Things to do and see this month

If you're looking for a textile/stitch day out you may like:

'Beneath our Feet' - the Leah Higgins exhibition at Salford Art Gallery & Museum.  It's on until 5 May and is well worth a visit.  There's an excellent shop and a cafe.  See the 26 January post for more details.

The Hebden Bridge WI Rag Market on Saturday, 27 April from 10.30am to 4pm.  This bi-annual event is a mix of professional companies and people having a stash clearout.  Three venues in the town this year, the main one being the Town Hall and it's only £1 entry, with lots of places to eat and drink around the town.

https://hebdenbridgewi.com and also on the Hebden Bridge WI Rag Market Facebook page.

The Manchester Antique Textile Fair on Sunday, 28 April from 10am to 4pm at The Armitage Centre in Fallowfield, Manchester. Entry is £8 on the door or you can book in advance online through Eventbrite.

Megastitchers will be there in the Showcase Gallery upstairs. Come and say 'hello'!

As well as displays of work, we'll be selling vintage magazines, books and some kits to make small panels.  The magazines are 'Needlewoman & Needlecraft' (including the first two editions from early 1940) and 'Embroidery', the Embroiderers' Guild magazine, again including the first edition from 1932 and others from the 1930s to 1960s.  We'll also have a display of some of the vintage threads advertised in the magazines. 

https://www.textilesociety.org.uk

April meeting

Another busy day at Megastitchers with a workshop in the morning and a speaker after lunch.

Lynda started us off with a really well-prepared and enthusiastic session on using rubbing plates, transfer-dye crayons, paper and organza, with plates based on Clarice Cliff pottery shapes. Here are some of Lynda's samples, including some of her work from Bobbi Britnell's (Ben Nicholson-inspired) course made during lockdown.

A 2-hour workshop definitely isn't long enough to do justice to the technique, but everyone had a great time making a start with their exploration.

In the afternoon, we had a talk from Alison Wake, a Buxton-based artist and stitcher about 'Painting with Yarn'.  Alison is a member of SEW (The Society for Embroidered Work) and Peak District Artisans.   Her inspirations are her grandmother stitched pictures, Impressionist art and the local landscape, which she photographs/sketches from unusual viewpoints and close-ups.  The use of locally-sourced wool dyed in a variety of colours along the skein (they were lovely!) allows her to create great depth in her work.  

Alison was generous in talking us through her process, starting with a sketch or photo traced on to canvas through to the mounting and framing.

Acknowledging that such finely stitched work is time-consuming and, therefore, expensive, Alison has produced smaller work and limited edition Giclee prints. In addition, she also has a range of fine art greetings cards, three of which are pictured below.

You can see more of Alison's work at https://cognissark.co.uk and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.