Ira.

You may have been wondering why no mention or pics of Ira these last two months.Well she wasn't at our January meeting,but this month she was......why no work you cry? She was as dismayed as us when she arrived to find her large basket of new work was not in her boot.There had been a misunderstanding and her husband had not put it in.She gave us a lovely description of her work on rock formations but we had to imagine what it is like.......exquisite and beautifully stitched as usual we expect.However,we,like you readers have to wait and see.Some of you might like to look out for her on the Severn Vale art trail ,details above.

Website.   www.thornburyartsfestival.com

Some dates for your diary.

One is coming up soon.....

the other is advance notice.......

February meeting.

We were not all present for today's meeting,other commitments and visits away .However we had a lively and interesting time.Lots to see and talk about as you'll see if you pop back over the next few posts.

Wire and paint?

Viv brought two pieces for us to see.The first was one she wanted some advice about how to frame.We agreed with her about leaving the edges with loose threads and slips overlapping.We thought a lighter background but the peach looked wrong,perhaps a darker shade of rust?

The second was a flower piece that had been finished since we saw it last.Viv conjures up the most amazing pieces from loosely painted pieces of fabric which she then embellishes with machine and hand stitch.You may remember her pieces from the Guild exhibition last October.

Jenn brought more ammonite inspired pieces.This time in wire,some crocheted

others " hand drawn".These show the shadows cast by the motifs.

Colours and textures.

Marilyn had been trying out some patterns of weaves in the same colour way.Don't they look different ?

She used mercerized perle cotton which she dyed with procion dyes,the colours just sing out and look different when viewed from other viewpoints.this colour scheme certainly lightened the spirits.

Sue brought some of her inspirations and experiments for us .From atmospheric prints to 

textured paper surfaces.

And ......of course her trademark embellished fabrics.

Another real shot of colour in this grey February!

Pattern.

Liz showed us this lovely quilt made from African fabrics sourced through Maggie Relph's sitewww.africanfabrics.co.uk.It is to be auctioned to raise funds for the disadvantaged.Liz is busy quilting it to send off in the next week.If you are interested in ethnic textiles look out for the World Textile day advertised.

She also brought her "leaf" piece,which includes Eco dyeing,printing and some of Deryll's naturally dyed fabrics.The black marks are little plastic "tacks" a bit like those used to tag goods in shops,but to help quilters keep pieces together before sewing.

She also had some screen-printed fabrics with her ,but was a little perplexed as the procion based dye had taken on some but washed out on others despite being treated the same!

Patricia brought some of her  brooches,made from odd leftovers.......there are leftovers and leftovers.These are just so delicious with their mixture of colours,textures and clever choice of beads.

She also brought along some dyed cloth.

Delights from Debby.

Debby has a very busy life,it has been even more so since she has been covering for Janet at Heartspace as she has a broken wrist.She brought along her lovely brooches,see above.

This memory quilt which uses transfer printed images.

And these..........lots of lovely ideas for printing on fabrics.She showed us a great variety of ways to make print blocks,from a domino piece wrapped with thread to funky foams and more.

Debby runs an after school stitch group and was using them to inspire her pupils.She intended them to print ,then embellish with stitch to make lavender bags.

Carol had decided upon the fabric she wished to use for her panels but was dismayed to discover "Calico "no longer had it.This meant she would not have enough to create all the panels she had originally intended.This called for a rethink,and to her relief she could make fewer panels ,less work,but still include the different groups she intended.So what might have been a disaster has been turned to advantage.