May 2020

 Our group met again last Saturday, via Zoom again as our meeting space is still closed due to the Covid 19 virus. We actually held two meetings with a coffee break in between, which gave us more show and tell time. Seven of us attended the first meeting, and six of us attended the second one. We are getting good at this Zoom thing!

Show and tell is an integral part of our day, so without further ado, we present our show and tell, all with the help of the internet, e-mails, and Zoom.

New member Jo finished this piece a week before the lock-down. An example of an idea that she had, which was a third the size, free forming into this..... it was a marathon! Consisting of bullion knots, back stitch and satin stitch, worked in  wool thread on wool background. It’s the largest piece of hand stitch Jo has  ever done. It felt like quite an achievement!

Sheila has completed two shopping bags using partially completed projects from classes.  The machine embroidered figure was begun in a Forum class with Barbara Jackson.  It was quilted last year and finally assembled.  The abstract work was begun in a class with Helen Parsons ( https://www.instagram.com/helenelizabethzparsons/) last year.  It is collaged fabric and machine quilted.

Jenny was re-visiting our Pulled Back Stitch eyelet filler exercise from February, and is hoping to turn the piece into something practical.

These 2 are 'works in progress' views of Susan's "Butterflies" embroidery for our exhibition. The text is in whipped backstitch and the butterflies are in stem stitch outline. Susan is going to do more butterfly outlines in a different colour.

                                                                  

Robyn has been playing with Rust dying on a hankie using bottle tops and discarded Street cleaner road spikes.

Sheila joined the Carla Sonheim (https://www.instagram.com/carlasonheim/) class, 10 Years of Online teaching.  The mixed media lions were great fun to create.

Jenny had pulled out a UFO blanket consisting of different sized Granny Squares from approximately 7 years ago. The yarn is a cheap nasty acrylic from a $2 shop which is warm across her legs as she works. The blanket will continue as far as the yarn will allow, as the shop from which it was purchased has now closed. 

Jenny had also finished her cardigan in Bendigo Woollen Mills 'Bloom- Blackberry Bliss'. The cardigan still needs buttons, and is being worn without them. A trip to a button shop is on the plans when Covid 19 restrictions are lifted.

Wendy has been collecting neutral coloured threads and fibres of various thicknesses for many years. She has stitched with many, but just loves touching and playing with them. These neutral threads were intended for weavers and are difficult to stitch with. 

This is what happened when…“I did something…and then I did something to that……” With apologies to Paul Klee.

Sheila also continues her daily practice and for the month of May, she is creating dot faces every day.  This exercise was inspired by Carla Sonheim.  One dot of fluid acrylic is dropped onto the paper and spread with a piece of heavy card.  The number of drops needed can vary until the work is complete, or not.  Sheila's daily practice work can be found at:  https://www.instagram.com/thingstitcher/

Susan supplied us with a choice of  digital exercises for the month. The first was using the digital images proved on-line by The NGA in Canberra  https://nga.gov.au/knowmyname/works.cfm . We were encouraged to look and note what inspired us, and maybe stitch, paint, draw, or collage.

The second was inspired by Robert Genn 2010. We were encouraged to take a walk where we could, taking photos or drawing along the way with no particular focus. The idea was to get inspiration and ideas. 

 Robyn worked on choosing colours from two Digital works. The first photo was taken at the Sydney Zoo, while the second was a  Naomi Hodson painting found on the NGA link

Susan also  chose the same Naomi Hobson's "Yinyalma" image from the NGA link to study. Susan was attracted by the colours and the organic shapes. First she played with some of those shapes and the colours in a design, and then  used the colours to inspire her next quote embroidery, on 'inspiration'. Susan  now has her fabric in the hoop and is ready to stitch.

Jenny played with her camera while walking, trying to learn just some of  the features it provided. Above are just four of the photos taken on her walk. More can be found on her Instagram page at 

https://www.instagram.com/bugeyesj/

There is so much line and texture to be found just in our own back yard if we look .

The Covid 19 virus may have stopped us meeting in person, however, we are all creating in some way, shape or form while self isolating at home. We all hope to meet again in person soon as restrictions lift. So please come back next moth to see what we have been creating.

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.

October 2016

Our meeting this month was held in the foyer of the the Uniting Church Hall at Concord. The AGM of the Guild, and the convenor's meeting, were being held on the same day at this venue. Four of our members were present.

Gerri had attended a class with Fiona Hammond where she made this colourful brooch. It was found to be a very soothing technique and easily completed in a few hours. Gerri enjoyed selecting the beads and threads for this project. Fiona had also brought along a great stash of goodies to peruse and buy.

This smocking is Annette's, worked on Baby Eleanor's dress to wear to a wedding. The smocking is worked in three strands of DMC Stranded thread onto Liberty fabric.

Jenny had made this baby shawl for her new great niece. Knitted in Bendigo Woollen Mill's Luxury 3ply yarn, the center pattern is from the Shepherd Baby Shawl Collection Book No 1, while the edge pattern is one found on-line here. As the edge pattern was only for a straight edge, Jenny had to create her own corners.

This is a small section of Susan's first piece for the Margaret Oppen Competition with the Embroiderers' Guild NSW.  The theme for this competition is 'Diamonds and Other Treasures'. Susan's emphasis will be on the 'Other Treasures', and using the diamond shape as a link between a  cloth book. The photo shows detail of trellis couching in diamond shapes, worked in space dyed wool yarns. The holding cross stitch has been worked in a natural dyed silk yarn. Silk noil fabric has been painted over with acrylic paint and used as a background to stitch on.

Gerri has been going through her stash and found off-cuts of canvas that had been kept in a small bag. These has been turned into brooches and book marks with some recently purchased variegated Perle threads and other threads from her stash.

Gerri has also re-visited the birds that she made last year, this time with a Christmas twist, to be used as decorations. Hopefully they will be used every Christmas. The colour combinations are always a surprise when they are completed.

Robyn had been knitting herself a scarf in her favourite colour. The pattern is from Yarn Country and is made in baby alpaca.

This Mexican sugar skull has been hand drawn by Robyn with a Frida Kahlo influence. The design is being interpreted into stitch and will be appliqued onto a denim skirt when completed.

Sheila had been busy making bags. In the above three, she had used  pieces from the Marie Yeardly estate to to decorate them. The bags will be donated to the Guild's  sales table.

This blue/purple bag was made from a stitching sample.  Layers of chiffon were stitched to a hand dyed base.  Also made by Sheila

This yellow, plaid, three part bag is made from furnishing fabric donations and is also destined for the Guild's sales table. Another one made by Sheila

Jenny had finished working the back and front of her new jumper. Knitted in "Savanah", an 8 ply yarn from Bendigo Wollen Mills.

This is a page from Jenny's new art journal. Although she had been keeping visual diaries for some years, Jenny wanted to become more comfortable with drawing, and facing the blank white page. For the moment, only a black ball point pen is being used. This page has some slight colour coming through from the next page which has been washed with a tea/coffee solution.

Sheila was one of three artists whose work was featured in the most recent edition of 'Textiles Downunder'.  The works have been curated into the 'A Matter of Time' exhibition.  

The last month has been wedding orientated for Annette and her family. The wedding cake is 3 tiers  of chocolate mud cake, marble cake and the top is the family favourite chocolate cake. All layers are covered with watercolour butter cream icing and decorated with fresh native flowers.

Although our little group is being displaced by the Guild's renovations, and some members moving to country areas, we are still managing to be very creative. Please come back in November to see what we have been getting up to.