Enthusiasts!

Our June meeting at Ira's,someone was having a clear out......... 

Forgive the out of focus photo but it helps catch the enthusiasm with which we pounce on anything we can use to create textile art.

There were all sorts of 'goodies' to be had.Thread,buttery soft leather,wool roving,fabric and net.Just the stuff to whet the appetite !

A trip and some texture.

Sally had been away with a friend since last meeting .She had made a book as a record as usual but told us about their visit to the Meissen factory.

This is a picture from the book she bought showing the Monkey figures which sell for fantastic sums of money.Her base was in Dresden ,which was subjected to large scale bombing during World War 11.They had also visited Berlin and ended up having a very good and interesting week away.

Sue had been revisiting embroidery frames,this time to venture into texture.She had used cords made in a variety of materials and couched them to the surface.The addition of a washer creates another texture.A very interesting exercise.

Colouring in.

Jane has been experimenting and getting to know her very complicated embroidery machine.In her methodical way she has explored blending colours ,in a similar way to when you paint.She has documented her explorations thus far.

Debby visited some exhibition,or fair recently and as usual had picked up lots of goodies.I think these are linen and so luscious she has considered framing them ,just to look at!

Margo Selby

Marilyn had been to London and while there had been to Margo Selby's studio.

She was selling some of her samples,Marilyn came away with quite a few.They were in the most wonderful colours of silk and such interesting patterns.Marilyn could tell you how they were acheived. All i can tell you is that they reminded me of double jacquard knitting ,where the knitting is on two beds enabling different colours to show on each side.It also allows for tucking and making 'pockets 'so the fabric is not flat.

You may be able to see it in this shot.A friend is going to make one of the bigger pieces into a gilet for Marilyn.We will be excited to see it .

Marilyn showed her own sample of double sided weaving.It is very effective but once again I have no idea how it is done.Again it is like 'plating 'in machine knitting where one colour shows one side and the other colour on the reverse.

Productive month.

Carol had been to the talk,and taken the workshop 'Fabric books' given by Becky Adams at Bristol Embroiderers Guild in April.I think she took BEES as her subject.

As usual she produced a delightful zig-zag book with such exquisite stitching and detail.

She has also subscribed to 'Workshop On The Web' run by Maggie Grey.

Following on from last month's suggestion that we each fill an embroidery hoop she had been experimenting with creating surfaces.These are crochet rings stitched down and further stitch added to bed them on the linen.I think!

This one based on a WoW lesson from Dale Rollerson ,stitching on dissolvable fabric,building up layers of stitch.Interesting effects can be achieved.

Dale is based in Australia ,she can be found here 

www.downunderdale.blogspot.com

She runs a textile supplies business and often travels to run a stand at Ally Pally.

More Eco-dyeing and a date for your diaries.

Liz really has the eco-dyeing down to a fine art .I think most of these come from wrapping rusted objects in Khadi paper and various fabrics.

She likes to use silk as it gives lovely results

though this may be strip cloth.

If you enlarge this photo by clicking on it you can see how the paper has embossed.

She also brought lots of examples of books made on a course held in Bath by Guy Begbie. Only seem to have one photo,they were very well made .I have a feeling we will see more books emerging in Liz's work.

She will be exhibiting later in the month in Weston Old Town Quarry with Debby Pawle. It should be an interesting mix based on the Quarry .

Great minds .....

Viv and Deryll seem to have been communicating telepathically for their ideas this time.Deryll had been "up in her loft' and was going to rejuvenate a hand dyed piece by working into it .

I cannot recall what this was dyed with but it was plant based and most probably grown by Deryll,she will no doubt remind me !

The piece has been woven from strips and machine stitched. The illustration of the plant you can see above is the dyestuff,and Deryll intends to add this to the piece by drawing on the wrong side then stitching from the back. A technique much used by Cas Holmes.

Viv brought along a piece which was created by piecing together a variety of fabrics, including hand-dyed and eco-dyed.

She had added the 'plant' by drawing on the wrong side and stitching from the back.She was going to fold back the edge but we thought it would look lovely by leaving the edge to give the piece space.