Three Silk Corners - Sue Tyldesley, Sue Fletcher, Lynn Wright February Meeting 2024

 This month our meeting was arranged with three work stations all offering techniques relating to silk fibres. We were able to try all techniques by rotating around the stations.

Sue Tyldesley - Making a Silk Bowl

Sue brought two eye-catching bowls she had made herself and a dainty beaker she had received as a present, to inspire us to have a go at making a bowl. 

She then demonstrated how to cover our bowl with clingfilm, spread glue and then open up the silk fibres and spread across the bowl.

We were raring to have a go and chose our colours of silk fibres and then placed across our bowl.

It was lovely sticky work, and we carried on gluing until the fibres were wet and then applied some surface decoration if we wanted.

We then compressed the fibres against the bowl with cling film and put the bowls to dry while they attained the shape of the bowl..

Sue Fletcher - Gummy silk

Sue had made some lovely leaves by making silk paper and while still damp pressing leaves into the silk and then ironing dry. Some of her leaves are above and if you look closely you can see the delicate imprints of the veins.

Members set about spraying their silk fibres with water and then pressing in a leaf and ironing dry between parchment. We then cut off the excess fibres.

 There were lots of Oohs! and Ahs! as the leaf was pealed back to reveal the print. Some members chose to colour their leaf.

The second technique demonstrated by Sue was the use of thicker silk paper to stamp with a wooden block and iron dry until it started to come off the block. 

This is a pretty sample Sue had made.

We sprayed water on the silk fibres building it up thicker than the first technique and placing them over a wooden block.

Again lots of Oohs! as the impressed print was revealed.

Lynn Wright - Silk Paper with Flower Inclusions

Lynn opened up the above boxes of jewel-coloured dried flowers that she dries in her microwave and we would be using today as additions to our silk paper.

She showed us some beautiful samples of paper with flowers and then demonstrated the technique.

We were to place a piece of net and then build up silk fibres going the same way, then add dried flowers and then finely cover the flowers with silk going the other way. 

Then cover with net, apply glue generously and rub into fibres producing a wet piece of silk paper.

Once the glue was worked into the paper from both sides it was then put to dry on plastic.

It was a good fun day with lots of techniques tried and some very wet samples taken home to dry. Members were pleased with what they had made and we will wait with interest to see what samples look like when dried.

A big Thank You goes to Sue T. Sue F. and Lynn W. for bringing items to inspire us and providing much of the equipment we needed.

Also thanks for the demonstrations and supporting us through the making.