February's Meeting

This month began with a Stitch Morning and the start of a series of mini workshops. Using our newly acquired branch embellishing machine and encouraging members to bring their embellishers, we produced a patchwork sample incorporating various methods of felting. Please remember to start collecting ribbons, thick threads and a variety of base fabrics for the next mini workshop on April 1st.

Unfortunately Stella Adams Schofield could not be with us for the afternoon talk and Jacqueline Martin agreed to come and give a talk at very short notice.
A very big thank you  Jacqueline, for coming to share your passion of textiles with us here at the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild and bringing a wealth of samples of work to illustrate your impressive talents!

I was led to believe that it was to be a talk on quilting, but Jacqueline is a master of so many techniques and provided us with a wonderful commentary for each piece she displayed. I have included so many photos this month to illustrate the diversity of the highest calibre of stitch, but these were only a few of the samples that were shared with us during the afternoon. Piece after piece of stunning colourful stitching just left me breathless.

It was awe-inspiring to hear Jacqueline explain, that despite the hours of labour involved with each piece and especially the quilts, she does not consider them precious and they are all used on the beds.

A truly remarkable lady and a heroine of needlework.

Coming up in February

Our February meeting will begin as usual at 10:00am.
This will be a Stitch Morning, where we encourage those that are interested, to bring something to work on they that have started at home.
It will also be the beginning of a series of morning workshops "Using an Embellisher".
Throughout the year, during each Stitch Morning, for those that are interested we hope to encourage  members to use the recently purchased embellisher and to create a number of sample pieces each month.
This month all requirements will be provided and you will be advised what to bring for the next workshop. The samples during the year will be used in the creation of our final large piece in December, create your own sample scrap book or you may wish to gather ideas and techniques for your own Christmas piece. For those that already own an embellisher can I encourage you to bring them along too.

At 1:30 Stella Adams Schofield will be joining the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild and give a talk on the "Flax Linen Project".
 Due to illness, Stella will not be with us this month. Jackie Martin has kindly offered to give us a talk on her Embroidered Quilts and Books.

Check out www.scraptastic.org.uk a new craft store in Shipley. The shop recycles waste from businesses, often destined for landfill, and sorts it to stock their craft section.

January's Meeting

Some wonderfully colourful and intricate pieces of fabric artwork were the result of the "Weaving off-loom"  workshop this month. It was led by one of our members from the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild, who with her wealth of samples was nothing but an inspiration to us all.

The diversity of these textile creations has certainly motivated me to experiment  more with weaving on different shapes and with varied textured threads. Thank you Chris for introducing me to this exciting new concept, I have already found a very large branch to create something a little different for the handicraft section of my local agricultural show this summer!

Coming up in January

"Weaving off-loom" is our next Grassington Embroiderers' Guild workshop on Wednesday January 8th, Threshfield Rugby Club, 10:00am. You will need a lampshade ring, or a ring of some kind, or a catapult shaped twig, some wool and other threads to weave, and a big-eyed needle.

Looking forward to seeing all the members at our first meeting of 2020.

The Cavendish Pavilion Cafe at Bolton Abbey has a wonderful exhibition of felted landscape pictures and well worth a visit.

Also a reminder that Immanuel Fabrics in Burnley BB10 1RR is the place to stock up on great value fabrics. It has a number of huge rooms stacked from floor to ceiling. Each room has a price per meter of fabric, check out the £1 per meter room!

For a most unusual craft/fabric store, how about a visit to the Cone Exchange in Harrogate. Hookstone Park, Harrogate HG2 7DB. Look it up on the web for further information.

December's Meeting

Grassington Embroiderers' Guild festive December workshop, minature patchwork fabric wreaths and Christmas trees to hang on the Christmas tree also included a wonderful Christmas dinner. Thanks very much to Caroline who took time to prepare the kits and give the tuition. I think all will agree, it was an excellent end to a splendid year. We look forward to 2020 with a diverse and stimulating needlework programme and hope to continue to encourage new members.

Search for the Hertford Knitted Christmas Tree on the web. A magnificent giant knitted, crocheted and crafted creation erected in the square in Hertford by the Crafting Group of the town.

Coming up in December

Grassington Embroiderers' Guild has a change to their published programme this month. Unfortunately, due to a hip operation, "Using an Embellisher" with Stella Hughes is being replaced with:

"A Christmas Patchwork Wreath" with Caroline Nicholls. Thank you to Caroline for standing in at very late notice! Please bring your basic sewing kit, red and green threads, and beads to embellish. Fabrics and a pattern will be provided.

For all those keen to use and learn about an embellisher, the Grassington Embroiderers' Guild will be creating samples during the Stitch Mornings of 2020. A final day workshop, using ideas from the samples created during the year, will take place at the December 2020 meeting.

November's Meeting

Our talk this month at Grassington Embroiderers' Guild, was from Joan Murray, an artist buzzing with excitement and innovation. Joan graduated in Textiles from Belfast College of Art, went on to specialise in weaving at Winchester School of Art and then moved sideways into knitting for her MA at the Royal College of Art in London.

As well as continually exhibiting her own works, she is a teacher at Craven College in Skipton.

Joan's garments have been sold to collections in the V&A, the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester, the Brighton and Hove Museum, and to a growing list of private clients. Her work breaks away from conservatism and conventionalism, but draws out individualism and experimentation. Her costumes conceal or accentuate the movement of the body and the space it describes.

Her long experience with a wide range of patterns, textures, colours and yarns means that many decisions are made by instinct as the work takes shape, usually around the idea of a living moving body. Joan loves to watch and draw ballet and modern dance.

The intriguing geometry of ordinary things led to her black and white collection, while collage drawings of birds in the RCA conservatory were the basis for another abstract work.

Joan continues with her drawing, collaging and painting which continue to give her a fresh source of inspiration.

Joan has encouraged her students to explore and incorporate geometry into fashion. The two photographs below illustrate this as she showed a piece of work from a College student.

Emily, another student from Skipton, very kindly illustrated her work in progress after studying simplistic architecture and transferring the ideas to fabric.

I think that all our members will agree that Joan's passion for textiles and the ability to convey this excitement to others made our talk at Grassington Embroiderers' Guild very special this month. 

Don't forget that Sat 16th & Sun 17 November is the annual festive crafts market in Skipton "Crafts in the Pen 2019".

Bolton Abbey Village Hall is hosting "History Wardrobe: Woman in Gold" on 14 Dec. Here is your chance to explore the lure of gold in fashion and the hidden world of women in art.

The Yorkshire and the Humber Region Embroiderers' Guild are running their residential summer school with some wonderful tutors, Jenny Adin-Christie, Liz Cooksey, Pippa Foulds, and Julia Triston . 

The Lampeter Quilt Museum also has two workshops in the summer.

Grassington Embroiderers' Guild always welcome new members to our monthly meetings and our programme is a reflection of the character of this creative textile group. All abilities of stitching will receive a very warm welcome and our diverse membership means there is always somebody to help and inspire you.