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.

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

 

By the Fireside - Raffle February Meeting

 

Finished Pieces of Work

Another completed jellyfish, this time embroidered by Sandra. She has used cream and yellow for the jellyfish. The stitches have been varied by working sorbello stitch in different thicknesses of thread thus building up texture.

She has embroidered strips of yellow sheer to build up the central part of the tentacles and cream sorbello stitch for the outer tentacles. Bubbles have been added to the background to add interest.

Thank you Sandra.

Alison has finished her lovely, brightly coloured, jellyfish using fly stitch. She has varied the stitch by placing them close together or in groups or on their own.

I particularly like the way the body of the jellyfish has been worked alternately in red and white stitches adding texture to the piece.

The tentacles have been worked in a variety of fly stitches. Thank you Alison, he will brighten up a cold, grey winter's day.

Wendy B has just finished making a beautiful cushion, from a self-made funky foam stamp that she printed with paint onto fabric. She used shades of turquoise and a pale ochre for a contrast. The pattern is hexagonal which has then been highlighted in stitch.

The panel was then cut out and attached to plain turquoise edging and attached to a backing to make a cushion.

 It looks lovely against  the brown of the chair. Thank you Wendy for sharing it with us.

Christina has finished her one stitch embroidery of a delightful cat using fly stitch in a variety of ways. When looking at the cat you cannot help but smile.

If you look closely you can see all the different ways the fly stitch has been worked: close together, wide apart, narrow and long, short and fat etc building up the texture on the cat and flower.

Thank you Christina he is wonderful and when I look at him he would make a lovely picture for a Birthday card.

Take One Stitch - Wendy Barrington January Meeting 2024

 Wendy arrived laden down with a colourful array of threads of varying thickness, neatly packed together in plaited skeins.

Wendy explained that we were going to choose one stitch and we would be working it in a variety of ways, thinking about the following:

-different sizes of stitch

-different thickness of threads

-as a line stitch

-as a single stitch

-varying colour

-over stitching

Wendy had completed a pretty flower embroidery in fly stitch to demonstrate how by varying the stitch a whole picture can be built up with the individual items looking completely different.

Members began embroidering with enthusiasm "playing" with their chosen stitch.

Wendy explained that she had printed pictures for us to choose and then embroider them with just one stitch but varying it to fit the subject.

After "playing" members chose the picture  they wished to embroider.

They chose the stitch and began to build up their picture using their stitch in a variety of ways. Slowly very interesting stitching began to emerge.

At the end of the session we brought our embroideries together so that we could look at what other members has done.

After an enjoyable session we took the embroideries home to finish and hopefully bring them back next month completed.

A big thank you to Wendy for inspiring us and putting all the items we would need in place to support us through our stitching.

Thank you Wendy.