Isobel Hall workshop – July 2014

We all had a lovely time getting messy. Isobel shared lots of techniques with us starting with PVA coloured with brusho and made into sheets which could then be used in a variety of ways. We also used moulding paste and many other products some of which were really surprising  especially the embossed toilet paper. Isobel is always really generous with her own supplies and passes on her expertise.  A really enjoyable workshop.

Reported by Kath
Photos Vernice & Kath

Art in Action – July 2014

Our annual outing this year was to Art in Action at Waterperry House near Oxford. 

It was my second visit and I must say I enjoyed it as much this time as last however it was a very warm day.  At Art in Action there is something to interest everybody with work from a selection of the best artists, craftspeople and designers on display.  Unfortunately most of the prices were beyond our reach but it was so exciting to browse and add things to our wish list.
There were 20 stands in the textile marquee and here is a selection of our favourites.
Sara Fordy – surface pattern using indigo.  Lovely selection of shibori dyeing and several of us had this super sofa on our wish list.

Amanda Wright – lives in St David’s with her husband, David a ceramicist. They have their own gallery in Goats Street.   Amanda uses coloured yarns on canvas with a bonded backing. Her themes are taken from the natural world focusing on the local environment and the bird life.
Carol Naylor – creates landscape designs on canvas using the machine.  Some stitching is done on the top, some from the reverse using thicker threads in the bobbin.
Roanna Wells – takes photograph image (crowd formations) and using black thread and  seed stitch, replicates the image on calico.  In Roanna’s current project she uses a photo of a crowd standing by hairpin bend.  Good eye sight!
Harriet Riddell – I first saw Harriet at Alexander Place last year and immediately recognised her very distinctive work.  She draws portraits using free machine embroidery on her machine.  Recently she has visited India and exhibited several pieces of work done on the streets.
My grateful thanks to Vernice for sharing some of her photos

Reported by Ros

Robina Orchard – July 2014

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For our July meeting on Monday we had a very interesting talk by a member of our Guild, Robina Orchard.  

Robina has an art back ground and has followed City & Guild courses. Living in the Andover area and more recently near Devizes she has created and organised community projects and she showed us examples of this and her own work.


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Over a ten year period she created and helped stitch the Test Valley tapestry after which she was asked to make a cover for a stool showing the client’s house.  Eventually this ended up as a 6’ x 4’ wall hanging and took 365 hours to embroider.  While living in the same area she won a competition to create a tea towel which has sold all over the world.  Community projects in Luggeshall, Weyhill and an alter frontal at Amport were also undertaken. 

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In 2006 Robina moved to the Devizes area and was asked to design and co-ordinate the creation of two alter frontals, kneelers and vestments for St Mary the Virgin in Potterne to commemorate their 750yr birthday.  The design was taken from light shining through the stain glass windows. Robina was keen to involve the whole community and she read a poem which had been written by a partially sighted lady who was unable to assist with the embroidery. Thank you Robina for a most enjoyable talk.

There will be no Guild meeting in August, the next meeting will be on Monday 1 September when Jennie Rayment will give us a talk entitled “Trials & Tribulations of the Travelling ‘Nipper & Tucker’”.  

Reported by Ros