Shay has kindly shared photos of her piece created at Anne Kelly's summer school workshop, which commemorates a special holiday on the Outer Hebrides. Personal pieces like this are not quick to make, since they need to be carefully planned and arranged to present treasured memories at their best.
Shay says, "We really enjoyed our holiday and hope to go again next year."
... this gorgeous moth, made by Jenny.
Apologies to those two members whose photos slipped off the last post. Unfortunately, a little gremlin got in the works. So, here are a couple more Travelling Books pages to drool over:
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| Aboriginal Art (Dorothy) |
The travelling book group has recently completed the cycle of book swaps.
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| Travelling Book Bag |
The coordinator for Book 6 will be Dorothy and an invitation for people interested in joining will be circulated once we are back in a hall.
Originally the swap lunch for Book 5 was arranged for April 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. We met in Leamington's Jephson Gardens in July this year
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| Travelling Book Group meet |
This year's themes were: stained glass; nursery rhymes; the colour wheel; coast; a stitch you have not tried before; communication; walls; a new technique; skeleton; round ‘n’ round; spring flowers; aboriginal art.
It can be very daunting for members to join established groups, but taking part for the very first time were Caroline, Diane, and Tess. They thoroughly enjoyed the experience, so we hope new members consider joining the next book group which works like a round robin, adding an entry every month and then getting your own book back at the end - full of a super collection of small artworks.
The completed books will be displayed at the first member's day when we are back in a hall, but here are examples of each of this year's themes ...
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| A New Stitch (Margherita) |
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| Walls (Sue) |
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| Communication (Anna) |
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| Coast (Diane) |
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| Nursery Rhymes (Caroline) |
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| Skeleton (Beth) |
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| Round and Round (Fiona) |
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| Stained Glass (Jenny) |
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| A New Technique (Gill) |
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| Colour Wheel (Wendy) |
The recent summer school with Anne Kelly was very successful and popular.
Jenny's map of her visit to Brazil is the first to be posted, and we're hoping to see lots more maps of precious memories inspired by the summer school.
Members are naturally still completing their collagraphs as and when they get them back from Sue Brown, so it's great to see a couple more stitched pieces.
The stitching and textured threads on Caroline's beehive scene really bring it to life, with the bees streaming into (or out of?) the hive.
Janet R coloured the water lily leaves and surrounding water area on her lily pond with a fabric crayon, used stem stitch to outline the leaves and veins and also the writing. The surrounding area represents the rockery stones around her pond. They are stitched with French knots and free machine embroidery.
What talented members we have! It's never too late to send photos of work you have stitched, so please do keep them coming.
Here are a few more images shared by members of their now stitched collagraphs.
Firstly, a few words from Sue Brown:
"I really enjoyed being part of your group's creative weekend and I am looking forward to you all being part of Same Sea, Different Boat - pushing it into panel 7 as I only have 12 spaces left on panel 6 ... I am committed to in-person workshops, nothing quite like them and perhaps when this madness has eased I can come and give your group an in-person workshop with my portable presses (yes more than one!!)
"Thank you all for being such warm welcoming hosts and pushing me into extending my zoom skills. I look forward to stitching squares on your behalf.
"Very best wishes, Sue"
Gill has finished her two pieces. The Zoom one is completely stitched, with no printing:
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| Collagraph |
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We do love to be able to share workshop pieces, and this is Diane's take on Kate Wells' challenge to us to make dots in as many variations as possible.
This piece has so much to see: free motion stitching, picot stitch, fly stitch, weaving, French knots, couching, beads, sequins, pencil sharpening, lace, chocolate wrappers, spider's web, trapunto, washers ... and lots of playing (says Diane).
We are delighted to be able to post the first stitched collagraph made by one of our members from the plate she sent to Sue Brown after her recent talk.
Sue was inspired by the tents on the beach near where her son lives in the Basque Country:
Caroline's beehive - showing first the collagraph, then the print taken from it:
We have spotted a few more Warwickshire Stitchers' collagraphs posted by Sue Brown, and can't wait to see the stitched pieces. Please do all share your photos!
We had a super stimulating talk by Sue Brown about her 'Same Sea, Different Boat: 2020' project, which documents people's responses to lockdown. She encouraged as many members as possible to take part by creating their own collagraph plates to send to her for printing and inclusion in the large-scale quilts nearing completion. We're really looking forward to seeing those that members have made - please do send a photo.*
We are delighted to welcome artist Sue Brown to give our talk in July.
Friday 2nd July, 6.45 for 7.00pm
Sue has been an artist for over 20 years and is inspired by all things ornithological, being particularly fascinated by the antics of corvids and our relationship with the feathered visitors to her urban garden.
Entomological museum collections also feature in her work and Sue has become intrigued by printmaking onto fabrics and vintage textiles.
Driven by the need to learn new processes and collect techniques to keep her practice fresh, Sue continues to explore our natural world.
Sue is passionate about encouraging creativity in others through printmaking and mixed media sketchbook techniques. At the yard: ARTspace, Cheltenham, Sue runs a range of courses and workshops focusing on intaglio printmaking and sketchbook techniques on paper and fabric.
Sue will talk about the international quilt project, ‘Same Sea different Boat’, which she started in lockdown. We have all experienced this pandemic, but not all in the same way; hence we have all been in the same sea, but not in the same boat. Following the talk, Sue will explain how you can take part.
Sue will demonstrate how to make a simple collagraph plate which she is offering to print for us (£3 donation).
Please note - all the details of where to send your collagraph plate with your £3 donation to cover costs, will be sent out on an instruction sheet after the talk. For an extra £2 donation you can have two copies, so you will have one to keep (£5 donation in total).
When the fabric square has been printed by Sue and has been returned to you, you will then, after stitching into the print, send it back to Sue for inclusion in the project. Thus, it will become part of this giant social documentation textile.
No previous printmaking knowledge is required, you just need a story to share.
Show & Tell: Saturday 3rd July, 2.45 for 3.00pm
Share your collagraph plate with us.
If you have already taken part in the project, where possible please show an image of it, and just make a different collagraph plate.
Alternatively, if you want to go straight to stitch, express your lockdown experience on a 10 x 10 cm square, which you may decide to send in for the community project or keep for your own enjoyment.
If you would rather not say anything during the Show & Tell session, it's absolutely fine, you can let us know at the start of the session.
If you are already registered for these Zoom sessions, the link will be sent to you a couple of days before the talk. The requirements list has been emailed previously.
If you have not registered and wish to take part, please email: dayschool@warwickshirestitchers.org.uk for details of how to pay and receive the link.
Important: The contents of these notes should not appear on Instagram or any other social media, and members are asked to respect tutors' livelihoods and not circulate them by email or by any other means.
Friday 30th & Saturday 31st July /
Monday 2nd & Tuesday 3rd August
We are able to offer two dates for this popular Zoom workshop with Anne, which means more places are available.
Both sessions will start at 9.45am for 10.00am each day, and finish at 1.00pm
Price: £30.00
If you would like to book a place, please email: dayschool@warwickshirestitchers.org.uk for payment instructions, requirements list and login details.
Finding ways to honour precious memories is the theme of Anne's workshop, taking inspiration from her book Textile Travels.
You will be using meaningful images, ephemera and a map or portion of a map to create a record of a physical or emotional journey.
We will be working from a collection of photos or postcards, old receipts and brochures, to create either a folding book about 10 x 45 cm or a collaged piece no larger than 30 x 30 cm using these elements.
The resulting piece will be a personal response to a special place or event. Stitch, drawing and collage will be used.
For members to get the best experience we recommend they continue working on their pieces on the Friday afternoon, and although they may not finish by Saturday lunchtime, they will know how to complete them by the end of the workshop.
A brief biography
Anne was born and educated in Canada and at Goldsmiths College in London. She collects recycled fabric, paper and ephemera using collage, stitch and print techniques. Her inspirations are travel, memory and vintage imagery from a variety of sources. Anne's layered mixed media work started life as mainly botanical in subject matter before developing into larger more narrative works. Often it can be a small scrap or remnant of fabric that inspires a whole piece.
Anne teaches and exhibits widely in the UK and abroad, including at the World of Threads festival in Canada, the Prague Patchwork Meeting and the Jersey Textile Showcase. Recently she was an invited artist at textile shows in Beaujolais, the Luberon and the Autumn and Spring Knitting and Stitching Shows. Anne writes for magazine and websites and blogs. She co-authored her first book Connected Cloth (2013) and is the author of Textile Nature and Textile Folk Art, all Batsford Books. She has work in national and international collections and is on the Crafts Council Makers Directory.
Jenny developed her spots from a sample inspired by Hanny Newton's workshop last year (the last face-to-face one before lockdown!) picking up on the idea of making 'sequins' from coloured acetate:
As anticipated, here are some members' fabulous spots and dots created in response to Kate Wells' challenge last week.
Judi said she enjoyed having a 'play' with mainly machine embroidery, and this collage shows the six samples she made.
Top sample below: hand-stitched star; French knots; sequins; machine stitch around the fabric.
Bottom sample: free-machined spirals; sequins; French knot spots.
"I was absolutely amazed at how much the other hand stitchers had got done and really admired all the beautiful and incredibly varied work which was shown by everyone.
I started off by experimenting on a small piece and then realised, as it was so quick to do, that I had plenty of time to make a little circular book, which can be hung up for display. It’s made from ten 2" paper circles, connected with a slight gap, backed on to a reused piece of tape. The three blank spaces are to have hand stitched spots hopefully quite soon, and then I will be able to cover the back of the circles and make a fastening to finish it off."
