Coming Up in January

Our first meeting in January 2019 sounds to be really exciting, why not come and join us to tackle the art of Geli printing. The member led workshop will cater for those new to this technique and for those with experience to come and produce some really exciting new fabric prints for you to use throughout the year.
Gelatin printing is a form of monoprinting in which a gelatin slab is used as a printing plate in conjunction with standard water soluble printing inks to create images. We will be able to share our experiences of substituting  glass or lino for the printing plate and acryllic paints for printing inks.
An excellent creative day to start off the new year at Grassington Embroiderers' Guild.

Christmas Decorations

Suffolk Puff Christmas trees, decorative cracker boxes and festive bags, kept us all busy at this month's December meeting. A member led workshop followed by a sumptuous Jacob's join, ended the year's programme for Grassington Embroiderers' Guild. 

Layers of  diminishing sized concentric circles gathered up, embelished and mounted on a raw plug!!

Hope this item from the hardware store will inspire you to make other similar items! What a terrific find for crafty people.

The Committee wish all our Members a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

"Nuts, Bolts and Bag Making" by Kathryn Thompson

Our Grassington Embroiderers' Guild November meeting began with a Stitch Morning and was followed with a very lively and animated talk by Kathryn Thompson.
Kathryn had visited our Guild previously when she enthralled the group with her work of doll making. This year her talents were illustrated by her prolific exhibition of bag making over the years. She had prepared a chronological talk explaining the development of bag making from her first early "tote bags" to her 2018 new sophisticated modern creations.

With the development of light stitchable materials her recent products have an extremely professional and modern look. Kathryn is a truly inspirational and enthusiastic individual. I am sure she has more hours in the day than I seem to have!

The use of  "headliner" a light, flexible and stitchable material, which is used in the car industry, was a revelation to us all.

Foam backed, 2mm/3mm, 140cm wide and in grey, black or ivory, it will become an indispensable fabric for many of my sewing projects in the future.
The use of  very thin plastic chopping boards/place mats as a material for creating templates was also a top tip I shall put to good use.
I certainly came away with many ideas that could be transferred to future sewing projects and not only in bag making. Thank you Kathryn for sharing so much useful information - it was certainly a very memorable and enjoyable afternoon.

Coming Up in November

Come and join Grassington Embroiderers' Guild for our November 7th meeting.
During the morning we stitch our own pieces and I am bringing a kit from www.stitch-witch.org.uk.
Dare I say it, it is a Christmas decoration!! Not many weeks to go!
During the afternoon Kathryn Thompson is giving a talk on "Nuts, Bolts and Bag Making". It should be a good day and hope to see you all there.

"Noton Japanese Design" and "Indonesian Batik"

Noton is a Japanese word meaning balance between dark and light. It is also an art form involving papercutting and positive and negative shapes.
Our first workshop of the term was given by Gail Marsh introducing us to this technique. Although we were only using paper and card, it was easy to see how the designs could be transferred to stiffened fabric. The designs created were certainly dramatic and inspirational. Thank you Gail for motivating us to include Noton designs with our textile art work.

Gail continued to explain how an extension of the composition could be achieved by filling in spaces with zentangles. For those not familiar with this design technique it is worth researching on the internet! I had not realised how popular it had become. Creating structured designs through drawing various repeated patterns has become a therapeutic and relaxing pastime. Incorporting zentangles using fabric pens on a piece of  Noton textile work  gives yet another dimension to creating new and exciting fabric art.

During the afternoon, Tori Riley came to give a talk on "Indonesian Batik". She illustrated her talk with a wonderful rich and diverse selection of fabrics. She gave a detailed explanation of the history and techniques of batik, explaining that using the wax resist dyeing method to decorate fabric was a technique peculiar to Indonesia.
As a child, I too had spent time in Indonesia and can vividly recall the waxed fabrics hanging out to dry. Although it was during my early teenage years, my interest in fabrics was obviously strong and I can remember bringing home the large brass intricate pattern presses used for stamping the designs. Unfortunately over time and limited space, these were discarded during one of our house moves! How I wish I had kept them!! I have since found similar stamps on the internet!

 
www.dharmatrading.com/tools/indonesian-copper-tjaps-for-batik-and-stamping.html

During this meeting we were able to see our completed panel for the Regional Banner. Each Embroiderers' Guild in the Yorkshire and Humber Region was asked to provide an embroidered panel.The idea was to include stitching from each of the members. Our completed piece does justice to this! Stones, ram and trees were embroidered individually, and then appliqued together on a splendid Dales background. We look forward to seeing the final banner.

Coming Up in October

Our October meeting is action packed. We begin the day with a mini workshop given by Gail Marsh, "Noton Japanese Design" and after lunch there is a talk by Tori Riley on "Indonesian Batik".

On October 6th is the Yorkshire and Humber Region Embroiderers' Guild AGM held in Scarcroft Village Hall. There will be a speaker in the afternoon and all members are welcome.

Autumn Stitching

The meteorological autumn began on 1st September, the astronomical autumn will begin on September 23rd and the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild celebrated the commencement of autumn stitching on September 5th!
During the morning we stitched and nattered and caught up on news.
Did we know that the Woolly wildlife trails are back? Woolly wildlife animals and fauna, are knitted by volunteers and make periodic appearances at Trust nature reserves to attract new, and often younger visitors. Have a look and find the nearest one to you. It will make a lovely walk.
Did we know that the Knitted Bible, an exhibition of 33 scenes is coming to Wakefield and Preston?
For those very daring among us, check out the detailed knitting of the "Nudinits"!
Have you discovered Immanuel Fabric Shop, Barnsley? An old mill which is now full of wonderful bargain fabrics. One room stuffed from ceiling to floor has all fabrics at only £1 metre! Other rooms are £3.50 and £8.00 per metre. Stock changes daily and they will cut even a quarter of a metre.

After lunch was the AGM, the election of the new committee and the 2018/19 calendar of events was revealed.
The new calendar is now on our Blog, as are the names of the new committee members.
We are all looking forward to an exciting and interesting year and hope we will welcome some new members.

Coming Up in September

We resume our sewing stitch morning on the 5th of September.

We shall look forward to seeing items produced at home this summer. I am working on a large wall hanging using a combination of techniques learnt from the Janet Brown workshop and the Jane Wallbank workshop. Hope to have it completed for "Show and Tell" on the 5th!
The AGM will be at 1:30 and we will welcome any new sewers to join our lively group.

Just a reminder that it is National Stitch day on August 4th and we hope you will all join the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild with your stitching at the Annie and Betty's cafe in Grassington for the day. We will have little samples for visitors wanting to learn to stitch and a teacher at hand!

"Vietnamese Embroidery" by Helen Barnes

What a summer, blue skies, sunshine and a very informative talk and enjoyable workshop with Helen Barnes. We were able to sit in the cool and listen to Helen's very interesting experiences in Vietnam. She has accumulated a mass of information and embellished samples on the diverse textiles from across this fascinating country.

Helen had prepared a small kit for us to produce our own sampler drawing on the Vietnamese motifs, colours and stitches. The simplicity of the stitch-work: chain stitch, back stitch, cross stitch, ladder stitch and occasional French knot, meant our afternoon in the intense heat was not too daunting and there was a wonderful relaxed atmosphere as we stitched away in our last meeting before we broke up for the summer.

Thank you Helen for providing Grassington Embroiderers' Guild with a wonderful finish to our stitching this session this summer.

Exhibition at Church House, Grassington

June 24th and June 25th was the Grassington and District Embroiderers' Guild Pearl Anniversary Exhibition.

The embroidered pearl necklace took centre stage surrounded by a room full of creative textiles. The two day event took place during the Grassington Festival which enabled visitors to Grassington and local residents to view the needlework. Our visitors book was full of glowing comments and we were delighted that so many visitors could enjoy the products of our hard work!

Coming up in July

Next month Helen Barnes will be coming to Grassington to give a workshop on Vietnamese Embroidery. We are looking forward to producing a sample piece during the day.

For those not attending the workshop don't forget to bring along your own stitching.

Just a reminder:
 Grassington Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition is at Church House Grassington on June 24th and 25th.

"Pearls of Wisdom" by Jennie Rayment

Our June meeting was a commemoration of the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild's Pearl anniversary. After a celebratory luncheon there was a real treat in store - a visit from Jennie Rayment, the queen of manoeuvring bits of fabric into fascinating and innovative designs and patterns.

Jennie's hilarious talk on "nipping and tucking, fabulous fabric fiddling, and magical manipulation" captivated us all. Unique in her field, she's internationally known for her quick, simple, innovative and original techniques with manipulated material. Her humorous anecdotes of her life as a twiddler fiddler were outstandingly funny and illustrated with wonderful samples of her creations.

With nine books on fabric manipulation techniques and other intriguing things to do with fabric, Jennie's material magic is inspirational. Her work is exhibited in various galleries and in shows and exhibitions round the world.

I can strongly recommend a lecture by Jennie to all Embroiderers' Guilds and suffice is to say the surprise at the end of the talk was certainly most unexpected creating unbelievable mirth in the room. I am saying no more, so as not to ruin her lecture for others and have not included these photos, I suggest you experience it for yourselves! An EXPERIENCE it certainly was! A fabulous afternoon!

Stitching in the Dales

"Stitching in the Dales in May" - what a wonderful concept introduced by the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild for all those who love stitch work but would like to tackle new techniques in a little more depth. The two and a half day course, including superb lunches, allows time to learn and produce something a bit more adventurous than possible on a one day workshop.

This was my first "Stitching in the Dales" and I am already awaiting next year, a sentiment echoed by the other ladies in my group!

We had two tutors booked. Nikki Parmenter and Nicola Jarvis. Nikki provided experimental textile work while Nicola taught Crewel embroidery.

I had enrolled for the Crewel work, having never attempted this type of stitching previously. I began with Bijoux embroidery and then continued to the rudiments of Crewel....FABULOUS. Nicola was an inspirational teacher.

We opened the balcony doors and the spring sunshine shone onto our work tables as we beavered away. Nicola has worked at the Royal School of Neeedlework and offers a range of workshops so we hope to see her again in the future.

Downstairs, the "messy" group of textile artists were incorporating paint, funky foam and machine embroidery to create elaborate 3D pieces of art. Nikki's students produced some stunning work and continue to sing her praises. I hope to catch up with one of your courses soon Nikki.

The two contrasting workshops are always well supported, so anybody interested for next year, remember it takes place in May! Confirmation of the tutors will be included in our annual calendar for 2019. Hope to see you there.

Coming up in June

Next month we begin with a stitch morning and no doubt some of us will be busy embroidering stones to applique on to our Grassington square which will form part of the Yorkshire and Humber Embroiderers' Guild Banner. Each of the branch guilds have been asked to contribute a square to create the final banner.

After lunch, Jennie Rayment is coming to give a talk on "Pearls of Wisdom".

Jennie's work concentrates on fabric manipulation and surface texture. Unique in her field, she's now internationally known for her quick, simple, innovative and original techniques with manipulated material.

http://www.jennierayment.com/

Stitching in the Dales May 16-17-18

Stitching in the Dales is a three day workshop run by the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild. This year our two tutors are Nicola Jarvis - "Inspired Crewel and Silk Birds" and Nikki Parmenter -  "Small Worlds".

 Nicola's beautiful embroideries of decorative birds are influenced by the drawings and textiles of William and May Morris.
nicolajarvisstudio.co.uk/

Nikki is a Cheshire based artist who specialises in mixed media, textile based  pieces.
www.nikkiparmenterartworks.com/

May's Meeting: "Little Houses" with Janet Browne

Our "Little Houses" themed workshop with the Grassington Embroiderers Guild Group on May 2nd was another super day of creative sewing. Although Janet Browne was unfortunately unable to be with us, she sent materials and samples, and the day became a member-led workshop.
Drawing a simple design on dressmakers tracing paper, and then reversing the sketch onto a layer of wadding, a layer of calico and the background fabric, machine stitching could begin on the back using the traced design as a guide. We used a machine embroidery foot with the dog feed teeth down as this enabled the fabric to be easily manoeuvred.
The picture is built up by working from background fabrics to foreground fabrics. More detailed embellishing is done with machine embroidery and hand embroidery from the front.

 Have a look at Janet's web site for more inspiration.

www.janetbrownetextiles.com/

Coming up in May

Next month Janet Browne will be coming to Grassington to give a workshop on "Little Houses".
The workshop is a day suitable for all levels but does have an emphasis on machine work. We hope to produce a sample of "Little Houses" in the style of Janet by the end of the day.

Have a look at her wonderful work on www.janetbrownetextiles.com

April's Meeting: "Experimental Textiles" with Nikki Parmenter

Here in the Dales, April 4^th brought rain, hail and snow. Roads to Grassington were flooded and my car had to creep through fast flowing rivers to reach our Embroiderer’s Guild monthly meeting. In our Threshfield meeting room views of the raging tempest outside across the valley were a stark contrast to the warmth of the sewing community within. Today was a stitch morning and a collation of the Pearl Hoop Embroideries to celebrate the Grassington Guild's thirtieth anniversary. This will be one of the items in our textile exhibition at Grassington Festival on June 24^th & 25^th, where we hope to meet many visitors interested in textile art.

A stitch morning is always exciting. Members bring something they are working on and we stitch together and natter. Each stitch morning brings something else to see and I always look forward to these days with great excitement. The selection of pieces can only inspire and especially after a month of bitter cold snowy weather.

During the afternoon we were joined by our guest Nikki Parmenter who gave a talk on “Experimental Textiles”.

Nikki is a Cheshire based artist who specialises in mixed media textile pieces. The talk explained the development of her work from paper pieces to larger mixed media projects full of experimental textiles. Nikki illustrated her talk with a huge range of examples and each piece as breathtaking as the next. Words or my photos do not do justice to the stunning colours, detailed craftsmanship and intricate details included on all her work. Nikki is truly a great artist who puts her soul into each item she creates. She shared with us the inspiration behind her thought processes and explained the variety of source material that she draws on.

“I investigate myth and legend and draw parallels between societies, showing that although many people have different beliefs we are all united by visual iconography.”

Nikki continued to astound us while she related how she transformed felt, fabric, threads, beads, metal, acetate, Angelina fibres, wire, hose pipe, pipe cleaners, plastics, jewellery, wood, car spray paint, wadding, metal mesh, felt pens, paper and funky foam into magnificent artistic stories.

“I have exhibited widely both in group and solo shows both here and abroad  and have had articles published in magazines and on the internet. I also  feature in Kim Thittichai's book, 'Experimental Textiles'. My work has won  prizes at  The  Ferens Open, The Potteries Open and the Grosvenor Open  Exhibitions.”

This month Nikki has an article in the “Stitch” magazine.

The exhibition and explanation of Nikki’s “Experimental Textiles” was just what we all needed after the long winter months here in Wharfedale. Thank you Nikki for sharing your stunning pieces with our group; you are an inspiration to us all.

The most exciting news is that Nickki will be returning to us in May to give a three day Workshop! During May of each year the Grassington Guild hold a three day event called “Stitching in the Dales”. Members are offered two contrasting textile workshops. This year we invited Nikki who will be the tutor of experimental textiles “Small Worlds” and Nicola Jarvis who will be exploring William Morris with her crewel and silk bird workshop. As numbers are limited, the workshops are first offered to members and associated members and finally to other keen needle workers.
There are currently still a few spaces left on the workshop with Nicola Jarvis.