Junior Embroiderers' Ruby Banner

Our young members produced a banner to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of Young Embroiders in 2014 which has since been exhibited at various Embroiderers' Guild events.

Each member began with a 9” square of calico which was tied, folded or scrunched and dyed red.  The resulting piece of fabric was embellished with hand or machine stitching and finished with beads, sequins, etc. The resulting pieces were then assembled and stitched onto a background and finished with hand-made cords, paper beads and appliqued flowers. The final result shows a wide range of skills which our young members are developing.

If you were at last year's West Midlands Regional Day, you may remember that Michael Brennand-Wood had some very positive comments to make about the banner.

It is still ‘travelling’ but it will be back in Leamington to display at Regional Day on 20th June.

Christine Plummer workshops in May

Mixed media artist Christine Plummer will be here in Leamington to lead not one, but two workshops.

On Friday 8th May there will be a mini workshop
to make personalised gift cards and tags for those special presents.  This promises to be a fun evening, and quite a change from our usual talks.

If you would like to attend this workshop, please contact Janet: j.seaton@open.ac.uk, since we will be meeting in the upstairs room at St Mary's Hall on this occasion, and want to ensure we make room for everyone.  

Times are 7 - 9 pm.  Member's fee: £4, Visitor's fee: £5.

Requirements list

• Thread, needle & pins, scissors
• Kitchen knife for cutting paper (pre-coloured paper supplied by Christine)
• Luggage tags - any size (Christine will have a variety for sale)
• Buttons or found objects small enough to fit on your tags.
• Christine will also bring her sewing machines, so you don't need to bring yours!

This links well with the
Saturday workshop on 9th May, 'Recycled Books'
                     - the requirements list for this has been sent to attendees separately.

Christine is a member of Lincoln Bailgate branch of Embroiderers' Guild and runs their Junior Embroiderers' group.  She also belongs to Jeudis, an exhibiting group who are often to be seen at the NEC and other venues.

Working primarily with papers, fabric and thread, Christine dyes, paints and prints them to give a cohesive colour palette.  They are then assembled into patterns and abstract designs which form the basis of pieces of work based on or around a theme.  She has a special interest in books and collecting items to go in them, so quite often her work reflects this.  The covers are embellished with buttons, beads, overprinting and stitching to create unique personal journals and notebooks.

April - Guild AGM at Birmingham Library

There will be no branch meeting this month.  It was due to be a Members' Day on 11th April, but in view of the date clash with the Embroiderers' Guild AGM* at Birmingham Library, it was decided it would be better for everyone to have the chance to attend the AGM, especially as it's almost on our doorstep this year.

We do hope as many members as possible will take the opportunity to go and hear firsthand the changes that are being proposed to the Guild structure.  Remember, though, that entry is by ticket only, so you need to book up beforehand - there's still just time.

Hope to see you there!

*Note: the national AGM is quite separate from the Branch AGM, which will be held in September.