Friday 1st November: Talk by Judith Lovatt, 'What if?'

Pushing the boundaries of drawing, design and embroidery.

What if?

A question we ask ourselves every time we design, draw, paint or stitch...

Judith’s talk will show you how to question the way you work. 

She will bring her portfolio of embroidery, prints, sketchbooks and other work, which show a plethora of techniques.  

Leamington Branch Member Commended in "Stitch" Competition

The recent "Stitch" magazine competition, 'Blooming Marvellous' challenged stitchers to create a piece of work inspired by flowers or gardens.  Branch Member, Jenny Archer, received a commendation for her piece called 'Sea Holly'.

Jenny says:
"I had started a piece at the workshop tutored by Stephanie Redfern in July 2012 and decided to finish that off and enter it.  I called it 'Sea Holly'.  

"I hand dyed the background fabric, the leaves and stems and flower heads were bondawebbed on. The flower heads were stuffed from the back - I think that is called Trapunto work but don't quote me on that as I am not sure, and covered in French knots and beads. The spikes on the leaves were sewn using a straight stitch. The piece was then stitched onto a navy blue quilted background."


The competition received 72 entries and Jenny's piece was singled out for a commendation - her name is listed on the EG/Stitch website.  There were 8 commendations altogether, along with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize and a highly commended.

Here are a couple of pictures of the beautiful piece - rightly Commended!

Sea Holly, Jenny Archer

Sea Holly, detail

Leamington Branch Member's floral talents

12th - 15th September is Heritage Week-end in Warwickshire, when many venues, some not usually open to the public, open their doors and welcome visitors.  

Table top display by Jean Myatt

Jean Myatt, Floral pedestal

Leamington member, Jean Myatt, who also happens to be the leader of our Young Embroiderers' Group, contributed two beautiful floral displays to the 'Leamington Life' exhibition in All Saints Parish Church, Leamington.  




The exhibition, which attracted considerable local interest, invited Clubs and Societies in the area to promote their activities, and Jean took the opportunity to represent the Embroiderers’ Guild.  If you look carefully, you can see Jean's delicate embroidered butterflies among the flowers.

Branch AGM and Demonstration by Stratford-upon-Avon Spinners, Weavers & Dyers

Holding our AGM on a Saturday this year enabled those members to attend who prefer a daytime meeting, and the broadened programme gave us more time to chat.  Twenty-one branch members attended, and we were joined for a bring-and-share lunch by the Stratford Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, who gave us an inspiring demonstration of their ancient craft afterwards.

From the business of the AGM we learned that:

• We are financially sound.
• We had successfully linked with HQ in sorting out issues over the new registration scheme.
• With expert guidance/training from a member of the Birmingham Branch, we set up a Branch Blog.
• Following the Committee’s review of the secretarial responsibilities, we now have four committee members sharing the load instead of one. The Newsletter Editor post has been established as part of this review. 

We listened with interest to the report on our amazing educational programme throughout the year, as well as the workshop and two members' days, which had given some of our own highly gifted members the opportunity to teach the rest of us. Our Young Embroiderers Group, too, had a very interesting year.

It was also reported that the highlight of the year was Jean Littejohn’s visit. Her Friday evening talk drew in the crowds, and her workshop was the best! The 20 members who attended were greatly inspired by her.

The achievements of the year included a member winning a prize for her entry in a "Stitch" magazine competition and two entries from the YEG to the Regional day were highly commended.

It was noted that Members Days and the Christmas festivity added a welcome social dimension for the branch.

The chairman thanked the Committee for all their work over the year and welcomed a new committee member. She also appealed for member support in planning the Regional Day and Exhibition in 2015 and also for their help in the running of the many Branch activities. 

In the afternoon we were all keen to have a go at spinning, ply splitting, making finger cords, kumihimo braiding, tablet weaving, among other techniques, and to see some of the lovely work this group produces.  Just have a look at the photos here to see how different it all was from our usual stitching.

Members concentrate on kumihimo braiding

Chair, Mary Holden tries her hand at spinning

Great fun once you get going!

A simple but effective weaving technique

A really distinctive luggage strap

Expert tuition on hand

Lunch was a great opportunity to chat and catch up

Branch AGM - Saturday 14th September

Calling all embroiderers!

The Leamington & District Branch's AGM is this Saturday - 14th September.

We have broken with the traditional format this year.  

Starting with coffee and biscuits at 10.30 am, 

the necessary business of the AGM will be followed by a

Bring-and-Share Lunch

The Branch Shop will be open for you to pick up threads, fibres 

and all sorts of useful bits and pieces

There will be a Bring & Buy Table 

(bring along those supplies you've never got round to using)

and do bring your recently completed pieces of work for the Show & Tell table

In the afternoon 

the Stratford Spinners, Weavers & Dyers 

will demonstrate their work.

Last, but not least, it's an opportunity to chat to fellow stitchers and swap ideas.

Do come and support your Branch, and have a say in what's happening.

October talk: "Seas of Grass" - Michala Gyetvai

We are delighted that Michala Gyetvai, well-known local textile artist, will be coming to the branch on 4th October to talk about her art work and what led her, since childhood, to work with the materials she uses - principally machine stitch onto wool blankets, following her studies in pastels.  Her talk will trace the inspirations and influences that led to the development of her textile work into the vivid and often large-scale pieces for which she has become known.

'Abbey Fields'

'Homage a Matisse'

Michala's work has been exhibited at the Herbert Art Gallery, amongst others, and featured in "Stitch" and "Embroidery" magazines.  Her talk on 4th October will be illustrated with some of the large pieces Michala is working on currently, together with her sketch books and paintings, and she will give us an insight into how she put her exhibition together (a very topical subject for our branch).









Don't miss what promises to be an inspiring, colourful and 'tactile' evening!

If you would like to see more of Michala's work, you can find it at: http://kaylacoo.blogspot.co.uk