Festival of Quilts 2019.

Liz is exhibiting at the Festival of Quilts 1st-4th August ,with a group of artists from around the world .Their exhibit ion is called 'Natural Selections '

They are all eco- dyers but with the proviso that they use no chemicals to aid their process.

Liz has created pieces using oak leaves ,strip cloth and soya milk.

The Oak tree is considered the King of trees and is also associated with the Warrior, for this reason she has created this cloak .

It offers protection for the wearer .

It can be worn or displayed as a wall piece.She was dismayed last time to have cut the neck much too wide and low .However, her solution of adding lots of stitched leaves to fill the neckline looks much better than the original.Sometimes accidents offer a better way forward.

Lots of stitch and beautiful natural dyed leaves.

Despite being very busy with the organisation of the exhibition she still finds time for her bookmaking and boxes.This is a Blizzard box and folds up to just a sliver!

Beneath our feet.

Jenn had continued to work her small pieces.

Building up the surfaces ,adding in appliqué fabrics and lots of hand stitch.

True to our pledge to not have a single framed piece in sight at UWE she intends to make these into mini quilts.Quilting the finished piece ,albeit very simply ,then binding and adding a hanging sleeve.

Hopefully they won't look too lost in the two metre hanging space we have each been allocated.

Interesting bottles.

When Kirsten put out a request for interesting clear bottles we wondered why she wanted them.At the meeting we discovered the reason  'messages in bottles ' is her focus for UWE.She decided to continue with her carrier pigeon trailing behind messages only they will be in bottles and will contain endangered species ,like the bee above.

She also brought along this fine fellow

Capturing the wonderfully smug expression giraffes have.

Thinking outside of the Box.

Sue has continued to make some lovely boxes ,finding some wonderful papers to work with.

Her thoughts have been turning to how best to display them, in a stack, on a trellis, hanging free?Her message is still in flux, perhaps drawing attention to climate change and air pollution. Making people think how precious is the air we breathe.

Sally has pushed ahead with her tiger piece and apart from wanting some feedback on her idea for hanging ,has completed it.

She thought a branch hung from a wrought iron hook, usually used with hanging baskets ,might allow the piece to hand and spin freely ,showing both sides.

We agreed that this might be the answer.

Flowering loveliness and new techniques.

Viv had also been looking out old photos, some taken in Cornwall and some taken closer to home on the edge of the Gorge.She was enlarging them and using a window to choose areas to concentrate on.No doubt we'll soon be seeing some of her lovely work involving flowers.

The next item involved a technique found on YOUTUBE.....dinner fork weaving!

We were a little bemused and wondered why anyone would bother .Viv had given it a go and produced this pink flower.It looks like a lot of effort for so little a return, but we're all different.

She had also taken one of the double -eyed needles Jane had brought in a previous meeting and trialled what it could do.

She was a little underwhelmed and thought she could probably do without one, saying she preferred a twin needle.Others have taken them so we shall see if the general consensus is the same.

Favourite beach

Ira's husband is an excellent photographer.She makes full use of his talent by getting him to take photographs she then uses to inspire her pieces.These are a favourite beach where they have spent many a happy holiday.

And you can see some work in progress from them.

She has been sorting through work for UWE and came across this piece done while she was an artist in residence in Nature in Art some years ago.

It was to do with Rock,Sand and Skyscapes and involved her painting on fabric and burning back, some of her trademarks.

She also brought along this quilt ,not something we associate with Ira.

which she  has been working on off and on over a number of years. She  wanted some advice as how best to finish it.She got lots, about the binding ,hanging ,quilting and who to use if she didn't want to quilt it herself.

Perhaps next time we see it, it will adorn a bed or a wall in all its glory.

She also alluded to her work for UWE, which questions what is art? A very wide ranging subject, and one which instigates much discussion.We wonder what the viewers at UWE will conclude.

More to do with plastic.

With her piece on fracking finished ,apart from how it will hang, Deryll had continued to move on with her collected plastics.The majority is made up of the flimsy thin stuff which covers over goods contained in plastic cartons.She has been experimenting to see exactly what can be done.She has heated and shrunk them above,

This plastic resisted heat so she twisted ,knotted and screwed  it into shape ,stitched and gathered it up.The one below melted and shrivelled.

She took some garden fleece, painted it and applied heat. It reacted a little like Tyvek Why these experiments you may ask .......well she is thinking about "a sea of plastic' Pun intended and a very potent message.

Finally some images of her first piece.

We hope you'll come and visit our different exhibition in UWE on Thursday.Friday and Saturday August 29th, 30th, 31st 2019.

July Meeting.

The day was very different from our June meeting,Summer seemed to have passed June by but we have had some lovely July Summer days and this was no exception.We met at Sally's and were indoors for much of it venturing outside at lunchtime to see her glorious poppies .See her instagram for pics ,sallysparks35.

Jane is on holiday for a few weeks so is spending some time trying a pattern for a Bargello lap quilt.Above is a seat of a chair worked by Sally and is an example of Bargello.

Jane is using 2"strips which are left over from other projects.This is a practice to perfect the technique.

The underside, which is as neat as the front.

This looks special enough so we wonder what the 'Real ' one will be like

She had recently used a Christmas present to visit Hampton Court to do a class with the Royal College of Needlework.

She chose a crewel work class with Lizzie Pye and received this box of goodies.

Far more than was needed to work the bird.Jane had a thoroughly good time ,working stem, long and short, chain, trellis and satin stitch.She also came away with some useful tips ,such as stabbing the needle through then pulling the thread from the back.It gives a smoother finish.Also making two tiny stitches in the front of the work to secure then snip.

Perhaps next time, this little bird will be completed.