February newsletter

This is the last meeting at which you may order tickets for the Regional Day on Saturday 17^th April at the Manchester Conference Centre. The tickets cost £28 including lunch and teas and coffees. Please tell me (Marilyn) if you wish to go. I have copies of the entry/insurance form for the Rose Bowl competition if you wish to enter. If you don’t fill the form in and return it by 15th March, you may still enter but your work will not be insured . I also have entry forms for the Coats Anchor Award “For Excellence in Embroidery”, plus details of the traders and speakers.

If you would like a copy of the North West Journal, please could you let me know as these must be ordered by 31^st March. The Journal is full of information and articles and costs just £1.50p.

We are archiving the Branch minutes at Bolton Library, and would like to put a potted history of the Branch with them. If you have any memories of events such as the Hospice hanging please could you write them down so that we can compile this. Val is collating this information.

Don’t forget that Val has set up a blog for Bolton EG at http://begstitchers.blogspot.com/ Have a look and give your comments.

EXHIBITIONS

Blackrod Stitch and Knit are having an exhibition at St Katharine’s Parish Church on 13^th March

Chelford and North Cheshire EG – Rags to Riches – Saturday 22^nd May 2010, 10am -4pm at Chelford Village Hall, Knutsford Road, Chelford SK10 9AS. £3 admission charge for adults. For more information go to www.chelfordstitchers.blogspot.com or contact 01606 871450.

The Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston - Embellished: The Art of fabulous fabrics, runs until November 2010. Open Monday- Saturday 10am – 5pm except Tuesday 11am – 5pm.

The ARC Gallery Chester – Cheshire Textiles Contemporary textile Artists’ new work – runs until 4^th March at 4, Commonhall Street, Chester. Further information at www.thearcgallery.co.uk

The Creative Stitch and Hobbycrafts Show at Aintree takes place from23rd-25^th April. Val will book tickets if you wish to go.

Dates for your Diary

9^th April 2010 The National AGM at Nottingham University

15^th – 18^th July – Summer School at Alston Hall. I have details of the courses.

Finally

If you have any donations for the sales table please bring them along to any meeting. If there are any large items which do not sell you will have to take them home as unfortunately we have no storage space.

Lorraine Traer-Clark, an EG member has just launched a company offering specialist textile tours in the

UK, supporting our textile heritage, local textile artists and professionals. I have a copy of the textile holiday tours brochure if you are interested, or you can request a copy from www.textileholidaytours.co.uk

Barnyarns are offering free sewing machine needles if you join their newsletter group by going to the website (www.barnyarns.co.uk) and clicking on “Claim a Free gift.” You will also receive a discount coupon.

Marilyn.

February Meeting

I woke again to see a blanket of snow , very pretty but I am getting fed up with it.   I had to cancel my class at the gym as the snow kept falling.   I wondered how many members would actually make it to our meeting that evening?  However we had a pretty good turn out.   Lesley was leading our meeting.   We had been asked to bring along our market pieces, whether finished or not .[ Creating the panel is our final act of celebration for our 25th Anniversary].    This gave Lesley a chance to place them on the backing fabric.  We were then asked to cut and hem them  and if time allowed, begin to make price labels.    

 

 

 

 

 

Barbara the took a few minutes to explain her thoughts behind the design of the pulpit fall, which we plan to make in memory of Nancy a former member.

Bookings were taken for the Regional Day in Manchester and some members even took applications for the competitions.  Only 2 places remain for the next Day School.

Connecting Threads our 25th Anniversary Exhibition, May 2009.

There were far more pieces than we had first anticipated, but all were displayed. Our venue was the Rivington Art Gallery. Below {second}] shows most of our Silver competition pieces. Selection of photos for this display was totally random. Many thanks to members for their permission to publish.

 

        

Jacobs’ Feast. Saturday 30/01/10

Members were actually queuing  outside the door, before it opened yesterday.  I’m not sure if it was in anticipation of the food, the activity or both.  Our activity was marbling on fabric using shaving foam as a support medium.

Eileen displays the sort of piece that we could attempt. Then how to mix colours on the shaving foam.

Maureen looks absorbed by the task

Margaret and Florence concentrate on their work

Phil, Pauline and Julie  have no time to talk.

Ann and I dry our samples.

We then had a break for lunch.  As usual there  was an amazing range of foods and it was good to be able to take a break and chat to people.  Almost half of our members were able to attend that day so the volume of chatter was quite high!!!  After lunch we worked on some of our samples. Most of us chose to make something simple like a book mark or a bracelet and are saving our better pieces for reflection and inspiration, later. So thread, beads and sparkles  were applied to our book marks as seen with  Judith,. 

And then as always  at the end of a practical we gathered together to have a brief show and tell.

So another Jacobs feast came to an end. We left clutching our samples and thinking of how we were going to use them. I wish we could incorporate them into the Building and Architecture Competition  at Manchester.

January meeting

It was good to see everyone  at the start of our New Year.  Hugh  Barton had been invited to come and talk to us about the Embroideries of Lancaster Priory Church. He gave a really informative talk about these works, all designed and worked by his parents of whom he is immensely proud.  His talk was illustrated with a large number of slides  and of course he brought along samples of work. I was particularly interested in the original hand coloured sketches.

Lesley then assembled pieces brought along for out Market Hanging.  Next month we hope to see many more pieces, either completed or wanting advice.  The meeting will focus on this. However Barbara will also bring her ideas for the memorial panel in memory of Nancy.

 

Members were reminded about the Jacobs Feast on Sat.30th Jan and the materials needed to attempt foam marbling. {Phone me if you have forgotten}  Other dates  for our diaries are  9th April, National AGM at Nottingham,  17th April Regional Day in Manchester and Summer School, Alston Hall, 15th to 18th  July.Members are being encouraged to participate in the Buildings and Architecture competition at our Regional Day.

Earlier group pieces of work

This is a huge wall panel to be seen at the entrance to the Royal Bolton Hospital. It was created to commemorate the closing of the Bolton Royal Hospital. Individual slips were completed by members and then stitched together .

Details of the crewel work piece.Quite a challenge to keep track of it as it was passed amongst our members.

Our crewel work fire screen was designed for and now found in Smithills Hall Museum

The banner is made of small off white squares, mounted on a blue background showing a wide range of embroidery techniques.

Details of the tablecloth. Members were asked to use the flower theme on any shade of green fabric.

A small exhibition at New Chapel {the oldest in Bolton} showing our tablecloth and welcome banner. You can also see that we had earlier had a BUG competition.

This is work in progress .....for our Rainbow Squares. We finally completed 5 strips that were exhibited at Manchester Central {GMex} , Quarry Bank Museum and our NW Regional AGM.

Programme Jan –July 2010

January 19^th Hugh Barton ‘Embroideries at Lancaster Priory Church’

February 16^th Work/Planning Evening for Bolton Market Hanging led by Lesley King

March 16^th Elizabeth Smith ‘Fabric of Life

April 20^th Anne Burrow ‘Family Connections’

May 18^th Ann Christy ‘From a Distance’

June 15^th Eileen Pepper ‘Tudor Times’

July 20^th E. G. M., Show & Tell

We will also hold a Jacobs Feast on Saturday 30th January, starting at 10.30 at Bank Top UR Church. The practical will be led by Eileen Holmes.

On Sat March13th Ann Burrows will lead a workshop “Haberdashery with Hand or Machine Embroidery”

The June 12th workshop has yet to be confirmed.