May Meeting Show and Tell

Linda has finished her pretty jewel-like stump work butterfly. It is positioned from the side which is often how we see butterflies in the garden as we wait to see them flash open their wings.

Thank you Linda and for the way you have matched the colour of the butterfly with the background.

Sandra showed her stump work Clouded Yellow Butterfly with two wired wings. To complete the picture she has added a spray of flowers and leaves.

Thank you Sandra, it is very pretty.

Sandra also brought a piece of tapestry weaving carried out in one colour but in different  shades and tones.

If you look closely you can see a whole variety of patterns and the weed is made of wrapped warp thread to produce a 3D effect.

Thank you Sandra, it is surprising what you can do with one colour.

Wool Felt Applique - Elaine Terry May Meeting 2026

 A while ago Elaine brought this beautiful, colourful and appliqued quilt to a meeting while it was still under  construction. It was much admired and as a result our wool applique workshop came about.

Elaine had worked out some ideas we might like to try or use as a starting point.

She had also brought two items below using the same technique to inspire us to take our applique further.

Elaine had prepared some designs or members could design their own which we were advised to draw onto freezer paper.

These were then ironed onto our chosen colour of felt and cut out.

The shapes were then placed on the background in a pattern or picture.

When pieces were in the right place members began to oversew the edges with wool thread.

The shapes were then embroidered to add detail and bring the design to life adding extra details such as legs and stalks.

It was a very colourful and enjoyable session and members took  their applique to finish at home.

A big thank you to Elaine for organizing the workshop and sharing her applique skills with us.

We are all looking forward to seeing the finished items.

Requirements List Felt Applique - Elaine Terry May 2026

 

The Longest Thread

There is an exhibition at Rheged [Penrith] entitled The Longest Thread. If you are in the area or you want to make a special trip it is well worth a visit but it ends on the 28th April.

It is set from the beginning of World War 11 until VE Day in 1945 and is made up of 80 knitted/crocheted dioramas covering a wide range of scenes. Below is a sample.
 

British Expeditionary Force sent to France

Dig for Victory

Battle for the Atlantic plotting room

Food Rationing

Volunteering for the Home Guard

Battle of Britain

Little ships gathering at Dover to rescue the men at Dunkirk

Sinking of the Royal Oak at Scapa Flow

Churchill's " we shall fight them on the beaches" speech

Churchill speaking to the men of HMS Exeter after victory over Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate.

The blitz on London

Firemen dealing with the aftermath of the blitz

The arrival of the Americans

A very interesting exhibition on many levels.

Finished Pieces of Work

 Wendy B. has finished her delightfully tactile white-tailed bumble bee. He is extra soft and fluffy from the closely packed rya stitch that makes you want to touch him.

The wings have been edged with buttonhole stitch over wire and sheer fabric with the veining stitched on the sheer.

Thanks Wendy he is wonderful.

Sandra has carried out a little experiment. The day we did the Forest Floor embroidery was frosty and snowy and Sandra decided she would turn one of the green embroideries frosty.

After completing the embroidery mainly in green she then passed a roller of white paint over the top after most of the white paint had been rollered off onto newspaper. The result is above with a few sprinkles of glitter and beads.

Thank you Sandra and I believe the experiment is worth trying again.