Members Take Two

Following the Travelling Book group's presentation (see previous post), members got to work on their own projects, with everyone coming together again in the afternoon for a show-and-tell session.  Here are the photos of some of the pieces created by members at Saturday's members' day.  

Cheryl's design was originally for silk screen prints made a while ago, based on Swedish designers Svenskt Tenn and Josef Frank designs. For the workshop she decided to take an unworked print and do some free machine embroidery (Take 3), using some of her many coloured rayon threads.  A labour-intensive technique, and she says that part way through she was thinking that she should have chosen something smaller!

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3 - the latest version

Elizabeth had stitched this heart previously, but developed it by adding beads and extra stitching: 

Judi's Take 2 was based on an Angie Hughes workshop, Trees Leaves. (The tree was made by stitching across space.) Judi's machine had let her down in the workshop, meaning she didn't complete it, and so she has now recreated it.

Margherita took inspiration from this blue fishes piece to make a more Celtic-inspired one, with machined text on the turmeric-dyed background.

Caroline created a new version of her Moonshine on water piece: Sunrise over water.

Anne based her piece (WIP) on an old photograph, combining techniques from other workshops.

The subtle background to Jenny's depiction of Chesterton Windmill is made up of squares of different white fabrics stitched together, then free machined in circles over each square.

Gill decided to use the technique from Liz Cooksey's 2019 summer school, creating wire forms, but this time incorporating them into a smaller flat piece rather than the original 3D. 

Take 1

The bottom section was made to look like wire grids but was in fact zigzag stitching, and then Gill plans to add seed stitching.

Take 2

Ruth's design started as a plain egg shape on paper, which she exploded into separate shapes, and then translated into fabric and stitch.

  

 
 

Carol also stitched a heart - the red one was a digitised test stitch-out for a ruby wedding cushion in 2006, and the hand stitched rainbow heart is her second take.   

What a wonderful collection of work, and such a wide range of techniques and ideas!  

If you haven't yet sent a pic of your piece, please don't hold back.  There's no limit to the amount we can post on the blog.  

New email address is: it@warwickshirestitchers.org.uk, but the old one will still work, too.

'Take Two' Members' day

The following images were kindly shared at the start of our session on Saturday by the Travelling Book Group, who had used the theme of 'Take 2' previously.  Please note that these pieces have not necessarily been completed in a morning, and some are actually Take 3 or 4!

Pieced quilts, one in earthy tones and one in tones of blue

Above and below: inspired by Angie Hughes last month, using hand and machine stitch

Prints from a collagraph plate - left: paper, right: closely machine stitched fabric

'On the road to Kineton' - Left: sketch; Right: stitched version

Rosebud (L) in velvet, and (R) using commercial ruched fabric

A pot of machine stitched primroses from a Fran Holmes workshop; R: applied to a flat piece

Two versions of silk fibre flowers outlined with machine stitch

Drawing (L) developed by combining an object with pattern; R: hand and machine stitched

Take 3 & 4: (Left) outline stitching on paper; (Right) colourful fabric appliqué

Prints from family photos made using TAP sheets; hand stitch added

Take 1 (R) from Coral Creations course; Take 2 originally for stitch reference, but since completed

from Angie Hughes' Woodland Textures course

Slow stitched coasters, all based on circles

Leaf studies: oak leaf using teabags; leaf resist on transfer dyed paper; slow stitch

L: two versions of the same shape; R: leaves combined with accompanying flower colour

R: appliqué, hand & machine stitch from photo; Bottom: gelli printed/stamped/stitched fabrics

Paper collages inspired by Helen Hallows video - day and night in two different seasons

  

Plant design based on Lucienne Day style: lino and gelli plate printed 

Areas from overlapping capital letters, cut out in fabric using positive & negative of material cutouts.

Spring & Summer.  From an Izzy Moore course, using scraps of fabric and soluble film.  

Autumn and Winter

Top R: blackwork flower, L: whitework; 

Bottom R– the same flower in crewel work with wool 

Inspired by a Christmas card, using tomato puree tube for halos (cf: Nov zoom, Anne Griffiths)  

Take 2 inspired by the wintry weather in January, with a handsewn outline 

There will be another post very soon with the pieces made by members on the day.

If you haven't yet sent your photos, please send them to: it@warwickshirestitchers.org.uk.

It's Members' Day this Saturday, 10th April ...

We meet on Zoom at 9:45 for 10:00 am start.  

Zoom invitations have been sent out to all registered Zoom users, but if you have never registered for Zoom and would like to attend, please contact Anne: anneprior@btinternet.com without delay.

There will be a short progress report about the setting up of our new independent group called Warwickshire Stitchers followed by ideas for the day's stitch activity.

The afternoon meeting, 2.45 for 3:00 pm, will be a members' show and tell session, following the morning's stitching at home.  

 

The theme is ... Take Two 

... take something you have made previously and begin the process of making it again, but differently. 

There are lots of ways of approaching this ... it may be that you could have ‘done a better job’, or you enjoyed making something the first time and would like to repeat it using different colours or fabrics. Alternatively, if you don’t already have a suitable piece, you could draw a simple shape, such as a bird or an apple, and then replicate it in stitch so that one might be hand stitched and one machine stitched.

    nb: ideally, use an existing piece (possibly made some time ago) as a basis to produce a new piece - you are only starting a SECOND, not doing two!

There are a few ideas below.

Keep it simple, we're not expecting complicated landscapes.

Do come along - the more people taking part, 

the more enjoyable the show and tell sessions are. 

Any members not joining our Zoom sessions are still encouraged to take part by sharing your results with us. Please send a photograph of your two stitched items to Janet on leamingtonblog@gmail.com - your piece can then be included in the branch's blog article.