Inbetweeners - Gold(i)works and the one bear

Some very different pieces of work from our members this time. 

Sue Tebbutt has been perfecting her goldwork techniques on two different pieces of work. 

Firstly, this printed panel which she bought from Beyond Measure in Todmorden. 

"They come printed in different colours 

but this yellow made me think of covering it up with goldwork"

Sue has also finished another piece of goldwork, this time using the advanced  technique of Or Nué. 

Or Nué (or shaded gold) is a form of goldwork embroidery using couching where different coloured silk threads are stitched over the metallic base of gold threads to form patterns or designs. The finished product is deliberately stitched so that the metal shows. 

The or nué poppy was stitched by Sue Tebbutt from the design 'Lest we Forget' by Anna Scott Embroidery (Fine Stitch Studio).

Abigail Ledder has been on a workshop at Fabberdashery in Halifax and has made this fabulous tiny "Bear in a Teacup".

February Playday - Hello Again Dolly

Following on from the February Meeting's talk from our talented doll-making members, Saturday's Playday continued the theme and members worked on a varied assortment of dolls.

February Meeting - "Hello Dolly" with Wendy Aldred, Lesley Tingle and Jo Sykes

As I was not able to attend the February meeting, the following text and photographs have been shamelessly cribbed from fellow member Liz Barraclough's blog at bizzymitts.com 
Thanks Liz! 

When ‘An Evening of Dolls’ appeared on our Embroiderer’s Guild program, I must admit the prospect didn’t enthrall me. However, what a fascinating night it turned out to be! Below are a couple of member Wendy Aldred’s creations.

  

Wendy talked about how her techniques have evolved since making her first dolls. Her construction is pretty technical from how she wires the fingers, creates the features and adds the stuffing. ‘When you think you’ve done enough, add more!’ A flat screwdriver with a notch cut in the end makes a good stuffing tool. A knitting needle does not. Some of the dolls’ outfits are made from fabric off-cuts from the Royal Opera House where Wendy’s daughter once worked on the costumes and we handled a sample of goat hair that apparently is good for dolls too.

Next we had Lesley Tingle talk about her dolls and how she uses her antique notions and embroidery samples (like the stitched felt below) in dressing them. The antique textile fair in Manchester is a great place for treasures like hair slides, buttons and braids for jackets.

  

Lesley extensively researches art dolls and brought a selection of books and dolls from her collection, like these in a primitive style below. For anyone also interested in art dolls she recommends (firstly being very careful of dubious websites!) looking at the exquisite work of Antoinette Cely, whose dolls are so realistic they look almost human; and for superb doll-making resources, to see Patti Culea.

Below are dolls by yet another talented member, Jo Sykes. How adorable are those boots?

Other members brought their creations too. Margaret Walton’s doll won an award for creativity in one of the Guild’s regional competitions.

Some of us brought along the crazy creatures we made on a guild workshop with Raggedy Annie. Mine here are about as near to a doll as I’ll ever get.

The talks were followed by the monthly raffle. This time the theme was checks, and as you can see, there were prizes in abundance! 

January Meeting - Saima Kaur

Our January speaker was the engaging Saima Kaur, who currently lives in Hebden Bridge and is a prolific stitcher and maker of colour-popping embroideries inspired by Indian culture and Saima's travels in Asia. Saima's family originate in the Punjab and came to the UK to work in the textile industry. When travelling in India, Saima found herself drawn to the most "Indian-y" looking fabrics and objects, for example this Gujurati beadwork. 

This colourful hanging is an example of Phulkari which is an embroidery technique from the Punjab region (divided between India and Pakistan) and is in a typically geometric design.

Saima likes to stitch pieces which have particular meaning to her. This piece reflects her Indian heritage.

She has embraced the Punjabi tradition of "storytelling quilts" and made this one based on a visit to the circus. 

Following the birth of her daughter, Saima made an heirloom quilt. She explained the meaning behind it and both she and we were quite emotional by the time she'd finished. 

In order to make herself "do something" with her sewing skills, Saima set herself three challenges. 

They were : 

1. To make something for a friend

2. To make something for someone who was not a friend - Saima made a hanging for a café where the staff had been kind to her daughter.

3. To do a craft fair. 

Having completed those challenges and put herself "out there", Saima continues to push herself and is making items to sell. 

If you would like to contact Saima to come and speak to your group, her e-mail address is saimakaur@outlook.com

She is on Instagram as @sewsaima