August 2019

Our group grew further this month with the addition of Margaret K who will be joining us, bringing our total numbers up to 16 when we are all present. For this month we had 12 in attendance, including Gerri who returned  after a long absence, while Susan and Donna joined us from country NSW via the internet and Zoom.

Our creative exercise for the day was led by Sheila. Our task for the day was to learn and play with woven picots. Above we can see Robyn's efforts in making them stand up to add texture.

Show and tell is always a treat with some amazing work being produced.

Gerri had pieced a landscape by machine using applique.

Leslie had completed her butterfly for the goldwork  module of the Introduction to Embroidery - Year 2 course. 

The duck is another "postcard" for the CS and D Course that Leslie is doing, and features dense straight stitching, using a low key colour palette. 

A hanging pin cushion by Gerri with a pocket for nic nacs.

Another butterfly by Leslie for the Applique module of the Introduction to Embroidery - Year 2 course. 

This month Robyn has started on her butterfly projects for May 2020 exhibition at the Embroiderers Guild NSW.  Above we see two brooches inspired by butterfly wings. Stitched with one strand of silk through tea bag paper. Some colour has been added with water colour paint.

Jenny had found four  half finished bookmarks looking for something else. This one features wave stitch as a filling, and only needed a tassel to be finished.

The second book mark features eyelets and some uneven satin stitch, and also only needed a tassel to be finished.

The third one features eyelets, satin stitch, and cobbler stitch, and also just needed a tassel to be finished.

The fourth one features eyelets combined with a diagonal satin stitch, and a fourth tassel was made to complete it

Jenny had also finished and blocked her latest baby shawl.  The pattern is 'Hush little Baby Please Don't Cry', free on-line, but with mistakes in the pattern. Jenny overcome the pattern mistakes, and also made it larger.

Some years ago Jenny had attended a workshop with Christine P Bishop. The workshop was for a Dresden style table mat featuring pulled work, and a curved hem with picots. The attraction was to   learn how to work  curved hems on even weave linen. All the stitching on the piece had been completed, and only the hem was left to do.

The hem has now been completed, the piece has been blocked, and is now waiting to be cut.

A postcard size exercise worked by Lisa in straight stitch (back stitch) in high key colour. Inspired by a photo sourced online of a piece of architecture, Lisa  drew on the shapes, lines and curves of the design. It’s for Mary’s  Colour and Design class.

More of Robyn's butterfly inspiration, running stitch  on an original applique design .

Robyn has also been couching the cordonnet on her original butterfly design before doing the Needlelace fillings.

Susan had finished her latest "quote embroidery".
 The quote itself is from a work by Raquel Ormella, and is Susan to a 'T'. It is stitched in stranded cottons, with the background in irregular satin stitch blocks, and the script is in chain stitch. Over a dozen different colours and shades were used to complete the embroidery.

Gerri had been making a crocheted bag. Decorated with hand made flowers, it has been made reversible with a zippered pocket.

Gerri has also been turning our circle exercise from last year into cushion covers. They are still a work in progress.

Suganthi's work in progress - a collage - a non-assessable task for Mary Brown's component of the Contemporary Stitch and Design course.

Materials used: Black cotton, silver paint, glue, thread, beads, cut out flowers from her fabric stash, cut out sari borders bought from Blockwallah at the Craft and Quilt Fair in Sydney.

Thank you all for visiting. I wonder what we will all get up to next month? Please come back next month to find out.