Christmas

Here are some pictures of the work of Nikki Parmenter taken at the exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead. 

December Meeting 2019

Sue led the group in making of a Parliament of "festive" owls. Good clear instructions and lots of nice ideas. Here you can see the work in progress and some of the proud embroiderers.

Harrogate 2019

Many members went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Harrogate over the weekend.  It was another excellent event. Here are some of the Manchester Branch contributions to the "Home" challenge.

Here are some impressions of the show:-

November Meeting 2

Meanwhile, in the smaller meeting hall, Sue and Arteth showed us what could be done with old copies of Embroidery magazine (I read mine but now I am inspired!).  Here are some of the clever ideas on show.

November Meeting 2019 - Liz Almond

On Saturday 2 November we welcomed Liz Almond for a full-day workshop on Kogin. This Japanese variation on Sashiko is very formal and rhythmical. Liz is a great tutor, very clear in her instructions and extremely willing to help.  Here are some images from the day:-

Textiles Exhibition in Stockport

Ten Plus Textiles have an exhibition-at Stockport Art Gallery from now until 20 November.

Programme for 2020

You can have an early look at the proposed Programme for 2020.  It isn't complete yet (watch out for updates!) but is already very exciting with some potentially fascinating workshops and talks. If you click on the links then you can take a look at the work of some of the people who will be visiting us in the coming year.

October Meeting 2019

On the 5 October, the "Journey" continued with input from Joy, Pam and Linda.  Great design ideas. Here are some of the activities:-

There was also a display of members work over the last 12 months:

Nikki Parmenter Exhibition

Nikki Parmenter's Exhibition opens at the Williamson Gallery on the Wirral on Saturday 5 October and runs until 22 December.  The Williamson is open 10-5 Wednesday - Sunday. 

Exhibitions

There are many potentially exciting exhibitions this Autumn. Here are a few to start with:-

British Textile Biennial, 3 Oct- 3 Nov.  There are exhibitions and workshops all over North Lancashire including Queen Street Mill, Gawthorpe Hall, Blackburn Cathedral (great Café) and Accrington Market Hall. Check out the web site via the 'current exhibitions' area of the blog.

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, 10 Oct- 13 Oct.  Outstanding ( and pricey!)  crafts of all kinds.

Glossop Branch Open Day, 12 October.  Entitled "Tempting Textiles" and taking place at Lymefield Garden Centre in Broadbottom, Hyde. Embroidery AND a Garden Centre, What's not to love!!

Nikki Parmenter on the Wirral

Our speaker at the June meeting was the excellent Nikki Parmenter. You can see more of Nikki's marvellous work when Nikki has her own exhibition at the Williamson Art Gallery on the Wirral from 5 October - 22 December.

September Meeting 2019 - Bella May Leonard

Sue has written a short piece about the meeting and taken some excellent photos.

Bella aims for her work to be thoughtful as well as playful and was very generous in passing her work round for members to handle. She was an excellent speaker, telling us about her time at University - embroidery degree at MMU - and her use of man-made materials. Bella has had residencies at Gawthorpe Hall and The Whitworth and has given workshops at Ruthin.  Bella has worked on commissions, including in Berlin, and loves spreading the word about stitching, especially to young people.  Bella spoke of her love for 3D work and installation, as demonstrated in her photos of work based on the Silentnight mattress factory in Blackburn and her work in Berlin. She brought out the contrasts between stitching in a consumerist society and that in more 'disadvantaged' ones with insights into her time in Mexico

Craft Socials

Salford Museum is offering Craft Socials on Wednesday s (5.30-7pm). 
11 September is Silk Painting and 9 October is Pumpkin Sewing.
Booking is required

Home Again

Vicky has finished her fascinating piece for the EG, Home exhibition. Here you can get up close and personal. Great work Vicky.

 

Day of Stitch 2019

Branch members took part in the national Day of Stitch by getting out into the sun (remember that?) in the gardens of the Didsbury Parsonage on Saturday 3 August. After lots of mindful stitching - the theme was "Home"- led by Hilary, members retired to the local hostelry for well deserved refreshment.

Thanks to Clare for the photos

Peterloo Panel

Our Panel is now on display in the Working Class Museum Library at 51, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WX  (wcml.org.uk).  Look out for items on the Library's Instagram and Twitter feeds - wcmlibrary.  There's even a short video of the panel being 'hung'.    Well done to everyone who contributed!

Home

This years competition organised by the National Embroiderers Guild is on the theme of Home.  Two of our members, Sue and Anna, have finished their entries and they can be seen below.

Sue has based her work on advice given to her, by her Mother-in-law as a newlywed.  Sue asked 'what makes a home' and was told "lamps and plants".

Anna arrived home from travels to the comfort of her own doorstep.  Spotting an opportunity for design she photographed the scene and inspiration just grew.

Pam Exploring Stitch

Those people not attending the "bird" workshop at the July meeting were invited to join Pam in a session exploring various stitches. It is amazing what you can do with stitch, here are some of Pam's examples:

Birds

Here are some of the Birds at the next stage of their development. Looking forward to seeing some in their full plumage!

July 2019 Meeting

There was an all day workshop run by Threadmill textile artist, Jane Hadfield. The theme was 3-D birds.  Birds of all shapes and sizes, colours and finery were created during an excellent day of designing and stitching.

Here is some of the work in progress.

June Meeting - Afternoon

In the afternoon we had the pleasure of an illustrated talk from Nikki Parmenter .  Nikki took us through her early work using paper to the large and complex hangings she now makes. Breathtaking work of vibrancy and imagination. Here is a selection:-

The Peterloo Banner is complete

The banner will be on display at Stockport Library's Peterloo events on 28 June, 17 and 19 July , 2 and 7 August. The events are free but need to be booked at www.stockport.gov.uk/events.

Artist Talk - Cristina Rodrigues

You can hear a talk about the beautiful work of Cristina  Rodriguez (she designed and worked the Altar cloths in Manchester Cathedral) at the Manchester Metropolitan University on 25 June (11am).  Check the link here MMU .

Cristina's work forms part of an exhibition entitled Ruskin's Manchester, celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth, which runs from 24 June until 23 August. 

A Happy Embroiderer

Serena enjoying the morning workshop

June 2019 am

On the 1 June, the morning workshop was led by the marvellous Jean Martin.  Members made fabric flowers which could be used as brooches or as appliqué for a book cover.  Expert guidance made the task achievable and some lovely items were produced.

May Meeting 2019

The meeting on May 4th featured a full day workshop by Jacky Cardy on Felt making.  Some marvellous work was created and a great time had by all participants.

Here is work in progress through to machinable pieces. The photos are all taken by Vicky - thanks to her for excellent work.

Let Felting begin

Planning the image

Images emerge

Adding details

Drying the pieces

Show and tell

 Here is some of Jacky's work in progress

The Peterloo Banner

Here is a close up of the banner, designed by Sue and made by members of the Branch. Great work!

Antique Textile Fair, 14 April 2019

The Branch had a successful stand at the Fair.  Thanks to Vicky and to Sue for photos.

A larger canvas

Elizabeth working on a bigger scale (It is a Balaenoptera musculus)

 

April Meeting 2019

Some of the happy canvas workers

April Meeting 2019

In April there was an excellent full-day workshop on canvas-work given by Hilary Kimber.
Here are some of the images:-

Textile exhibition at the Whitworth

The Whitworth Art gallery Has just opened a new exhibition entitled Ancient Textiles from the Andes.  The exhibition is made possible thanks to items loaned by a collector. You can be inspired until 15 September 2019.

March 2019 Meeting - Part 2

In the afternoon, our own members gave short presentations on aspects of their work. 

Many thanks to Linda, Sue, Ann and Karen for their lively and informative short talks.  They were all  very well received by the members. The branch really does have a wealth of talented, committed and entrepreneurial individuals among the membership. 

March 2019 Meeting

The Branch normally uses the March meeting to offer Mini workshop demonstrations in the morning followed by personal, illustrated stories in the afternoon. 

This March there were demonstrations from Pam (coloured and heat distressed fabrics), Joy (machine embroidery, Nicole (lace making), Serena (Blackwork) and Anne (combining embroidery with other arts and crafts).

They were all excellent and all of the participants were inspired and enthusiuastic.

Events and Exhibitions

There are many workshops and exhibitions coming up this Spring. Here are some of them:-

Textile Journeys, 6 April at Mellor Parish Centre, SK6 5LX. 9.45 - 4pm. A textile day offered by Maggie Relph. There will be a talk followed by a choice of three workshops run by Maggie, Anne Gosling and Fiona Macauley-Davies.

The cost is £40 for the day. Booking and more details from Megan Barley - Tel (0161) 427 4370
email: meg.barley6@gmail.com

Take a look at the Exhibitions page for news of events in Warrington, Northwich and Rochdale.

All my own work

Those members who were not on The Journey with Pam and Joy took the opportunity to work on their own pieces in the other space.

February Meeting Morning

In the morning, Joy and Pam continued to lead members on The Journey.  Exploring design and colour to form new the basis of new textile works.

Event City 2019

The Branch was well represented at Event City.  Workshops were held, sales were made and work exhibited.  Our theme for the year was Commemoration and the major exhibit was the collaborative piece based on Peterloo and the Free Trade Hall. Excellent work by everyone involved.

The Branch was lucky enough to be lent some of the 100 Hearts from the National Project.  Some exceptional work.

February Meeting 2019

In the afternoon, there was an interesting talk about the detective work of Monica Selway in uncovering the work of Cornish Embroiderer Alice Moore.  She brought examples of Moore's work and showed her own pieces, inspired by Moore.