Season's Greetings

25 years of Joy

Here is Joy receiving her certificate for 25 year membership.

Congratulations Joy!

December Meeting 2018

A fun day at the Pre-Christmas meeting.  Members were offered packs and asked to design and create landscapes with trees.  What a great job everyone did! Such a talented group.
You may spot festive eating too - creative again.

Harrogate 2018

I am just back from Harrogate.  There were some fascinating exhibitions, demonstrations and lots of tempting shopping opportunities.

Suffragette Hearts

Lorraine has completed her heart.  The collection will be on show at Event City in January/February

Meeting - November 2018

On the 3 November "The Journey" started for some and continued for others, thanks to Joy and Pam. Many excellent ideas were generated in a relaxed atmosphere.  Here are some examples:-

Try this short video for a taste of autumn!

In the afternoon Jacqui Hyman gave a fascinating talk entitled Healing Stitches. Jacqui told us about her inspiration as she has worked to restore textiles (mainly from the past) worked by Soldiers, prisoners, people in hospital and others.  Sometimes we become frustrated by our work but in the main it is a great source of relaxation and a sense of achievement - as the morning session demonstrated.

New Link and 2019 Programme

Under "links" you will now find a link to North West Region. They publish details of branches in the North West and their activities.

The 2019 programme is mow available (Thank you Chris).  Some exciting plans for the coming year.

Northern Hearts

Sue was recently in the North East and had the opportunity to view a 100 Hearts exhibition. Here are some examples of the work.

Hand Stitching in Manchester

On the 15 December, Richard McVetis is running a one day course in The Art of Hand Embroidery in central Manchester.  Richard is a graduate of MMU and offers courses across the country.

October 2018 - Claire Hignett

On Saturday we held the AGM. A new Secretary and Treasurer will take their places on the committee, other members were re-elected.   
We wish them all good luck 😊.

In the afternoon the speaker was Claire Hignett, who spoke about her "Life in Stitches".  Claire talked, with honesty and thoughtfulness, about her development as an artist and her experimentation with stitching and design. She illustrated her talk with some fascinating examples of her work.

Unravelling the Whitworth

There was a one day (10-4) session for members of U3A today at the Whitworth Art Gallery. .  It was excellent.  Members came from as far afield as Hertford and Glasgow.  The day was divided into three sections.  In small groups, we first were taken on a tour of the current textile Exhibitions. The curator gave us insights into the Four Corners of One Cloth (Islamic textiles) and the work of Alice Kettle. After lunch our group went to the Studio for some, "hands on", etching and print making, which was fascinating. Here is my effort based on art at the Whitworth:-

Finally we were taken to the Collection room, where a number of amazing textiles from throughout the ages and throughout the world were made available for our inspection.  The curator of this section spoke vividly about the collection and the history and techniques of the textiles.  Here is an Italian, hand-knitted, silk jacket dated 1600-1639. It is an amazing piece of work:-

Liverpool Cathedral

I went to Liverpool Cathedral today to see the 100 Hearts.  There is some outstanding work and the Hearts look stunning when exhibited together. There is an excellent catalogue and the Branch is well represented.

Some of the Hearts in Liverpool

Alice Kettle at the Whitworth

I went to the Whitworth to look at my tree - no chance. There are so many trees and so little time! I shall have to go again.  It will be worthwhile as I found the huge pieces by Alice Kettle to be mesmerising.

September 1st Meeting

Tori Riley gave us an excellent talk about the origins and uses of Batik.  She gave us a vivid picture of life in Indonesia and the importance of Batik textiles. We are lucky to have signed Tori up to lead a batik workshop early in 2019.

Day of Stitch 2018

Here are some of the hearts from the Day of Stitch.  Please finish yours (new  ones welcome) by the November meeting. Suffragettes, Places, Events have a go.

100 Hearts

Here are some lovely Hearts from the Branch worked by:-

Denise

 Anne

Lorraine

 Russell

Alice Kettle

September 1st will see the opening of the Thread Bearing Exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery. Some of us have embroidered trees for the work that Alice Kettle has put together and this will be your chance to try find your individual tree in the forest that she has created.

The Whitworth has other excellent embroidery on show - see the Current Exhibition section for more details

September Meeting

There will be a sales table on Saturday morning.  It is your opportunity for you to have a clear out. You can bring a threads, fabric pieces, and other small items you wish to sell. Of course, it is an opportunity to buy lots of things that you are going to "need" to add to all the rest!
Tables will be cleared in time for our afternoon speaker - Tori Riley on Batik.
See you there.

100 Hearts

The hearts are ready for public showing (see earlier post) and it would be nice to see your entry.  Here is a splendid example completed by Sue:-

National Day of Stitch

Sue took some excellent photos of the Day in the gardens of the Old Parsonage. Beautiful hearts in a lovely setting. Take a look:-

Exhibition and Workshops

The Platform Gallery at Clitheroe is hosting an excellent exhibition entitled Decorum.  The exhibition features work by four women including textile artist (and MMU graduate) Priscilla Edwards.

Priscilla is offering workshops in August and September.  Take a look at her website. 

National Celebration of Stitch

The Branch will participate in the National Celebration of Stitch by meeting to sew in the gardens of the Old Parsonage in Didsbury at 11am on Saturday 4 August. The theme this year is "Hearts" and we have decided to link it with our commemoration theme, so there will be purple, green and white felt to stitch women's suffrage hearts.  Please join us. If you need inspiration then look at the exhibition in Clitheroe - Women in British History (details on the Current Exhibitions page).

100 Hearts

100 HEARTS EXHIBITIONS

“Lest we Forget” are the poignant words spoken by a generation long ago.  Those who fought in World War 1 are now fading memories to the generation who came after, and soon they too will be lost to us.  Stories of comradeship, bravery, victories and setbacks were captured in the letters sent back to relatives eagerly waiting for news or told by those who returned.  In conjunction with SSAFA, the Embroiderers’ Guild is proud to be part of the commemoration of all those who took part in World War 1.  Using cloth and thread as both a medium and metaphor, textile artists will interpret the stories as unique and sensitive images stitched onto hearts.  The pieces will illustrate to a new generation the men and the animals that accompanied them; the uniforms worn and medals won; the regiments that fought together and the family members fondly remembered; the songs that kept their spirits high and the words they wrote to those back home.  These will be unique and thoughtful exhibitions put together to fulfil the hope of a generation not to be forgotten.

Venues

100 Hearts is a different mixture of pieces at each venue.  Exhibitions have been organised at –

Knit & Stitch, Alexandra Palace, London 11-14 October

Knit & Stitch Harrogate 22-25 November

NEC, Birmingham March 2019

Norwich Cathedral November 2018

Liverpool Cathedral 10 September – 7 October

Garden Rooms at Tennants, Leyburn 26 Sept – 17 Oct

Weston Park, Shifnal, Shropshire 29 September – 30 October 2018

Bucks County Museum, Aylesbury mid Oct – January 2019

Chertsey Museum 1-20 September

Frome Museum early September – mid October

RNAS Yeovilton, Yeovil 24 October – 31 November

Old Low Lights Gallery, North Shields 1 October – 30 November

Stroud Museum in the Park 3 November – 2 December 2018

Please check the Guild and venue websites for updates and confirmation of exact exhibition dates.

email – 100hearts@embroiderersguild.com

www.embroiderersguild.com

Wild Creatures in Yorkshire

Have you come across the work of Mister Finch?  It is holiday time so you can see his amazing work by visiting the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield. Worth a visit at any time.

Are you a member of U3A?

The U3A are having a study day at the Whitworth Art Gallery in October.
It is entitled “Unravelling the Whitworth: A journey through their Textile and Wallpaper Collection, Thursday 4th October 2018 10am to 4pm.

A day of hands on discovery for U3A members to unravel the secrets of the gallery’s fantastic textile and wallpaper collection. Hear from curators and experts and learn about creative processes, methods and ideas behind some of the work. Also a tour of the Highlights of both exhibitions and the building itself as well as a hands on have a go session facilitated by an Artist. Tickets £27.50 per person including refreshments on arrival. Book via the events page on www.u3a.org.uk - pay online or apply in writing to The Third Age Trust, 52 Lant Street, London, SE1 1RB, enclosing a s.a.e. and cheque made payable to The Third Age Trust. Bookings open in July. If interested, check the website!

Russia Calling ⚽

Manchester is hosting a textile project that we didn't think of - maybe next time!  The National Football Museum (opposite Victoria Station) wants to get you closer to the World Cup with a new exhibition of the 7 metre long, BBC World Cup Tapestry. It is on display from 12 June to 1 September. To view the web page please click on the name of the museum.

More new exhibitions are listed on the exhibition page.

Nicola Hulme piece

Lorraine has completed her Nicola Hulme piece. Well done!

Meeting Report 2 June

Anne Brooke gave an excellent talk about her development into a mixed media textile artist.  She has featured on the covers of various textile magazines. Anne showed some stunning work and demonstrated her techniques and skill on the sewing machine.

Enjoy more of her work on her website - see the 2018 programme for details

Saturday 2 June

The morning will be a stitching and chatting session – working on the group, or an individual, commemoration piece. The Chair will bring fabric, threads and needles so we can make a start on the Peterloo hanging – easy whipped running stitch on marked fabric, nine pieces for completion.  

If you’re taking part in the ‘100 Hearts’ project, or you’ve started your own commemoration work, please bring that.  In the absence of any of these, why not re-start a UFO?

 Anne Brooke (www.annebrooke.co.uk) will be our afternoon speaker.

Stumpwork Rose

I finished my Nicola Hulme piece.  Here is a photo.

                          Now let's see yours!

5 May 2018 Meeting

There were two 'all day' workshops.  Nicola Hulme offered Stumpwork and Jennifer Collier worked on Paper Patchwork, pockets and pleats. More great tuition, this years programme is really excellent. You can see some of the work below.

7 April Meeting 2018

Sorry for the delay, I have been to Scandinavia.  It was great and I saw much interesting stitchery.

In April Pam led a workshop on Goldwork.  It was very inspiring and everyone worked well.

Here is my finished goldwork, thanks Pam

For those not attending the workshop, Sue ran a "Stitch Challenge"

Colour Exhibition

John Rylands Library has a small exhibition of Colour,  !5 March until 28 August.  Very interesting.

Manchester Antique and Vintage Textile Fair

The 2018 Fair will be held on Sunday 15 April 10am - 4.30pm at The Armitage Centre.  Click here to see details.


                   

March Meeting

In spite of the weather and sundry winter bugs, a good number of members came to the March meeting. Numbers were down but spirits were high. 

The March meeting is traditionally where members showcase their work and techniques.  In the morning Rachel and Elisabeth demonstrated their beautiful Japanese Embroidery, Ida made fascinating images with household metal items, Jean led an enthusiastic group through Paper Piecing and Sue showed us the Bayeux stitch.

In the afternoon, Elaine gave us a review of her development as a textile artist, generously sharing her inspirations. Members jostled to try out an embellishing machine, creating interesting textures and images. Sue led a session on transfer printing - the key is to have the iron switched on!

A very stimulating day enthusiastically received.

Event City February 2018

Once again the Branch organised a stall at the Event City Show (The Creative Craft Show) and it proved to be  highly successful and very popular with visitors.  Liz and Sue were key to the success and thanks go to the many members who gave their time to sell inspiration packs, chat to visitors and run mini workshops.

February Meeting

Hilary Kimber led the workshop making Banjara with Bling.  Here is the workshop in progress alongside some of Hilary's excellent pieces. You can see photos taken at the end of the day by looking in the Photo Gallery.

More Blackwork - or is it?

Dorothy Heeney has completed her Liz Almond inspired blackwork.  Here it is:-

Lorraine Barker has chosen a colourful route;-

Well done to both!

Northwich Exhibition

Threadmill textile group have an exhibition at Weavers Hall Museum in Northwich  until 17 March

Ordsall Hall Exhibition

You still have time (just!) to see the exhibition at Ordsall Hall - Shaped By Time

Another date for your Diary

The Lowry have announced a new exhibition from 17 March - 22 April. They describe it as "textile making but not as you know it".  Sounds intriguing!

January 2018

An inspiring, all-day, workshop with Lynda Edwards, who talked about how to incorporate Gelli Plate prints into embroidery (see photo below).  Everyone then worked diligently, thoroughly absorbed.  You can see more of Lynda's work in the photo gallery. Members work will appear later.

Another Blackwork piece

Rachel has finished her Blackwork and it will be on view at Event City in February. You saw it here first!

More dates for your Diary

The Creative Craft Show Event City will be held from 1st to 3rd February.  Check the website for times and prices.

Montague Patchers have their 14th Quilt Show on 16th and 17th February.  Great Quilts and great cake 🎂

Happy New Year