2014 Challenge - Luggage Labels

As our Branch Challenge  for 2014 members were tasked with producing a series of luggage labels, one (sometimes two) a month, recording Guild events, speakers  outings, or themes appropriate to the time of year. 
The specified themes were : 
AUTUMN - MACCLESFIELD SILK MUSEUM - RUBINA PORTER - WINTER - GLITZY/GOLDWORK - HEARTS - SPRING FESTIVALS - COUCHED STRING - MEDIAEVAL - MAP - FLOWERS - BEACH

Here are some of their amazing and inspiring results.

Above by Janice

Above by Wyn

Above by Rona

Above by Myra

Members - if your tags are included above and I've not credited you 

please let me know which are yours! 

If they're not included above, please bring them to the 

October meeting for photographing. Thanks, Mandy

Branch Exhibition - A Celebration of Stitch!

Our Branch Exhibition was held at Kershaw's Garden Centre, Brighouse, on Saturday 20th September. The staff at Kershaw's were so helpful and friendly and our exhibits really fitted in well among the pots, plants and statues. Lots of members gave up their time both prior to, and on the day, to make sure that our stitching was shown off to its best advantage and that our visitors (and there were many!) were warmly welcomed. 

We made tags and put details of our meetings on the back - visitors were invited to choose one - a very hard decision as they were all lovely! 

Because of the proximity of the exhibition to Samuel Taylor's shop, it was of mutual benefit - we pinched their customers and they pinched ours! Staff came over to say that people who had been inspired by work in the exhibition were going straight to the shop to buy the things they needed to have a try themselves, which was really good news. Hopefully they will be following that up by joining us at our meetings!
Here are closer details of some of the work on display.

August Playday - 3D Beach Huts

Continuing with the sea-side theme, for our August Playday we made fun 3D beach huts. 
As always when measurements are involved, there were some problems with ensuring that when stitched the pieces remained square enough to assemble, but the semi-finished items show that it was worth the effort! I can't wait to see the finished items! 

Irene bucked the trend by making some flat beach huts

Jo must have worked like mad - her beach hut is nearly finished. 

The outside is made from pieced strips, the inside has a picture and a door, 

and the roof has matching gable ends. 

Davina is making a cheery stripy / spotty beach hut 

with a natty functioning door!

Margaret not only made a beach hut, but also knocked up a matching deck-chair and flip-flops - she also had some wonderful beachy background fabric.

Liz's lovely beach hut with its spotty roof has a starfish for embellishment. 

Sandra was worried that her stripes weren't straight, 

but they look just fine to me!

Helen decided to make an appliquéd beach scene

Catherine made a lovely rainbow-striped hut, along with its own lawn

Sue M made a bumper-sized beach hut in lovely contrasting patterns

Jan's beach hut even has a hinged door. That's just showing off. 

Wyn's lovely hut in shades of blue has matching "wallpaper" lining

Here is our holiday village, complete with holidaymakers! 

Jane B made a lovely hut complete with surfboard and bunting, however she seems to have escaped without me taking a photo of it.

Hopefully I will soon be able to update this with some finished items...

August Meeting - 2D Beach Huts

No speaker this month, instead we had a practical night and all sat stitching away at some tiny beach-hut kits that Wyn had put together for us (thanks Wyn!) - not many were finished on the night because we were too busy chatting, but by the time our Exhibition comes round in September, I bet they will be dripping with bunting and seashells! 

Here are the fruits of our labours...as usual, it was amazing to see the different techniques and stitches that members used when embarking on what was essentially the same task. 

By Saturday morning, new member Jo had put us to shame by finishing her piece, mounting it and finding a piece of driftwood to hang it from!