August 2015

There were only a few of us present for our August meeting, and the show and tell was still fabulous.

The faces above were Sheila's results from her stitching while travelling. Ultimately these faces will be made into a quilt.

Wendy has been using Colour Streams Silks, doing just this and that as she feels.

This needlelace is Annette's work in progress. Inspired by an exhibition seen in Melbourne - "Colour Sensation, the works of Melinda Harper". The intended use of the piece will be a see through bag, with areas of the piece not being stitched.

Annette had also been experimenting with Zen Tangle drawings. Using a 1992 diary to collect her drawings, Annette can see these drawings being transformed into blackwork pieces. Thanks also go out to Robyn for introducing Annette to Zen Tangle, and Sheila for the idea of reusing the beautiful diaries that normally get thrown away.

Sheila is continuing on her personal journey to draw every day, well mostly every day.

Our next meeting will be in September. I wonder what will transpire between now and then.

July 2015

 Our July meeting brought five members and one visitor on our day. There was also our usual show and tell.

  First up there was Susan's "Sunshine and Shadows", an improvised canvas embroidery in yellows and mauves. The work is a mixture of wools, cottons, plain and variegated yarns in a number of different canvas work stitches.

Wendy was continuing on with her cretan stitch "Lines In The Landscape".

Donna was continuing to work on her apples and running stitch. The first one above features appliqué and running stitch, while the second one  features fly stitch and running stitch. Donna had also joined TAST, an ongoing stitch project being run by Sharon Boggon of Pintangle.

Jenny had made a scarf using leftover donated fabric and matching thread from her stash. The fabric is embroidered cotton voile, which has been hemmed, edged with a simple crochet edge, then fringed with crochet flowers, joined on with a chain stitch.

Susan's "Micrographia" is an explanation of the graphic qualities of stitch. It uses cross, long tailed chain, and fly stitches on Aida cloth.

Robyn was continuing on with her walkabout bag panel which she is hoping to finish this month.

Jenny was knitting Lupin Lace socks, a pattern purchased from The Wool Inn.  The socks were being knitted  in Schoppel Wolle Crazy Zauberball 4ply, a 75% wool 25% nylon yarn from Germany.

Wendy was joining knitted squares for a Lifehouse rug.

Susan had finished a small bag, a scarf, and a solid granny square, all in crochet. The bag is worked in the round in single crochet, with flowers for decoration, while the scarf has been made by mixing yarns together.

Our next meeting will be in August. I wonder what gorgeous show and tell will be on offer.

June 2015

Our meeting this month brought only four members, with a few away manning stalls at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair.

Show and tell is always on the list though, and even with only four of us there was still lots  to see.

Robyn had been continuing to go "walkabout" on her bag panel, stitching with split stitch. The spiral has been stitched with back stitch.

Annette and Jenny had both been knitting. Annette had been knitting baby things for the new arrival, Poppy Bella Kell, who arrived on June 5th. First up was this beautiful shawl in 3ply pure merino wool, completed in time for Poppy's birth.

Next was this cute matinee jacket also in 3ply pure merino wool.

Then there were the baby socks made from left over sock yarn. Do we think Baby Poppy will be warm this winter? 

Jenny had made herself a pair of fingerless gloves. Never wanting a pair, Jenny had found sewing in her sewing room in winter was giving her cold hands. So a pair of fingerless gloves made in pure wool 4 ply was the answer. Her hands could stay warm while she still sewed and worked in her sewing room.

Jenny's shawl was also growing. It had taken on a mind of it's own and was becoming more 3/4 circle rather than the 1/2 circle that was originally planned.

Sheila was continuing on he "drawing a day" journey. The intention is to work in watercolour in her new diary/daybook.

Our next meeting will be in July. Come back and visit again to see what we get up to over the next few weeks

May 2015

There were six of us in attendance at our meeting this month, with some of us contributing to the circle challenge for the Craft and Quilt Fair next month.

Above is Robyn's contribution, back stitched on felt using her own original sketch as inspiration.

This is one of Wendy's,  using her favourite cretan stitch in bright colours.

Another circle of Wendy's, again using cretan stitch, this time in pinks and greens.

This needle darned version was made by Annette.

"Fan Vaulting" is by Susan, another white circle to add to the collection.

Jenny had put her owls together into a mobile. Using fishing line and fishing swivels, the 3D appliquéd and machine embroidered owls swing freely from a padded and fabric covered metal ring.

Sheila had made the above three bags using vintage embroideries from the Marie Yeardley Collection. The frog had been stitched by Marie herself. Other fabrics used in the bags were from donations. The bags are now for sale at Guild headquarters in Concord West.

Jenny had been busy knitting. Firstly there are her socks which are finally finished, using a 4 ply  Lincraft Lullaby yarn. A few problems had to be overcome to finish the socks, including a free pattern from  http://www.knitpicks.com/   that could have been written clearer, bamboo needles that split, and not having enough yarn, which gave way to different coloured toes.

Next up was a baby set of hat, mittens and booties for a new member of the family. These can be viewed here, on Jenny's personal blog.

Then there is the half circular shawl experiment. using a denim coloured  acrylic, mohair, angora  mixed yarn, from the Marmaris Collection, The beginning of the shawl is loosely based on a circular one from a Shepherd Book of  baby shawls, but this shawl has now taken on a mind of it's own. Watch this space to see where it leads.

Jenny had also been playing with some coloured needle weaving on a WIP sampler.

Wendy was promoting the Signature Cloth, in which everyone is invited to add their name. For any non-stitchers, or overseas stitchers, the Guild will add your name for a $5 donation that will help redevelop our building. Please contact the Embroideres Guild NSW if you would like your name stitched on this cloth, or even willing to give a small donation to aid the re-development of our building.

April 2015

Our April meeting brought only a few of us in the morning  as other members were in attendance at another meeting. The morning was spent quietly stitching and chatting, then at lunch, visiting members joined us and there was much chatter. Show & tell came after lunch when our other members returned.

Jenny had been making owls. There were six of them in all, and all six were double sided. Using applique, and machine embroidery, the owls were layered together with padding between, stitched together, trimmed then satin stitched around the edge. The owls will eventually form part of a mobile.

Annette had been knitting a lace pattered baby shawl. Using 3ply natural superfine wool, a knitted edge surrounds the main body of the shawl

Above are two more pages from Sheila's "Drawing a Day" challenge.

Donna has had an enjoyable month reading and working through "A method of Creating Design" by Adolfo Best Maugard. Adolfo suggest that we can create designs using seven motifs, - a spiral, a circle, a half circle, two half circles in a "S" shape, a wavy line, zig zags, and a straight line. When combined they create an endelss number of patterns. Above is Donna's play with this suggestion.

We hope you all enjoy this small show and tell for this month, and come back for another vist in My to see what we have got up to.