CHRISTMAS 2018

Our Christmas celebrations seem to be jinxed by the weather. Last year's was cancelled because of snow, this year it was a dreadful day - pouring rain and Storm Dierdre doing her best to blow down trees and people off their feet. 10 ladies braved it and, fortunately, our numbers were boosted by 6 Young Embroiderers and their mums.

We started with a contributory lunch, which, as usual, provided us with a wonderful, tasty and varied spread

Kits were provided to create a Nordic-style Christmas tree decoration and nearly everyone managed to finish and take home a hanging to go on their tree.

A Centenary Celebration 1918-2018

In Spring 2018 the Embroiderers' Guild IoM Branch was approached by the King William's College Masonic Lodge with a request to renovate and update their banner in time for their centenary. The work was undertaken by Helen and Jean and resulted in a nice donation for Branch Funds.

The pictures are lifted from the commemorative brochure, published by the Lodge.

The pictures are lifted from the commemorative booklet published by the Lodge.

17th November 2018 - Talk and Workshop with Chris Eastham

The subject of Chris Eastham's talk was  "Perfection can be overrated". 

She had brought along about 30 examples of her quilts, which traced her work from her first, to her most recent creation (a Christmas tree "skirt")

She had embarked upon quilting as a rebellion against her mother's perfect-front-and-back embroidery and she detailed how it had been a steep learning curve, but fun!

Her talk and workshop were littered with words like "fudge, fiddle, adjust" and quotes like "better finish than perfect" or her tutor's description of a piece of her work as "naive quilting"

Chris was being far too modest, because, although she kept pointing out what she saw as faults, the result seemed intentional to us and the quilts were stunning. We did, however, get the point that, mistakes can be rescued and a piece does not need to be abandoned, if, in the end it isn't quite as it was meant to be!

Chris's quilts piled high.

And another pile!

So we embarked on the workshop - to create a pieced border for an existing piece of work - with a relaxed attitude. For some this was the "steep learning curve" but, for us, with expert guidance. Others were more experienced and the amount achieved in the day reflected this. Those wanting to turn the end result into a cushion have until next March to finish the piece!

A hive of industry

Nearly there! 

Way to go!

October 2018

The October workshop was tutored by our own Maureen K, who, despite having returned from a trip to India the day before, was well prepared and got us all stitching happily on one of 3 possible designs, based on Celtic knotwork.

One Maureen had prepared earlier

Most of us used tweed fabric and woollen threads, although other media were also used. The design was transferred from stitch-and-tear on the reverse, using a basic running stitch. Concentration was needed to remember that we were working back to front! Once the design was transferred, Maureen coached us in various surface stitches, which cover the design satisfyingly quickly.


The intention is for the finished panel to be used as the "flap" on a handbag, which Helen S will teach us how to make at a workshop next year.

Two ladies had to make an early departure

A bit more progress was made by 4pm!

Finished "Quaker Mandalas"

At least 3 of the mandalas from last month's workshop have been finished. Two of them are shown. The top one was sewn with stranded cotton, whilst the one below was sewn using the wools supplied. The colour scheme was based, by Bridget Guest, on the colours of a pansy.

Charity Day Outcome

Representatives of Bridge the Gap, our chosen charity for 2018, attended our AGM and were presented with a cheque for £450 by Janet.

Marilyn, Jill Crossley, Fiona Barker and Janet

AGM and Quaker Tapestry Talk and Workshop

                                                       A most welcome guest.

At our 2018 AGM on Friday 28^th September the business was fairly swiftly dealt with. The worrying thing being that the Committee is much depleted and there is a lack of ladies ready to serve as officers.

After refreshments, the floor was taken by Bridget Guest our visiting speaker and workshop tutor. She is a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and her subject was the history and development of the Quaker Tapestry.

Her power point presentation was a fascinating mix of pictures, sound and personal input. The Quaker Tapestry was the inspiration of a Somerset lady, Anne Wynn-Wilson, who was studying the Bayeux Tapestry. In 1981 she had gathered together a team of people with the necessary skills and work was started on a series of 70 panels, united by the use of 7 selected stitches, worked on a specially woven woollen background cloth. She wanted the work to be contributory, especially by children, who were encouraged to draw designs and sew parts of the panels. News of the project spread round the world and some panels were created by Friends as far afield as Australia. The collection of panels was complete in 1996 and it is housed in Kendal, the Lake District (Westmorland) being where George Fox, the founder of Quakerism first started preaching.

Quakers have been behind so many aspects of life both in the past (prison reform, abolition of slavery, chocolate!) and more recently in fields like astrophysics, and the panels depict these many aspects in wonderful detail. As well as being a feast for the eyes, they are a rich source of information.

An example of a tapestry panel.

The workshop, on Saturday, was well attended and Bridget provided a kit and a mandala design, which she had created especially to use each of the 7 stitches as in the Tapestry. Particularly interesting to learn was the Quaker Stitch, which was invented by Anne Wynn-Wilson specifically for the lettering on the panels.

It was a well-structured class, in that a small section of the design could be completed using one of the stitches, before everyone moved on to learn the next stitch. We even had a Skype link-up at 2pm with a class taking place in Kendal and working on the same piece. We were pleased that both classes seemed to be at the same stage of progress! Most participants still have quite a bit of work to complete the design but it is unlikely that the pieces will remain UFOs for long.

Advance notice AGM and Workshop

The Quaker Tapestry is NOT canvaswork and the embroideries that form its component parts are stunning. The talk at Friday 28th September's AGM by Bridget Guest should, therefore, be really interesting and the workshop on Saturday 29th most enjoyable.

Charity Day - 30th June 2018

The sun shone, perhaps too much, numbers attending were considerably down.

 Those who did come to Thie Ellyn, sat in a pleasantly cool atmosphere and enjoyed a wonderfully enjoyable stitch and chat - at the same time benefiting a very worthwhile charity.

This is the building that BtG is hoping to build to accommodate young people with life threatening conditions.

Remembering Jean's lovely smile.

The smile runs in the family!

Kits put together by Janet and one completed by Angela showing what can be done.

The Young Embroiderers joined us for the afternoon.

Although there were fewer attendees than hoped, we anticipate being able hand over a reasonable cheque to BtG.

Future July Open Meeting and Workshop

Flower Festival 2018 - St Andrew's

We were asked by St Andrew's to produce a display to complement their flower displays on the theme "The Manx Year". Below are pictures of the display created by members of your hard-working Committee! The Flower Festival is on for the whole of Tynwald Week.

Weekend of 18th-20th May. Sue Stone

                               "Appliqué and Hand-stitched Portraits with Sue Stone

Sue's self-potrait

The weekend got off to an inauspicious start with Sue Stone's not being able to get to the Island in time to give her talk “Woman with Fish” on the Friday evening. Because a maintenance van had run into the Flybe plane at Manchester, poor Sue was transferred to Liverpool and did not arrive on the Island until gone 9 p.m.!  This meant that we had to come up with something at short notice, so, for those who attended, we had a relaxed and sociable ‘social stitching’ evening.  However, without Sue, the evening ended early. 

From then on things improved spectacularly and the two-day workshop and the rest of the weekend were a huge success.

Eleven members had booked on Sue’s two-day workshop “Appliqué and Hand Stitched Portraits” which was held at the Braaid Hall and everybody turned up nice and early, which was a sign of things to come, as 4 o’clock came and there was hardly a stir from anyone to put down our stitching and go home. The next morning everybody once again came early and we were still busy stitching at 3.45 and only stopped in order to display the results of our weekend!  Normally by 3 o’clock people are tired and starting to put work away – even for a one-day workshop!

Impossible to stop!

 

Sue began by explaining her technique and then how we should transfer our image to the fabric using tissue paper and stitch.  She then spoke to each of us individually to advise about our image choices and how to tackle our piece so by lunchtime we were all well underway with our stitching and even reluctant to stop for the lovely contributory buffet lunch! 

The workshop continued in the same industrious fashion the next day.  The photographs show how the participants each tackled very different portraits and worked them in very different ways.  All of us came away having learnt such a lot and enthused with a determination to actually finish the portraits – no UFO’s from this workshop!

   

                                        The same image can be treated differently.

                                         

And this is what ladies took home!

VISITORS WELCOME - OPEN MEETING- MAY

                        Friday 18th May - Talk by visiting tutor,
                                     SUE STONE
                               "Woman with Fish"
                        at St Andrew's Hall,  Douglas.


                                           (There are still 3 places on the workshop at the
                                          Braaid, Saturday and Sunday 19th and 20th May.)

Penny Nutall's talk and Zentangle Workshop 20th & 21st April

(Thank you to Maureen Kennaugh for her report and pictures)

On Friday evening Penny Nuttall gave the Guild an "informal reminiscence, with bits and bobs." This was her story of embroidery and textiles.  Penny's "bits and bobs" consisted of a wonderful array of embroidered projects, which included her exquisite Chinese vase. This married metal thread and silk shading over a lined 3D vase - with the embroidery amazingly going over the nearly invisible  seams  - which Penny made for the Embroiderers' Guild's "Riches of Stitches" competition some years ago. Penny also had some examples of her garments, which included both screen printed children's dresses and two examples of adult historical garments.
 Penny supplemented her talk and with a digital presentation, which explained the complicated nature of working with Manx National Heritage to produce replica historical garments for their various museums.  One example was the reproduction of Quayle's Manx Militia coat for the Nautical Museum which meant sourcing £100 per metre red cloth, gold epaulettes - and making a garment with no pattern to go by. Producing garments, which can be worn by today's adults and children, who vary so much from the shapes and sizes of the historical originals, is a real challenge! 
There was so much more to Penny's talk and "bits and bobs" included designing and making ball gowns for her daughter at university as well as parchment work, corsetery, and screen printed clasp purses  - and more besides.

In contrast to many of Penny's "bits and bobs", her workshop on Zentangle free machine embroidery, which she described as "doodling with free-machine embroidery", illustrated another of Penny's skills ie. free machining and quilting.

Penny explained that Zentangle is a meditative process (although I think everyone queried this with the amount of concentration required in the working  the pieces during the workshop!) and we should aim at its being a relaxing process!
 Zentangle has many set patterns, one of which we all tried and were quite amazed by. This is  Rick's Paradox .

   We started off the workshop by doodling with a pen in order to get into the flow of the freedom of doodling, then Penny set us working on fabric, free machining various doodling patterns, ideas for which she had provided.   After lunch Penny set the group working on our own patterns and zentangling "doodling"

  One of the major advantages to this workshop was that Penny was also very helpful in giving advice for those who were new to free machine stitching, or required a refresher - and even the more experienced stitchers learned something new!  All in all, it was a most enjoyable workshop.

Expert help on hand

A "posh" machine wasn't really necessary.  

Finished examples to take home.

Places on April workshop still available.

  Contact Janet Williams, the Workshop Secretary, on 675727, if interested.

24th March - Our Creative Stitch Day

It was hard work but worth it, thanks to all the demonstrators and helpers. Here are some photos which capture the essence of the day.

Our Patroness, Lady Gosney and our
indefatigable, Stella.

                                 

EG IoM's Millennium Project
seen in it's full glory -
Manannan's Cloak

                                    
                           
                                   

Pat K and Caroline before the rush, all set and ready to demostrate

Sheila demonstrated paper-piecing patchwork and Janet, her redwork

                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                   

Theresa, with a rapt lady, absorbed in
her layering technique

Linda, ready to "fascinate"

Helen drew a crowd with her colourful work.

And things got busy and the noise level rose....!!