First 2018 meeting

Our first speaker on 6th January is Jessica Grady. Her talk is titled Embracing the Unconventional. Her website is a riot of colour. See you in January

Oops

Sorry everybody. I was trying to put our 2018 programme on to the blog and managed to disappear a whole load of previous posts. Hopefully there will be a way to reinstate them. And I'll get some training! Happy Christmas to you all.

Saturdays Meeting

This Saturday is our Christmas party.If you'd like to join in the activities and make a Christmas decoration please bring along a basic sewing kit with some Christmassy threads and a small piece of white felt if you have some.

Saturdays' meeting

Our speaker on Saturday is Maggie Smith talking about "The Joys of Hand Stitching". Maggie has been to us before and has always given an interesting talk. Her work is very varied but this talk sounds as though it will be about some more traditional stitching.

The raffle colour this month is red.

AGM

Just a reminder that it is our AGM on Saturday. Any nominations for committee would be gratefully received. Raffle colour is purple.

HARVEST OF TALENTS SATURDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER

On Saturday we took part in the annual Harvest of Talents in Skelton All Saints Church.  This is a day that showcases local people, their talents and the beautiful items they create.  Our display shows items from lots of our members,  the beautiful leaves we created for a day of stitch, the penants made for our Anglo Saxon Princess exhibition, our Capability Brown trees and lots more.  There were many lovely comments made about the work by members of the public who visited the church.  It was an excellent display.  Thank you to everyone who put their work in to the display.

 The Trees which were displayed at Gibside during the 300 year celebrations of Capability Brown.       

Some of the penants which were stitched for the Anglo Saxon Princess exhibition at Kirkleatham Museum.

Valerie Wartelle Day School

Sunday was a busy day. Valerie took us through the process she uses to produce her work, showed us the technique she uses for laying on the fibres, gave us all a piece of pre-felt, took the lids off her boxes of wool tops to expose the rainbow of fibres and we started.
Most of us hadn't done any felting before and the technique was new to our experienced felters.
Here are some photographs, taken by Diane, of us all working hard, and some photographs of work in progress. Hopefully we will have some finished work to show at the AGM or to go in our exhibition.
At the end of the day Valerie held up our work, piece by piece and had something positive to say about each one.

All working hard, Valerie advising

Works in progress.

BRANCH MEETING SATURDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER

Valerie Wartelle's description of wet felting was different to any other that we've seen.  Her pieces are so light and delicate and yet so detailed.  She adds other fabrics in to the mix but they are blended so well into these beautiful landscapes that are then finished with some machine stitching.  At a distance they look like paintings rather than felt.
We had a very interesting meeting with members asking lots of questions.  Altogether very enjoyable.

September Meeting

Our speaker on September 4th is Valerie Wartelle, a fibre artist from West Yorkshire, originally from France. Valerie produces contemplative and ethereal artworks in felt, taking the rural environment as her inspiration. Look at her work on her website www.valeriewartelle.co.uk. Non members are welcome.

The raffle colour for this meeting is ORANGE

Hope to see you there

35TH ANNIVERSARY TEA BROCKLEY HALL

Seventeen of us had a delicious afternoon tea in beautiful sunshine at Brockley Hall, Saltburn to celebrate our 35th Branch Anniversary.  For most of us it was our first visit to Brockley Hall and it was a very pleasant experience.  The hall is quite eclectically decorated but very tasteful as was the delicious afternoon tea.  We were very lucky, the weather was also just as it  should be for August and so we had the opportunity to wear our pretty, colourful Summer clothes.   Many thanks to Marion for organising our afternoon. 

DAY OF STITCH GUISBOROUGH FOREST AND WALKWAY

On Saturday we had a very pleasant day at Guisborough Forest and Walkway, Pinchinthorpe for our annual Day of Stitch.   This event has taken place for several years now to help promote embroidery and let local people know there is a branch in Guisborough.
 We have stitched for the day in various venues - Gillmott Crafts, Skelton, Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, Strikes Garden Centre, Stokesley.   This year we were in the Railway Carriage at the Forest and Walkway.   It turned out to be a brilliant venue; we were busy for most of the day with children and adults coming in to stitch, cut, glue and add beads.  It was quite surprising that lots of our "customers" were young boys who thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
As you can see from the photos a good time was had by all. 

Hopefully we will see these 3 ladies later on in the year.  They stitched butterflies for most of the afternoon.

DAY OF STITCH SATURDAY 5TH AUGUST

On Saturday 5th August at Guisborough Forest and Walkway, Pinchinthorpe we are having our annual Day of Stitch.  This years theme is Butterflies.   
Everyone is welcome to come along and have a go at making your own butterfly.

TRAVELLING BOOK GILL GARROD

I think this might be the last travelling book and it belongs to Gill Garrod.  Some lovely pieces; I think we have a lot of very talented members in our branch.

GILL GARROD WRAPPED TREES

ANNE ASPREY PATCHING & PIECING

TRISH HUTCHINSON CIRCLES

MARION CALVERT FOREVER FRIENDS

JEAN ALLSOP  NEPALESE EMBROIDERY

DIANE JONES SCRUMPLED VELVET

SYBIL WHITTON FREE MACHINING

BARBARA SCHORAH  VILENE POPPIES

HEATHER WARING SLASHING & BURNING

CAROL CHAPMAN DORSET BUTTONS

ANNE ASPREY  KANTHA WORK

SUE CHIPCHASE CIRCLES

CAROLE HOOD STUMPORK

FRANCES CRUDEN APRIL SHOWERS

BETTY DITCHER COW PARSLEY

JENNIFER CREEK  HUNGARIAN FLOWERS