June meeting - three corners

National Stitch Day

On 22nd June, the Saturday before our meeting, several committee members spent the day in Glossop indoor market explaining the aims and activities of the Guild to anyone who would listen.  A number of people stopped for a chat with some enjoying stitching under Joy's supervision.

Three corners

The branch meeting held on 26 June was 'Three corners': Kantha, Batik and Canvaswork and everyone could take part in the activity of their choice.

The first activity was Kantha, led by Allison James.  Kantha is a traditional form of embroidery practised in Asia and especially in India to re-use old fabrics - recycling at its most creative!  Allison brought along a couple of stitched items including a beautiful jacket made from old kantha quilts, which she wore to the meeting.  She also showed a book of her own researches, illustrating different forms of the stitch.  

Allison brought some beautifully stitched items for inspiration.

- and here are two of the pieces stitched at the meeting.

On another group of  tables, members were busy being shown how to work with batik wax-resist dyeing, led by Ann Cornes.  To make a batik, areas of the cloth are painted out with the resist and then the fabric is painted or dyed with colour.  Ann brought this colourful bag as a skilful example of the technique-

- and members set to work to create their own batiks.  What beautifully coloured samples!

In the third 'corner' a group led by Chris Harris were shown canvaswork, which is a form of counted thread embroidery worked on - you've guessed it - canvas.  Here is a sample which includes a range of different stitches and threads:

Under Chris's expert guidance, members were inspired to create their own work:

Amongst other work displayed at the meeting were these two pieces.  Here is an embroidery in a new travelling book (love the alligator peeping out of the water): 

and this is one of the felted pieces produced at the recent nuno felting workshop held by Valerie Hughes:

Everyone who attended the meeting would like to thank the tutors for their enthusiastic and inspirational help.