Healing stitches

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Elizabeth Johnston. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 15th December

A flurry of snowflakes appeared at our December meeting as Elizabeth Johnston lead a fun workshop using plastic canvas and sparkley knitting yarn.  The project was perfect for a social meeting as it didn't take too much thought to stitch round and fill in the centre with various patterns, which left plenty of time to talk and catch up on everyone's news.  We enjoyed some seasonal treats thanks to the M&S vouchers we won at Craven Community Champions Awards.   

Our Christmas competition was anything in the colour white (is white a colour?)  Entries ranged from traditional counted canvas work and delicate lace to contemporary framed pictures and whimsical miniature shoes.  But everyone agreed that Clare Hutchinson's blanket book was the clear winner.  

Clare's work, entitled Comfort Blanket, was her saviour during a recent bout of illness.  She explained that when she was too poorly to do anything else, she needed to stitch to keep her sanity.  A friend was making blanket books and so Clare made her own using an old utility blanket.  The pages were filled with delightful samples of lace, pictures of birds, buttons and shisha mirrors.  The final page included the original utility label as testament to its former life.

Happy Christmas!

Last Stop Harrogate!

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

20-23rd November

One final outing for the StArt project: the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate. 

The StArt project was in good company with the Guild's exhibition of stitching memorabilia from WWI, the winning entries from 2013/14 Members Challenge and some fabulous work by Young Embrioderers celebrating 40 years of the movement.

Visitors were wowed by the diversity of skills displayed in the piece and charmed by the humour shown in the details.  The word on everyone's lips was inspirational.  

Bedeck the Decks!

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 17th November

As you start to prepare for Christmas, spare a thought for those people who have to task of transforming hotels, shops and cruise liners into magical winter wonderlands for the festive season.  Our very own Sue Sissling spent nearly ten years working on P&O cruise ships doing just that job.

When a happy set of coincidences gave her a first taste of work on board a cruise ship, Sue managed to juggle her day-job as a graphic designer for a marketing company with annual trips on the luxury liner Canberra teaching crafts.  Never one to mince words, Sue and her crafting partner Mavis, told the cruise director that they were disappointed with the Christmas decorations and persuaded him to let them have a go.  The rest, as they say, is history!  Sue decorated the Canberra, then the Oriana and finally the Arkadia.

What started out as a small seasonal activity soon became a huge operation and Sue had to move into an empty mill in order to organise, colour coordinate and then pack up, all the decorations for the various ships.  She employed a small army volunteers to help her trim the ships in just a couple of days between sailings.

Sue's work didn't go unnoticed by the press and she was featured in the Yorkshire Post, Woman's Own and appeared on TV too.  When one door closes another one opens, and this saying is true of Sue's life.  Her regular day job had just folded and she was working on a dead-end packing line when she received a call from P&O to join the Arkadia on a world cruise, replacing Mavis as craft tutor when she had to withdrawn when her husband was taken ill.  Sue left the grey skies of England in January for the tropical heat of Honalulu.

All good things come to an end and Sue finally hung up the tinsel after 9 years in order to help and support her family.  Her fond memories of Christmas cruises are kept alive by photos, videos and mementoes.  P&O's loss is our gain, as we have a wonderfully enthusiastic member and a great tutor in our branch. 

Christmas Stitching Taster a Workshop

Saturday 15th November

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Christ Church hall was a hive of activity on Saturday.  With button samplers, Christmas tree decorations, star bunting and heat brooches, there was almost too much choice for our visitors.  Children and adults soon settled down to their tasks and it was a great opportunity to sit and chat about crafting and hear everyone's plans for the festive season.

No workshop is complete without plenty of homemade cake and biscuits washed down with tea, coffee or juice and we have Margaret Laycock to thank for her most excellent baking! 

The workshop was a great success, attracting families from a wide area and appealing to boys and girls alike.  We have been encouraged by all the positive feedback and are in the process of planning a Spring workshop in March 2015.

Thank you to everyone who donated materials and helped on the day and especially to Jill Maloney for preparing all the kits.

Community Champions

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Skipton and Grassington guilds received two honours in last nights' Craven Community Champions Awards.  

The first award was Arts and Culture and it was given to "those who had made an outstanding contribution to the arts, heritage and culture in their community or the District in general".  The second was the Civic Achievement Award which "recognises outstanding performance in the community" and was presented for our StArt project which had significantly benefited others during 2014.

The awards were presented at a celebration reception held at The Coniston hotel.  Jill Maloney and Claire Ketteman collected the awards on behalf of the guilds, supported by Enid Pyrah, Sue Ingles, Marjorie Lloyd and Sue Sissling.

What a fantastic achievement for both branches!

Showing, stitching and sharing

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 20th October

This month's meeting was, for many, a step into unchartered waters.  We were offered a choice of four mini-workshops with the aim of trying new techniques and learning new skills from other members.

Sue Sissling created stump work dolls faces with exquisite details.  Jill Maloney guided a group through the meticulous preparation 9of gold work.  Gail Marsh got us counting with her instructions for making Yorkshire buttons.  Claire Ketteman showed that there was more to the humble spud than mash or roast with a simple printing workshop.

Judging by the level of noise that came from our meeting room, the day was a great success.   Members challenged themselves to try something new and in the process they learned a little bit more about the many talents of our group.

Inspirational Yarndale

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

27-28th September 2014

Greetings from Yarndale!  A two-day extravaganza of wool, fibres and art!  For those of you who can't make it to Skipton this weekend, here is a panoramic view of our 'pen'.

The overwhelming response to our display was inspirational. So many visitors were stopped in their tracks by the StArt project and everyone stayed to admire the details and listen to the story of how it came into being.  One lady had been told by her friend 'if you see nothing else today, you must see the Embroiderers' Guild stand'.

The work displayed has inspired young and old alike.  The range of stitched art, the fabulous colour combinations and the creativity of our members work has been a joy to behold!  

Yarndale is open from 10-4:30 on Sunday 28th September so why not come along?  We have FREE taster workshops today, demonstrating contemporary crewel work, Florentine work and some free embroidery that is guaranteed to use up all your scraps of wool!

AGM

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 15th September

The branch AGM is usually a time for taking stock of the year's events and achievements.  This can sometimes be a dry review of membership numbers and attendance but at Skipton, we have had such an action-packed year that some serious editing was required!

Right for the start, the new committee threw themselves into promoting and publicising the work of the Guild. From January to May we showcased our best work in a highly successful exhibition at Craven Museum and Gallery that was curated by Gail Marsh.

The StArt in the Dales project brought about a collaboration with Grassington Guild and textile artist Jackie Lunn and encouraged us to engage with the community via local arts festivals and taster workshops.  The finished work has toured the Yorkshire Dales throughout the Summer, receiving praise and admiration wherever it was displayed.  The highlight was the Tour de France weekend where the StArt project was seen by thousands of visitors in the shop window of Fat Face in Skipton High Street.  Deputy manager, Alanah Whittaker-Thompson wrote: "We feel very lucky to have been able to host this amazing piece and love to support our local area particularly when it is something so creative!"

Elizabeth Johnston and Sue Sissling thanked Jill and Claire for all their hard work to bring the project together.

But don't think that this is all that has been happening in the branch.  Our programme of talks and workshops has given plenty of inspiration and members have been busy stitching at home, on holiday and at Summer schools.  Just look at the photo to see a selection of the work brought in to share.

The Committee remains unchanged with the exception of Clare Hutchinson who has resigned for health reasons but will continue to offer support and advice to the branch.  Elizabeth Johnston takes up the role of Programme Secretary for 2015.

Looking, drawing, sewing

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Claire Hignett. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 21st July

Looking, drawing, sewing was a day of experimentation, not just the content of the workshop but also the format for the day: a short, optional workshop in the morning followed by an informal talk and discussion in the afternoon.

The day was led by textile artist, Claire Hignett and she started with couple of drawing exercises which were designed to 'switch off our conscious minds'.  Claire firmly believes that everyone can draw, but we have either lost confidence or got out of practice.  Her workshop is designed to reverse that and prove that with inexpensive tools it is possible to produce designs that can be readily translated into stitch.  By lunchtime we had all made paper bookmarks with a motif drawn in pen and embellished with simple stitches.

In the afternoon Claire described her artistic journey: from her inspiration which is drawn from studies of deterioration, decay and the passage of time, to a quirky take on broken or useless items that many of us keep and cherish because they hold special memories for us. 

Claire is also willing to take risks with her work and thinks nothing of committing many hours of knit or stitch to a hot wash cycle or devoré paste in the hope that some lucky happenstance will produce a unique piece of work.  Fortunately this has paid off and she has created some stunning pieces of work, notably her kantha stitched quilt inspired by Crosby beach. 

Claire is currently artist in residence at Ordsall Hall in Salford.  You can follow her work on her website www.clairehignett.co.uk.

Window Dressing

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 30th June

The StArt project is on the move again!  After two fabulous weeks at Grassington Festival it has now taken centre stage in the window of Fat Face in Skipton High Street.

Even whilst we were putting it up, we caused quite a stir with the Monday morning shoppers.  Lots of lovely comments and a questions about how we made it.  You might notice that we've also added a banner with the name of the Embroiderers' Guild.

Thank you to Gemma Edgar and the staff at Fat Face for making us feel so welcome and for giving us the opportunity to share our work with residents and visitors alike.

This way to Grassington Festival

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Wednesday 18th June

It's a busy week as we head up to Grassington to take part in the annual festival of art and music.  

Today we have run a joint workshop with print artist Helen Peyton and we were joined by some of the lovely ladies of Broughton Road Women's Group.  Helen showed us how to print calico and swatches of hand-made felt using a traditional printing press and bold wood-block prints.  These were embellished with cotton or wool threads using simple running stitch or chain stitch.  A selection of beads and sequins added the necessary bling and 'hey presto' a fantastic piece of art!

After lunch, Claire Ketteman gave an open talk on the making of the Story Cloths and the StArt project.  Both pieces of textile art will be on display at Grassington Town Hall until Saturday 28th June.

Thanks to Bryony Pritchard, Visual Arts Coordinator for Grassington Festival, and to Helen Peyton and the team at the Word Lab.

Braids and Braiding

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Marge Quinn. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 16th June 

For those of us who just see plaiting as a means of keeping little girls' hair tidy, the world of braiding is a mystifying place. Luckily we had some expert tuition from Marge Quinn who gently guided us through the history of weaving and manipulating threads to make cords, braids and bands.

Most cultures have some kind of braiding technique but it is the Japanese who have taken it to it's highest art form.  Originally developed as a means of lacing the lamellar armour of samurai warriors with each suit using up to 400 meters of braid.  It was later used to fasten clothes or tying a kimono sash and the techniques produce wonderful designs and patterns.

Lucet braiding, French knitting and Corn Dollies are all forms of this craft but it is the names given to the various forms that delighted me so much:  words like sprang and inkle used to describe two ancient forms of braiding  are just so colourful.

The great thing about braiding is that it is not as taxing on the hands as sewing or knitting which means that anyone suffering from arthritis or similar limitations can still take up the craft.  It comes highly recommended by Marge!

Little Luxuries

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Pat Hainsworth. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 19th May

When I first read the title of this months talk My Second Home, I have to confess that I wasn't really sure what to expect.  Perhaps someone talking about a holiday home, maybe an exotic location?  But Pat Hainsworth surprised us all with a delightful talk about her passion for her dolls house.

The second home of the title, was indeed a 1:12 scale, Queen Ann period house with a double extension.  Pat is a self-confessed dolls house addict and has been planning and furnishing her house for over 20 years.   The main house was built for her with all the trials and tribulations of full scale building.  Like most of us, the fun part is furnishing and Pat is no different.  The hobby allows her to indulge in her other passion which is needlework.  She has lovingly crafted tapestry rugs and carpets and made miniature quilts and cushions.  But a house must be kept clean and what better instrument than a feather duster made from budgerigar feathers! 

This is a serious hobby with a price tag to match.  The collection that Pat brought to show us came with the instruction "look, but don't touch"!  However it was good to hear that Pat's granddaughter is allowed to play with some of the pieces of this lovely collection and that will one day, it will be hers to keep.   Until then it gives Pat immense pleasure to look after her second home. 

Are we nearly there yet?

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Tuesday 13th May

Our final session with Jackie Lunn and we have almost finished!  Those of us who have seen the piece are so proud of what we've achieved. The 3D map is stunning and the individual squares are works of art! 

There are a few more stitches to finish the borders and we need to add some extra details to the map.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the estimated total of over 400 hours work. 

It will be ready to start its Summer tour at the Ingleton Underground Overground Festival 24-26 May, before going to Grassington Festival 13-28 June.  We're pleased to announce that it will be on show at FatFace in Skipton High Street throughout July and will then go to Yarndale 27-28 September.

May in the Dales

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 5th May

A dry day in the Dales is always something to be thankful for but a dry Bank holiday Monday.....? Almost unheard of!  And so we found ourselves at Kettlewell for their Mayfest celebration of Wool and Ale.  We were in good company too with the Guild of a Spinners Weavers and Dyers with lots of local artisan makers selling a variety of handcrafted items.

As a last minute addition to our programme of events this year, we were unable to finish our own StArt project in time for the festival.  But we took the Broughton Road Women's Group Story Cloths and they proved to be a big draw and a great opportunity to talk about stitching with all the lovely folk who visited.  The use of felted wool in background to the cloth was meant it was perfect for the occasion.

Thanks to Jill and Sue who had a very early morning start to set up the stand and to everyone who contributed small items for sale or who made their way up into the Dales to come and support us.

Mini workshops

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 28th April

A buzz of chatter and hive of industry greeted members as they arrived at Christ Church this month.  Chris Mitchell led a mini workshop to demonstrate the versatility of plastic canvas - from intricate 3D logs to wide-mouthed birds hiding a chocolate egg -  the possibilities were endless!

The competition to make a hand-made item in purple received a similarly diverse selection of items.  I would have given everyone a prize but Diane Thorburn's fine sampler was eventually selected as the winner.

It was also a chance for members to see all the beautiful contributions for the StArt Project as we laid them out and worried about how we would attach them to the final piece!  This is when several heads are better than one and after much discussion and debate we have a clear idea of how we are going to finish it.  

Next StArt workshop will take place with Jackie Lunn on Tuesday 13th May.

First Stitches

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Saturday 12th April

What a fantastic workshop!  We had a brilliant morning at the Craven Museum and Gallery on Saturday.

The drop-in session attracted  visitors from far and wide.  Some came for specific advice like the lady who had designed her own cross-stitch sampler but wasn't sure how to transfer it to cloth.  Others wanted to learn how to embellish their own sewing projects with a variety of stitches.  Children of all ages proudly showed off their new-found sewing skills to parents and grandparents.

"If I can stitch, then anyone can!"  Was the parting shot from one lady who had stitched the small sampler above.

Best of all, was the opportunity to sit and talk to people about sewing.  We were even asked if we would be running the workshop every every week!  Sadly this was the last session in Skipton but we will be running other similar workshops at Ingleton Overground Underground Festival in May and  Yarndale in September.

Thank you once again for all the Guild members who volunteered on Saturday, for their time, their patience and most of all their enthusiasm for stitching. Well done everyone. 

Open House

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Saturday 5th April

We were guests of Helen Peyton, artist in residence at Craven Museum and Gallery on Saturday. 

Our taster workshop was set up in Helen's SMART Gallery and we attracted both young and old (and plenty in-between) with our simple stitches and contemporary designs.  Long forgotten skills were relearned and a few new ones discovered.  For those of us who volunteered for the morning it was an opportunity to chat and pass on our love of craft.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make it a success and if you didn't get the chance to take part, we're doing it all again next Saturday!

Free taster workshop Saturday 12th April 10am - 12:30pm, Craven Museum and Galley, Skipton.

Ready, Steady........

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Free Taster Workshops

This week we have been getting ready for two workshops that will be run in Skipton during the Easter holidays at Craven Museum and Gallery on Saturday 5th and 12th April 2014.  We will be making these delightful samplers which demonstrate how a few simple stitches can add a new twist to any fabric.

We have three different designs to chose from and once they're finished, the fabric pictures can either be mounted onto a card or stitched onto a plain cushion. 

Thanks to everyone who came to Jill's house on Monday to prepare 100 little goody bags!  The workshops are free and open to all ages and abilities but we do ask that under 16s should be accompanied.

The Life and Times of Elizabeth Zimmermann

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Elizabeth Zimmerman. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 17th March

This months talk was a celebration of one woman's pioneering spirit to change the way we knit:  Elizabeth Zimmerman, the Opinionated knitter.  

Unusually our speaker chose to let Elizabeth speak for herself by reading from her highly conversational diaries.  It was a bit like listening to an audio book or a radio serialisation as Lesley Fidler, a self confessed Zimmermann fan and knitting addict, brought her to life.

Elizabeth Zimmermann was born into a privileged life in England in 1910 and was taught to knit by her mother but it was her Swiss governess who taught to knit in the controversial German or continental style.  Elizabeth chose to study at art school in Bavavia where she was to meet her future husband.  But this was 1936 and the Nazi party was asserting itself and so Elizabeth and Arnold fled to the USA to make a fresh start in New York and later Wisconsin.

Elizabeth advocated knitting on circular needles and was credited with knitting the first example of an Aran sweater which was published in Vogue.  However when the pattern appeared, Elizabeth realised that the publishers had changed her patten to the more conventional pieced-style for the American audience.  She chose to publish her own patterns thereafter and sold via her mailorder yarn business.

Her Elizabeth's Percentage System of scaling patterns is a clever mathematical formula which could be used by anyone to accurately scale and size a garment and it puts the knitter firmly in control of the creative process.  She also invented (although she would have hated that word, perfering to describe her creations as unventions) the idiot-cord or i-cord method of producing trims that could be used for knitware.

Lesley illustrated her talk with examples of her own knitting showing how she had used the patterns and techniques advocated by Elizabeth.  These included using a bridge to continue knitting in the round whilst shaping armholes which allows space-dyed yarn to flow continuously over the pattern.  Lesley typifies so many of us who lead a double-life : high-powered tax lawyer by weekday; knitting guru and WI craft judge by weekend.  It was a delight to meet someone who juggles these two personalities so well!

I am ashamed to say I'd never heard of Elizabeth Zimmermann before this talk.  I'm not sure why - but perhaps it was because she was a practictioner, a knitter's knitter and not a designer.  But this fiesty lady who was not afraid to challenge the norm and who continued to ride on the back of her husband's motorbike well into her 80's (whilst knitting no-less) is definitely someone I want to get to know better.  

"Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises." Elizabeth Zimmermann (1910-1999)

Painted Landscape

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Tuesday 25th February

One of the charitable aims of the Embroiderers' Guild is education and this weeks workshop certainly met that goal.  

In the third of our sessions with artist Jackie Lunn, we started by mixing dyes to create a set of unique colours that not only complemented the felt map we had made previously, but also reflected the Landscape of the Yorkshire Dales.  Freda and Cath from Grassington branch got to work at the mixing desk whilst Sue started painting the rivers on to a large piece of calico that would form the background for our finished piece.  It was a learning process for all of us as we applied the dyes, tentatively at first, but then with growing confidence we started blending them on the fabric to achieve a textured finish.

Although we have an outline plan and have made something similar with the Broughton Road Women's Group, the textile is being developed as we go.  At every step there is careful thought and discussion amongst the group: should we use this colour? would this be better stitched or painted? how will we finish the edge?  Everyone's ideas are included and considered and the finished textile will be richer for it.

In the afternoon we started stitching into the felt map.  Using a simple stab stitch in cotton thread, we traced the outline of Le Grand Depart route to add emphasis.  Further swatches of felt were made for future use as backgrounds for the 10cm squares that will border the map.

The plan is to continue working on the piece during our scheduled branch meetings on Monday 17th March and Monday 28th April.  All contributions for the border and key features should be returned to Jill Maloney by Saturday 12th April.   There will be a final session at Christ Church with Jackie Lunn on Tuesday 13th May to finish the piece.

We had some visitors too: members of the Christ Church family dropped in to see what we were doing and one member  her very well behaved grandson with her.

70 Years of Embroidery

Monday 17^th February 2014

The Skipton branch gave a warm welcome to Dot Drummand who spoke of the Life and Times of Hilda Brassington, her close friend and teacher in earlier years.  Who had over 70 years experience working in creative crafts.

Hilda Brassington was born in 1908 and brought up in the Staffordshire Potteries.  Her schooling had the usual classes of art and sewing, embroidery, knitting etc as was the norm in those days.  She travelled much during her life and was well known in her field of creative craft.  Hilda died in 1989, leaving her entire life’s work and collection of books, wonderful fabrics, including cotton, silks, velvets, as well as boxes of buttons and beads, threads in wools, cottons, silks etc to Dot Drummond!!!

The Collection Hilda brought together over many years was astounding.  Items such as table cloths, tray cloths, pillow cases, bedspreads and needle worked pictures that were framed and hung in her home.  She embraced many kinds of craft as they became popular and would turn out lots of work in each category.  Macrame, canvas work of varying types and even plastic canvas included.  Soft toys were embraced, Hardanger, Counted Cross Stitch, Free Machine Embroidery, cut work, Black, White and Gold work, not one craft escaped her busy fingertips.

She filled drawers, wardrobes, cupboards, boxes and shelving in may a room, all of which were inherited by our speaker Dot Drummond.

I believe the audience was incredulous!  I mean we all have our “wonderful stash of bits and pieces” we hoard over the years, but to find space for another’s “Stash” is mind-blowing.  But gosh, Dot Drummond did just that.

Some “work” did eventually find worthy homes elsewhere amongst nearest and dearest, but now much accompanies Dot on her travels, she shows the samples as she talks to groups such as our on the many materials she lovingly cares for, worked by the fair hands of Hilda Brassington.

Dot closed her talk with an invitation to all those present, to come view Hilda’s marvellous work, much of which took all of us back many years to what was in vogue through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and progressive years.

Our Programme Secretary, Christine Patrick gave a warm vote of thanks on our behalf and we all added a resounding applause.  We then viewed and chatted over many lovely pieces of Hilda’s work and carefully sipped cups of tea and nibbled a biscuit of two, all agreeing what a lovely afternoon we’d had and what a brave lady Dot Drummond was.

Sue Sissling

Felting Masterclass

Tuesday 11th February

Jackie Lunn (far left) shows Claire Ketteman, Jill Maloney and Christine Patrick how to add features to the map, whilst Embroiderers' Guild Regional Chair, Pauline Heywood (centre) looks on.  Photo:  Enid Pyrah. property of Skipton Branch The Embroiderers' Guild

The second of our three StArt workshops became a masterclass of felting techniques and an opportunity for Pauline Heywood, Chairman of EG Yorkshire and the Humber region to see the project in action.

Jackie Lunn returned with the half-felted landscape from last week.  The colours had merged and blended but some areas needed extra attention to make subtle adjustments.  Jackie showed us how to apply colour to the reverse side if the work and then use a multi-needle tool to push the new fibres through to the front. Handled with care, this method adds small points of colour like pepper sprinkles.  At this stage, the fabric was cut roughly to shape, with a 4cm border to allow for shrinkage.

The next task was to add the route of Le Grand Depart as it winds its way from Harrogate down through the Dales to Skipton.  We had already made a piece of yellow felt and this was cut into narrow strips and the edges needle-felted to secure them in place. As towns and rivers were added, the map started to come alive.

So far, so good, but now we had to fully-felt the fabric without distorting it out of all recognition.  The fabric was doused once again in hot soapy water and then rolled up in a bamboo blind.  We took our turns at rolling, changing over as the piece was rotated in a circle, a quarter turn at a time.  As we measured the felt against our hand-drawn map, Jackie advised us to concentrate our felting technique on just one area at a time so that the fabric shank evenly.

By the end of the day we had a fully felted map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park ready to start adding embellishments.  Some of the group had been busy dyeing an assortment of fabric scraps for other members to stitch in order to create the border.  Throughout the day we had been collecting suggestions for the borders and refining our ideas for how to complete the map.

On our third session with Jackie Lunn (Tuesday 25th February), we will be painting the calico back-cloth onto which the felted map will be mounted.  Bring an apron and rubber gloves! 

Many Hands

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Tuesday 4th February

Meet Jackie Lunn!  She's a textile artist and she specialises in making rich and sculptural pieces which are embellished with stitches, you might have met her at Yarndale last year.  Jackie is leading three workshops during February to create the textile map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park which will form the basis of our community art project StArt in the Dales.  The project has been funded by a Community Grant from Craven District Council and by the Yorkshire and the Humber Region of the Embroiderers' Guild.

Just over a dozen members of Skipton and Grassington Guilds gathered around the tables at Christ Church to discuss how we might bring our initial ideas for a textile map to life.  Inspired by Jackie's work we were all keen to get busy!  There was plenty to do: mixing colours using carders, making small swatches of half-felt, needle-felting small details that could be appliquéd on at a later date.  We then got started on the serious business of making the map. A huge mat of felt was laid out, gradually building up colour before applying the top surface.  We wanted to draw the contours of the hills and dales and be faithful to the landscape.  By the end of the day we had half-felted the main piece.  Next time we will be cutting into it to add features such as roads and rivers using the swatches to insert new colours and textures.

The next session will take place at Christ Church on Tuesday 11th February 10:00-3:00. Everyone is welcome.  Stay for as much or as little time as you can spare.  Bring an apron and some rubber gloves because we will be dying fabric and yarns!

A time for sharing

(Photos taken and reproduced with the permission of Margaret Laycock. Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Monday 20th January

Our first meeting of the new year opened with a Jacob's Join lunch.  We put aside our January fasts and enjoyed some delightful food, proving that our members are have many talents.

We also shared some of our new projects and this one caught my eye.  Margaret Laycock has started a year long project which will involve making 12 luggage size tags - one for each month of the year.  The designs reflect the colours of the landscape, nature and the weather: the sample shown is "August" with clear skies and herbaceous borders composed of delicate layers of organza.  It's still work-in-progress but when it's finished it will be cut to size and the label constructed as a double-sided piece with decorative machine cord. Margaret quipped that February will be a challenge - grey and dull!  I can't wait to see the end results!

Claire Ketteman gave an overview of the StArt in the Dales project and the exhibition of our work that is now on display at Craven Museum and Gallery (Skipton Town Hall).  See previous blog posts for more details or Jill Maloney's newsletter (accessed via the tabs at the top of this page). 

Looking forward to an exciting and challenging 2014.

Exhibition at Craven Museum & Gallery

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Tuesday 14th January

The art of making something look effortless is probably one of the most difficult things to learn.   Skipton Branch is very fortunate to be able to draw upon the expertise of member Gail Marsh to curate our latest exhibition which will be on display at Craven Museum and Gallery.

With her trained eye, Gail went through a process of auditioning pieces, trying them this way and that, moving them around in number of permutations before finally settling on an arrangement that she was happy with.  Gail told me that in her former role as curator of the Rachel B Kay-Shuttleworth textile collection at Gawthorpe Hall, she would sometimes start with a room-full of exhibits only to whittle them down to a select few for a display cabinet.

The theme for the display is 'bright and colourful' and the chosen work shows a cross-section of skills and techniques: some traditional, some contemporary.  Also on show are the Story Cloths made by the Broughton Road Women's Group with support from Skipton Embroiderers' Guild and led by artist Jackie Lunn.

Two new display boards provide visitors with information about the work of the Guild.  Enid Pyrah and Gail worked hard to collate and arrange photographs with text.  The Guild gratefully acknowledges the support from Catherine Johnson, Arts Development Officer at Craven District Council for these boards.

With the exhibition running from now until May 3rd, there is time to change the exhibits and display more examples of our work.  Watch out for the characterful art dolls that we made on Kathryn Thompson's workshop last Summer!

We are also planning two free workshops open to all ages and abilities. They will take place on Saturday 5th and 12th April 2014.  More details to follow.

Craven Museum and Gallery can be found at Skipton Town Hall.  The exhibition is located in the museum foyer next to the Tourist Information.

New Year, New Projects

(Images are the property of Skipton Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild)

Wednesday 8th January 2014

Happy New Year!  2014 has got off to a fantastic start with the news that Skipton and Grassington Embroiderers' Guilds have been awarded a Community Grant of £950 by Craven District Council for their StArt in the Dales project.

StArt, short for Stitched Art, is a community project to create a large piece of textile art depicting life in the Yorkshire Dales and the route of Le Grand Depart cycle race.  It will be made by members of Skipton and Grassington branches with the help of artist Jackie Lunn.  We are inviting the local communities to add their own stitches to the project during two drop-in workshops to be held at Skipton Town Hall on Saturday 5th and 12th April 2014 which will be open to all ages.  Other workshops will be offered to coincide with the exhibition of the final piece at local festivals.

The project committee are buzzing with ideas and our initial thoughts are for a 3-D map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park made in felted wool which will be quilted onto a hand-painted calico background.  Key features of the map will be stitched separately and appliquéd onto the fabric.  The map will be surrounded by a boarder of small squares, each depicting something that makes the Yorkshire Dales special to us.  We hope that the work will showcase our many talents as well as our love for the place we call home.

Once the work is finished it will go on display at venues around the area, including:

Ingleton  Overground Underground Festival 24-31 May 2014

Grassington Festival  13-28 June 2014

Skipton Town Hall dates to be confirmed

For more information about how you can take part in this project, hear a talk from one of the contributing artists or borrow the final piece to exhibition, please contact Claire Ketteman (07904 010430).

We also have an exhibition of work at Skipton Town Hall Museum, 18th January - 2nd May 2014.  This includes the Broughton Road Women's Group Story Cloth which was made for the 2013 Puppet Festival by the ladies with additional support from Skipton Branch members.  The displays will change during the exhibition period so make sure you visit more than once.