The October Newsletter from Pat,

 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.

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

 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

Sally has asked me publicise this event.

Exhibition and Sale

Arts and Crafts

by

Sally Evans

     at the Quaker Meeting House, Keswick

Saturday 23rd October

10am-4pm

Coffee and biscuits £1

Informal meetings

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

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!

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

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.