April Meeting

We had a visit from the PAT testing man today, all of us getting our machines checked out ready for the residential workshop season.   Because they had their machines with them, some ladies decided it was a good opportunity to get some machine sewing done, so two were quilting and one was making machine cords.
Most people were busy with their Warriors work as October is now looming up and a sense of urgency is beginning to take hold.
Below are some of the papers we all made last month with Niki Hampson of Pulpitations.  Of course, Colleen has made hers into a lovely book with a poem she has written about becoming 'beige'.

Roma has been busy felting for her Warriors. Tea is always at the ready.

Colleen has done a one day workshop with Chris Gray and was finishing off her piece of work.  Several of us are doing the Regional Summer School with the Embroiderers' Guild and will have a 3 day workshop with Chris so hope it is as good as this looks.

Royal Armouries Exhibition

Five members of the group have contributed to the exhibition at the Royal Armouries called Threads of War.  The exhibition was the idea of Annie Parkinson who started people working on quilts, hangings and embroideries and who now has over 100 items in the collection.  She started displaying the work in local libraries and small venues and a large portion of the work is now in the Armouries.  It will stay there until 21st June when it will then move to the Armouries other venue in Portsmouth.  The amount of work Annie has put into this has been tremendous and we all thank her.  The opening preview of the exhibition was on Friday 27th March so I went along and took these photographs.  They aren't very good because the lighting was low.
This poster is in the entrance to the armouries.

This panel is outside the gallery along with a video of the Leavening Embroiderers at work.

This is the start of our part of the exhibition.

This small side area of the gallery was devoted to the Leavening Embroiderers work.

There were a number of workbooks on display.

More of our groups work.  My blog is mixing up the pictures and it is difficult to move them without making a complete mess of it.

Each piece of work is accompanied by one of these notices.

It is well worth a visit as the armouries is free to go in and there is lots there for children to enjoy.

Just wanted to add this picture of an embroidery done by the Ladies of Leavening village which now hangs in their church.  It was what started the Leavening Embroiderers group and it is beautifully stitched.  All the central panel is split stitch and each picture shows an activity done in the village.

March Meeting

Fantastic workshop today making paper with Niki Hampson of Pulpitations.  Everybody was busy all day and we all collapsed in our chairs at about 2.30 in the afternoon absolutely shattered.  Lots of lovely paper made as you can see below.  The coloured pieces are paper pulp and the white is cotton rag.  Hope to see some interesting things made with all this paper at next months meeting.

Don't know who's is who's but they all look great.

February Meeting

We had another busy day with everyone doing their own thing this month.  Several members had to leave early because it is half term but they still managed to get things done.  Moira, Liz and Colleen got together and did some printing and Janet did some too.  Roma was felting and Maureen was painting up some more papers.
We first started meeting on the 21st February 2011 so today was really our 4th birthday and I forgot!
Next month we are having a paper making day with Niki Hampson and most of us will be there so we are looking forward to that.
Here are some photographs of the papers we made last month and what people have done with them.

Liz has used her pages to make a 'Warriors' workbook.

This was also Liz's work.

Colleen had made her paper into a little booklet about the haberdashery shop her mother ran many years ago.

Colleen had aquired a large bag of printing stamps and here whe was trying some of them out.

Jackie was quilting another panel to go with these three.

Ann has been experimenting using some information she found in a book by Maggie Grey.  This piece was beautiful and the photo doesn't do it justice.  This skeleton leaf was incorporated into a fabric and the surface had foil and beads on it.

This is Colleen's skirt made from her sons old ties.

I think this is Maureen's work.  This print she has is really lovely.

Photo's at Last

I have managed to upload the photographs by using Google Chrome as my browser.  It's a bit slower to get into it but once there the pictures upload much quicker and I can upload all of them at once then pick them out as I want them.  Obviously, as Blogger is run by Google they want you to use there other services.

So here are the pictures of some of the papers as they were drying.  I have seen some of them since and they are wonderful, some really lovely colours.

 

Below are some shapes the Christina found in a shop somewhere. I can't remember what she said they were but I don't think they were intended to be stamps but they certainly make lovely ones.

Here are some of Christina's 'Warriors'.  She is making Norman Skittles!  They look really good and I can't wait to see the finished set.