This and that.

Carol had completed the stitching of the lettering on her piece,and is now ready to start adding the living things it represents.

She also brought along 'the Convict Bonnet' kit.This is a project started some years ago by Dr Christins Henri in Tasmania.She researched women convicts deported from UK to Australia.She is collecting more than25,000 bonnets,each one represents a woman.Jenn and Carol had taken a kit from Bristol Embroiderers Guild ,as they are taking part.

Jenn has completed her bonnet but not in time for the meeting,here is a photo.

She asked for a Welsh girl,hence the daffodil.She has since found that Mary Jones was 30 years old,was tried in Usk in 1848 for stealing and given 10 years.She left on the  'Stately' in 1849 for Van Diemans Land.

 

Jane had had this piece framed(detail).She had enjoyed using this technique and had been working on a much larger piece using Celtic motifs.

Her large piece has also been finished and framed but you will have to visit the exhibition at Sidcot to see it in its full glory.

What's this? You may ask but once again all will become clear at Sidcot.

Challenges

Jenn had been to Ammerdown for a textile masterclass with Stitched Textile Artists,run by Sian Martin.

This had involved the customary Friday night challenge.This time it involved collecting objects from a walk in the grounds,using a dice ,a selection of drawing implements and 30 second drawings.

You can read more about it on www.Ferrinbroidery.blogspot.co.uk

Deryll found a picture in a textile magazine that echoed,above

Barriers and boundaries is collective theme the group is using in their work and will be exhibiting in Ilminster in 2015. Jenn has started to look at man -made barriers  and has begun to play with patterns observed.

Things of the sea.

Ira brought the piece we saw last month that was destined to become pebbles.Here it is being worked into with lots of stitching and added embellishments .

 And a close up to see the detail.

She also brought some of her very detailed drawings of coral, I think.I forgot to take a photo of the actual thing.Behind the sketch book is some of Ira's painted fabric.

 

 It was remnants left from her daughter's wedding dress and as she said'just sploshed  with paint' Just wait and see  how she transforms it.

This is the drawing peeping out in the photo above.

She wanted some suggestions as to how she might manipulate fabrics to create this in textile.We offered some and await her experiments.

Mark making.

Patricia had gone along to Jilly Morris' workshop .It was in conjunction with Shadow and Line exhibition as part of Stroud textiles week.She said she wanted to work large ,and then had cut it up and mounted in a sketch book.

They had used mainly monotone but Patricia couldn't help adding touches of her favourite turquoise,

And splashes of orange yellow.She is wearing both !

The piece she is holding was a kind of 'round robin' where the group contributed some little snippet to each other's piece.This was Patricia's .

It looked like a really interesting few days making marks,which is what we are doing all the time whether with crayon,paper or stitch.Lots of potential for development.

Books.

As well as her drawing on her tablet Sally brought along her hard copy of her Laos book .

               

It contains photographs taken on her trip.I like this one ,the faces are so expressive.

She is thinking of producing a book based on rivers,and had been playing around with a zigzag format.She had also used some book binding cloth to print some of her drawing directly on to it.

There was some discussion as to how she will proceed.

It should make for an interesting project,and showcase Sally' s atmospheric drawings.

                    

                    

Similarity.

Debby brought along this fabulous book.It had given her inspiration for her butterflies.The photos are so very detailed.

While leafing through Sally noticed the similarity between this and her drawing on her tablet.

As you can probably read ,her drawing was of a barrel cactus.

     It's a really good drawing using a drawing app.Good if you don't want the hassle of carrying lots of paraphernalia and are short on space.

Bookworms.

How many of us wonder what is living in our workrooms - this weekend I found out what is living in mine!  I went to check a box of handmade books as I am giving a talk soon to the local WI, and found that half of them had been eaten!  On checking them in the garden, I realised they were all covers made using a flour paste, scrim and a printing block.   I also had a bag of covers in a drawer which were also being eaten.  They are all now in the garden shed with napthalene mothballs, while John checks the beetles out with the Museum.  I fear it will shortly be a bonfire (of the vanities).  A word of warning to anyone who went to the same workshop some years ago, and also has these covers.   I have emailed Frances Pickering to know if she has encountered this herself.    Sally.

Strip Joint

Don't forget Liz is exhibiting at Midsomer Quilters Chilcompton until 17thof this month.Details in   a previous blog post 'Advance Notice'

Versatility.

Liberty print cotton is so lovely.Kirsten was given a quantity and rather than drooling over it then putting away again she has been using it for this.....

These are all hand pieced ,with the traditional paper backing.The photo doesn't show how small the hexagons are ,or how fine the stitch.

Now,we wonder what will these turn into?

Lino print.

After creating some Lino prints from her excellent drawings,Kirsten was wondering what to do with them.We gave her some suggestions last month but look what she has come up with!

The print block is at the front,it is so finely carved and detailed,some dandelion leaves.The resulting fabric has been used to create the purse.We want one,and are sure lots of others will too.

You can see Kirsten's completed piece for 'Things with Wings' in the Heartspace exhibition too.

June.

This month we seemed a little thin on the ground,with four members unable to attend.Never the less there was a lot to see and plenty to ponder on.

 Deryll brought along her pieces for the exhibition,they had been framed really well.No pictures... You will have to come and see them at Sidcot. She had picked up a delightful little frame at a charity shop and is busy filling it with the above poppy field,still more to add before it' s finished.

Debby is a tutor at Heartspace ,and as mentioned last month was involved with "Things with Wings"

Challenge.She had used Angelina and Angelina film to create a series of bugs

These will most probably develop into brooches.They capture the irridescence you find in insects and beetles,displayed in the sectioned box makes them reminiscent of precious specimens.

I love the little bees,apologies for the shadow cast by the box side.

The exhibition continues at Heartspace until the end of the month.