Embroidery given to Charlecote in celebration of Capability Brown

This original embroidered hanging has been given to Charlecote Park by Leamington & District and Solihull branches of the Embroiderers' Guild. The hanging depicts features of the gardens that were designed by Capability Brown, namely the meandering river and the cedar trees, and these are complemented by a view of the house and a stag from the herd of fallow deer in the Park. 

2016 marked the 300th anniversary of Capability Brown, and it was celebrated at Charlecote Park, near Stratford-upon-Avon, with an exhibition by Leamington and Solihull branches of stitched artwork inspired by Brown's work in the Park 

Visitors were also offered the opportunity to get involved with the Capability Brown theme at a number of 'drop-in days' during the summer.  Branch members prepared the panels and visitors were invited to add the foliage in "cross stitch with attitude" and to hand stitch the border leaves. Some visitors added just a few stitches, while others stayed and stitched for a whole afternoon. Further work was added during National Stitch Day 2016, organised by Leamington branch at the Park. Finally, the work was completed by both branches and assembled into a hanging which will be on display at Charlecote Park.

Don't miss it!  
The hanging will be displayed in the Orangery Restaurant from March 2017.  

Capability Brown Open Days at Charlecote Park

Leamington Branch is currently displaying work in the "Landscapes of Capability Brown" exhibition in The Orangery Restaurant at Charlecote Park, near Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Orangery Restaurant

There will be a number of drop-in days for visitors to see a demonstration, to sit and stitch for a while, or to participate in stitching a ‘Charlecote Bayeux’ by adding a few stitches to an image of Charlecote.  The next drop-in days will be on: 

Tuesday 28th June 

Monday 4th July 

Saturday 6th August (which is also National Stitch Day)

(Please note that normal National Trust admission fees apply.)

We would love visitors to come and have a go - no embroidery skills are needed.

Charlecote Park

At the end of the exhibition in October, the ‘Charlecote Bayeux’ will be put on display in the Education Room at Charlecote Park.  

Here are a few photos from the drop-in day on 10th June . . .

CB300 Private view.

Our exhibition of work was hung in the Orangery at Charlecote Park on Wednesday, 25th. May by a group of volunteers from the branch. On Thursday, 26th. approximately 35 people turned up for the private view of the embroideries.

Our guests included the Deputy Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Stephen Cross and his consort, Liz Manning. Also present was Helen Hoggarth, Chair of Charlecote Village Hall Committee.

The exhibition looks very impressive and everyone present praised the work. The pieces clearly represent Charlecote and the work done by Capability Brown.

One piece has been left by the Solihull Branch and it will remain for the rest of the time. This is a very interesting piece of mixed media work by the Chairman of the Solihull Branch.

Sally Pinfold created a piece of work about our branch which demonstrates all the things we do.

I thought you might like to see all the pieces on display, so here they are.

 

 

The canapés and drinks were well received and the evening ended with a presentation to Sue Cooke who has been the driving force behind the work we have done and given freely of her time to members. Thank you very much Sue.

Branch Members' Day, Saturday 9th January

A quick reminder about our Branch Members' Day this Saturday, 9th January, which will be our first meeting of the New Year, and promises to be a full and stimulating day.

Starting at 10.00 am, the plan is to get straight on with making a 'crazy patchwork' panel, using the lucky dip packs that were left over from Regional Day. Please get in touch with Jenny or Janet if you have mislaid the instructions/ requirements list, or if you have any queries about it.

Alternatively, if you have opted to have a lesson in free machine embroidery, please bring your sewing machine, embroidery foot, threads and hoop.  You will also need these, of course, if you plan to create your crazy patchwork on the machine.

Please also bring:

• Your travelling books, and any pieces created at workshops
• Any CB300 (Charlecote) work that you've started (or finished)
• Items for the bring-and-buy table (stash surplus, unwanted gifts, etc.)
• A plate of food - sweet or savoury - for our shared lunch

West Midlands Regional Chairman, Stephanie Harper, will be joining us for lunch, and then ...

• We will discuss the proposed changes to the Guild constitution. It would be helpful if, in the meantime, you could read through the documents that were emailed recently, setting out the committee's suggested responses, and have a think about the implications for us as members and as a branch;
• Sue Cooke will update us on the CB300 project; and
• Ruth Humphreys will display her portfolios and tell us about the Distance Learning Course she is working on.

 That may leave us time to carry on with our crazy patchwork panels!