Update to Upcycling

Don't leave your shirt as a UFO - it can become a cushion-talking-point!

Museum Visit on 21st January 2017

Our visit to the Manx Museum was a real treat for those who attended. We started with a fascinating power-point presentation by Yvonne Cresswell. This prepared us to fully appreciate the exhibits and hidden gems that we were going to be shown. The quilts and samplers held by the museum are not just examples of techniques and design but the materials used tell their own story of the social history of the era, when each was made.

Apparently the Victoria and Albert Museum (no less) regards the Manx collection very highly. The V&A have pieces preserved purely for aesthetic appeal and with no back story, whilst on the Island, each piece has as detailed a provenance, as possible, which provide signposts to further research.

Afterwards we viewed the items in the galleries in a different light and felt very privileged to see many pieces - from a (possibly) 16th century stumpwork box to 20th century work by Larch Garrard and Alison Quaye - which are not usually seen by the public.

 
 

Happy New Year Everyone!

The year 2016 ended on a high note for our Branch, when Angela Teago's piece, which she stitched for our "Capability Brown Exhibition" at Milntown, was selected to be shown at all the Knitting and Stitching Shows, in London, Harrogate, and Dublin. A real feather in our caps. Well done Angela and thank you for putting us "on the map".

Let us try to make 2017 another successful year for the Isle of Man Branch. That will need you to support the meetings and workshops we have planned. (See side bar)

Christmas Celebration

Last Saturday we enjoyed a convivial lunch followed by a fun workshop, for which we were joined by the Young Embroiderers.

Provided with wire shapes, tree and heart, we set to, with copper wire and beads, to create decorations or brooches. The YE members were much more exuberant in their designs. You can guess from the photos below, which examples were theirs!

A happy Christmas to everyone and a healthy 2017.

26th November Talk and Workshop

Our monthly meeting was held on the Saturday morning prior to the Upcycle to Recycle Workshop.

Our visiting speaker was Myra Gilbert, whose work has been closely influenced by her fascinating life-story. So, she illustrated her talk with family pictures as well as with pictures of pieces she has created and also with tangible examples.

She is not only a designer but also a wordsmith and she pays tribute to the women who have sewn, through the ages, out of necessity rather than for pleasure, by inscribing a special Japanese tissue with lines of miniscule, carefully chosen wording. From this tissue she fashions doll size dresses, based on the dresses she and her sisters wore while growing up.

Everyone was amazed at this unique and painstaking work and the sentiments behind it.

The workshop that followed was designed to use as much as possible of a de-constructed man's shirt in order to create other useable items. Although by the end there were no finished items, most ladies were well on the way to finishing the component parts for an attractive cushion and there were also attempts at encrusting the collars and cuffs with beads. So, most went away with "works in progress"

and photos may be added at a future date, when pieces are finished!

Felt-making Workshop October 2016

Judging by the photographs, this was an enjoyable and productive workshop. What a variety of shapes and colours! It also looks to have been very companionable.

Corset Belt Workshop 24th September 2016

Gill Roberts tutored a fabulous workshop on Saturday to make a corset belt.

It was a big learning curve on how to bone a bodice and put in eyelets; but everyone accomplished it and we were so engrossed that the course over-ran as no-one wanted to leave!

 

As you can see from the photos, everyone reached the final stages of construction and had a wonderful day. The photo of the corset is one of Gill’s fantastic creations, which wasn’t shown the previous evening during her informative talk.

 

 

The talk had ranged widely over the history of corsets – originally they were meant to disguise the female shape, so as not to inflame men's passions! Gradually this changed, so that the waist was emphasised and the bust lifted. There is also a darker side, as corsets, with their lacing, play a role in dominatrix fantasy - but no one could possibly see a dark side to Gill's beautiful and intricate corset/bodices, which she has created for wedding dresses and formal wear.

 

Thank you, Gill, for travelling over the IOM. If you want to see more of her spectacular creations, please visit her web site www.belladonna-roses.co.uk