Japanese Box

 I made this box just before Christmas at an Embroiderers' Guild meeting but was not happy with the flat lid so changed it when I arrived home and made it more dome shaped with some wadding for padding.  I also added the antique key and made the silk ribbon by zig zagging the raw silk on my Bernina with a fine stitch.  Afterwards I was really pleased with the result. The idea for the key came from having a browse on the Internet to see what other ideas folks had.

A box made from Japanese inspired fabric

I put some surprise presents inside and packed it for the trip to the USA but could not include photos of it before because it was a present for my DD.  I watched her open it on Skype on Christmas Day and it was a hit.... thanks to Marilyn for the workshop at Keswick EG.

Neck tie craft

Well at the last meeting of the EG they said we did not have long to turn our old neckties into snakes...  I have this striped one, blue and maroon, mainly because I was last to the bag and all the best ties had gone....


But I had an idea...

Snake stuffed with toy stuffing, ready to go

Stuffing the tie from both ends was the first move in the jigsaw, then I had to coax the inner fabric of the tie into the classic v shapes for the tail and the mouth.  Next I had a rummage through my bits and pieces and found some suitable items.

I wanted red leather for the tongue as I wanted it to match the red in the stripes. I also found an old tassle I had made many moons ago.

Finding the right 'eyes' was not difficult as I had some old buttons in my collection too, these came from a Marks and Sparks jumper I seem to recall, not mine, my mother in laws.

Lastly, I found a small piece of chequered ribbon which had been attached to a present I think.  I also needed a name but one kept nagging me and I stuck with it......

So may I introduce you to Melissa the Hissa ...... drum roll......

A snake with attitude!

Threlkeld in stitches

Today was day one of a three day show of quilts, embroidery and knitting at Threlkeld, a small village which nestles under the mighty hill Blencathra. As I arrived this morning the rain was falling but the forecast was good so I quickly attached my banner to the wall and made a dash for the dry hall.

 

The place is a typical village hall and the exhibition was organised to raise funds to keep it from falling into disrepair.  Like so many public buildings in Cumbria the local people have to do a lot of work to raise money if they want to keep their facilities going.  Threlkeld village hall is no exception to this rule and a lot of hard work and enthusiasm from a few had gone into organising and staging the exhibits.  Whilst I am on the subject, that means that the ladies have to ask their husbands to hang the quilts and to help with the lifting and carrying and in this case even taking the money on the door.  So before I forget, well done chaps! We could not do it without you.

Once inside it was not long before I too was given a few jobs to do, but it was all for a worthy cause so I was happy to oblige. There was a good atmosphere even though in the early stages we had to wait for the customers to appear. But by lunchtime the place was buzzing. One of the events organised by the ladies was to help make a Linus quilt and in the photo below you can just see the quilt pieces on the left pinned up prior to assembly.  Members of the public were invited to sew a square (quick cathedral window) and this was where they were placed ready for making into the finished quilt.





I was stewarding all morning and I am back again on Monday, if you are in the area, why don't you call into the exhibition, it is well staged and the exhibits are lovely.  I will show you some of them in my next posting hopefully tomorrow.

Keswick Embroiderers' Exhibition - 6th July 2012

Hi everyone, I type this under severe pressure with no first letter the key does not work..........so I commence with b if you see my point.....It is going to be difficult but I must try.

Our exhibition went down very well with the public, so I intend to show you some of our work.

Only eleven of us could turn up for it but we enjoyed ourselves.

So I offer snippets below with terse comments without the letter before the B ........

Cushions

Felt work

Close up shot

Still life

3D effect

Needle LAce

 Got one to work there but only coz it's fiddled............

Mixed MediA

Add caption - don't know the medium/technique - sorry

Top two silk pAper

A huge diversity shown here

Stumpwork? or something including goldwork?

A snil - remember I've keybord problems.....

Embroidery on Mini Quilts

Big Quilt  - no embroidery here

Red Squirrel

Mixed MediA

Silk PAper purses

Boxes MAde esy using zig zg stitch

Well I did it; just. If you ever feel like trying it yourself, my only comment is it's blinking difficult....

Now for my next trick I need to get my keybord fixed pronto, coz it's driving me md.

EG workshop today

Many thanks to Lesley for her excellent workshop today on making boxes quickly using the sewing machine and pelmet vilene.  It was very easy to do because she had cut out all the pieces ready for us so it saved time.  As you can see I did not quite finish mine and I chose very bright cotton for the outside of the box with a subdued inner. I outlined the pieces with some aqua green knitted tape stuff.  I am not sure what it is called or supposed to be used for but it worked well on this project.

Part finished box

I used a Madeira glitter in green to zig zag the edges too.  Anyway, it was good to chill out and listen to the chatter from our friendly group of EG ladies and to catch up with the latest news.  I have to go now as I still need to get back to the jacket and the hat.......

It's more Dumfries EG stuff

I have been so busy with the Keswick Mountain Festival all last week that I just could not find the time or energy to blog, I am doing a quick one tonight as I still don't really have a lot of time tonight either.


Blogger is playing games and won't do anything I want it to, so I will publish this as is because its so frustrating when you can't see what's going on properly.

detail of Aquarium

Margie Booth

So I found a couple of the embroideries I liked which I had photographed in detail too and when I looked at them again discovered they were both by the same person! So Margie this is your spotlight. You do deserve it too because I like your whimsical work very much.

I am sorry the glass has caused some reflections, but I think it does not detract from the work.

Dumfries EG some of the photos

A pretty display up the top of the stairs

 The display was brilliant and filled two rooms plus all the way up the stairs, but photography is not always simple in such situations.  Some of the embroideries had glass over them which made it almost impossible to take a decent photo. So I have a taken ones I thought would show the diversity of their work. I did not have a catalogue so I cannot give all of the names and techniques here but I am sure you won't mind.

Shirley McKeand's Jacobean waistcoat

 I did recognise Shirley's work straight away as she is a very talented embroiderer and studied and worked in couture for many years.  She had quite a few jackets and coats in the exhibition and this was just one of them showing how she uses crewelwork to enhance a waistcoat.

Lovely silk paper slippers by Lynda Crowson

Some of you will know that I am particularly fond of making silk paper and then turning it into all sorts of objects, but I have never made a pair of tiny slippers, so these attracted my attention. I also liked the little needle punched puffins which you can just see below them, but I will post photos of them and other delights another day.

Solway Quilters

Catherine Mandoki "Liberty in the museum"

Yesterday I had the pleasure of a day off and went with the EG ladies and the Cumbria Patchworkers to Dumfries in Galloway to their show.  It was inspirational. This quilt used Liberty fabrics reproduced by them for their late 18th century and 19th century quilts and coverlets for the Victoria and Albert Museum 2010 exhibition. It was hand appliquéd, pieced and quilted. There were strong spotlights hanging from the ceiling so I could not avoid the loss of colour on the top left hand corner. I did try enhancing with photopaint to get rid of it but the degredation to the rest of the quilt was not worth it.  Catherine it was lovely to meet you again and thank you for being a loyal follower of this blog.

I will be posting more soon but the show had embroidery as well as quilts so if you look at the Keswick Embroiderers' blog you will be able to see some more exhibits. I am not sure when Lesley will post, but I expect it will be soon.

Embroiderers' Christmas Lunch

A pretty Santa in the bar window seat

It was our annual lunch today and we went to Threlkeld nestling under majestic Blencathra to sample the delights of the menu, and we were not disappointed!  We had a good choice on the Festive Menu which included roast turkey, pan seared venison scallops, salmon on a bed of tagliatelle and smoked haddock with poached egg etc.

So if you want to have a really good lunch and you are visiting Cumbria you cannot do better if you like a good traditional English pub than to try the Horse and Farrier at Threlkeld.

Before I go I just want to say hello to Marilyn who has been recovering from a broken wrist and Sally who also was missing today because she is suffering from ill health too. I do hope you are both better soon and have a good Christmas.

I have received the parcel I waited all day yesterday for today.... so now I can finally finish wrapping all those presents and send them on there way to Palm Springs; phew that will be a relief...  So I have to crack on, until tomorrow then.

Designing with the needle

I have been completing a project over the last few days and it took longer than I expected.  (It is ages since I posted so I am feeling guilty of neglecting this blog.) Anyway, the design ideas I had were not too bad because the problem is that I am good at some things with a needle but can't work up any enthusiasm for hand embroidery unless it is crewel work. So I like to think that I design with a needle.... I am simply making 4 inch squares again like the Rainbow Squares we made for the EG a couple of years back but this time they are for the Friends Meeting House (Quakers) who were flooded last autumn. The room which the Keswick EG hire off them needed a lift so the Quakers asked us to make them a rainbow squares type decoration. I was given 4 squares to make and the random colour was brown..... Now brown is not really a colour which turns me on, but I noticed some of the other ladies in the group were envious...so I thought OK I'll do brown. 

Tomorrow they will be finished, and I have been taking photos, so until then.

Day 9 Advent Challenge Gotcha!

This was the best I could do with Robin because he is a secretive little bird and refused to stay for long or to pose, this is also taken through the window of my den so it is not as clear as it should be. But I did get my Advent Robin. He is very fluffed up because this was when the temperature was about -9C, so he is a very round robin ha ha....

Today was the Embroiderers' Guild Christmas Lunch at the Horse and Farrier, Threlkeld and a jolly event it was too.  I had a Parma Ham and melon starter which was very good indeed and then traditional turkey followed by Key Lime Pie. Then we had their own mulled wine which was delicious, followed by coffee, mince pies and mint chocolate. To be fair I took a doggie bag for Bella and brought her home 3 slices of turkey and a chipolata sausage wrapped in bacon too.  Needless to say this was enjoyed once it was all chopped up on a plate, she is a well brought up little dog and does not wolf her food but she did grab the sausage out of my hand when teased.........then dropped it onto the floor to try and chew it demurely......  No photos of this event except for a rather fetching reindeer all lit up in the window.

I found a rather good countdown reminder about the last Christmas post on the Post Office website and placed it at the top of the blog to remind you and me about those ticking away days....... Also you will see below it the list of all the mad bloggers who have accepted the Advent Challenge. I am enjoying looking at their postings every day and hope you will pop by them too. The good thing is that everyone of us has a different approach to this thing so it is lots of fun.....

From the sublime to the ridiculous?

I am still having problems with blogger turning my photos ninety degrees, this one was taken as a landscape not a portrait and look what happened when I uploaded it.  I know that I am not the only person who is suffering from this problem coz Sally http://quiltfeather.blogspot.com/ reported it too.  Anyway, I don't have time tonight to mess about and delete it.  So I hope you like it anyway as it was shown to me by a friend at our EG meeting on Thursday and is a supreme example of crazy quilting. So thank you Marilyn. I have a sneaking feeling that she is going to make some more blocks like this one and if she does will try and show them to you. As you know I bought a book on the subject recently but have not had time yet to make much progress on anything to do with crazy quilting, although I can say that it has been a crazy week so far.......

This next shot is the inside of a carpet bag I am trying to complete. I know it looks really bright but I thought hey why not? Again I took this shot as a landscape and its come out as turned around by blogger  grrrrrrr.

But you can see the little black tape with the clasp? on the end for my keys and also the large black pockets edged with bright pink velvet  yumm. On the other side is another deep pocket edged in silvery black for my purse.  The base of the inside is pink velvet and the sides are this really lovely flower print. I have not finished the bag yet and when I do I will post it up. I hope I can fit it in this week as Wednesday is Cumbria Patchworkers and we are making a Christmas Stocking .... seems every year I get to make one. Actually, my lovely DD in California has received 2 so far so I can think of a home for this one too........

Next up is the Viking... yes I know it's another terrible photo but what can I do? He was standing straight when I took him and when I UPLOADED  it went down hill from there.... I won't show him so large as he might frighten you!  Actually his appearance was not frightening at all it was supposed to be but no I felt quite at home, must have been the grey beard and beer belly.

He did give a very good talk about the Vikings to the ladies at Keswick Embroiderers Guild on Thursday and if you want to see some photos I took of some of the textiles he brought along I sent them onto Lesley to post on the blog which is http://keswickembroiderers.blogspot.com/ or you can find a link to it in my favourite blogs. He was a nice chap ex Royal Marines and he seemed to enjoy showing off in the gear...If you want him to come and visit you then go check him out http://www.vikingasaga.co.uk/

Lastly, I was up Helvellyn on Saturday in very wintry conditions with Bella and so no photos, anyway, you would not want to see us both sitting there on the top trying to keep warm whilst waiting for the others coming up Striding Edge. We waited and waited... with figures lurking out of the mist but no DH and his mates until at last they came. Bella and I had eaten our lunch by then and were nearly about to set off back down the way we came to Swirls carpark. As usual the top was swarming with people who all came up in odd assorted groups, some even in jeans the idiots.....they would not have been able to wait on the top for over an hour like Bella and I. So it is quite a relief to be sat here at my laptop with Bella asleep by the door because the wood burning stove is too warm for her......Pile more on I say as it has gone quite chilly in Cumbria.

A very brief glimpse at the exhibition on Friday if you missed it.

A rug made by Verena in superb colours and yes I seem to have picked out the items which showed our diversity as a group and not those which are strictly embroidery.  This is deliberate because I don't want you to think that we are not multi talented.......

A real eye stopper of a felt bag and I don't know who made it, sorry, but if you know perhaps you will comment on the blog. I imagine it was made during our felt bag making workshop with Marilyn Hughes.

And to finish a small part of a sampler just incase you really wanted to see loads of embroidery. I think it says it all really; and so I take my leave before I become verbose.

Keswick Embroiderers' Guild Exhibition - Friday 2nd July

3 years ago I made this banner to hang outside the Moot Hall in Keswick on the day of our exhibition and I just took it out of storage and checked it was still ok because I need to use it again next Friday 2nd July for our new exhibition.  So if any of you want to see what Keswick EG ladies have been up to this last 3 years then make a note of the following:-

Moot Hall, Keswick Market Square, 2nd July from 10am until 4pm. Entrance FREE

On show will be all the many interesting items we have made including my award winning Wainwright Quilt and some of my silk purses from my workshop I ran in the Spring.

There will be hand made items for sale and also refreshments i.e. homemade biscuits and cakes.

I do hope you can come in for a chat as we are a small friendly group who love talking about our creations.

Dalemain Christmas Lunch

Last Thursday was the Keswick Embroiderers' Christmas Lunch in a Medieval Hall.  Here are just a few of our happy diners. May I introduce you to our new Chairman too. The central lady in the photo is our new Chairman Val Osborn and she is a keen hand and crewel embroiderer.

I did not hear any complaints about the food, so if you want an unusual setting for your lunch next year contact Dalemain. We had a three course lunch for £16.50 per head and we were there for just over two hours, so no one hurried us. You do need to on the ball with your bookings though because they fill up quickly. Below you have a view of the hall and its huge log fire!

The next meeting of the EG will not be a meal but a workshop in Threlkeld Village Hall as the Friends Meeting House is still being assessed for flood damage and will not be ready for a few months. So all future meetings until further notice will be in Threlkeld. But you can find out all the latest news elsewhere as Keswick now has another editor of their blog and it has also changed to the following:- Keswick Stitchers. So if you have any contributions or photographs to share please email them to the new blogger Lesley. I have included her email address and a link to the blog in the right hand column about Keswick EG. I am still an active committee member but I have relinquished some jobs for the time being in order to pursue other interests I have.

Tomorrow, is the first of the 5 Radio Cumbria broadcasts I recorded for the Ian Timms show so if you tune in at approx 5.45 you will hear yours truly. They tracked me down because I blog so who knows maybe it will be Lesley's turn next!

We have a mention in despatches.....

Well blow me down, as they say in the movies, we have been mentioned in Contact Magazine. That is wonderful, I am really chuffed, thank you for that nice editor (I know how to crawl). I have no idea what I have done to deserve it but all the same it has inspired me to add a Fan club list as you will see from the newly changed layout. I know, I know, I must not get carried away as I only have one fan so far sob.... But you never get anywhere if you don't think big. So if YOU like this blog and you want to express your addiction, love, fascination etc to others; do by all means become a fan. You do not need to put a piccie in of yourself if you prefer to remain anonymous as you just get a greyed out image, but it would be hugely prestigious for little ol Keswick if we had a fan club with more than one in it.

Alternatively, you can leave comments whenever you feel the urge.....there is a real person here not an answer machine or an Indian call centre and bloggers I believe are sooo friendly.

So - Contact me like the magazine says - I read them all and I reply too and sometimes I can even post what you want.

As an example, this is for Melanie who is the Secretary of the Thornthwaite , Braithwaite and Newlands Home and Garden Show, phew what a long title Melanie, you probably need a cold shower after saying that lot.

But seriously, it is held on Saturday September 12th at the Victory Memorial Hall, Braithwaite.

The doors open at 2pm and the admission is only £1 that is sooo cheap. Refreshments are served from 2pm to 4pm by the local WI ladies so they will be scrumptious too. If you wish to enter anything in the show let me know and I will give you Melanie's email or address.

A date for your diary

Cumberland branch are having a talk by Kathy Troup - Editor of Stitch magazine at their AGM and would like to invite members of nearby branches to attend. The details are as follows:

Date Saturday 26 September at
Place Currock House Community Centre, Carlisle (it is easy to find - ask us for directions).
Time We should start at 1.30pm (providing the business doesn't go on for too long!!)

Tickets £6 each.

Please contact our secretary Geraldine for tickets - phone 01228 511423 or e-mail gerrymurraybowman@hotmail.co.uk

James Hunting post from Melanie Vincent

Dear All,
I just got this through from Phillipa regarding a James Hunting day. Ring her directly if you are interested or forward this to anyone I have missed out and who might be interested.


Hoping you are not burnt to a crisp in this wonderful weather,
Melanie.


James Hunting


New Course Tutor at The Royal School of Needlework
James studied at Goldsmiths
Works with fashion designers Jasper Conran, Julian McDonald, Givenchy, etc.


Embroiderers Guild Scholar over 30s 2006


His own work includes following a line, figurative stitching, mood, flora
http://www.jameshunting.com


Sat 20th June 9.30-12.30 Workshop for members of
The Appleby Young Textile Group (free) and 7-17 year olds (£3)


Sunday 21st June 9.30 - 10.15am talk for all
(free if attending course, £2 if lecture only) followed by
10.30-4.00 Adult workshop (Over 14s £15 per head + £5 materials)
£5 deposit required to secure booking for the workshop please.
Phone Phillipa Turnbull 017683 53683/07736 642996 to book or for more details

Better late than never

Hi All,

I am typing this on a new laptop as my old faithfull developed a malfunction which meant replacing it and completely revamping the whole home network.

So I am back and now I need to catch up on all the news, so I'll start with going backwards and then work forwards if you see what I mean.

Rheged Report by Keswick EG Secretary Pat Knifton follows:-



North West Region meeting at Rheged on 24 April 2009

Keswick branch had the opportunity to co-host this meeting with Carlisle’s Cumberland branch, and a couple of years of discussions took us to the great day in April. Margaret Davies of Carlisle used her expertise to guide us through all the important decisions, but Lyn (Chairman of Keswick branch) and I (Pat - Secretary) enjoyed being involved, and learning how much goes in to create a day that would be enjoyed by all our visitors. The venue at Rheged, near Penrith, is stunning – a building which is almost completely buried beneath the earth, and is full of shopping opportunities of a very tasteful kind. There are art and craft galleries, book shop, delicatessen, etc, and within this warren, the North West Region of the Embroiderers’ Guild held their regional meeting in a very smart lecture theatre.

It was a great day, and really good to be involved. The exhibitions of embroidery, the competition entries and the traders gave us a lot to look at, and the two speakers were first rate. Shirley McKeand visited us from Dumfries, and gave a highly amusing account of her career in haute couture in The House of Worth. No wonder Shirley always looks so good! Maggie Grey chose to talk to us about Celtic Inspirations – and we were inspired! The slides we viewed were very enlightening, and I know I wanted to put all the techniques into practice at the very first opportunity. The concentration on a particular theme for one’s work certainly pays off, and might be interesting for a future workshop at Keswick ….

About 12 of our members took on the role of stewards, and I think all enjoyed the experience. There were very few mishaps – perhaps more chairs at lunch time would have been appreciated, and the many stairs and escalators to reach the various levels within the building were difficult for some of our less able visitors – but on the whole we caught the feeling that Carlisle and Keswick had fulfilled their role well in running the meeting. What a great way to spend the day! Pat

Cheshire Textiles exhibitions

Notice of two exhibitions have been emailed to us and the details are below:-

Bankfield Museum
Boothtown Road
Halifax
HX3 6HG
Tel: 01422 352823/352334
Open: Tuesday to Saturday 10 am – 5 pm
Sundays: 1pm – 4pm
Bank Holiday Mondays: 10 am – 5pm

11th July – 6 September 2009

‘Evolution - Celebrating 21 years of Cheshire Textiles’

And for those of you who like to be nearer home:-

Farfield Mill Arts and Heritage Centre
Garsdale Rd
Sedburgh
Cumbria LA10 5LW
Tel: 015396 21958
Open 10.30 – 5 daily

4 July – 30 August 2009

‘21 Vessels Plus’
Cheshire Textiles at Farfield Mill

Sadly, no illustrations or photos were included so you will have to use your imagination. And you may have noticed that Sedbergh is not quite as we spell it, I only copy the posts I don't always correct. Lyn