June meeting

Jean led the group in a lively, most enjoyable, full-day workshop about Calico Gardens, showing us how to create our own versions of this pleasing art form. Here are some of her samples.

Calico Gardens is hand embroidery, stitched in neutral colours, creams, brown, or pale shades and includes lots of texture. The designs are mostly nature, garden and rural related.

She brought examples of Calico Garden work she had completed and spare materials.

Our workshop started with us taking pieces of calico or beige/cream/white cotton and cutting them to size for final size, allowing an edging all round.  One option was to use a CD as a frame for the final piece. We also cut backing material of light wadding to the same size as the fabric.  Those using the work as a CD covering, with hanging loop, used felt as a backing.

We next designed an image onto fabric, some used Jean’s ideas, others their own, using stencils. Hazel had a wide collection of stencils she kindly shared.

We used embroidery threads of different thickness and colours ranging from pale cream to brown.  and a variety of simple stitches e.g. straight stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch, French knots.

In addition to stitching directly onto the fabric, we were also shown how to add signposts, boulders, stones and leaves which could then be stitched in place.

Signposts were from tea-stained dried vilene.

Boulders were made with a cardboard base cut to desired size coverered with calico fabric running stitched around the margin, stuffed with soft filling and pulled tight.

Smaller pebbles were made with small pieces of old beige tights as covering, stuffed and small circles of running stitch pulled tight to give a cluster of pebbles.

The leaves gave the image a 3D effect. Some were made from small circles of punched hole material threaded onto white thread. Some made using wide open weave stiffer material. Thirdly pointed leaves were made using a woven picot stitch. 

The results were very pleasing, though by the end of the day some of us still had to complete the embroidery. 

Calico is a plain-woven cotton, unbleached, undyed and not fully processed. It is less thick than denim or canvas.

Originally Calico came from Calicut in Kerala southern India. Calico is a simple, cheap plain fabric, with equal weft and warp in white, cream or unbleached cotton.

Thank you, Jean, for a great workshop, and for making us owrk hard!