Out and about Merseyside

I picked Barbara up this morning and we set off for the Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool. The Sat Nav took us right to a large carpark in the grounds of the Cathedral. We walked in and greeted the Merseyside members but decided to have lunch first. We sat outside, in the shade, eating a very pleasant lunch. We then moved inside and was warmly greeted by Vicky and members of Merseyside. They had erected an excellent exhibition to celebrate their 60th birthday and there was a really good footfall. Again there was a visitor vote and as we were leaving Barbara asked me which choice I had made and , guess what, we chose the same again!!!
We were both really impressed with the YE work. In Fact we asked who had done the faces and were quite surprised to hear they were done by the YE. I was also delighted to see the "Golden Fleece" having heard so much about it.
The exhibition is on for a week and well worth a visit. Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Merseyside.

The Golden Fleece

and the YE denim faces

 General views

Vicky at work

Out and about Chelford

Saturday was not a very bright and sunny day when I set off with Barbara for the Chelford Exhibition. At Alderley Edge the road was closed and after a detour arrived back at the same place. We had caught up with the May Day fete so engine off we watched  and listened to the rest of the parade. We were beckoned on behind the parade as it moved into the park but then met another road block. Some crazy driver decided to overtake me to be closer to the roadblock...why? So when we arrived at Chelford, I was frazzled. Sibylla was in the carpark at that moment so suggested that we parked and blocked  her, as she would be the last to go.
The welcome was lovely, the exhibitions worth our time and a difficult task, trying to choose our visitor vote. We ate refreshments and chatted to so many faces that I recognise. Just wish I was a bit better at remembering names. I spent more that I had expected at the wide range of stalls and even won a bottle of wine in the tombola. Merlot , my favourite , and some still left for tonight.
On Friday I had specially charged my camera but for some odd reason did not take any photos. However Ruby Porter was there again and as always sends her greetings. Her tabled raised over £200 for the orphanage so when she sent me a photo Im sure she wouldn't mind if I used it. She also mentioned an exhibition coming up in the future and she will send me details to advertise on the NWR Blog.

Our journey home was much easier but the weather had really deteriorated and we went through very heavy rain and some floods. We were very sad to think how the Fete was surviving. Travelling to meet other members in other branches is one of my favourite activities. Make the job so much more enjoyable.

May meeting in Bolton

Well I can hardly catch my breath, on Tues I went down to London in readiness of the Council meeting on Wednesday. The journeys were both smooth and trains ran on time but it was still 5 hours there and 6 hours back. Because of this , I sadly had to miss the Bolton meeting. Jane Smith explained the" History and Techniques of Japanese Embroidery". Having spent a couple of weeks in Japan and attempted a workshop with Midori ,I'm sure that I would have loved this talk. However I asked Ann to take a few photos so at least we have a record of the night. Thanks Ann.

Embroiderers’ Guild – Bolton Branch

May 2016

News and Competitions  

The Rose Bowl competition for next year at Lancaster is on the theme of looking through - entrances, doorways and windows etc.

Play Days

·         July 9^th play day will be run on 23^rd July.

 Exhibitions and Events

• Details about Summer School at Waddow Hall, Clitheroe on 3-5 June, on the notice board. Booking suechisnall@btinternet.com
• Now & Then : 60^th Anniversary of the Manchester Branch. 14^th Feb- 22^nd May. Exhibitions and workshops see Salford’s What’s On booklet, www.salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/culture/ordsall-hall. Workshops must be booked through Ordsall Hall.
• “Structure”; a contemporary textile exhibition in the Market Place Bolton at the Neo gallery 27 by 11 different textile artists (including Bella May Leonard who you may remember from her work at Gawthorpe), from various parts of the country.

 7 April - 29 May 2016.

·         The Astley Bridge Festival is on July 9^th, where there will be crafts to see and buy.

·         The AGM and Summer meal will be at Ridgemont House, Horwich on July 19^th. The cost of meal and welcome drink will be £25. Please put your name down with Judith.

·         “.By a thread”... masterclass with Claire Wellesley-Smith to be held at Gawthorpe Hall on Friday 15^th is sold out.

·         Next month’s speaker is Claire Wellesley-Smith, “Slow Stitch and Natural Dyes”.

Workshop- Put your name down for the next workshop - “Shibori Scarf” with Nawal Gabreel on the June 25^th, at Banktop Church, Ashworth Lane, Bolton, BL18RX.

 Big Thank You

To all of you who brought work for our exhibition at the Regional Day. It certainly looked splendid!

Raffle prizes are always welcome.  Please see Barbara Ryall if you have anything. If there are any library books you think would be suitable for us, please tell Sheelagh Madden. (An ISBN would be helpful)

If you hear of any interesting exhibitions or events that you think may be of interest, please let Brenda Brown know and details can go on the newsletter; brownhovis33@yahoo.co.uk  Don’t forget our blog address for Bolton EG is http://begstitchers.blogspot.com/ . Also just a reminder that the Guild web address is www.embroiderersguild.com The Northwest blog address is http:/www.info@nwregionembroiderers.org

Out and about ,Pendle

It seems to be non stop at the moment. After the weekend I was back over in Pendle. Out talk was  "The stories behind the Quaker Tapestry" I seem to have grown up with this piece of work. We have had at least two talks in Bolton, I saw parts of it at an exhibition years ago{ cant remember the place} and I went to a special exhibition in Blackburn Cathedral. So I thought that I knew most of the stories but how wrong was I. It really impresses me how each speaker adds her personal slant to the work. Today, there was a concentration on the stitches , but I also remember t my first talk where we all learned how to do the Quaker stitch. I must try to remember this as it makes a wonderful line for lettering. I was asked not to take photos of the slides as they do not do justice to the colours so could take only one or two of our speaker, telling us about a bag that she started years ago and only recently managed its completion...huuum a familiar tale!!

Finally I should remind you that the home of this amazing work is "just up the road" in the Kendal meeting House. Really worth a couple of hours and also a good tea room. Why not combine a visit with our newest NWR branch, Kendal who meet once a month at the same venue.

National AGM May 7th 2016

It was an early start and two trains but worth the effort to attend the AGM. As I gave my name, Alex came rushing to meet me. We have been corresponding regularly re the CBP and she is now also a new trustee. I guess that was the tone for the day. I believe that there was an excellent exhibition ,but I never had a free moment to see it. I talked to SO MANY members. I was delighted that the NWR made up about 10% of the audience and I must check but think about 8 or 9 branches were represented. We were greeted by Jean and  Jan and then heard from Susie Vickery who has lived in many different third world countries, and encouraged the locals to stitch. She has various charities and I am in awe of what she has done. I suggest you look her up on the web and if ever you get the chance to meet her, then drop everything for it.
The formal AGM passed without controversy. The auditors were reelected and the rise of £3.00 membership fees was passed.I have copied a small part of the report from the national pages but do go on line and read the Minutes and reports in full.
Muriel Campbell explained the consequences of the outcome of the members' consultation October/January 2015/16, reviewed many of the successes in the last year and concluded her report with an announcement... that the Embroiderers' Guild Collection will be moved later this year to a new home. It will remain the Guild's Collection but it will be looked after for an initial period of 25 years by the curatorial team at Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust in Aylesbury. Bucks County Museum is an Accredited Museum. They will provide a permanent exhibition gallery for the Collection from 2017 and members will be able to visit the museum at any time and arrange for visits 'behind the scenes' to see specific pieces on request and tour the substantial collections of textiles and other significant artefacts already held by the museum trust.
Gill Drury focused on the importance of income generation particularly to help fund the central Guild's work in support of realising the Vision and Aims of the Guild. She also explained the consequences of the rejection by members of the consultation proposals, in particular, those relating to reducing the burden and costs of administration; the consequence being the need to make further substantial cost savings which would inevitably result in a loss of capacity at head office. Gill also included important messages in relation to year end returns from regions and branches and the importance of banking with Unity Bank - itself the policy of the Guild and one put in place to afford maximum protection for all Regional and Branch committees
Linda Danielis another new trustee from Cumberland introduced herself at lunch. She will be joining us at our regional AGM in October. Her skill is marketing and many of you will know that this is close to my heart.
After lunch we had the presentations and I was particularly impressed by the graduates. They explained how their bursaries had been used,
The afternoon concluded with a talk by Sian Martin. I understood that she would talk about Lace but also gave us a brief biography of her family and their crafting skills. I particularly liked her ideas of lacing together portions of photos. Again look her up via the main site.
So an early start for a Saturday but I came away feeling quite comfortable. There had been a friendly atmosphere and positive vibes for the future, If you were there, let me know what you thought.

Gawthorpe Hall Gardens

On a sunny morning about a week ago, I joined other embroiderers for a wander around the gardens at Gawthorpe. At first glance , they might not be the most manicured or even extensive, but they are a hidden treasure. The ranger was so informative and enthusiastic of both the flora fauna and also the buildings. We had a lovely time and I took loads of photos that could be used for the CBP project. A taste of them below.....

The classic view

Our starting point, a huge barn outside and above it , inside.

We were all fascinated by our guides knowledge,

Even a robin stayed to pat attention.

This is my inspiration for a smocked piece for Bolton and a hand felted piece for Pendle.

Lovely countryside and then finally the room where our exhibition will take place