This is a the first in an occasional series of posts on the favourite stitches of some of our members. First up is Serena. We all love Serena's designs where she produces some intricate double cross stitch patterns, often with dates and hidden motifs. This is her design using another favourite: double running stitch. It looks like back stitch but is made differently. Learn how to do it with the RSN Stitch Bank.
What a great day we had yesterday with Wyn Ingham; Wyn has visited us several times before and it's always a great pleasure and fun. This time she came to give us her talk on Casalguidi and lace in the morning and the in the afternoon we did a mini workshop creating some cute macarons.
Wyn has been collecting textiles for a long time and has some gorgeous pieces of lace, some she has bought as little samples and other pieces are family heirlooms she has gathered and saved. Her family have long been connected with textiles, craftsmanship (cabinet makers, confectioners, weavers) and teaching; as a young girl she stitched and embroidered with her tailoress grandma. This was particularly interesting for me as my grandma was also from a family of tailors and we have a history of weavers and confectioners too - spooky!
She took us through family stories involving pieces of embroidery and told us fascinating tales of visiting Rachael Kay Shuttleworth at Gawthorpe Hall with an aunt and carrying biscuits round in a casalguidi bag. Holidays have inevitably got visits to fabric stores and textile collections woven into them.
She then took us on a journey through Elizabethan sumptuary laws, dyeing and bleaching fabrics, Schiffli lace (chemical lace) and of course Casalguidi which was produced in a short window of time.
Here are just a few of the lovely pieces of lace from her collection.
Today we went floral again thanks to a lovely workshop with Claire K. She kindly wrestled some organza cutting into strips on the bias which was a job and a half! We gathered and rolled it into two tone roses in two sizes. Beads threaded onto twisted wire added a lovely embellishment and then finally some sepals to complete the flowers. We had a choice of making stems, corsages, hair clips or parts for fascinators. Great morning!
Haworth is just on our doorstep and yet so often overlooked as a place to visit, but as we discovered on our Summer outing this week, it is full of creative surprises.
First stop was The Classroom a new studio space set up by craft cafe Cobbles and Clay in the heart of Haworth Main Street. Our tutor Hannah, guided us through the art of printing with beautiful hand-carved wood blocks. This ancient method of decorating cloth dates back to 3500 - 1300BC and was first recorded in the Indus valley. It took a little practice to perfect our technique but we were soon printing bags, cushions and tea towels with our own distinctive designs.
After a delightful lunch at the cafe we made our way down the cobbled street to Wyedean Weaving to see another bit of history. Wyedean have been making uniform, braid and accoutrement for 60 years and their work played a pivotal role in the pageantry of the King's Coronation. Their looms were responsible for the narrow braids and ribbons that turn simple suits into military uniforms. We were able to see at close quarters the exquisite gold work embroidery that forms regimental badges and standards. The company is rightly proud of the 4 embroiderers that received the King's Coronation Medal for their work on the new colours and standards for the Royal Navy, the Life Guards, the Royal Airforce and the Grenadier guards.
After a tour through all four floors of the mill and encountering a dazzling array of weaving and braiding machines, we finished in the show room where were were able to appreciate all the work and history that lies behind our military regalia. Wyedean owners, Robin and Debra were generous with their time, answering our questions and giving us a fascinating insight into their work.
A few of us had a wonderful day on Saturday creating seascapes with Laura Edgar. She made it down from lovely Whitley Bay and while her husband disappeared for a couple of alcohol free Guinnesses and the football we all got stuck in to creating textile seascapes.
Laura brought us some gorgeous samples of her work (click on the link above), a small sample shown here:
It was a fantastic workshop and our thanks go to Laura for making it such an enjoyable day. We didn't get finished so watch this space for further updates. in the meantime here are our efforts in various stages.
