal sewing equipment including fabric, and sewing threads of different thickness and of a colour palette you would like. Bring along your own lunch (or Booths beckons over the road), and be prepared for a pleasant time, sharing ideas and producing a masterpiece!

OLYMPIC POSTCARDS

This is your one chance to take part in the (cultural) Olympics! As you all know, our country is Lesotho and we would like to discuss any information that you have assembled about the country, with a view to taking a short break during the May meeting to discuss the way forward on this project.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE OUTING

June 16^th – we will be visiting Askham Church to view the four sets of church altar cloths and vestments created by Josephine Radcliffe, a professional embroiderer from Kendal. We will share lifts, and arrange to meet in Askham for an 11am start in the Church, followed by lunch later, probably in Pooley Bridge. (Perhaps even a boat ride to follow if weather permits?). Please contact Pat during the May meeting to book your place for this opportunity to get a close-up look at some truly beautiful embroideries. If you can’t make the May meeting and still want to come on 16^th June, ‘phone Pat and we will try to arrange mutually conventient lifts.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Upcoming Exhibitions during the summer

Woolfest 2011 is taking place at Cockermouth on Friday and Saturday, 24^th and 25^th June. You can also book onto workshops and lectures, which are listed in the WoolClip shop at Caldbeck, or can be seen on their website – www.woolfest.co.uk

If you’re out and about in the North West:

Textile 21 present a Retrospective at Studio Art Gallery, Warrington, Friday 6 May till Saturday 4 June.

Threads Transformed – exhibition of textile work from Preston Threads at Rossendale Museum, 7 May till 31 July.

Anthology (Textile Art inspired by Poetry) – by Embroidery 2000 at The Fylde Art Gallery 9 May till 4 June. (Includes work by Jackie Cardy, our recent tutor).

South Cheshire Embroiderers’ Guild 21^st Anniversary Exhibition – Audlem, Cheshire from 22 till 25 September.

_______

ON YOUR PC

I may have already flagged this up, but you will find some interesting stuff on www.colouricious.com , and they send you some lovely short videos on various techniques, once you’re on their mailing list. Might just inspire you?

If you have any ideas for items for the Newsletter, or know of anything coming up which might interest our readers, please contact me. In the meantime, I hope to see you on the 19^th May.

To dye for........ April workshop

2011-04-21T21:13:00.001+01:00

What an exciting day we had! We were low on numbers today, as several members who had planned to come couldn't make it. They missed a treat.

Jackie Cardy , whose work we had been looking forward to seeing for real, began by giving us an idea of her journey into textiles, and showing us examples of stunning work. There was an astonishing variety of techniques here, and we were fascinated by the stories behind some of the pieces!

Then we got to work, as Jackie took us through the art of dyeing teabag paper. What fun! With lots of samples to bring home, ranging from vibrant to subtle, we should all have plenty of inspiration for our own work. It will be interesting to see what we all make with our dyed 'fabric'. Jackie generously left us with some teabag paper and dyes, so those who missed the workshop may yet get the chance to have a go!

Many thanks to Jackie for a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Folded Book...... Lynda Monk Workshop and April Meeting

2011-04-12T17:00:00.030+01:00

The only workshop I did at the recent 'Fashion Embroidery and Stitch ' Show in Birmingham was with Lynda Monks, making a book with clever folded pages, using some of her mixed-media techniques. The sample books she had on display for this workshop looked very exotic, and it was intriguing to see how some of the effects were arrived at. Seeing the ideas in books is always interesting, but there is nothing quite like being shown how to achieve the results! Lynda is generous with her ideas and encouragement, and everyone in the workshop managed to end up with a lovely book. Mine, actually, would benefit from some more embellishment on the cover, which it will get, someday!

In the meantime, some pictures of my book in its present state, and a link to Lynda's website, where she is known as purplemissus. Her blog entry about the NEC show is here, and she has much better pictures of the books.

A reminder about April's workshop .

This is a talk by Jackie Cardy about her work (see her blog, Dog Daisy chains, on our list), followed by an afternoon session of 'playing about with shibori dyeing', using inks and teabag tissue paper which is very easy to dye and can be used as a fabric, or base for embroidery later. It promises to be messy but interesting!

Requirements;

Rubber gloves and apron
Plastic to work on (even a cat litter tray might be useful in case of spillage)
Strong cotton thread to bind and perhaps stitch needle required.
Plastic clamps or clothes pegs
Some squares of thick card about 2inches square (roughly)
* Tubes for tie dyeing. These can be plastic drain pipe type about 1to 2in dia, and at least 12 ins long. If you don't have any you can wrap a cardboard tube in clingfilm..... bring a few if you can. Different thicknesses give different results.
Scissore (Not fine embroidery type.)
Polythene bags to take dyed wet' fabrics' home

You are also invited to bring along your own inks or dyes and fabrics , if you have them. Jackie will provide us all with 20 sheets of teabag tissue paper 12" x approx 30" ; a charge of about £1 will be made for these.

Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch 2011

2011-03-26T20:39:00.002Z

It hardly seems possible that this show has come round again, but on Thursday I set off at 6.30am bound for the NEC , planning to spend two whole days being inspired. It lived up to expectations, and I have included some images from the visit.

Mermaid in her watery grotto.

These pictures show bits of the 'Above and below the Waves' life-size project created to raise money for the RNLI, and part of the Sewing for Pleasure section of the show. Everything is knitted, apparently by over one thousand knitters. The detail is amazing!

An old sea-dog with knitted lobster!

The cliffs, complete with lighthouse and seagulls!

A day on the beach

Next, images of the costumes made by two French artists. Very theatrical, and beautifully-made, they are the work of Ollivier henry and Jean-Noel Lavesvre. Photographs can't do them justice; they were truly incredible.

No wonder they needed help to dress!

Unbelievably beautiful detail!

My favourite.......very very pretty!

Gorgeous Goldwork!

I also loved the exhibition celebrating Jan Messent's work, 'Recreating Celtic, Viking and Anglo-Saxon Artifacts. The original pieces that were shown in her recent book were on display, and fascinating to see close up. I was lucky enough to meet Jan as she passed through.

Lots of textile groups have displays of work here; I was directed to the 'Through the Wardrobe' exhibit, based on the theme of Narnia, by Fulcrum. It was a collection of evocative hangings based on snow, and very effective.

I really enjoyed talking to textile artists from groups all over the country and fitted in one workshop, Lynda Monks' class. We made a lovely folded pocket book, from spunbond, using foils to decorate, and soldering iron to finish the pages and cover. Examples of these books I saw beforehand looked so exotic, and difficult, but we all managed to produce an equally attractive version in the hour we had for the class, and I will photograph mine at some time in the future.

If anyone else from Keswick Embroiderers got to the show this year, I'd like to post their pictures and impressions, too.

March Meeting, and Squares

2011-03-17T22:24:00.002Z

We met today for the second of our sessions working on the 'Mystery stitch'. We spent the time investigating the possibilities of the stitch we 'chose' last time, and looking at the effects of changing the size, direction, and the thickness of thread.

We were surprised by the arrival of a visitor, and even more surprised when she turned out to be Jackie Cardy, who is due to join us for our April meeting. She was in Keswick with her husband, realised it was our meeting day, and popped in to say 'hello'! Now we can put a face to the name on the Dog Daisy Chains blog, and we look forward to seeing her next month.

More of the squares for the Meeting House are now complete. They all look very different, as members have used their own choice of techniques to interpret the brief. Here are some.........................

We ( or at least, I ) don't know exactly how they're going to be displayed, so it will be interesting to see the final result.

Embroidery in St Bees Church

2011-03-08T12:48:00.004Z

This is the new superfrontal recently dedicated in St Bees Priory Church.

www.stbees.org.uk

Several members of the church's embroidery group worked on the large and heavy frontal, but the beautiful and skilful embroidery on the superfrontal itself is the brainchild of just two of them, and the work, mostly, of one. (Not me!). The Priory has other pieces of embroidery to look at if you are in the area, the Millenium wallhanging, and lots of seat cushions, etc, mainly in the sanctuary and the Lady Chapel. It's also an interesting church to visit for its history, and for two pieces of modern sculpture made specially for the church.

More Squares

2011-03-02T19:34:00.000Z

Here are some more of the squares for the Friends Meeting house in Keswick;

Red, as you can see!

Bloglist

2011-02-24T10:56:00.002Z

You may have noticed that I've added 'Dog Daisy Chains' to our bloglist. This is Jackie Cardy's blog, which shows her lovely work with hand-dyed velvets and silk. As she is scheduled to visit us in April, I thought you might like to look at her work.

February Meeting; Machine Embroidery with Jan Hicks

2011-02-22T10:19:00.003Z

Val sent this report of last week's workshop;

Machine Embroidery with Jan Hicks –

Thursday 17^th February 2011

As this was a basic machine embroidery class, Jan began at the beginning and showed us how to set up our machines for free embroidery. Then it was darning/embroidery foot on, feed dogs down and away we go, practising, may I hasten to add. We had all brought some cotton material and this was soon filled with free machining scribble, then as we got more used to it our names were added and then some attempt at flowers and trees.

Jan explained how she makes embroidered ‘lace’ using water soluble fabric and as she had brought some with her for us to buy if we wanted to, most of us were soon machining over designs we had drawn on the fabric. Jan warned us to make sure we had machined all the bits together as it could all disintegrate when the fabric is dissolved! Adding bits of fabric and lace between two layers of the soluble fabric – this was to keep the scraps in place while machining – made for a more robust piece. For first attempts the results were quite acceptable.

3 o’clock seemed to arrive all too soon and with heads buzzing with the possibilities hinted at, machines were returned to their original settings and packed away. It was an enjoyable workshop and, I for one feel that I have learnt something, all I have to do now is find the time to practise!

Thanks, Val; I was really sorry to miss this meeting. Pat sent these pictures;

Thank you, Pat!

'Friends' squares

2011-02-21T19:04:00.001Z

You may have seen here; stitch&bake some of the squares our group is producing for the Friends' Meeting House. Pat sent this picture of four more .............

Lovely, I think!

Can anyone take some pictures?

2011-02-16T15:42:00.000Z

I was really looking forward to our machine embroidery session tomorrow, but because of unforeseen circumstances, I can't be there. I would be really grateful if someone could draft a report for the blog, and/or take some pictures of what promises to be a lovely workshop. I can either upload them , or retype what I'm sent. Pictures are best sent as attachments rather than in the main text, as these can be a bit awkward to put in the blog, for some reason now that the site has been 'improved'. Also, note that the bloglist on the right hand side of the page is very slow to up-date. Very often, if you click on a blog that claims to be the latest, you will find that it has been updated since. Very annoying, and I know this is the case on several sites, not just ours.

You may have noticed some changes to the blog; we have more pictures in our Gallery, so do have a look. Also, have you noticed the map which shows where visitors to our site live? I'm fascinated by this, although I know it is not recording all our visitors, and I look most days to see where the little red dots are! It would be interesting to know who the visitors are, how they found the site, what they think of it, and so on. Are they regular visitors? Fascinating to think of our activities being seen in Australia and the US, and other far-flung places.

So, have an enjoyable day, tomorrow, let me know how it goes, take pictures, (also of the Friends' Squares).

February Meeting .....Machine Embroidery

2011-02-14T10:44:00.000Z

Our 17th February meeting is Machine Embroidery with popular tutor Jan Hicks, and will be a good opportunity to experiment with modern techniques. You will need to bring:

Sewing machine (need not be fancy)
Usual sewing kit, including scissors
Threads (machine and thicker)
Hoop (8" -10")
Scraps of fabric (assorted, inc sheers and velvets, etc.)
Firm cotton to practise on

Jan will bring oddments of fabric and soluble fabric will be for sale.

Here's a link to Jan's website, if you'd like a look at her work, to whet your appetite!

http://www.janhicks.co.uk/

NorthWest Regional Day

2011-02-10T11:52:00.000Z

NORTH WEST REGIONAL DAY 16TH APRIL 2011

King Edward VII & Queen Mary School

Clifton Drive, Lytham, Lancs FY8 1DT

Madeira Lecture

Paddy Killer “What I Make - Art, Applied Art and Illustration”

..................................

DVD 2010 UCLAN Graduate Fashion Students Catwalk Show

Competitions

Rose Bowl – Lights Fantastic

Coats Anchor Award for Excellence

YE Kathleen Mansfield Trophy

.....................................

Exhibition of Work by the Fylde Branches

“Bags, Books, Boxes and Dolls”

“Postcards from the Fylde”

25th Birthday Projects

Rainbow Squares

Traders

Bits and Pieces
Golden Hinde
The Spellbound Bead Company
Texere Tarns Ltd
Fobbles
Firey Felts
Prospects
Bizzie Fingers
Colourcraft Ltd
E G Book Stall

Demonstrators

Fylde Heddles and Treddles

Preston Lacemakers

Beading

Braidmaking

Patchwork and Quilting

February informal and jumble

2011-02-05T19:30:00.001Z

A select group enjoyed the February informal meeting last week, and the textile jumble produced all manner of threads, fabrics, and equipment . Some of our Guild members had been to a workshop in Appleby during the week, and had been inspired by learning how to transfer images to fabric using the scanner and photocopier. They showed some of their results. In between the jumbling and the excellent bring-and-share lunch, progress was made on individual projects...........

Gloria's Lace

Detail from Val's work

Detail of Sally's Quaker sampler

Lesley's cushion

January Meeting...... The Mystery Stitch....

2011-01-27T20:38:00.002Z

The Mystery Stitch........... we were randomly assigned a stitch, and direction to experiment with, in the first of three workshops . Armed with stitch books, needles and threads, we began.

Where to, next?

Our next informal meeting will be at Pat's house, on Thursday February 3rd, from 10am onwards. As usual, bring your own lunch, or things to share. And this time, our stitchery jumble! Bring along any threads, fabrics, or other stitchery bits you'd like to 'rehome'! The last one was great fun, and lots of goodies changed hands. Bring some of your ongoing work to do inbetween.

Pictures at last!

2011-01-21T17:07:00.002Z

Better late than never, pictures of some of the stitching at our informal meeting, two weeks ago, at The Friends' Meeting House.

Two 'Friends' Squares (Gloria and Val)

Lyn's Machine embroidery on velvet

Marilyn's Stumpwork in progress

Patchwork (remind me whose?)

Sally's Ruskin lace

Melanie's applique tea-cosy

Moira's Quaker design

Message from Macclesfield Branch

2011-01-10T11:12:00.000Z

Macclesfield and District branch are showing more than 80 pieces of members' work in Samplings, an exhibition that shows how we have experimented with a wide range of stitches, techniques, threads and fabrics, styles and media, plus items from our personal collections. Samplings is in the Gallery at Jobling Gowler solicitors, 250 Park Lane, Macclesfield, SK11 8AD from 10 Jan to 18 Feb, Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 4.30 pm and entry is free. You simply need to ring the bell and say you have come to see the exhibition.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-04T20:43:00.003Z

Our first informal meeting of 2011 drew fourteen of us to the Friends' Meeting House in Keswick today. A good crowd, and lots of different aspects of needlework being worked on in between the chatting and catching up. Patchwork, Knitting, stumpwork and applique, Machine embroidery and crewel work, progress on some of those coloured squares for the newly-refurbished Meeting House, are some of the examples of members' work today. I photographed several pieces, ready to upload here. Sadly, I then left the camera in the Meeting House, and though it is being kept safe, I will have to post the pictures later. Actually not for a fortnight! Embarrassing!

It was good to see everyone again, and look at what we're all doing, and to troop over to Booths for lunch.
Shame about those photos!

Christmas Lunch in Threlkeld

2010-12-13T22:46:00.001Z

Well, the weather relented last week, just in time for our Christmas lunch at The Horse and Farrier. Fourteen of us made it, and enjoyed a lovely meal. For most of us , it was our first visit to this lovely old Inn, and judging by the comments afterwards, it will not be the last! We were treated to a wonderful meal, with plenty of choice, and very generous portions! Pat's warning to 'arrive hungry' was proved to be quite right.

We were a very lively group, and after the crackers, and three courses,we opened gifts. As is our tradition, these were all either made by the giver, or had some connection with embroidery and, as always, showed great ingenuity on the part of our members. Lovely presents, all appreciated by the recipients.

Not many pictures, I'm sorry to say, for a variety of reasons, but a few shots of some of the gifts.

Then came the mince pies, mulled wine , coffee and chocolates, before we all set off for home. A lovely occasion! Happy Christmas,everybody!

December Newsletter from Pat

2010-12-11T21:44:00.000Z

The Keg Newsletter

Dec 2010

Happy Christmas!

By now we should have enjoyed our Christmas get-together, will be counting down the days to Christmas Day, and hoping to get that Christmas shopping done (weather allowing). I hope we are all lucky enough to enjoy the season, and get together with people we love.

A reminder – our next meeting is an informal meeting and will be on Tuesday, 4th January at Pat’s house – 10 till about 3pm. Ring 017687 79448 if you’re unsure about the weather, or for directions if necessary, and bring along your own work and your own lunch, or some lunchy things to share if you wish.

NOTE – Tuesday, not Thursday!!!

*******

Don’t forget, we are hoping to hold another swap, jumble, bring and buy of sewing, knitting, craft items, etc, so when you are tidying / sorting out in the new year, think ‘JUMBLE’. More details of date and location later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our next ‘proper’ meeting is on 20th January, at The Friends’ Meeting House, and is entitled “Mystery Stitch”. This should be relaxed and enjoyable, and is a chance to re-visit stitching. The requirements are as follows:

Approx ¼ metre of easy to stitch-into neutral open weave cotton or similar

A range of threads from fine to chunky in a colour range of your choice (ie blue, green, red etc)

A small quantity of threads in a complementary colour

Basic sewing equipment, including needles large anough to take your thickest threads

A frame for hand stitching if you use one (8” to 9” approx)

A stitch book if you have one (we will bring some)

Your lunch (or Booths may beckon)

If you don’t have any of these items, don’t worry – we usually share!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is an informal meeting on Thursday, 3rd February (yes, back to Thursday), at Pat’s house 10 till 3 and all are welcome, and the usual arrangements apply.

~~~~~

The 17th February meeting is Machine Embroidery with the popular tutor, Jan Hicks, and should be a good chance to experiment with modern techniques. You will need to bring:

Sewing machine (need not be fancy)

Usual sewing kit including scissors

Threads (machine and thicker)

Hoop (8” to 10”)

Scraps of fabrics (assorted, including sheers, velvets, etc)

Firm cotton to practice on.

Jan will bring oddments of fabrics and threads, and soluble fabric will be for sale.

Look forward to seeing you on the 4th January! Any questions, ring Pat Knifton 017687 79448

The Knitting and Stitching Show 2010

2010-12-02T20:59:00.000Z

Although we didn't have an official 'trip' to Harrogate, several of us made the journey over on the Thursday, some in groups, and others under their own steam. Going on the first day turned out to be a good decision, because of the weather ,which was just beginning to turn wintry, and giving some of us nightmares about getting back. I'm sure it put off lots of visitors on the other days.

A shame, because it was a good show, with plenty to see for anyone interested in textiles. Almost too much, really, and I was glad I'd decided to stay overnight, and visit the show twice.It meant I could have a good look round on Thursday, and leave buying anything until Friday. One hall after another of equipment, threads, fabrics, and beautiful creative work to inspire. I loved talking to the creators of work I'd seen in Stitch magazine, and to Janet Browne, whose embroidery was featured recently in Embroidery. Part of her work is based on 'maps' of the area where she lives, interpreted in felt, calico and stich. I thought they were intriguing when I saw them in the magazine, and was even more impressed when I could look at them close-up, and talk to her about them. There were some of the larger pictures I'd dearly loved to have brought home, but settled for a small picture of a bird, which is waiting to be framed, and a bookmark, a printed copy of one of the larger works.

This sea-bird is machine-stitched on painted calico over felt, and there is some hand embroidery added.

I was lucky to be staying very close to the Show, and fortunate that I was travelling by train, getting home just before the weather really closed in. Even on that Thursday, parts of North Yorkshire were under snow, but there was very little in Harrogate while I was there. I hope the other Keswick Embroiderers I saw there got home safely!

'Six Hens' bookmark, Janet Browne

Let's hope we can all make it to the Horse and Farrier in Threlkeld on Thursday 9th for that all-important Christmas lunch!

The Vikings are coming!

2010-11-22T16:53:00.000Z

..........or, at least, pictures of Vikings, sent by Lyn,after the Guild meeting last week.

And Pat's report...............

The Vikings are coming!

Our meeting on Thursday, 18th November was certainly interesting. We were awaiting a guest speaker for the afternoon, so spent the morning swapping yet more fabric for bags, and discussing, demonstrating techniques, and admiring BAGS. Some of us carried on stitching, and a very relaxed morning passed quickly. After lunch, we trouped down to our normal meeting room, to be greeted by a fully kitted out Viking - Mr Ian Uzzell, a man totally immersed in the Viking period, and whose Norse name was Snorri. He looked magnificent (and huge) with his chain mail, helmet, sword and knives, etc, and he started proceedings by blowing a very long blast on a horn. It was almost ear-splitting, but gradually became strangely evocative of vast fiords and all we think we know about the Vikings. Ian then proceeded to divest himself of his layers, explaining carefully the various materials used, transforming himself from a wealthy warrior to an upper class gentleman. Snorri’s wife was represented by a tailor’s dummy and, again, we learnt about the various garments she wore, and her embellishments in the form of jewellery, etc, and the arrangements surrounding dowries around the time of marriage. We were shown weaving and embroidery which had been closely copied from well-researched items in museums, and the equipment upon which it had been made. We were lucky to be able to handle a lot of the items and, although I haven’t a chance of remembering everything we were told, I feel I now have a broader background of information, which has somehow brought alive that period. It was interesting to note that so little is known about the Vikings’ normal lives because they had no written record of their own, but all the bad press was written by the monasteries they sacked, so was bound to portray them as warlike thugs. We all thoroughly enjoyed the talk, and it made a real change from our normal workshops.

New Exhibition at Farfield Mill

2010-11-17T16:24:00.000Z

This poster has been passed to me by the organisers of the Exhibition, which looks exciting, and certainly worth a visit to Farfield Mill between now and January.

Also, Beverley Trembath of Fobbles has asked me to pass on the following information;

Classic Inspirations, the Australian Craft magazine is changing the way it supplies its customers. Fobbles is one of the retailers who will continue to stock this magazine.

The October Newsletter from Pat,

2010-11-13T14:59:00.000Z

Posting the October Newsletter was delayed because of problems with internet connections Here it is, now.

Keg Newsletter

October 2010

The 2010 programme has got off to a good start; we have just had our workshop on design with Sue Lancaster and I think everybody enjoyed the event and found it useful. At the AGM in September, the Committee and officers remained the same, ie.,

Val Osborn Chair Sally Evans

Lena Slater Treasurer Marilyn Hughes

Pat Knifton Secretary Lesley Rutherford

Lyn Armstrong Melanie Vincent

Christmas lunch

The KEG Christmas lunch will take place at The Horse and Farrier in Threlkeld on Thursday December 9th. We will meet there at 12 noon, and there is plenty of car parking. Please bring a gift to swap in the (anonymous!) lucky dip. The cost is £14.25, payable by 18th November, please. Warning; Come with a good appetite!

Informals

There will be no informal meeting in December, but then we will try alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays. Thus, the dates will be;

Tuesday 4th January

Thursday 3rd February

Tuesday 1st March.

We are considering holding another textile 'jumble' event, either on one of the informal days, or as an evening event sometime in the early months of 2011. So, when you are sorting out your cupboards, shelves, etc., think about holding on to your swaps, books,and so on, so that we can recycle/recirculate.

Our next Meeting

We will have a talk on Thursday 18th November, about Vikings, Weaving, etc. This will not start until around 12 noon, so the committee thought it might be a good idea to resurrect the BAG day. So.........can you please bring

Any made-up bags you'd like to show
Suitable fabrics to start something with, or swap
Patterns to lend/copy/share
Sewing machine (if you wish....... some available to borrow)
Usual sewing kit
Lunch (there might not be time to visit Booths)

Once the talk is over we may have time to return to our bags, be it talking about them, swapping ideas or cracking on with making something bag-like.

The FRIENDS' Squares

We are hoping to produce some 4" squares to be displayed on a textile background to be hung in the room where we meet. Sally has distributed some calico, the designs and a 4" template, and colours have been allotted. The plan is to produce four squares in each of eleven coloure, but if you have missed out on this and would like to take part, please contact Sally, who might know if we need help with some of the colours. The deadline is Easter 2011.

Olympic Postcards

This is a national effort being arganised by HQ- to be shown at the Cultural Olympics in Manchester. As you will probably all know by now, our allotted country is Lesotho, and the plan is to research the country, and then take a group decision around Easter 2011 on appropriate motifs, colours, etc. The deadline for this project is the Embroiderers' Guild AGM in April 2012.

NorthWest Region have begun advertising their Residential Summer School for July 2011, at Alston Hall. near Preston The classes on offer look very interesting;

Frances Pickering-Books to Cherish (transfer dyes, pelmet vilene, papers, hand and machine stitching, etc.

Clare Hanham-Clensy Modern 3-D Crewel work (a new look at traditional Crewelwork, incorporating fine fabrics, beads etc.

Liliane Taylor Pictorial Collages (using natural fabrics and threads you dye yourself, producing a collage of your own)

The leaflet will be available at the November meeting....contact Pat if you are interested.

The Embroiderer's Guild is displaying some of its collection at the Quilt Museum in York from 23rd October 2010 till end of January 2011. Perhaps we could arrange a car-load or two to York?

Pat

NB One of the things that infuriates me about this blog, is the way that it does not up-date the blogs we are linked to, properly. It is always worth clicking on the links, as it often takes over a week to acknowledge that blogs have been changed. It's not just ours, I have noticed this on other Blogger sites, too.

Design Workshop Sue Lancaster

2010-10-21T20:59:00.000+01:00

October's meeting certainly moved most of out of our comfort zone! Sue had promised us a session to make us think 'outside the box', and it was with some trepidation that we began. The morning was spent in identifying part of an image to draw, enlarge and manipulate, and in the afternoon we set about interpreting the resulting design, using techniques of our choice.

All the 'works in progress' were unique, and it will be interesting to see them completed.

With a supportive and inspiring tutor, we had a lovely day, learning a new process which will help us in the design of our own work in future.

We also had the opportunity to see some of Sue's own, beautiful work.

Exhibition and Sale

2010-10-17T14:38:00.000+01:00

Sally has asked me publicise this event.

Exhibition and Sale

Arts and Crafts

Sally Evans

at the Quaker Meeting House, Keswick

Saturday 23rd October

10am-4pm

Coffee and biscuits £1

Informal meetings

2010-10-16T20:39:00.000+01:00

During the Autumn and Winter , these get-togethers happen once a month, are very relaxed, and a chance to chat, and get on with any pieces of work, embroidery or other textile crafts we like. October's was held at Gloria's house in Penrith, during that lovely sunny, warm spell. It was good to catch up with news, and the time went very quickly.

It was just as well it was nice, because Sally and I found the A66 had been closed, and we were left to find a very circuitous route back to Keswick. We drove through the gorgeous countryside by Ullswater, and were able to appreciate it because we weren't in a hurry!

I bought this book recently, and have enjoyed just reading it, so far. I hope to get round to trying out some of the techniques Linda Miller explains so clearly.

Our next formal meeting is on Thursday 21st, and is the design workshop with Sue Lancaster.

September meeting Marilyn's report

2010-10-04T23:04:00.000+01:00

Thank you to Sally – Macclesfield Buttons

After the AGM in the morning we spent the afternoon learning about and making Macclesfield buttons

Our visit to Macclesfield Silk Museum two years ago had inspired Sally to look into the history and production of these buttons. After a short talk and a look at some samples that Sally had made we were all keen to have a go ourselves.

Provided with a kit of materials we got started, but it was not as easy as it first appeared and we were amazed to know that it was usually the job of the children to make these. Traditionally the buttons were made by winding fine silk thread onto a wooden former to create a pattern. There was near silence as we all concentrated on getting the threads in the correct place and as work progressed we were delighted to see the pattern appear.

The last part was the trickiest, but after a few struggles we all managed to complete this successfully.

A big thank you to Sally for preparing and running this workshop, we all enjoyed it and were very proud to take home our own Macclesfield button.

September already!

2010-09-10T09:58:00.000+01:00

And today it feels like Autumn.

Have you seen.................

I have just bought this wonderful book, and have spent hours poring over it.

It's a mixture of carefully-researched information about Early English textiles, beautiful photography, and examples of Jan Messent's own interpretation of techniques and stitches. I thought I'd read it all, at one point, but in fact, every time I go back to it, I find bits I've missed. Not a 'How to..' book, exactly. but it does have plenty of ideas and inspiration .

Time to look forward to lots of sewing, and some workshops to inspire. Our AGM is next Thursday, back at the Friends' Meeting House, and will be followed by Sally's workshop on Macclesfield buttons.

I have been asked to publicise this exhibition at The Drumcroon Gallery in Wigan

A Fine Line: Audrey Walker and Bob White

Thoughts on drawing, narratives, cloth and the processes of making.
The first combined exhibition of work by two influential artists and art educators.
Trained at the Slade in the immediate post-war period, drawing has been fundamental to their practice for over six decades. "It's something that's just a part of you; a process of thinking; of becoming continuously."

September 20th-November 26th 2010

Drumcroon Gallery, 2 Parson's Walk, Wigan WN1 1RS (01942 321840) Open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm Admission free

August Newsletter from Pat

2010-08-23T23:29:00.000+01:00

Keg Newsletter

August 2010

Our AGM will be at 10am on Thurday 16th September 2010, and will take place in our normal venue, the Friends' Meeting House opposite Booths Supermarket

The business meeting will be followed by receipt of subscriptions, and then the opportunity to make a Macclesfield button, led by Sally. The kit will be free. Bring your lunch, or visit Booths, if you prefer!

Please bring to the AGM your Chairman's Challenge sampler, finished or not, as the Chairman has not seen our efforts. It will be good to see everyone's interpretation of the Challenge!

We are very happy to be returning to the Meeting House following repair of the flood damage.

The Programme for the coming year is now arranged, and we hope you find it interesting and inspiring. It will be great to meet up with old friends again, and we all look forward to seeing you on 16th September.

21st October's meeting is Design with Sue Lancaster. This promises to be a really good day.

A fun morning involving games(!) to make you totally stress-free, followed by some hand-stitching with admirable guidance from Sue. We start at 10am sharp, so do arrive by about 9.45am for coffee, etc., if possible. We are hoping that this will be a useful addition to our skills. Please bring;

Apron or clothes you don't mind getting paint or dye on,
All the ingredients for hand embroidery... fabric, and threads ( your choice of colours), base fabric such as calico, embroidery ring if you like to use one, needles, scissors, etc.

The maximum number suggested is 15, and the workshop will cost £15. To book a place, either enrol on the day of the AGM in September, or contact Pat before 15th September.

November's meeting

Please bring your own sewing for the morning or catch up with the gossip, and then around midday, we have an interesting talk about Viking Warriors and Weavers with displays of textiles.

Local exhibitions, etc.

Thornthwaite, Braithwaite and Newlands Home and Garden Show 11th September. You are invited to enter in the Handicrafts Section with your knitting, sewing, etc. (entries free up to 7th September) For more details contact Melanie Vincent.

5th September Kendal Mintfest 1pm -4pm in Abbot Hall Park. The Embroiderer's Guild will be represented at the SEWING PICNIC and would like volunteers to go along and demonstrate their sewing skills, as a chance to raise interest in our craft, and possibly recruit new members. Contact Pat for more information if you can go.

6th September SEW IT'S MONDAY a group of stitchers get together in Penrith (above Just Sew) on the first Monday of the month throughout Winter from approx 9.30am to do their own thing and share their skills, etc. If you are interested , ring Lena to find out more.

Regional News Would you like to represent the club?

The regional AGM is being held in Preston on Saturday 16th October at 10.45am, and is open to any member of the guild.

There is a business meeting, plus a speaker and trade stands, and lunch is included. We are hoping that there will be a member or two who could attend on behalf of Keswick Branch, so that we are represented.

The group will pay the expenses involved. If you would like more information, or would like to attend, please contact Pat. It really is an interesting day out!

I hope to see you at the AGM, but if you have any questions, suggestions, etc., please contact me.

Pat Knifton

NB I (Lesley, that is) do not feel comfortable in publishing other people's telephone numbers online, and so have not included them in this newsletter from Pat. If you do want to contact any of the people mentioned, the numbers are all on the membership list given out to Keswick Branch members. Alternatively, you could leave a message here on the blog, which will be passed on to the relevant person.

Fobbles Exhibition/ Lynette Anderson

2010-07-17T16:35:00.000+01:00

Fobbles Needlecraft Workshops and Supplies will be staging their annual summer Exhibition on Friday23rd, and Saturday 24th July from 10am -4pm, at Gubbergill, near Holmrook. On display will be examples of Needlework, Patchwork and Bead work. Entrance is £2, and all proceeds are in aid of Hospice at Home.

Fobbles also invite you to an Evening Presentation by Lynette Anderson, of Patchwork, Quilting and Stitching. to be held in Calderbridge Village Hall, on Monday 16th August at 7.30 pm. Tickets for this are £5 each, to include refreshments. There will be a sales table, and raffle.
http://lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/

For more information about either event, contact 019467 24764, or look at the Fobbles link on the right of this page. Both will be well worth a visit!

Keswick Embroiderers' Exhibition

2010-07-04T18:56:00.000+01:00

Joan's Crewel work

(Updated 13th July ; see below.)

July 2nd was a lovely, sunny day, and Keswick was busy with lots of visitors. Many of them made their way up the steps of the Moot Hall to our exhibition. From early on, there was a steady stream . I wasn't involved in setting up the exhibits; those who were did an excellent job, and our work looked very impressive. It's easy to forget everything that we've done over the last two years, and this was a reminder of the variety of our workshops, and the quality of work produced by our members. Not forgetting, of course, the talented and generous tutors, (some of them members) who have given us the benefit of their talents.

Several people had risen to the Chairman's challenge, issued by Val last September. Each had interpreted it in a different way, all very clever, some ingenious! Pictures of some of the exhibits are posted here; I'll add more to the gallery later. Some are labelled; some not, some have names, some don't. Some are taken from an odd angle, and I apologise for that, and for the reflection from the flash.

Chairman's Challenge..Marilyn's book, Gloria's Trees, and Val's sampler.

Sally's doll....... Beyond Canvaswork (Sally)

Lace, and fabric beads............

Beyond Canvaswork.............Pat

Patchwork Applique.............Gloria

Stumpwork ( Marilyn)and Canvaswork............

Needlelace flower.............

Sally, on the door, and stitching, as ever!

Reverse Applique............

Beyond Canvaswork Marilyn

Just some of the work we had on display. It was a lovely exhibition, and we enjoyed the chat, the tea, and the cake, as well as welcoming old friends and new to the Moot Hall. If you can put the correct names to any of the featured work, I shall be only too glad to credit it.

A visitor left this message;

What a stunning collection of work, extremely hard to pick a favourite. Well done to all, thank you for sharing. How about an embroidered cover for a ‘visitor book’ so we can leave comments at your next exhibition? J. H. Cockermouth

Thank you very much! And what a good idea!

Awayday!

2010-07-03T19:40:00.000+01:00

On 17th June, we had our annual KEG outing. It's always a good day, with some textile inspiration, and over the years we have travelled far and wide to find somewhere different. Sally sends this report on our visit to Halifax.

Trip to Bankfield Mansion - 17 June 2010

Our annual trip out this year was to take us to Halifax to visit Bankfield Mansion, a museum and exhibition centre. The mansion started as a modest 4 bedroomed house and was the principal home of Edward Akroyd, a woollens and worsteds manufacturer in the early 19th

century. He purchased the house in 1838 and, after his marriage and inheriting a substantial fortune, he set about enlarging and decorating the property in the Italianate style to become the Mansion that stands today.

We entered the house by an enclosed lobby and ascended some stairs to enter the ballroom, now a beautiful room with a painted ceiling and patterned wooden floor. It contains a small shop and a large exhibition of modern patchwork and embroidery.

The embroideries comprised many mixed media, batik, appliqué, and machine, all very colourful, clever, and well thought out. One section of flower drawings in black machine stitch on white organza were quite lovely. Some modern sculptured dolls made one smile with their funny faces. All these embroideries had been done by members of a sewing

group 'TenPlusTextiles' (http://www.tenplustextiles.com/).There were patchwork hangings, small, but perfect in the use of colour, design and stitching, adding to their beauty. A triple hanging using blue/pink fabric was the highlight.

Leading off the ballroom were many rooms housing things from the past; books, jewellery, clothes and textiles, toys, and household/kitchen equipment. One room was dedicated to the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and followed its history up to the present day. Another room was The World of Textiles Gallery, with fabrics from India Africa and China.

Upstairs the exhibition cases had models wearing clothes from many nations as well as interesting old garments, shoes, boots, hats etc. from this country.

Another display was of Jewellery by Charles Horner, a new name to me. He had a thriving business through two world wars expressing his his great skill in Art and Craft style designs but went into voluntary liquidation in 1986.

We spent a very pleasant afternoon looking round the house and its displays and returned to Keswick feeling inspired by the modern work and fascinated by our trip into the past.

Woolfest 2010 /Keswick Embroiderers' Exhibition

2010-06-28T16:27:00.000+01:00

I met up with lots of Guild members and other friends at Woolfest this weekend, and caught glimpses of several others in the distance! I went both days, and managed to find plenty of things on Saturday that I'd missed on Friday. It was a lovely show, and I came away with bagsful of goodies, and ideas. I think I was more realistic this year about what I'd actually use, but still managed to have all kinds of purchases to enjoy all over again when I got home and unpacked them. The attendance seemed to be good............ I hope that all the stallholders felt it worth coming, because it really is wonderful to have this show here, so close by.

Among my favourite buys were a little felt doll from Diane Gaffney's stall, where I was also seriously tempted by the batik fabrics, and two of Jackie Cardy's beautiful felt and velvet embroidered brooches, which I have seen on her blog. (http://www.dogdaisychains.blogspot.com/) Her felt vessels were lovely too. Otherwise, my buys were supplies of threads and fabric.

I'm sure , if you went, you enjoyed it, and if you didn't, look out for Woolfest 2011.

Our Exhibition is the next Big Thing for us! It may not be on the same grand scale as Woolfest, but will show the kinds of things we do, and the results of workshops over the last two years or so. We're hoping for a good response at The Moot Hall on Friday. Refreshments will be served! See you there!

May's Meeting; Goldwork

2010-06-23T11:36:00.000+01:00

Pat's report, and Melanie's pictures............

On Thursday, 20th May, we were lucky to have 'Golden Hinde' visit us, with Sue Hinde giving us very clear tuition in goldwork, and her daughter Sarah Rackstraw aiding her, and letting us have many tips on how to get to grips with our attempts at a beautiful finished product. We were asked to choose a motif (mine was a shell shape) and a little kit of materials (gold or silver, lovely coloured beads, etc), and it was explained how to transfer the pattern to the fabric, by stitching through the tissue paper, and then removing it carefully. We then couched threads, sewed on padded shapes in soft leather, and cut up sparkly lengths, which then were threaded into place as beads. The overall effect of all our efforts was charming, and in her friendly, chatty way, Sue Hinde persuaded most of us that there was no fear in having a go at goldwork; indeed, I came away with inspiration to complete my Chairman's Challenge Sampler with a three inch square of goldwork, and to incorporate these well-explained techniques into future pieces of embroidery, be they traditional or contemporary. A very relaxed and enjoyable day!

Out and about this summer!

2010-06-22T21:38:00.000+01:00

This is Marilyn's review of a visit to Farfield Mill, Garsdale Road, Sedbergh

I have just visited the Trees in the Park Exhibition and found it very interesting, however these are Art quilts and are certainly not for the bed!

Most are long tall quilted wallhangings, as you would expect a tree to be. A variety of techniques, are displayed, including some hand and machine embroidery.

Worth a visit if you are in the area.

Mary Taylor ( machine embroidery based on landscapes) also has her workshop here, so you can see her work whenever you visit and she is often working there. I love her landscapes and also the range of embroidered jewelry she creates. The workmanship is to such a high standard, so neat and accurate and her use of colour is excellent.

Summer Exhibitions 2010

12th June to 11th July - Trees in the Park (quilted textiles)

10th July to 5th Sept - Lancs & Lakes Guild Of WSD (woven textiles)

7th July to 30th Aug - Nora Ball textile (woven textiles& mixed media)

More info at www.farfieldmill.org

May meeting

2010-05-18T11:54:00.000+01:00

At last the weather seems to be improving! Everything looks so much nicer in the sun.

This Thursday's meeting will be a goldwork workshop, led by Golden Hinde.(http://www.golden-hinde.co.uk/)
It promises to be interesting, and I am very sorry that I will not be there, as I am, (hopefully) off on holiday. So there will be no blog about it, or pictures, immediately, but I am hoping that someone will write a report, and perhaps take some pictures of what I expect will be lovely work! I will upload anything sent to me as soon as I get back next week.

Don't forget that we are still meeting at Threlkeld!

Val's Scissor Keeper

2010-04-22T15:29:00.000+01:00

Our April meeting featured a workshop by our chairman, Val, who showed us how to make a canvaswork scissor-keeper. Val's workshops are always very hands-on, and this one involved us learning 'Norwich Stitch', new to me, and to others, too, I suspect. It did demand concentration, and silence reigned for a while as we got to grips with the stitch itself. It turned out to be the ideal stitch for the project, of course, and the beautiful space-dyed threads that Val had chosen for us complemented it perfectly.

At least one person had made the little scissor keeper before lunch, but most of us worked on, and some had to take it home to complete. It was a lovely relaxed session, once we'd mastered 'the stitch', and normal chatting was resumed after lunch. Pictures below of work in progress..................... and thanks to Val for something new. (And another stitch to feature on the sampler, which is needed soon!)

Latest News from Pat

2010-04-11T19:24:00.000+01:00

KEG Newsletter April 2010

A belated Happy Easter to all! It really is lovely to see the daffodils blooming, and to feel the garden will once again be surprising us with what it can do. PLEASE REMEMBER – the next few meetings will be at Threlkeld Village Hall, until the Friends’ Meeting House has completed its works after flooding. We expect to be back there in September!

...................................................

Our next meeting is at 10am on Thursday, 15th April (coffee available at 9.45am), and Val Osborn is guiding us in making a very pretty scissor keeper. A kit is supplied, so all you need to bring is your ‘usual sewing kit’ and your lunch, and enjoy a day of pleasant stitching.

~~~~~~~~~~~

On 20th May we have a visit from Golden Hinde. Sue and Sarah Hinde are teaching us the techniques of Goldwork, and will bring along their shop for the purchase of goodies which you might need. There will be a kit of materials available for the actual workshop, but I am attaching the list of things for you to bring, as it is pretty lengthy. Don’t be put off though – there is lots of help available, and we can share most things, as usual. This is a great opportunity to learn, or recap, with a very good tutor, on techniques which give such a beautiful result! Val will take names on the 15th April, or please ring Pat after 18th April and by 22nd April at the latest.

ooooooOOOOOoooooo

17th June is the grand KEG outing, and this year we are going south to visit the Bankside Museum in Halifax in the afternoon, following on from lunch at the Mereside Centre at Shibden Hall. Bankside Museum has an internationally renowned collection of textiles and costume, plus contemporary exhibitions, in a Victorian Italianate house built by a gentleman in the wool trade.

To organise the transport and catering, we need to know numbers, so please let Val know on Thursday, 15th April, or ring Pat on 017687 79448 after 18th April and by 22nd April at the latest. Entry to the museum is free, we are finding out about costs for lunch, and transport is yet to be decided. Val will explain on Thursday 15th April.

~~~~~~~~~

Keswick Embroiderers’ Exhibition – Moot Hall Keswick – 2nd July 2010

We are hoping you will have lots to show at this exhibition. Please let us have your insurance forms by 20th May so that the appropriate Insurance form can be completed, etc.

To remind you of our exploits - during the years since our last exhibition we have produced the following: Crewel embroidery (x2), Calico Creations, used transfer paints, made felt, made textile flowers, doll heads, stars, Mountmellick, fabric jewellery, canvas work, made appliqué angels, silk paper, and will no doubt have produced a scissor keeper and some goldwork by then! Don’t forget, your pieces don’t have to be complete; work in progress is just as interesting for our visitors.

The Chairman’s Challenge samplers will be interesting to exhibit (hope you are proceeding well on that!) and we hope to have the Rainbow Squares back in our possession. We will have a sales table, and it would be great if you could make some cards, or little items which our visitors might like to buy when they visit. If you want to sell any of the items which you are exhibiting, you are welcome to put a price on them and the group will accept a 10% commission if they are sold.

Sally Evans is still wanting our ideas, sketches, drawings, examples and explanations of fabric used, etc, for the motifs supplied to the KEG banner. Sally will create a file which will contain all the information, for posterity, and we would like to put that information in our exhibition. Just jot down what you felt about your piece, and the materials you used, etc, and we will make a display to supplement the KEG Banner.

Pat Knifton 017687 79448

Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch/Sewing for Pleasure

2010-03-27T11:16:00.000Z

Like many others, I was disappointed that what used to be the 'Madeira' Show would not be in Harrogate this year, but very keen to go to its replacement at The NEC. There was more than a little doubt about whether this was a good idea, mainly when I was preparing to catch the 6.30 AM! train from Whitehaven on Thursday. After that brutal start, the journey was very easy, and I was in the show by 11.30. I was there on two days, and so had time for a good look round, and managed to fit in two workshops as well as talking to various designers and makers on Friday morning, before the crowds arrived.

I really enjoyed the show, and though it was busy, felt that there was plenty of space to get around. All the usual suppliers were there, of course, but I especially enjoyed seeing inspirational work from groups and individuals, many of them incredibly generous with their time and advice. No pictures, sadly, because many of the designers, understandably, don't allow photographs. I did get contact and website details, and books, of course!

The workshops I took part in were taught by Pauline Verrinder from Fibre Fusion, whose display was stunning, and I felt on Thursday that if I saw nothing else, the journey would have been worth while. But, I did see plenty of other things that made my mouth water, and I came back with all kinds of goodies, and books, but also ideas to develop back at home.

I have added a website to our list. Linda and Laura Kemshall run ‘Design Matters TV’, online workshops for textiles, which, as their work is lovely, must be worth looking at. One of the introductory videos shows needlefelted and embroidered brooches, and I know there are some of us who'd be interested. However, my broadband connection is so volatile that I haven’t been able to watch more than a few seconds of it, yet. You may have more luck. http://www.lindakemshall.com/

Did anyone else get to the show? What did you think of it?

March meeting Eleanor Paxton

2010-03-18T20:12:00.000Z

Today's was a slightly different kind of meeting for us; instead of the workshop format we're more used to, we were treated to a talk by Eleanor Paxton. She was for many years involved with the costumes, props and scenery for Keswick Amateur Operatic Society, performing first at The Blue Box, and then, as it became, The Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. The slides showed her scenery for Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and other musicals to be so realistic, and she brought along examples of the costumes she has made over the years, always on a small, and often a shoestring budget.
We were very impressed by her talents. The talk ended in theatrical fashion, when Keswick's Town Crier made his entrance, giving us a sneak preview of his new costume, designed and made, of course, by Eleanor.

No photographs can do justice to what we saw today.

Mikado

A saucy showgirl, this one!

Town Crier

Two very realistic (and surprisingly lightweight) Props

One of Eleanor's first backdrops

Many thanks to Eleanor for a glimpse behind the scenes!

More silk purses.

2010-03-09T21:05:00.000Z

More examples of little purses made after our silk paper workshop. I'll add more as I get them.

These two bags were embroidered and finished by hand and machine.

Marilyn's purse, made on the day of the workshop

Purses finished at the informal meeting last week. I'll have more pictures of them soon, hopefully with some names.

I travelled up to Glasgow last week, for the Creative Stitches show. It's not the biggest, but that meant there was time to get around all the stalls and exhibitions, without rushing. This year there was plenty to see, and a chance to talk to designers and makers, such as Isobel Hall, Margaret Beal, and Kim Thittichai. I bought Margaret Beal's book, and am looking forward to experimenting more with soldering iron and heat gun.

If anyone is interested, look at http://www.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk/, for details of a Tea-cosy competition!

Our next meeting is on 18th March, when we will be treated to a talk about Theatre costumes, and then we will have a brief introduction to the embellishing machine. See you there!

Silk Paper!

2010-02-22T21:41:00.000Z

We might be in exile from our usual meeting-place, but there can't be many guild groups who meet in such lovely surroundings! This was the view from outside Threlkeld Village Hall when we met for our silk paper-making workshop on Thursday.

We enjoyed a fascinating session; Lyn Armstrong showed us some examples of little bags made from silk paper, and some of her larger pictures, to whet our appetite for this technique, and went on to demonstrate her method of making silk paper. She managed to make it all seem very straightforward, and guided us through the process. I, for one, have been a little put off in the past, by quite complicated instructions in books, and it was good to have the de-mystified version, using easily-available materials.

We were soon at work, laying down silk fibres, adding decorative threads, (and a sprinkling of gold leaf!)

Applying the medium,

Drying the paper with several hair-dryers,

Cutting it to shape,

Embellishing with beads and stitch.

A work in progress... nearly there!

It is difficult to do justice with a camera, to the delicious, delicate pieces of paper made this way.

Until we have some pictures of the finished work we did on the day, here is some of the work Lyn brought along to inspire us;

So, a lovely workshop, with new skills learned. And, as soon as I have pictures of completed projects to show you, I will post them.

KEG February Newsletter

2010-02-05T21:51:00.000Z

Greetings! The year has now got off to a good start, with a great day spent with Marilyn showing us how to create beads, jewellery and small items from felt. It was great to get together again after quite a bumpy couple of months; the floods in November and the snow in December/January seemed to curtail all sorts of get-togethers, but we (hopefully) are back on track now.

_______ooOOOoo_______

PLEASE REMEMBER – the next few meetings will be at Threlkeld Village Hall, until the Friends’ Meeting House has completed its works after flooding. We’ll keep you informed.

The next meeting is at 10am on Thursday, 18th February (coffee available at 9.45am). It is an opportunity to make silk paper (a different technique to the one we tried with Sandra Kedzlie a couple of years ago), and then to embellish our work and even make a little item with the resulting ‘fabric’.

Lyn Armstrong is bringing the raw silk, detergent and setting medium and a pattern to make a purse, as a kit, and this will be provided at no extra charge. However, you do need to bring the following if you have them:

usual sewing kit
stuff to attach, i.e. beads, sequins or anything you fancy. The colours are going to be in the range of blue / green / pink
Any nice threads you have.
Bits and pieces you might want to add to the paper as you make it, i.e. tiny bits of cut up threads, tiny sparkly bits, dried flower petals, angelina, etc.
The messy bit will require:- a paint brush for the wetting of the paper with detergent about 1” – 2” will do
a smaller paint brush for the setting medium
some old nylon net (some will be provided, but you might have to take some 'wet' paper home on the net so you might want to bring your own)
a hair dryer will help to speed up the drying – we will provide a couple but you may have room to bring your own
some paper towels for helping mop up the water etc
Your lunch!

An example of the silk paper we will be making.

Two examples of purses made from the paper

The 18th March meeting is to be a talk about costume making by Eleanor Paxton, and should prove very interesting. This will be followed by a demonstration of Lesley’s embellishing machine (following on from Marilyn’s dry felting by hand), and the opportunity to do some of your own work – perhaps bring along that Chairman’s Challenge sampler to catch up?

~~~~~~~~~

Branch News

Sally Evans has asked us all to let her have any ideas, sketches, drawings, examples and explanations of fabric used, etc, for our motifs supplied to the KEG banner. She has kindly offered to create a file which will contain all the information, for posterity!

Regional News

The North West Region, Area 1 (which is us!) has set up a workshop in Sedburgh on 20th March. Contact Kathryn Thompson on 01253 882121 for further information.

The Regional Day this year is on 17th April and is in the Manchester Conference Centre. Information is with Pat if you would like to apply for tickets. As you know from the Rheged meeting we co-hosted, it’s a very interesting day, and worth the visit.

The Regional AGM is on 16th October, at Preston. I am letting you know this date very early, hoping that somebody will be able to attend on the club’s behalf. It would be great to show that Keswick is represented, and supporting the Region.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upcoming Exhibitions

9th to 20th March – Quilt Museum in York – The Celtic Fringe: Wholecloths of Wales and Scotland and Namad: A Persian Journey in Felt – Bita Ghezelayagh.

25th and 26th June (Friday and Saturday) - WOOLFEST 2010 at Cockermouth

19-22 August, NEC - Festival of Quilts

Pat Knifton 01768 779448

February Informal Meeting

2010-02-04T21:29:00.000Z

A very select group gathered for our informal meeting today, and all manner of 'goodies' were 'rehomed.'

We celebrated Val's birthday, caught up with events and news since we last met, and still managed to get on with some work on individual 'works-in progress'

This is a detail of Val's crewel work , Jacobean Bell-pull, from Anchor.

Moira's Cross Stitch is from Bothy threads, 'Cut-through Castle'

There be dragons in this castle!

Pat experimented with needle-felting after Marilyn's workshop, and after reading an article by Gilda Baron, in a past issue of Stitch magazine. This landscape, felted, then embroidered, was the result!

The next blog will be the February newsletter, featuring among other things, details of Lyn's silk-painting and embroidery session, and pictures of what we'll be making.

More pictures!

2010-01-31T13:06:00.000Z

It's hard to believe that it's February tomorrow! Our next informal meeting will take place at Pat's house in Threlkeld on Thursday 4th Feb, and we are invited to take along any sewing related bits and pieces that we'd like to exchange, sell, or gift to someone else. Time for a bit of a clear out.

Melanie has passed on more pictures of our felting day, which I am posting here. It would be lovely to see pictures of any work completed at home after the workshop.

January Meeting

2010-01-22T21:35:00.000Z

Thanks to Pat's hospitality, we were able to enjoy a lovely day of felt-making with Marilyn. It was very brave to accommodate so many of us, working. We seemed to take over quite a lot of the house.

Marilyn, as always, gave us plenty of clever ideas for jewellery and small items, both wet-felted, and needle-felted, and with ideas for beading and embroidery to finish the pieces. I am posting some pictures, mostly of Marilyn's work, but hope to include some examples from other members soon.

Some advance dates.....

Northwest Region Area 1 are holding a members' workshop in Sedbergh on March 20th 2010. It will focus on hand embroidery.The tutor is Liliane Taylor, (who has a website http://www.lilianetaylor.com/ ) and the cost is £16, which covers tuition, materials, and tea and coffee. For further details, and to book, contact Kathryn Thompson. kathrynlthompson30@hotmail.com or 01253 882121.

The Regional day , 17th April, Manchester Conference Centre.
Rosebowl Competition, title "Buildings and Architecture"

N.E.C. Fashion and Embroidery (25th-28th March 2010)
Message from Fibrefusion;

"Fibrefusion have once again been invited to exhibit a new and extensive body of work representing their individual creative response to the theme of 'Affinity'. We invite you to come and view our work and to meet the artists.Additionally you will be encouraged to 'look,touch and feel' identified work that has been created specifically for this purpose in our bright and zingy 'touchy/feely' display."

And a reminder from Val about the Sampler!

Not the weather this time!

2010-01-20T15:45:00.000Z

Tomorrow's felt-making workshop will go ahead as planned, but the venue has had to be changed because of an unavoidable hitch with Threlkeld Village Hall. It will take place at Pat's house, in Threlkeld. You will still need to bring your lunch!
See you there!

January meeting

2010-01-19T20:09:00.000Z

Well, fingers crossed that we'll all be able to get to Threlkeld Village Hall on Thursday for Marilyn's felt-making workshop. It does seem an age since we all met up. Take a look back at previous posts if you need a reminder of what we'll be doing, and what you need to bring. Don't forget your lunch!
I'm hoping to be able to post lots of pictures of industrious embroiderers and their work after the meeting.For now, a picture of the view from my sewing room window of the last (hopefully) flurry of snow this year in St Bees. Not much, compared to some!

Weather again!

2010-01-08T13:32:00.000Z

Well, the weather managed to rule out our informal at Pat's yesterday! With so many of us scattered all over Cumbria, it was inevitable, I suppose. St Bees, today, is beautiful , bright and sunny, and we are one of those little pockets where there has been relatively little snow, just a sprinkling. However, the roads have been icy and treacherous, and it is bitterly cold, as elsewhere. We don't have to go very far before we see the snow everyone else has had.

Not the weather for venturing far , but for staying in and catching up with some sewing!( I have discovered more unfinished bits than I would like to admit.) And for wandering through the links to other textile blogs.

Let's hope the weather will allow us to get together for the next meeting, at Threlkeld Village Hall, for the felting workshop.

Newsletter, January 2010

2009-12-28T14:20:00.000Z

Keswick Embroiderers' Guild

- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! The K E G NEWSLETTER - January 2010

This is a short Newsletter, as a reminder, and to give you new information.

An informal meeting will take place on Thursday, 7th January at Pat’s house – 10 till about 3pm. Ring for directions if necessary, (and to see if the snow has allowed us to use the drive again!) Bring along your own work and your own lunch, or some lunchy things to share if you wish.
******************

On the day of the February informal meeting (4th Feb), we are going to have a bring and buy, swap, jumble, of sewing, knitting, craft items, so take the opportunity to have a sort out. This will probably take place at Pat’s house again. More information as the weeks pass.

Our next ‘proper’ meeting is - 10am on Thursday, 21st January, at Threlkeld Village Hall. Marilyn Hughes is going to lead us in a day to make Felt Jewellery (small items).

Marilyn says – “this is intended as an experimental day, where you can explore different techniques, both wet and dry felting (needle felting) to make small items such as jewellery, cards, small purses, pictures, phone or glasses cases. The emphasis is on small so no physical workout rolling felt this time! A relaxed, chatty day! I shall bring several ideas, so that you can choose what you want to try”.

Please bring with you:
Normal sewing kit – scissors, needles, etc
Beads, to stitch on, and to thread up (ie small and large)
v Embroidery threads
An old towel and plastic jug, and pure soap if you have some (plus rubber gloves if you are allergic to soap)
A block of polystyrene, or thick sponge, or cheap kneeling mat (to stab needles into)
Jewellery ‘findings’, ie brooch pins, earring hooks, necklace fastenings, etc.
*** Your lunch – no shops in Threlkeld!!!

If you don’t have any of these items, don’t worry – we usually share!
>>>>>>><<<<<<<

As you probably all know by now, the Friends’ Meeting House was flooded again, and is undergoing repairs. As a result we have booked Threlkeld Village Hall for the next few meetings, but we will keep you informed. So ……. meetings at Threlkeld until informed otherwise. Ring Pat if you’re confused (about anything) [but perhaps not the meaning of life] (yet!).

Look forward to seeing you on the 7th January!

Pat Knifton 017687 79448

Sally's Christmas Cake (hic!)

2009-12-21T22:49:00.000Z

Sally has provided this recipe for Christmas cake. Given how fraught everyone is by this stage, it looks very tempting!

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Ingredients

2 cups flour1 stick butter1 cup of water1 tsp baking soda1 cup of sugar1 tsp salt1 cup of brown sugarLemon juice4 large eggs1 cup of nuts1 bottle of wine2 cups of dried fruit

Sample the wine to check the quality. Take a large bowl, check the wine again.

To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer. Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add one teaspoon of sugar. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the wine is still ok. Try anothercup.... Just in case. Turn of the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor. Mix on the turner.. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver. Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Check the wine. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven. Turn the cake tine 360 degrees and try not to fall over. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl through the window. Finish the wine and

wipe counter with the cat.

Bingle Jells!

Chairman's Challenge ; More details from Val

2009-12-16T20:04:00.000Z

"This was a sampler I did to illustrate the various stitches I was teaching at an adult education class the other year. We made a small article each week using the stitch but I also made this sampler. I use any of them for workshops . This Sampler is the sort or thing I was thinking of for the Chairman's Challenge though on a larger scale than the challenge. The nine months we have before the Exhibition in July lends itself very nicely to 9 squares in any format (if anyone is short of a stitch then I can show them one). My workshop in April teaches one stitch which can be shown on the sampler AFTER the item is made on the day."

Val.

Time marches on! And I, for one, need to get going on this challenge. I have bought the fabric......... Val also pointed out that some of the workshops, Phillippa's, for example, involved more than one new stitch.

Feltmaking in January ....Message from Marilyn

2009-12-09T12:10:00.000Z

Felt Jewellery (Small items)
This is intended as an experimental day, where you can explore different techniques, both wet and dry felting (needle felting) to make small items such as jewellery, cards, small purses, pictures, phone or glasses cases. The emphasis is on small, so no physical workout rolling felt this time! A relaxed, chatty day! I shall bring several ideas, so that you can choose what you want to try.
Above are some examples using wet and/or dry felting, but I shall be working on more over the Christmas period.
Marilyn

Christmas Lunch at Dalemain

2009-12-04T13:38:00.000Z

It seems to have come round very quickly.......... where did this year go? Time, yesterday, for our Christmas lunch at Dalemain House, near Penrith. Lovely surroundings, and as always, delightful meal in the Mediaeval Hall. The photos show most of us meeting up first at Rheged, a very happy bunch at Dalemain, and a picture of the house itself.

Val reminded us that because the Friends' meeting house in Keswick is still recovering from the flooding, the first few meetings of the new year will be held in the Village Hall in Threlkeld. We also wondered how we'd represent the day's celebrations on the Sampler?

We exchanged gifts then, mostly embroidery-related, and we all received lovely examples of the skill and imagination of our members. I've posted a picture of the gift I received; gorgeous colours, and just right for my tree!

2009-12-01T15:17:00.000Z

The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate

Cumbria was reeling under the deluge that had dumped the floods on the Lake District on Thursday, 19th November, and a car-load of KEG members had planned a visit to the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show on the Sunday. Unfortunately, Lesley (our KEGBLOG person) was unable to get through on the shattered road system (bridges down etc), and Joan was poorly, so I set off on Sunday morning with Kate (a friend from the village) and picked up Gloria in Penrith (flooding was minimal to the east of us).

The three of us had a great time. After a two hour, uneventful journey to Harrogate, we found the multi-storey car park easily and arrived at the exhibition at just gone 10am, just in time for a coffee within the beautiful theatre area (I think the Queens Hall) which has recently been refurbished. The Knitting and Stitching was, as usual, very good – so many trade stalls to choose from; really good exhibitions; a full size hand-knitted boat(!); friendly people; etc. As usual for me, it needed a superhuman effort to keep my bearings in the many halls and, again, you feel you might have missed a whole area. Very disorientating when you’re so engrossed in everything!
Gloria managed to track down the Yorkshire Women’s group who provide kits to make little crib figures, Kate bought a bargain pack of superb knitting wool, and I ended up with many beautiful threads ‘just in case’, and had a full demonstration of a Janome embellisher – wow!

We all agreed that there were definitely more stands on knitting than before at the show but, nevertheless, a good mix. Some stalls had run out of some of their wares, it being the last day, but in other cases there were bargains to be had as traders didn’t want to take too much stuff back. The time went by so quickly. I always come away feeling I should have gone back to get that book, or kit …
Pat Knifton

Christmas Lunch at Dalemain

2009-11-30T11:04:00.000Z

Nearly December already! Just a reminder......... Lunch at Dalemain is this Thursday; the plan is , to meet up at Rheged at 11am for coffee, and to organise lifts , should anyone need them or, be at Dalemain itself by 11.55, to eat at 12 noon. A small embroidery-related gift can be entered into the gift exchange!

Look at this site!

2009-11-24T21:19:00.000Z

Just wandering through from one site to another, I came across this one. www.onestepon.co.uk It houses the web pages of a group of textile artists, and shows examples of their very varied work. As we missed our bag-making day, you might like to get some inspiration from some of these examples! You need to click on the artist to see their work So far, I have drooled over bags made by Sandie Maher, and Ann Christy. Worth a peek!

Floods

2009-11-20T19:23:00.000Z

The November meeting had to be cancelled, of course, and in the light of what happened next in Keswick and Cockermouth, it seems a very minor disappointment. Maybe we'll be able to do that workshop in the future.

Val has provided me with an example of a stitch sampler, to post, showing the idea behind her 'Chairman's Challenge.' It has a stitch, or technique inspired by each of our meetings this year.(In our case, this will be a mere nine motifs!) I will try soon to link this picture to a larger version, so that you can see it in more detail, but in the meantime, you get the idea!

Programme Changes

2009-11-17T20:55:00.000Z

I will miss the bag-making session, sadly, but hope you all have an inspiring day! Please note the changes to this year's programme, set out on the right. Also, note that the felted jewellery session in January will be held at Threlkeld Village Hall rather than at the Friends' Meeting house.

Book Review

2009-10-24T16:14:00.000+01:00

Machine Embroidered Woodlands

Alison Holt

I've just bought this book, and was seriously inspired from the first glimpse. To help you achieve the lovely finished embroideries , there are clear step-by step instructions which cover everything from the very basics of machine embroidery, to painting the backgrounds, and achieving the detailed effects. The instructions are clear, and accompanied by close-up photographs which make everything look so easy! We shall see! I did buy Alison's DVD last year,which dealt with Machine Embroidered landscapes. This was useful, too, if you like working alongside the PC, but I am always more comfortable with a book, somehow.

Anyway, this book is tempting me to my machine!

(It's published by Search Press)

Crewel Work October meeting.

2009-10-21T21:03:00.000+01:00

There was something for all levels of skill at Phillippa's crewel workshop, our October meeting. We had several visitors, and we ranged from relative newcomers to this particular embroidery, to the very experienced. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day, and we all left knowing about (and able to stitch) laid and couched work. It will be interesting to see all the peonies when they are finished, and the little crewel work example on everyone's challenge sampler!

Those patchworkers among you might like to check out the Fobbles link , as they have a sale day coming up very soon, when many of their lovely fabrics will be reduced in price.
The new Embroidery/ Beading shop is now open in Cockermouth. The Silver Beaded Needle is in Lowther Went, and is stocked with some gorgeous threads, and packs for all kinds of embroidery.

I have added the blog links of two other guilds in the north, Parbold, and Blackpool .They both look very busy, and produce lovely, inspiring work. If you haven't already, take a look.

Have you found a book or a shop recently, which you think we should all know about? It would be great if you could write a review for the blog. Let me know!

A New Online Home!

2009-10-10T21:54:00.000+01:00

This is our new online home! I'm not as expert as Lyn in the art of setting up a blog, so I will need your patience as I learn how to do it.

We held our AGM on 17th September, when Val Osborn was elected our new Chairman. The other officers stayed in post for another year.

Val began by issuing a Chairman's Challenge!

Including the Applique workshop we did after the business meeting, there are nine workshops in this year's program. We are challenged thus;

On a piece of evenweave fabric (not Aida), produce a small example of work after each of the workshops, producing a sampler, finished by the Summer exhibition, in the Moot Hall in July. It is a really good idea, because we'll all have a record of what we've achieved during the year. (I'm already behind after just one workshop, but I do intend to catch up!