Friday 30 December 2011

A stitch and share evening - Thursday 5th January 2012

This is an informal evening; bring/do anything you think may be of interest - for example:-

What are you stitching at home at the moment? -  have you any interesting projects completed recently or in the past? Please share your experiences and expertise!
Do you have any collections to show? -  no public speaking required (unless it’s your thing!) but individual members might want to ask questions in an informal way
Any info on good workshops or exhibitions? -  share the news !
Have you discovered any new products or suppliers recently -  any tips to pass on? -  please share!
Did Santa bring any new books? -  give members the opportunity to view before they buy or show any old but much loved/used books
Demos on anything welcome if you are happy to speak in front of members!
The above are just a few suggestions----- There is no set format but we hope members will come along and enjoy a cuppa and birthday cake, while they “stitch and share” to create an evening “by the members for the members” 

In addition there will be:
In aid of Guild funds - Mammoth Sale of tee shirts, hoodies, polos shirts etc -  see below for special announcement
Cake to mark the 21st birthday for Chesterfield Branch -  a real milestone so lets celebrate together!
Anne Calladine will display her collection of Chinese and Asian textiles
There will be a sale of items previously donated to the Guild -  any money raised for Guild funds
Guess how many buttons in the jar?

Mammoth Sale of tee shirts, polo shirts, hoodies and sweat shirts 
A local business has kindly donated a large number of new tee shirts, polo shirts, hoodies and sweat shirts to Chesterfield branch. There are a large variety of colours, and styles, in both male and female, and even some children’s sizes -  many of these items are suitable for print or stitch. At the January meeting everything will be on sale to members at silly prices -  (see below) -  all money raised will go to branch funds

Tee shirts  -  50p each
Polo shirts -  50 p each
Hoodies     - £1.00 each
Sweat shirts  - £1.00 each

If you would like an opportunity to purchase some cheap items for experimenting with print or stitch, or perhaps you would just like to start the year with a bargain for yourself, family or friends -  see you at the January meeting!


Workshop -  31st March 2012 -  Alysn Midgelow Marsden -  Sculptured Surprises -   members who paid deposits last time -  balance is now due.
Still a few places remaining -  (£30.00 members and £35.00 non-members)
-  but after the January meeting , the workshop will be extended to non-members.
Anyone who wants to book a place to speak to Carole Hodges whi is likely to be busy with tee shirts but will see each person individually during the evening to collect the remaining balances and also take any further bookings.

Bags - all sold but we are looking into buying more and will advise if and when available

Postcards -  December meeting -  a metal ruler was left behind -  Anne Menary has it -  Carole will collect it at Anne’s Tues class next week and bring it to the Feb meeting.

February meeting -  Lavender Hearts - a fragrant evening with Anne Dilkes -  Pretty stitches and lovely smell make your own sachet with cord. (requirements list will be posted later)


Thursday 17 November 2011

Alive & Stitching Christmas Show


Alive and Stitching
Jo Owen, Peggy Fearn, Ann Parkin, Diane Gilder, Lynne Garbutt, Anne Menary, Peggy Fearne 
Christmas Show
 
unusual and original gift ideas
 
 
at the
ART ROOM
The Art Room, Greenways, Wilkin Hill,
 Barlow, Chesterfield. Derbyshire. S18 7TE.
0114 289 0380

Mon. November 21st – Sun. 27th
11 a.m. – 3 p.m. weekdays
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekend
 

Directions: Once in Barlow [B6051] take the turning by the Old Pump pub onto Wilkin Hill.
Go to top of hill and follow the bend round to the right.
Shortly afterwards take the drive down to the left through the gates


Sunday 13 November 2011

Black & White & Bags...

Thanks to those of you who submitted work for our very successful exhibition at Created Gallery. If you were unable to attend Novembers meeting the folders are in safekeeping for collection at the December meeting.

Carole still has additional unwashed calico bags for sale at a £1 each

Don't forget to bring your (completed?) bags to the December meeting for all to see

2012 Workshop Sculpted Surprises

At our December meeting bookings will open for our workshop with Alysn Midgelow-Marsden. The workshop is to be held on Saturday 31st March. I found the picture above on the blog of someone who has already done the workshop.
Alysn's description is to 'create a three dimensional sculpture, vessel or contaoner using a combnination of woven metals, machine applique techniques with sheer fabrics and hand embellishments.'

We are accepting bookings on payment of a non-returnable £5 deposit.

Requirements list for March:
paper pencil and stapler for design work
general use scissors
design source or inspiration for a pattern
sewing machine (optional) plus accessories inc. spare needles and darning foot.
Hand stitiching requisites plus small sharp scissors or applique scissors
selection of beads and sequins
threads - machine and hand - colour to suit beads and fabrics
soluable film (optional - may not be necessary depending on design)
half metre man made sheer fabric
woven metal fabric - A4 size

Alysn will have a selection on sale during the workshop

Thursday 3 November 2011

Mince Pies and Messages

Anne Menary (click on Annes name for a link to her website) will be running our Postcard workshop at the December meeting. Look back to the archive for July - current projects in this blog for information about the Olympic postcard challenge with our alloted state of Moldova.

Anne thought we might work with fabrics in the colours of moldova (red, yellow and blue) to the size we stipulated 6 x 4 " & will bring along a selection of fabric bits.
Work either in a frame or without according to how you like to work.
Use threads in any colour including perle and stranded.
Please bring the following: Anne will bring supplies but would not have enough frames for everyone.
Perle and Stranded threads
Needles, pins, scissors etc
Rectangular frame or ring to fit the 6 x 4 postcard in
Calico or cotton fabrics for backing
piece of felt for backing if working without a frame.
Bits of red, yellow and blue based fabrics (including gingham, patterned, textured, pastel, bright etc)
Info about Moldova if you want to use it (try wikipedia)
If youwant to ty out some of the stitch techniques you could bring threads, needles, scissors and an embroidery ring.
Little beads and sequins may be useful
Anne will bring a selection of everything anyway in case some don't bring anything.

Saturday 29 October 2011

November 3rd 2011 - Contained

Contained.
 
The start of a new theme for the coming year
we will give you a very cheap calico bag to transform, using different paint techniques
some will be old some will be new to you
For this first session we will be using acrylic paint so bring an apron and rubber gloves if you wish.
 
Please also bring:
 
an old magazine or newspaper wrapped in a carrier bag to create a pad for printing
a potato, kitchen knife and chopping board if possible
scissors to cut thin plastic
pencil and ruler
 

Sunday 9 October 2011

QR Code

http://bit.ly/oDXql5.qr

Click on this url and you will see our qr code - if you have a smart phone apparently this will enable a shortcut to this page - I don't have a smart phone so perhaps someone can let me know if it works? We can use it on any advertising, exhibition posters etc to allow others to see more information about us.

Saturday 24 September 2011

Exhibition at Created Gallery

http://issuu.com/s40local/docs/crf_-_guide_v3_-_110922

Carole and her team have put together a wonderful poster for our exhibition which will be available on AGM night.
Poster

The link above is to the Chatsworth Road Festival Guide which is pretty impressive. Part of the S40 magazine issue I believe so you may have seen it already?

Our exhibition takes place as partof the Festival 5th to 22nd October and the Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday 10-5 so please support the Gallery as they are supporting us.

Felt fancies

Beryl Cross ran a great evening for the Guild in September - Member Joy Houghton wrote:

So many lovely ideas on using felt had been put together at the last meeting. I especially loved the spiral pyramids in chain stitch and have made several.  One or two will be used as hats for dolls
for my granddaughter. Many thanks for everyone who contributed.
regards

Joy Houghton

Thanks Joy and thanks to Beryl - if anyone has any photos from the evening please let me know as they can be posted too

AGM & Nominations

October 6th - AGM Evening - Jean Groom will give a talk on her eclectic collection of Spinning Wheels once the business is over.
Talking of business:
Just to clarify, the posts of Chair, Secretary and treasurer are renewable annually.
The current treasurer is Anne Calladine, Secretary is Joan Holmes and both are willing to continue if you wish them to do so in these roles.
Because of the necessity for a programme clerk on the committee I am happy to move into that post so will not stand as Chair this year.
The nomination I have received so far is for Barbara Meeke to stand for the post of Chair.
If you wish to be nominated for any of these posts, or wish to nominate someone else please do so as soon as possible through the secretary Joan Holmes

Friday 26 August 2011

September 1st Meeting 2011

Beryl Cross will be running a workshop on Thursday 1st September. All materials will be provided but please bring a small sewing kit (needles and scissors) with you.

Anne, our treasurer, has prepared the branch renewal and Gift Aid forms but was still waiting for the Guild forms to arrive at the time of writing - your membership is due for annual renewal please bring your cheque books! 

Joan Holmes, our secretary will be officiating in my absence (Sorry but I will be on a 'Stitchscapes' course with Jean Littlejohn in Shropshire...).
Joan will have some committee nomination forms with her. There actually isn't anyone due to step down from the committee posts this time, and as far as I know everyone is prepared to carry on this year - HOWEVER it is usually the case that there are few if any offers to stand on the committee so if you feel you would like to put yourself forward PLEASE DO! Either  contact me penny.marsden@btinternet.com or speak to Joan on the meeting night.

Carol Bownes and Janet Dimitrasch will finish their term in organising our programme, workshops, speakers etc.and will stand down at the AGM in October. Carole Hodges has worked with them over the last year and will continue as programme secretary this year as her final year.  A small sub-committee exists currently to help with suggestions and organisation of the programme (they only meet approx. three times a year). We will absolutely require someone to take over the Programme Secretary role from next year but as Carole will be working on next year's programme from now it would be helpful if someone was available to work with Carole on this. Obviously it is a good learning opportunity too if you have never done this before.

The main committee only gets together on an ad-hoc basis 7-8 times a year, usually in an evening and usually in Chesterfield.

If you are able to help, or you would like to have a say in how the Guild is run, or the programme that is delivered please get involved.

Felting Workshop - November 12th at Eastwood Hall

Bookings will open for the felt making workshop on Saturday 12th November. This is a fund-raising exercise for our Young Embroiderers Group. The cost will be £25 to include materials and equipment for the day.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Information from the East Midlands Region

Following Dora Mack's announcement at Festival of Stitch in Lutterworth that she  would be standing down as Chairman at the AGM in September 2011, you may not be aware of how a new chairman is voted in?


When you receive your next copy of Contact you will see that a call for a new Chairman for the East Midlands Region will appear, as the role of a Regional Chairman is voted on by all individual members of the Embroiderers' Guild.  The Region (and Guilds) can propose a 'name' , with that person's agreement, that they wish and after voting and if successful it is ratified at the National AGM in 2012.

 

 
 As with any democracy, if you want to make a difference use your vote
The Call is in the next Contact  - names, C.V's and voting slips will be in the January 2012 'Contact' with a closing date before the AGM.

Sunday 3 July 2011

Meeting: 7th July 2011

There has been a change of speaker for this meeting.  Barbara Akers will deliver her 'Vintage Medley' in July as she was unable to fulfill her original date. Beryl Cross has kindly agreed to swap for the September meeting. Barbara runs an antique shop in Ashbourne and will share her vintage lace and textiles.


For the exhibition at Created Gallery would you please bring named exhibits - we have very little so far from the black and white work folders or from the Picasso competition - we know you all produced some wonderful pieces so don't be shy - it is meant to showcase what can come out of a guild meeting - work in progress is absolutely fine.
 
We need a name for the exhibition too - so get your thinking caps on.
 
 If we get sufficient work from you we possibly could consider a small showcase at Fred's haberdashers too - but there is no exhibition without work to put in......

Friday 1 July 2011

Current Projects 2011

The National Guild proposal for the Olympics is to create a series of postcards for a visiting nation. The country drawn out of the hat for Chesterfield was Moldovia. There are very specific instructions about the construction of these postcards, which need to be completed by March 2012. We will put an evening on the next programme to the creation of these cards, but we would like a few volunteers to lead on this project please. It could end up as a social event away from the usual guild meetings in order to get together to design and construct these.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/moldova

Anne Menary will run a workshop for this project later in 2011:
each postcard will:
.be 6"x4" in a landscape format
.resemble an opened out concertina book of postcards
.have the national flag as the top postcard
.scenes or aspects of the country below eg costume currency, customs, fauno, flora, embroidery, landmarks etc,
.the postcards will be stitched together along the long (6") edge using a suitable stitch to enable folding and packing for storage and transportation
.laced over stiff card of an appropriate size so the finished card measures 6"x4"
.have the backs finished with calico
 .the preferred minimum no. of cards in a set is 9 and a max of 15 - of course we can do more than one set!
.they should have 2 brass rings sewn to the top of the strip ready for hanging 1.5" in from each side edge and placed so half the ring shows above the top edge - rings to be supplied by region for uniformity - from regional day.
.to be completed by end March 2012

Looking Back

Below is a selection from the newsletters written between 2005 and 2008. I stepped down as newsletter editor in October 2008 so have no more archive material. If anyone has anything they would like to share for 2009-10 please let me know

2008 Joan Currie - Conservator at Cusworth

In October we met Joan Currie – “Looking at the past for contemporary expression.”  Joan, a member of North Notts. Guild.,  introduced us to her work behind the scenes  as a volunteer in the costume store of Cusworth Hall http://www.cusworth-hall.co.uk/ 
Cusworth Hall was built in the 1740s and is in a parkland setting on the outskirts of Cusworth village in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The Hall is now the Museum of South Yorkshire Life and its collections depict life in the locality over the last 200 years.



Quoting from a Beryl Bainbridge thriller ‘The Dressmaker’ she gave away her feelings of smoothing the cloth before cutting; Joan was a dressmaker whilst her family were growing up, supplementing her income before returning to teaching. Joan now gives up her day off from the paid job to voluntarily catalogue over 400 hanging garments in the museum collection – in chronological order covering a period of 200 years! Her reward is, of course, the opportunity to view and research these garments; as little as 5% of many museum collections, including this one are ever available to public view at any one time.  Joan works with a conservator, with minimum handling of each fragile garment, researching by looking, Joan will wear 3-4 pairs of white cotton gloves in a day, in order to protect the clothes from her touch. Acid and grease from hands will spoil cloth, particularly silk.

Part of Joan’s project included making 400 padded coat hangers on which to hang the garments!  Joan has a list of 12 questions to cover for every single garment in order to catalogue it – including who/what made it, features of the garment etc.  A risk assessment is carried out before lifting any single garment from the wardrobe – look but don’t touch – until she finally gets to gently look inside the garment for construction methods or even labels to date it.

The pay off for this labour of love is the inspiration it provides her for her works of art. Joan captures the feeling of the garments in words; she might read books of the era, fact or fictional literature relating to the theme or period – an example given was “The Mill on the Floss.”  Some parts of the garments that have inspired her are buttons, Chinese knots on Edwardian dress, rows of bobbles on tea gowns, lacing, “frills and furbelows”.
Joan exhibits her fine art textile pieces with a group in London and showed one piece based on women’s suffrage, votes for woman, the need and capacity to earn money as a woman in the Bronte era etc as inspiration– it became a long narrow piece in silk paper with chains, but also with French knots – a sign of friendship and love in the early part of the 20th century.  Another piece showed recession and death 1911-1917.

Joan gave us a truly inspiring account of her voluntary role and the reward she receives and I hope it might inspire others to follow her route. 

2007 In Stitches with Clare Bryan

In September Clare Bryan had us “In Stitches” with her life in machine embroidery. Clare came from a family of ‘makers’ but began as a hopeless sewer, preferring paint and pencils as her medium for art. However, following an absent minded calamity during her college years, when she left all her art materials on the train – lost forever she needed urgently to find a replacement medium with which to complete her graphic design homework that weekend. She found it in her mother’s ‘stash’ and has never looked back. With her drawing skills combined with textile, 3D, texture and colour Clare moved on from Manchester Polytechnic to Loughborough; transforming her work with bold colour and pattern raising the surface with collage, bonding fabrics to create backgrounds for machining and stylising her subjects to cartoon-like characters she developed her own unique style.
  
Clare is a member of The 62 Group; her influences are varied. A Flemish 15th Century artist Robert Campin’s Madonna with the Child (detail)



is a good example of her interest in pictures that take you through the picture and out (of the window) in to the landscape beyond. Perspective draws you in to the pictures.



 full of symbolism, shows the audience viewing the marriage scene through the mirror at the back of the painting

a scene Clare later uses in her own work , borrowing the structures of the paintings to create her own versions, but bought up to date!
Again borrowing from real life, Clare collects pattern from China designs of the 40’s and 50’s to provide inspiration for floor coverings in her pictures and other detail.

Clare gradually developed from simple calico and line stitch to more heavily stitched backgrounds; reflecting grief and suspended reality in her life for a period, her colour palette changed from bold and bright to greys, greens and sludge colours with surreal designs. Clare moved on and moved to Lincolnshire to the Pea Room to help set up the studios and gallery there; her life was completely different, being a city girl landing in the flat countryside her pictures began to record her new life with scenes of the journeys the landscape, the aircraft overhead and the plane spotters below.
Clare’s techniques grew, using tufting in her work to create carpets and other detail, PVA’d tissue paper to create roads, zig-zagged over; plant dyes began to play a part too.
Clare then moved on to Glasgow to work on  community project as part of the Keeping Glasgow in stitches (http://www.malcolmlochhead.com/kgs.htm for  further info)
        her project “Map of the World”.
Clare continues to document everyday life, but has moved back to her bold colour palettes, giving her characters bright pink or blue hair for example, and following a pitch to a card company has found her niche in anonymous “everywoman” witty and humorous nudes.
 
Similarly Van Eyck’s Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife 1434,

2006 Centennial Celebrations

Centennial Celebrations


Thursday May 4th had been 12 months in the planning. It grew from an idea that Barbara had.

Over the months that followed small groups were formed, each beavering away organising their own parts of the event. We had meetings in between to check progress and ideas.

Everyone worked with amazing speed on the day and in 2 hours we went from an empty hall to sales tables, textile exhibitions, members work and demonstrations, needlework collections, costumes, fabulous postcard art, delicious scones and tea, even back ground music courtesy of “The Undecided”. Our Spire picture looked really good. Toni did an excellent job of assembling it. The young embroiderers “Cloak of Visibility” was hugely popular as it was paraded around the visitors.
 Barbara had said to me the week before that she was worried about the number of people that would visit!! When the doors opened, she must have been delighted – there was a queue waiting to come in!!
The Dowager Duchess opened our festivities and as always she was immensely popular. She stayed over her allotted time, being interested in all the displays and asking many questions. The Duchess also enjoyed a cup of tea and scones along with everyone else.

Our other special guests, the Mayor of Chesterfield and his wife, Chris Berry Chairman of the Guild were also made very welcome.
Embroideries were presented to the Dowager Duchess and Chris Berry. The Mayor received a beautiful arrangement of flowers. Chris went on to cut our special “Making Visible” cake, which, by the way, was delicious!

The whole afternoon was buzzing, and was an excellent opportunity for Guild members to have a chat- we don’t often get the time to do that!

2005-2007 Ashgate Hospice Presentation


 Jenny Scott, with Kathy Hollier of Ashgate Hospice, along with Penny Soames, Sandra Goddard, and Joan Holmes Thursday 8th November 2007. Presenting our banner depicting Chesterfield's Crooked Spire which we began in December 2005. The Banner was made in sections by members of the Guild. A design was drafted out from paper onto calico then cut into approx 36 squares. Members chose a square to take home and work to a given design - a' la Rolf Harris! The banner now hangs in a ward at the Hospice. Where does the time go?

Thursday 30 June 2011

Chesterfield Borough Council Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms was given to the Borough on 10th November 1955, replacing several earlier versions.  
 
Chesterfield's Coat of Arms
The one on display in the Mayoress Parlour was embroidered by the Chesterfield Embroiderers Guild.
In the centre is a shield with a pomegranate, on the left is a cock (pynot in local speech) and on the right is a magpie.  There is a local pub, called the Cock and Magpie, where three noblemen plotted what became known as the Revolution of 1688 to replace King James II (a Roman Catholic) by William and Mary of Orange (Protestants), an event known as the Glorious Revolution.
Above the shield there is a wall, showing that Chesterfield is a Borough with an ancient charter.  The Charter was granted by Elizabeth I, and a copy of it is on display in the Council Chamber.  
The original Charter is kept at the Chesterfield Museum.
The Ram is the Derbyshire symbol and is also the mascot of the Mercian Regiment.
At the bottom of the Coat of Arms is a patch of rocks and heather, referring to the nearby Peak District, and the motto “Aspire” - a word with two meanings. One is a reference to the Crooked Spire, Chesterfield's most famous landmark. The other meaning is to strive for, work towards, hope for, a very positive message about the attitude of Chesterfield people.
(Excerpt from Chesterfield Borough Council website)