Christmas Party

We had a fabulous Christmas party last Saturday, packed with activity - stitching a neat little project, chatting, showing off seasonal work and enjoying a veritable feast for lunch.

We spent the morning making three-sided 'pod' decorations - with a little treat popped inside, they will make an ideal gift to hang on the tree ... and it was very satisfying to delve into our stashes of shiny fabrics, beads, ribbons and trims.

 

   

  

Members brought along Christmas-related items they had stitched (they didn't have to be all this year's), so there was an extensive display of work using all manner of techniques on show.  

    

 

 

As well as browsing all these wonderful things, we inspected the embroidered stockings that members submitted for the annual Christmas challenge. Voting is by putting coins into a cup next to the entry/entries you like best (the number of coins, not the value, is what matters). The winner, apart from receiving a gift, is asked to nominate a charity to which they would like all the money to be donated. 

(Numbers on the stockings refer to the entry number, not order of preference.)

  

 

We enjoyed a fabulous buffet lunch courtesy of everyone present, with a glass of wine or non-alcoholic fizz. Then the post-lunch quiz, which was based on Christmas songs and carols - not all so obvious, unless you are a carol buff ...

• In The Little Drummer Boy, who kept time?
• Jehovah tells the happy toffs to take a break.

(Answers at the end) 

Still more treats to come, as we dipped into Secret Santa's sack.  Gifts had to be textile related, cost no more than £5 and should be creatively wrapped.  Some very imaginative gifts were exchanged.

And finally, picking up our 'pod' stitching again, we managed to complete or nearly complete them ready to hang on the Christmas tree at home. Look out for them on display at St Mary's Church, Warwick next Christmas.

It was a really fabulous day, and we are already looking forward to next year's Christmas party!


Answers: The ox and lamb.  God rest ye, merry gentlemen.

Compton Verney: Exhibition and Buttons!

What a very busy and rewarding week-end we had at Compton Verney's Textile Fair!

The fair in this beautiful country house attracts a large number of visitors from far and wide, and many of them took the time to pop into our exhibition.  Judging by the comments in the visitors' book, the work on display was well received, and it may even have inspired some potential new members to join the Guild.

  

Our button activity attracted lots of children - and parents and grandparents - to sit at our big table and have a go at stitching buttons onto fabric in decorative ways.
  

  

Cards and stamps were provided, so that participants could take home their efforts, as a reminder or to give to a lucky recipient.

 

 Thank you to Compton Verney for providing us with the opportunity to exhibit in this lovely venue.

Compton Verney Textile Fair

Leamington Embroiderers' Guild Branch will be in the lovely Wellingtonia room at Compton Verney, where we will be holding a drop-in free mini workshop on the decorative ways you can sew on buttons and incorporate them into your textile work.

Why not bring along some special buttons and enjoy sewing them on in a friendly atmosphere?              All materials necessary will be provided.

In addition, we will have all NEW work on display, made by our many members over the past year.

My Machine doesn't like Metallic Thread

The following information is taken from Barnyarns website.  We thought it might be useful to pass it on to members, since using metallic threads can sometimes be a trial.

One of the most common problems - even for the most experienced machine embroiderer - is successful stitching with metallic thread. We’ve experienced it all: fraying, looping, tension problems, and continual thread breaks are enough to discourage anyone and it’s such a shame for two reasons—- everyone loves the bit of bling that metallic thread offers, and second, absolutely anyone with any machine should be able to stitch, sew, or quilt with metallic threads successfully! So, at this time of year, when all is shimmering outside, let’s take it step-by-step and highlight the process of embroidering a snowflake with gorgeous metallic thread while recommending solutions to common problems.

Follow the THREE Golden Rules of Metallic Thread:

#1 - At the spool (or cone) - When stitching with a spool of Metallic thread, use the vertical spool pin. If your machine doesn’t have a vertical spool pin, we recommend using the Superior Thread Holder when embroidering with cones and spools of metallic thread.

#2 - Inside your machine - Most embroidery machines have electronic automatic tension and it’s preset from the factory to run a generic embroidery thread. As smart as your machine is, it has no way to tell that you are stitching with a metallic thread instead of a standard polyester embroidery thread. We recommend loosening your top tension (override your automatic tension settings) all the way down to 1.0. Metallic thread is one of the most delicate threads due to its unique construction, so a loose top tension is required for frustration-free stitching. Friction and metallic threads do not make a good mix. Refer to your machine’s manual to learn how to override the default tension settings.

#3 - At the needle - The way metallic thread is made follows a unique process. Strands of thin metal foil are delicately adhered to a film and wrapped around a strong nylon core. When embroidering, you have a high number of stitches per minute rapidly creating tiny stitches in a dense design. The thread is moving back and forth through the eye and groove of the needle, rubbing against the metal surface in a fast manner. All it takes is for the delicate metallic foil to break, and only the nylon core will be moving through the eye, as your beautiful metallic overlay starts to push back up into the machine. 

Again, thankfully the solution is very easy: use a needle with a larger eye and deeper groove. We recommend using a Topstitch #90/14 needle. Superior Topstitch needles have a longer and wider eye, deeper groove to protect thread during stitch creation, and a thin layer of titanium-nitride that resists friction and keeps your needle sharper much longer. Compare the Topstitch style to any of your embroidery needles and you’ll see the difference. Having more space in the eye of the needle helps reduce the stress placed on the thread as it passes at a high rate of speed through the needle and creates a stitch.

For further information on using threads, or to purchase products, visit:

https://www.barnyarns.co.uk/thread/

A Passion for Colour

Ruth Issett's talk on Friday evening about her "passion for colour" included a fascinating slideshow of her work and some of the countryside views that have inspired her.  The tables were covered in a wonderful selection of dyed fabrics and stitched pieces - in fact, the hall was transformed into a riot of colour!

Ruth Issett

Ruth explained how she keeps books of reference samples of all the dyes she uses on a range of fabrics, showing how the same dye reacts with each fabric to produce different effects.  

Often starting with collaged papers, she translates her ideas to fabric or other surfaces.  Any dye left over can be used as an ink to add or alter colours further.  

Ruth Issett

The following day's workshop focussed on using a number of accessible print techniques on fabric, and then modifying them with the addition of direct dye colour.  Ruth showed us how to apply fabric paint with a roller - not necessarily as straightforward as one might expect - and how to create patterns with brushes or stamps.

  

Ruth advised limiting one's colour palettes, in order to keep colours clear, and then playing with combinations.  Not that the results were in any way limited!  Playing with colour is fascinating and addictive, and "a passion for colour" is in no way an understatement.

'Christmas Delights' sessions with Zara Day

Designer Zara Day, a former Leamington & District Branch member, will be starting a series of Monday afternoon sessions making hooped 'Christmas Delights'.

Monday 4th November - 16th December.

£5 per session / block booking: £35 in advance.

The sessions will explore lettering in embroidery, using a hoop and making a Christmas door decoration/gift.

Contact: zara@rosemaryrose.co.uk

Ruth Issett: A Passion for Colour, Friday 1st November

We are delighted to be able to welcome renowned textile artist, Ruth Issett, to talk about her passion for colour.  Ruth’s illustrated talk explores the use of colour through her own work as a textile artist, designer and and embroiderer.

Ruth is one of the foremost colourists in the textile art world, and her passion for colour is evident in the vibrant combinations used in her stunning artworks.  She says she is “fascinated by how colour responds to different surfaces, such as papers, fabrics, threads and fibres, as well as printed and stitched surfaces.”

After studying at Art College for five years, working within all areas of textiles, Ruth went on to lead a textile department in Kent before moving to  Shropshire.  Here she works from her studio, concentrating on her own work with some limited teaching.

Ruth is a member of the Textile Study Group and the PRISM exhibiting group.

Anyone who is interested in exploring the use of colour in their work will definitely enjoy Ruth’s talk, and visitors are always welcome.

Chris Yates, ‘The Teabag Lady’ - Friday 4 October

Our talk this Friday will be by a textile artist who loves to work with recycled materials. Chris Yates has a long-standing love of sewing and textiles, and endeavours to keep her work fresh and contemporary with new ideas and techniques. She especially enjoys the challenge of working with recycled materials, teabags in particular.

Perhaps that’s why, after working with tea bags for several years, Chris seems to be getting a reputation as ‘The Teabag Lady’, and after her talk you will never look at a teabag the same way again!

Visitors are always welcome.

 

AGM and member's work

Our next event will be the Branch Annual General Meeting on 21st September, which is a round-up of what has happened in the branch over the past year, and an opportunity for members to have their say.

We are asking members to bring along items they have made after being inspired by any of the talks, workshops and members' days during the year.  

One member, Sue, has sent photos of her response to butterfly making and to the last members' day session, which focused on using buttons. Both pieces continue the theme of working in circles and re-use linens inherited from her mother-in-law. 

These lovely and original pieces hang at the window of Sue's workshop.

'Art in the Park' a huge success

This year some 58,000 visitors came to enjoy lots of arty stalls, performers, live music and food in Leamington's beautiful Jephson Gardens. 

Our invitation to help us "stitch a town" was taken up by visitors young and old, experienced and not so experienced. It proved to be great fun to stitch a building or a tree onto the painted background.  (A strip of dyed material to represent a river was already sewn on.)

We had some fabulous results, as you can see below.  Thirty A3 panels were stitched over the weekend. 

We are looking forward to completing the panels at our members’ day in September, and then they will be pieced together.  Our 'town' will be displayed in Leamington Spa and taken to exhibitions and events.