Saturday 28 July 2018

Slap it on and cut it up!


Ira arrived, as usual ,with multiple pieces.Her method of working seems so slapdash that you'd never believe how the pieces begin their life! These images show the initial slapping on and moving around of paint on fabric.We loved the moody feel some looked like stalagmites in caves.





These show back and front on a sheer fabric Viv likened them to a Monet impressionistic painting.


She had also been experimenting with taking one small unit and building them up into larger pieces as in the square in this image .The surfaces have been textured by soldering, adding stitch and couching.We thought the squares one below could be made into a vessel.


This had lots of texture with applied patches and loosely rolled 'beads'


At home they had been replacing their decks there were offcuts left Ira decided to put them to use in a triptych.The pieces have been coloured and she has started to apply tiny beads and stitch.


This shows another textured piece in progress, lots of applied snippets of different fabric sit on the base fabric.some square sequins and cross irregular cross stitches are beginning to cover the surface.


Next up what she termed her 'Abstract Expression' piece .Again a textured surface achieved by applying torn tissue and fabric,some print and then the beginning of stitch.


As it caught the light Jane remarked how interesting it was to see the shapes in relief 


and how the stitching holes allowed a different view.This could be exploited but we shall have to wait and see.


Wednesday 25 July 2018

Fabric design

Jane has been doing an online fabric design course and getting on rather well.
She came to the meeting this time wearing a top made up in the blue on white colour way in the photo below.The design was based on'PUNTO IN ARIA 'lace designs and is available on Spoonflower.


She spent two days volunteering in the Design Centre,Islington with the people who run the course and has earned herself access to another course.


Some of the designs she created are pictured here.They included stationery and wrapping paper with different colourways.


A Collection of cohesive patterns for tableware to include crockery, napkins and placemats


Some had to be geometric in nature and even some designs for the Tokyo Olympics.


This seems to have suited Jane's methodical and technical brain.....could lead to a whole new career!

Wednesday 18 July 2018

Back to normal..........almost.

We met as usual this month, in Deryll's ,though the meeting was the wrong way around.Instead of beginning with 'Show and Tell' we did the business first .We had quite a lot to discuss with having just taken part in the Museum' Make Space' event,a proposal to write for an exhibition and sorting out details for the West Country Quilt and Textile show .It took a fair amount of time too, we were all ready for our lunch by the time we worked through it.We could then see what we had all been up to in the time since we last had 'Show and Tell'

           Despite the rather hot weather we have been experiencing over the last few months everyone had something to show.This is going to be a picture heavy posting for July! 





Carol has been adding to her 'BORO' piece she started at a Zoe Hillyard workshop.She says as she has added more pieces and stitched more it is taking on more of the traditional look.


She is great at documenting what she does in little sketch and workbooks, a habit we should all acquire.These pages show how transfer paints and crayons turn out.


A recent Quilters' Guild workshop run by Alice Fox inspired her to use 


some 'finds' collected on her recent Cornish holiday.


They are trapped between a cotton back and transparent front fabric .


And are enhanced with her very tiny and tidy stitches.


Debby attended the workshop and took a very different tack


using some 'found' staples 


and some natural seeds and twigs.She said the black stitching reminded her of sutures and she disliked them.......we preferred them to the green!


They were encouraged to use all sorts to stitch with even a plastic straw!
Some of the Quilters were a bit bemused as they like order and symmetry.


Debby was in her element as she likes to experiment .


Her daughter recently returned from Japan and brought back lots of goodies for her talented Mum to use. She had them in this bag, there were a brush pen,Japanese paper selection,washi tapes, wrapping cloths and more Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese contemporary artist associated with organising  'happenings' in the 1960s when naked participants were painted with brightly coloured polka dots!



This below,is some work produced in a workshop run by Elaine Cooper ,a papermaker who learnt her craft in Japan ,and spends half the year there.It didn't photograph very well as the paper is so fine.


Finally ,from Debby a hand stitch piece begun at the museum and finished later.


We love to look at the backs too.