SEW
Issue No. 11 June 2017
The Collection Treasures of the Embroiderers' Guild
Opus Anglicanum at the V&A An exhibition of English Medieval Embroidery
A Visit to India Enjoy the experience of an embroiderer
The Magazine of The South East West Region of the Embroiderers' Guild
SEW REGION
CONTENTS
Features 30. Land Lines Contempory Embroidered Landscapes 4. The Collection An insight to the Embroiderers' Guild Collection 10. Tree of Good News A Lower Silesian Embroidered Quilt
44. A Stitch in Time The Restoration of a Church Altar Piece 46. Dorset Buttons Inspiration with Dorset Buttons
19. The Vine Restoration of a 16c Roof 20. Tall Stories Confessions of an Invererate Collector
54. Textile Memories The Generational Influence in Early Childhood
22. The Country Wife The Restoration of a Mural Designed by Constance Howard
67. The Members Challenge The Region's Entrants for Imprisoned Splendour
46. Look Out for the Stripes Using Stripes for Inspiration in Design
All articles and photographs used in this magazine are the copyright of their authors. The magazine's content is for private viewing only and must not be reproduced in part or full for commercial gain in any form. The Magazine can not accept liability for errors and omissions. It is the responsibility of the contributors to take reasonable care not to breach other's copyright, and to ensure that all making instructions do not breach the Health & Safety Regulations.
Books
Regular Features Exhibition Reports
70. Embroidered Mandalas by Lark Crafts 71. The Art Of Embroidered
Flowers By Gilda Baron 72. Machine Embroidered
Seascapes By Alison Holt 73. Stitch Shibori by Jane Callender 74. Stitch Fabric and Thread By Elizabeth Healey 75. Beginner's Guide to
Goldwork By Ruth Chamberlin
12. Opus Anglicanum. English Medieval Embroidery at the V&A 27. Divine Inspirations An Exhibition using Church Images for Inspiration 58. Afternoon Tea Small Cakes with a History Travel And Pastimes 28. Edinburgh in 32,000 Steps A Weekend Away 38. India 2,000 Km in 17 Days 67. The International Canoe Marathon A Day out on the River
Project 52. Paint and Sew A Black Beaded Flower
The Collection
The Guild has a magnificent collection of embroideries dated from Coptic times. Today there are about 11,000 catalogued items in the collection gathered from around the world. The pieces demonstrate a variety of stitches from raised work and metal thread in the 17th century, crewel work and silk embroidery from the 18th century. Wool-work of the 19th century and Blue Flower Coif Donated by Lady Mary Cayley Silk & Metal thread on Linen 17c
contemporary techniques from 20th and 21st century. Queen Mary was Patron of the Guild and donated many interesting pieces
16c embroidery is considered to be the peak of English secular and domestic embroidery. Fabric and threads were luxurious, velvet and satin embroidered with gold and embellished pearls.
Pair of doe skin gloves c.1600 The cuffs embroidered with silk and silvergilt lace on linen
The collection contains work by many great names. There is work by Mrs St Osyth Wood, Constance Howard, Barbara Hirst, Beryl Dean, Joan Drew, and The Birth of Venus by Anne Marie Kelly
many others. Many leading experts and collectors of
Needle felting, a copy of the original Botticeli painting
embroidery worldwide have donated or bequeathed 5
Turkish Muslin embroidered with silk thread Donated by Queen Mary
Table mat by Dorothy Benson
their collections.
Dorothy Benson 1902 1977 became head of the Queen Mary was an early donor to the Guild's
embroidery department at Singer Sewing Machine
collection and so was Lady Mary Cayley who
Company. She developed the art of interpreting many
donated 15 pieces of historic embroidery from the
techniques, and embroidering, on the machines of that time, Her pieces included lace and canvas work.
Angel By Beryl Dean in or nué 1953 Japanese gold thread couched with filoselle silks.
"The Hong Kong Address" 1911 The faces are imitation ivory and it is embroidered in silk
17th century. Many have donated early books to the library. The oldest dated 1632.
Sewing machines were used increasingly during the 20th century for creative embroidery and, by the end The international section contains pieces donated
of the century, embroiderers had diverted into textile
by travellers from all over the world, Some have
art in one direction whilst retaining and furthering
specific historical interest such as an embroidery of
traditional embroidery in the other. 6
Marble Lady by Marion Brooks dated 2012 Hand embroidery on a painted backgroundground
Black wool work on red felt synonymous with the work of the National needlework Scheme
Needlework. The designs demonstrate the
The Guild holds the largest collection of work
techniques of silk shading and metal thread work.
produced for the National Needlework scheme,
Most notable are those of Lynette de Denne.
there are over 400 pieces. It was developed in Scotland in 1934 and spread throughout England
The Collection is continually being assessed and
after WW2 and closed in 1960.
new pieces are bought or donated which fill gaps
" Sea Eagle" by Barbara Snook dated 1971
The Collection has recently been moved to Bucks the “Hong Kong Address” of 1911. Embroidered
County Museum who is is providing curatorial and
on silk with imitation ivory faces, it is stored in it's
conservation services separate to their own collection.
original carved wood casket.
The new gallery will be opening in July 2017. For further information and to see the Collection
The Collection has a number of samplers made by
contact
students and apprentices at the Royal School of
Bucks County Museum 7
Web site: www. buckscountymuseum.org
The Beryl Dean Gallery at Bucks County Museum To Celebrate the Opening of the Gallery An Exhibition
Beautiful Stitch: Textile Treasures of the Embroiderers' Guild An exhibition of some of the notable pieces from the Guild's Collection. The EG collections are very rich, covering many centuries of stitch and some of the recent acquisitions, promoting new ways of working will be among the pieces selected. 1st July 2017 1st October 2017 Tuesday to Saturday 10am – 4pm Church St, Aylesbury HP20 2QP Phone 01296 331441
THE COLLECTION CARE APPEAL The Embroiderers' Guild is a Charity The aims are to preserve the knowledge and skill of textile art
Cushion Cover 19th Century
The Collection, owned by the Embroiderers' Guild, is one of the few teaching collections in the world Byzan um by Margaret Nicholson
To secure the future of the Collection, the Embroiderers' Guild has made an arrangement with Bucks County Museum Trust They will provide storage, curatorial and conservation services at cost Punto in Aria by Paddy Killer
There will be a designated gallery named after the renowned embroiderer, Beryl Dean
Panel metal thread 17th C
We need to raise money to equip the Gallery and make the Collection accessible to the general public
Panel designed by John Henry
Chinese Pheasants, early 20th
HELP SAFEGUARD THE FUTURE OF THE COLLECTION Clema s by Kay Dennis 21st C by A donation to be included in a permanent display of contributors or A donation to be linked to a piece from the collection
For further information and to make a donation Please contact
Parrot Berlin work 19th C
CollectionAppeal@embroiderersguild.com
The Embroiderers' Guild is a company limited by guarantee and registered with the Charity Commissioners-Registered No.
Julia Caprara early work 1980
England 294310 - Registered Charity No. 234239
London Bridge at Night 20th C
Tree of good News Anna Sławińska lives in Warsaw and has won many prestigious awards. She is a quilter and a teacher and loves to embroider and embellish her work. She is also a Vice Chairman of Polish Patchwork Association. Her latest piece " Tree of Good News" won second prize in an exhibition organised by the Association of Polish Patchwork depicting Folk Art.
Photograph of patchwork Trifid Nebula
Contact Anna on: www.annaslawinska.pl http://annaslawinska.blogspot.com
“Tree of good news", isan interpretation of Lower Silesian white embroidery. This kind of embroidery used to be sewn on thin white canvas or lawn. It was embroidered on white shirts (called "kabotki"). The inspiration for this quilt was the tree of life. All the elements of the Lower Silesian embroidery were arranged in the shape of the tree. The quilt is 75 x 130 cm wide and is sewn on black fabric. I used a white pencil to draw the trunk and the branches of my tree. The design was then interpreted in free machining using Number 30 thread, making up the flowers or leaves as required. I produced a lot of samples before I started to check how the parts of this pattern looked. And then I just quilted and quilted...
OPUS ANGLICANUM MASTERPIECES OF ENGLISH MEDIEVAL EMBROIDERY
AN EXHIBITION
Butler Bowdon Cope 1330‐1350 England, V&A Museum no. T.36‐1955
Pope Innocent IV was struck by the extraordinary
garments worn by a group of English bishops. ..[this] marks the moment from which an extraordinary interest in luxury English embroideries took hold at the Papal Court Glyn Davis exhibition co-curator the V&A magazine Autumn/Winter 2016
What a great treat the small but outstanding exhibition at the V&A Museum was for anyone interested in this medieval embroidery technique. Like many other embroiderers and textile historians I was lucky enough to visit it twice over the winter to experience the sheer richness of the textiles and the skill in the works themselves. Half of the objects on display were from the Museum’s own world‐class textile collection, complemented by a host of rare and sensational international loans. They reveal just why “English work,” as Opus Anglicanum became known as in the 13th to 15th centuries, was so prized throughout medieval Europe. 14
The Toledo Cope, for instance was described by Glyn Davis, one of the co‐ curators, as marking the high point of English embroidery towards the middle of the fourteenth century. It is over 3 metres in diameter and the underlying linen ground is entirely covered in embroidery. English medieval embroideries were widely admired for the beauty of their workmanship ,and the inventiveness and expressiveness of their design. Ground fabrics were made out of three principal fibres: linen, silk and wool. Linen was imported from France and the Low Countries. The silk grounds of the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century were often of oriental origin English Medieval Embroidery, Opus Anglicanum (Yale University Press in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum
The Syon Cope, 1310‐1320, England. Museum no. 83‐1864. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London 15
A red‐golden chasuble from the Museum Schnütgen, Cologne
The masterpieces of Opus Anglicanum were created by professional embroiderers – both men and women – who had served an apprenticeship for at least 7 years. Many were based in workshops in the area behind St Paul’s Cathedral. The embroiderers would become proficient in the arts of couching and padding and made use of split, stem, satin and tent stitches to create complex patterns and richly textured images. Most gold thread in English medieval embroidery is a ‘file’ or wrapped thread, made of a slender metal strip wound round a silk core. ..a strip of silver-gilt wound in S direction around a yellow silk core, [was] known in the fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries as ‘gold of Cyprus’ or ‘fine gold’. The addition of valuable ornaments greatly increased the prestige and cost of embroideries. English Medieval Embroidery, Opus Anglicanum (Yale University Press in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum
The materials such as silk and velvet and gold and silver threads were imported and show that the items were the luxury goods of the Middle Ages. They were highly sought after within ecclesiastical and aristocratic circles and many of the surviving textiles are clerical vestments such as copes.
Opus anglicanum at the Victoria and Albert Museum 1st October � 5th February 2017
The copes of the ‘Great Period of Opus Anglicanum (c. 12501350) were exquisitely embroidered in coloured silks, mainly in split stitch. English embroidery was justly celebrated for its artistry and fine workmanship. Opus Anglicanum ...was eventually supplanted by more rapid techniques, including the adoption of surface couching and the wider use of satin stitch. This was accompanied by the simplified treatment of gold backgrounds and the streamlining of workshop production. English Medieval Embroidery, Opus Anglicanum (Yale University Press in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum
Opus anglicanum at the Victoria and Albert Museum 1st October � 5th February 2017
If you were unable to get to see the exhibition, I recommend that you try to get hold of a copy of the Museum’s catalogue,' English Medieval Embroideries!. This will allow you to absorb the knowledgeable expertise of, and fascinating insights given by, the curators and contributors. You will also be able to revel in the glorious illustrations which provide a splendid feast of the colour and opulence of this magnificent artform. Article by Linde Merrick
Photographs of the exhibition by kind permission of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
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Recently I had a wonderful weekend with my friends who were visiting from West Wales. We went to The Vyne near Basingstoke, a 16thcentury country house in Hampshire. It was built for Lord Sandys, King Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain. "They are renovating the roof" The Vyne had a great surprise in store for us. They are renovating the roof and while they do it you are able to go up in a lift to stand on the scaffolding, and see what's going on. Or you can take the stairs, all 65 of them! We were extra lucky because Oxford University scientists were there to explain how they have been testing the materials which they will use to restore the roof and chimneys. This was conservation in action. It was very interesting to see how they tested the speed at which water percolates through different types of building materials and how their hardness is measured.
R estoration of The Vyne A 16th Century Tudor House
"Conservation in Action" The restoration will cost 5.4 million and they are hoping that people will put a message on one of the 71,000 handmade tiles that will adorn the roof when it is complete. So if you want to take a bird’s eye view of The Vyne and the beautiful countryside surrounding it, then now is the time to visit.
The Vyne is a National Trust Property which preserves places of historic interest or national beauty for the nation, visited by Pauline Johnson
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The Conservation of The Country Wife Article and photographs provided by Sue Smith Volunteer at the Archive http://www.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk/countrywifemural.html
Denman’s College who could not raise the funds to do I first went to the National Needlework Archive way
the work on conserving the piece themselves. So along
back 5 years ago when Linda Connell sent a letter to the
with other Guild members I went to see what it was all
local Embroiderers' Guilds to ask for volunteers.
about.
The Country Wife would be conserved by Volunteers under the guidance of conservators.
This was then being set up in The Old Chapel, Greenham Common which had been used as a multidenominational place of worship, during the days it was
Linda was arranging an archive for needlework itemsbooks, threads, textile pieces or anything connected with textiles which would be held and saved for posterity and where like-minded people could visit. It would be a charity with a trust guiding the work of the Archive, and The Country Wife would be conserved by Volunteers a controversial US Air Base housing cruise missiles.
under the Guidance of Conservators.
It is situated in Greenham Park just off the A339. Linda had recovered the mural, The Country Wife from
Well I got hooked, and through my love of textiles
decided to carry out volunteer duties and learn a bit
were the sorting out of donated goods in all shapes and
more about the Conservation.
sizes for the shop or to keep as an archive piece. Also helped at events held at the Archive and I have been to
When I started at the National Needlework Archive, there was no heating in the Old Chapel apart from a
the Knitting and Stitching show at the NEC show to raise the profile and to raise funds.
couple of calor gas heaters, so thick clothes were the order of the day. Linda’s husband and other volunteers,
The Country Wife was gassed with
built a front to the altar place so it could be used as a
Nitrogen Gas to kill the bugs
workroom.
I was also taught the process of wrapping up textiles so they could be stored and brought out for exhibitions or to be conserved at a later date. Going on around us was the improvement of the buildings which had not been looked after for some time. The roof needed insulation, a proper kitchen installed, tables and other items were some of the many things donated by the volunteers. Where other institutions were upgrading and Linda found that the older items were to be thrown away, with good will Firstly I spend time unpacking boxes of books of
they were persuaded to be donated to the Archive. I
various ages and techniques and cleaning them with a
have lost count of what I have done there but I think it
paint brush so they could be put in the library for
is a bit of everything with every volunteer helping each
viewing and reference. These books and many more had
other!
been collected over a period before the Archive was in being and any duplicate books were put to one side so they could be sold towards the running costs. Once the shelves were put up in the library I helped to sort the books into their categories. They went to the Knitting & Stitching show to raise funds I also got involved in attending a steering group which made me more aware of the aims of the Old Chapel. Other things at this time I got involved with,
During this period static items were removed from the textile mural, for safe keeping. The main piece
Using our newfound skills with the vacuum cleaner
(which is 5 metres by 4.5 metres) had been rolled up
and brushes we set about cleaning it, making sure to
and put in a polythene tunnel which had Nitrogen gas
eradicate all residue of the dead bugs. This also meant
pumped into it so as to kill off the moths or any other
we had to clean under the skirts of the 3D pieces as
bugs that had got into the piece.
well, for the bugs had also got there.
When this was completed, I volunteered to help with the conservation, but firstly we needed to make a cotton apron, sleeve cuffs and a pillow so we would not damage the textile, which was very fragile, when we were working on it. We had to clean under their skirts for dead bugs After a couple of years the Archive received a grant With Linda and the Conservator, we were taught what
and was able to employ Wendy Hickson who had helped
to do. With some trepidation we started on Toc H
with the former Conservation Centre in Winchester.
banners which had been donated. This lead to having to
This meant we had someone to guide us, and answer
use the textile vacuum and small brushes to practice the
our queries whilst doing this work . She also arranged
process before being let loose on the Country Wife.
what work was to be done and in what order. She showed us how to lay out the work in a grid pattern
The first job was to record the measurements, fabrics
and after recording and vacuuming, to use various size
and fibres and what stitches were used. Each time we
brushes to suit the fabric or the area we were working
recorded what we had been doing and how long it took.
on. This was a very time- consuming job. It was also
This would be put on the computer for reference as not
interesting as while doing this we found lots of items
much history came with the textile.
that we did not know unless you were so close up to the piece and even now we still find items. Since Wendy has been helping we have moved on a pace with the cleaning, making a backing and attaching the piece and then making another back to stop the rub on the piece and also the stitching down or recreating pieces that required some tender loving care or just maintaining the area. The process is still progressing..
One for your Christmas List Yes I know is is early but look out In winter we pack up The Country Wife in her winter wrapping and cover her with a tent. This is in case the roof leaks during the storms.
THE NATIONAL NEEDLEWORK
for 2 new books To be released in the autumn Flowers By Dr Annette Collinge
To be released in the winter Birds By Dr Annette Collinge
ARCHIVE Opening Times Tuesdays to Thursdays each week from the 1st February to approximately round about 9th December from 10.00 to 16.00 and the 1st Saturday in the month with the same times. There is a website that you can always look at to see what’s going on and also volunteering to suit your skills to help run the Archive.
Embroidered Treasures Both Flowers and Birds are a showcase of the
nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk
wonderfully dirverse collection of embroideries owned by The Embroiderers' Guild Soon to be realised by www searchpress,com
DIVINE INSPIRATION
Using images from cathedrals, churches and their surroundings, Newbury Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild presented their biannual exhibition at St Nicholas School Newbury. This was held in association with Newbury's Square Quilters 27
Edinburgh in 32,000 Steps We decided to turn the National AGM in Edinburgh into a weekend break. Flights were booked, so we researched accommodation. Now accommodation in Edinburgh doesn’t come cheap so we opted for a B&B. We found a room in a flat in the West End of Edinburgh. One problem, it proved to be on the top floor and there was no lift.
Getting to Edinburgh was easy enough from Heathrow and research showed that there is both a bus and a tram which
transports you from the airport and stops not far from the flat. Then all we would have to do was to walk down a side street to the property. We chose the bus which, if you’re interested in rugby, passes Murrayfield. All good so far. Then came the stairs up to the flat…..all 62 of them! Fortunately we’d taken backpacks so we
didn’t have suitcases to hump up the stairs. We were to go up and down those steps many times over the three days.
Once we’d got our breath back we had a tour of the flat which looks out over the rooftops. I’ve never seen so many chimneys. No wonder Edinburgh was known as Auld Reekie in the days of coal fires. We’d planned a trip to the Palace of Holyroodhouse which is easy to get to by bus but we needed sustenance after all that climbing so we stopped in the centre of the city and found a little café with friendly service and an odd sign in the window: Unattended children will be given an espresso + a free kitten Later we set off for Holyroodhouse, where, we were somewhat miffed not to see any of the cast of The Avengers which was being
Pauline Johnson tells of her long weekend break in Edinburgh
Butterflies exhibition. In 1699 this German artist set sail for Surinam where she studied the local butterflies. Her beautiful studies of insects, plants and animals, all lifesize, led to the classification of living things which is used today. Saturday was the AGM so down the steps and back to the main road to get the bus. It was lovely to meet Scottish members who don’t often come down south and to see the exhibitions the Scottish Region had on display. The Paisley Panels were wonderful. Such a great idea. Adults and children produced their own
paisley motif and stitched within it. They were all sizes. They came in a variety of colours and shapes. We were disappointed not to see all the entrants to the Members' Challenge, but the winners were certainly deserving. It was interesting to see how the title of ‘Imprisoned Splendour’ was interpreted in different ways and to see the skill both in design and embroidery of the winners. Speeches were given, awards handed out and questions asked and then it was time to say farewell to our
fellow Guild members and head back to those steps! Down them again for dinner that night at an Italian restaurant nearby and then off for a walk to get our bearings for the next day’s sightseeing, then back up the stairs…..again!!!
Next day we headed out towards Edinburgh Castle which is built on the remains of a volcano and is in a high vantage point above the city…... a great position! The views of the city are amazing. To get there we walked down King’s Stables Road to Victoria Street which, for those aficionados of Harry Potter, is Diagon Alley, a rather steep street. We rambled up it without the need for oxygen and made our way to the castle, which we didn’t have time to go over. From there we went to visit the Scottish National Gallery getting our fill of some beautiful works of art and finally walking back up Prince’s Street. We made it to Starbuck’s and had a coffee to get our second wind. After getting our breath back it was another hike up those 62 steps to get our backpacks and then back on the bus to the airport. Wearing a fitness tracker we realised we had walked 32,000 steps walking around Scotland’s great capital city. Pauline Johnson
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LAND
I have always been fascin
only in the last decade or
almost entirely on the lan
contrasting colours and f the South Downs where I
Light plays a huge part in my work as it constantly changes, not just in the different seasons, but throughout the day and it never ceases to amaze me how one mountain or field simply never looks the same. In these images, you can see how the blues, greens and lavenders of the Sussex Downs contrast strongly with the burnt sienna reds and golden colours of Spain.
LINES By Carol Naylor
nated by landscape, yet it’s
r so that I have focussed
nd, particularly the
forms of central Spain, and live in the UK.
SEA OF LAVENDER
THE DOWNS NEAR AMBERLEY
I use my sewing machine, a Bernina 1008, as a tool for drawing and painting and I only make an embroidery from something I’ve experienced first- hand, so I have either drawn it, walked through it, flown over it, made notes or a memory drawing. “Being there� is a vital part of the creative process. It can be one field or mountain that spurs me on, and once I start stitching, I close my sketchbook and let the creative process take over.
Art for me is about interpreting and translating. I am not trying to emulate reality, but to extract an element that I find especially exciting or challenging. One drawing can inspire a series of works, each piece taking on its own persona.
SPANISH SIERRA I don’t write down which threads I’ve used, and when a piece is finished it’s often hard to see how I achieved a certain colour combination or texture due to the continual overlaying. Each embroidery has its own clear identity.
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An Inspirational Magazine by the Embroiderers' Guild The essential handson magazine for creative stitchers, STITCH with the Embroiderers’ Guild brings you traditional embroidery techniques and also a wealth of creative contemporary ideas. Through howtodoit projects and articles from many of the world's leading embroidery tutors and designers, get stitching and discover contemporary free machine embroidery and explore traditional techniques like canvaswork, goldwork, crewelwork, stumpwork, blackwork and Hardanger. Our mixedmedia projects combine stitching with all sorts of materials and techniques – the list is endless and the only restriction is your imagination. Stitch can be sent anywhere in the world so treat yourself, friends or family to the perfect gift that lasts all year. Inspiration delivered to your door! For any enquiries please email subscriptions@warnersgroup.co.uk No postage or packing charge for the UK for subscriptions. Subscription rates inc p&p from 1st December 2015: UK £26.40, EU £32.70, The Americas £39.60, Rest of the World £42.00.
W ELL! I make Dorset Buttons for a living. For those people who haven’t heard of them there are lots of sites telling the story of Dorset Buttons. Briefly they were fabric and thread buttons made in white linen. They were made by families in cottages all over East Dorset for about two centuries until the industrial revolution killed them off. Mostly button making skills died out but a few hardy individuals kept buttoning and spreading the skills in an effort to keep them alive.
They're Pretty B UT What do I Do wi t h Them?
This is where I come in. My Gran taught me how to make them along with a whole pile of crafty things. I’ve been fascinated with them since I was six years old and spend at least half my time in my little Artisan wool shop in Hampshire dreaming up new
Jen Best is owner of
things to do with them. One of
BEAKER BUTTONS
the questions I got when I first started promoting button
beakerbutton,co.uk
making was ‘Well they’re
For further information
pretty but what do you do
contact
with them?’
info@beakerbutton.co.
This article aims to show a few of the amazing things you can make with Dorset Buttons.
Anything you can do with a normal button you can do with a Dorset Button, and you get to make the button exactly how you need it to be. They can be made with all sorts of thread and, if the thread is washable, the button should be as well. I make mine round all sorts of things, so they can be any shape as well.
The hoop art buttons below are Dorset Buttons made on a larger scale with Dorset Buttons and embroidery as decoration.
You can also use them as decoration on clothing. The socks in the middle are mini socks and make lovely advent calendar socks. Each garment has perfectly matching buttons as you use the same yarn you’ve knitted with to make them
They work very well as
humble opinion they stay on
centre pieces in flowers,
better than other types of
like the felted necklace
button as there are no hard
and wreath.. I use them as
edges to wear the thread away.
eyes on toys too. In my
They work brilliantly as jewellery, either by stitching them together or by making them into a pendant or brooch.
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Paint and Sew Instructions for the Black Flower Requirements Black water colour paint Piece of calico 15ins square Backing fabric Glass seed beads Small piece of black felt Sewing thread Perle Thread size 8 Black shoe lace or thin black cord Black boot lace or thick black cord
Instructions Transpose the design onto calico, place the fabric onto a layer of blotting paper and stick down. Paint in the outline in black and shade in where indicated
Start working the design by cutting the felt slightly smaller than the centre of the flower using running stitch round the edge, Cover the felt with the black beads to form a clustered centre. Save a few beads to scatter over the petals later.
Using the perle 8 double and the thinner of the two cords couch the cords round the petals. Starting with number 1 and following round. Hide the ends under the next petal and clip close. Working some straight lines into the tip of each petal will give more definition. Working from the centre outwards sew the black beads over the petals Finish the flower by working some running stitches either side of the printed line between each petal.
Couch down the thicker cord over the painted stem trimming the ends. The cord sits on top of the fabric and is secured into place by two couching stitches at the end and secure. Finally work the leaves in the same manner as the petals.
Textile Memories Begin with a Button Tin
When I was three, I was allowed to play with Mum’s button collection, threading small buttons onto large pins by colour or size; using a blunt needle and wool to make a necklace or just sorting into piles and looking for what I deemed to be the prettiest. Skip a few years to Nanny's house when I was seven - she and ‘Piepi’ (my step-grandfather) each had their own rooms and on each bed was a patchwork quilt. I can still see them quite clearly. Piepi's was in manly colours of yellow, black, and jade green on a white background. It was made up of small pieces of fabric wending wavy lines diagonally across the bed. I did not like it. It reminded me of snakes and I would look at it through eyes half -covered with my hands from the doorway. Nanny's quilt was different. It was shades of pink, blue and soft greys; tiny patterns of flowers and dots in the clamshell design. I would lay on the bed, tracing the shapes with a finger and choosing my favourite shells. I later learned that these and many other quilts were
stitched by Piepi's sister in the Kentucky backwoods in the 1 930's -50's. Sadly the quality of the cottons was poor and the quilts so well-loved and oftwashed, that only scraps and memories remain. Nanny also conjures up visions of flying fingers as she used her tatting shuttle to make lace. Plain white or ecru threads were turned into doilies and napkin edgings while variegated and coloured threads became lace to trim pillowcases. I still have a few of these items which are loved and used. Alas, it was an art I never mastered, but I do recall creating yards of Frenchknitting on a wooden spool with four nails and a bodkin ! I cannot remember a time when my mother was not making something. I did feel deprived because we had homemade cakes, but it never seemed a problem wearing home-made clothes. Mum was a very good dressmaker and always used the latest patterns and fabrics. She even made doll's clothes to help out Mrs. Santa Claus as she told me when late one night I wandered into the
kitchen and caught her at the sewing machine. Rag rugs on the wood floor and Sunbonnet Sue transfers conjure up mental pictures of our home in Windsor, Ontario where I was born. Summers were hot and humid and we were not allowed to run about in the midday sun. Many happy hours were spent sitting under a tree in the yard with my bag of scraps, sewing for my dolls and swapping fabrics with my friends. It was here that I first practised lazy-daisy and stem stitches. When I was a Brownie , aged nine or ten we had the opportunity to go downtown for a series of lessons at the Singer Centre where we learned how to use an electric sewing machine. The lessons were free but it cost ten cents for the return bus fare! I still have the doll's dress I made, complete with bias- bound puffed sleeves and plain border on floral, gathered skirt. Home economics classes at school taught us the basic skills of dressmaking, but Mum taught us everything else. She was an exquisite knitter - two-
ply wool and intricate patterns posed no problem to her. In her eighty-first year and failing health her final "stitch legacy" was to knit a baby shawl for each of her four grand-daughters for their [potential] first babes. She managed to complete three shawls and all but a few inches of the border of the fourth. I did manage to finish it - no mean feat as Mum was a "dab hand" at knitting the border of one pattern onto the centre of another. Any new ideas or techniques that came into fashion were tried out- remember macramĂŠ? One summer, I cut out, Mum machine sewed and my sister Gail hand finished fourteen outfits in two weeks. My maternal grandmother was also creative, possibly from necessity at one stage of her life when they lived on the Prairies of Canada miles from the nearest town. She carried on knitting well into her nineties, producing numerous Afghans for her large family. Her choice of colours left something to be desired, but maybe
she suffered from cataracts as some of the Impressionists are reputed to have been. And so the tradition carries on. I cannot bear to throw away cloth or threads. My first attempt at a Granny's Garden patchwork quilt would not win any design award, but it is full of lovely memories-dresses made by Mum for friends and family (some long since gone from our lives) maternity smocks I made when expecting our own children, and scraps donated by friends. These fragments give testimony to the changes in fashion and colours. Those from the sixties and early seventies "speak " loudest. An appeal in the local Church magazine to work some kneelers lead me to try canvas work and I had added a new technique to my repertoire. Crewel-work pictures and assorted cross-stitch projects later and I was feeling the need to try my own designing, yet not sure where to start. A chance meeting at a pottery course introduced me to City and Guilds Embroidery and Design and a whole new world. Mum followed my progress
with interest and pride and lived to see me finish Part I. I owe a lot to her early patience and encouragement. I went on to complete Part 2 C&G and a BA (Hons) in Applied Textile Design plus C&G Adult Teaching Certificates. I taught C&G Embroidery at a local college for three years (they discontinued the course!) and now belong to “Horizons” stitch group started by my students. We take part in Bucks Open Studios each year and exhibit together. I have been an active member of AVEG for years and ‘convene’ a U3A Creative Textile group. Although I seem to have an inbuilt need to create it would have taken little to crush one's first childish attempts forever. One of my friends calls me Mother Earth. When we all crawl into our nuclear shelters, Linda says she is getting into mine who else does she know who could make felt out of cat hair? Far from taking it as an insult, I feel that I am but a daughter and granddaughter of Mother Earth types, continuing the creative urge and passing on my love for textiles to my own grand-daughters.
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Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is thought to have originated due to the custom of the evening meal being eaten later. The Duchess of Bedford is widely credited with making it fashionable in England and transforming it into a late-afternoon meal although it was widely eaten before then. By the end of the nineteenth century, afternoon tea developed to its current form and was observed by all. Nowadays, a formal afternoon tea is more of a special occasion, taken as a treat. Small cakes are often served on a tiered stand and there may be scones and cream. The term "High Tea" is thought to have originated with the use of sitting at the dining table so that a more substantial meal can be eaten.
Maids of Honour
It is rumoured that King Henry VIII was visiting Anne Boleyn when her ladies in waiting were eating tartlets. He was so taken by these little curd tarts that he named them - Maids of Honour. Here one is accompanied by the pink highly sented rose - Anne Boleyn.
Pkt of puff pastry Quince or raspberry jam 100g cream cheese 100g butter 50g SR flour
50g sugar 1 large egg Almond essence Icing sugar for dusting 12 hole tart tin
Roll out the pastry and cut into rounds to fit the tart tins Cream the cheese, butter, flour, sugar and egg in a mixer until light and creamy. Flavour to taste. Put 1tbs of mixture into each pastry case. Place in a hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes until risen and a light brown. They will sink as they cool. Dust with icing sugar. They are best eaten warm.
Battenberg Cake
Although an English cake, its exact origins are unclear. The cake was purportedly named in honour of the marriage of Princess Victoria to Prince Louis Mountbatten of Battenberg, which is in Germany, in 1884. Prince Louis Mountbatten of Battenberg, was grandfather to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
175g butter 175g caster sugar 3 eggs 175g SR flour
3tbs apricot jam 350g marzipan Pink food colouring Caster sugar for dusting
Use a divided cake tin or divide the tin into 4 sections using greaseproof paper. Grease and flour the tin. Cream the butter and sugar and beat in the eggs. Fold in the flour and divide the mixture into two. Fill two sections of the tin. Colour the other half pink and fill the tin. Cook for about 30 mins in a hot oven until brown and firm. Cut off any surplus above the top with a serrated knife. When cold remove from the tin. Brush with jam and sandwich alternative colours together. Roll out the marzipan and wrap the cake. Trim the edges.
Butterfly Cakes
Before small cake tins were widely available, the cakes were often baked in individual pottery moulds , and took their name from the cups they were baked in. it is now given to a small cake about the size of a teacup. English fairy cakes vary in size but are traditionally smaller. They are usually topped with a dusting of sugar and a glacĂŠ cherry. These fairy cakes are made to look like butterflies.
Cake 200g butter 200g sugar 200g flour 2 eggs Milk
Icing 450g cream cheese, softened 125g butter, softened 250g sieved icing sugar
Line patty pans with cake papers. Mix butter, sugar and eggs together and fold in the flour. Bake in a hot oven until brown and springy. Leave to cool. Mix cream cheese, butter and icing sugar until smooth. To half the mixture add pink colouring and rose water and to the other half add violet colouring and lavender flavour. Cut the top of the cakes making a small well. Overfill with icing. Cut the top in half and stick into the icing to form butterfly wings. Dust with icing sugar.
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c Jan Messent
Members' Challenge Competition 2017/2018
UNDERFOOT (...under one's feet, on the ground)
The Members' Challenge is open to all members of the Guild All entries to measure 30cm x 30cm. The closing date is Friday 28h February 2018 To join the Guild see our web site: embroiderersguild.com
The Awards Awards are given in the following categories: The President's Cup Constance Howard Award for the most outstanding piece The Julia Caprara Award for best use of colour The Beryl Dean Award for best hand stitching The Valerie CampbellHarding Award for best machine stitching The Margaret Nicholson Award for best composition The Jane Lemon Award for Drama and Creativity Artistic Director's Award for innovation
Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon Gillian Swift
Gillian Swift follows the canoeists on the River Thames as they pass by Maidenhead
portages. A portage is having to carry the craft round the locks and over the gates This year's doubles completed the course in under 18 hours. It is rumoured that even “wee breaks” are accommodated in the wet suits which they wear. Though I cannot (nor wish to) verify that. The race was started in 1948 by four 17 year old scouts from Devizes (the centre of the Universe according to my husband who was born and bred there) and is now an international event with entries from all over the UK and abroad, numbering over 700
This is an annual event between Good Friday and Easter Monday which passes through many of the SEW Regions. Newbury, Reading, Windsor and Maidenhead to mention just a few. The really keen, fit contestants attempt to complete the course in 25 hrs, there are overnight stops for slower rowers. They attempt to complete the course in 24 hours
The course is 125 miles of rowing and 77 67
competitors, many from public schools; Cadet corps; Rowing clubs with some independent entries. For many years girls were disqualified but nowadays they can complete with the boys on equal terms. The course follows the route of the Kennet and Avon Canal which joins the River Thames at Reading. The next 55 miles are on the River Thames through the locks to Teddington. The final 17 mile section is on the tidal portion of the Thames. The course follows the route of the Kennet/Avon canal
This portion is particularly challenging and potentially hazardous, with fastmoving tidal water and high volumes of river traffic. On Easter Saturday afternoon, we calculated that we should be able see the contestants at Mill End a few miles along from Henley. They were due at Longridge Scout Centre, Marlow between 1pm and 6pm for the second overnight stop. The ice cream seller said that masses of canoeists had gone through that morning. We later found out that there were two mass starts for singles, with the first being earlier than usual, due to the large number of entrances. Not at least bit abashed, we determined to see them on the Cookham to Windsor stretch and set off this time before 10am
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on Easter Sunday. Parked the car and waited by the river in Cookham for the first double canoes which had been setting off at 2 minute intervals. After a while we went to Maidenhead, walked along the riverside past Boulter's Lock to see the singles who had set off earlier. We waited..... not for long though, then a steady succession of single canoes (or are they Kayaks, both are admissible), came by. These had all set off before the doubles and were enthusiastically paddling towards the Maidenhead Bridge and beyond. The race is open to canoes and kayaks
Having engaged in the cheering and encouragement, we adjourned Gillian Swift trades as Gill Sew to the cafe at the children's playground, drank coffee and ate cake. Returning home for lunch, thinking of all those tired, Hungry and web site:- http:// possibly grubby canoeists with another 24 hrs to go, before www.gillsew.co.uk hopefully at last reaching the seat of our government in Westminster, to tumultuous applause from families and supporters. Bravo. I certainly couldn't hope to do that in a million years.
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Stitch Fabric & Thread
Available from Search Press Price £14.99 IBSN: 978782212850 www.searchpress.com
Stitch, Fabric and Thread By Elizabeth Healey This book is a refreshing approach to the use of stitch, fabric and thread. The pages are interesting and varied in their presentation, which made me keen to turn over and see what was coming next. Photographs are well chosen and these are used effectively to provide background interest or to explain a technique or stitch. Methods for working stitches and samples are given with very good diagrams and clear text. Elizabeth Healey's writing style is easy to read which cannot be said for many embroidery books. I particularly enjoyed the historical and background information that accompanied many of the ideas. Throughout the book there are practical tips; removing and preventing knots in your sewing thread was most informative but whether it helps me I have yet to discover! Many of the inspirational ideas are from around the world and this added another layer of interest to the book; the Mola chicken and the dream lizard are fun. All that is needed for stitchers of all levels to enjoy this book is a basic sewing kit, some threads and fabric. Who knew that design inspiration for stitch can be explored with a jam jar, some dye, rice and even a few mushrooms – well they can! The book would be an ideal companion to share with a cup of tea and a biscuit when inspiration is lacking for some stitch ideas, being a good platform to jump from and in the author's own words '……the aim is to nudge you in a direction from which your own ideas develop. With a needle and thread and a little imagination anything is possible…..' Stitch, Fabric and Thread by Elizabeth Healey would be a welcome addition to any stitcher's bookshelf. It will certainly be finding a place on mine. Carol Winter
Available from Search Press Clasics Price: £9.99 Ibsn: 978782214861
The Beginners Guilde to Gold Work
Beginner's Guide to Goldwork By Ruth Chamberlin Foreword by Mary Corbet This is a reprint of Ruth Chamberlin’s book first published in 2006 and now returns as a Search Press Classic. Ruth trained in Ecclesiastical Embroidery at The School of Embroidery in London. After setting the scene for English Goldwork, the first chapter covers the materials and equipment needed, with very clear photographs and the text illustrating various threads that are available to use, including their storage. It also covers coloured metal threads, kid leather and needles and pins and fabrics. Ruth then moves on to cover the art of design. The illustrations are colourful and clear showing the techniques used in the designs. The next part of the book gives details of mounting the material using a slate frame as well as methods of transferring the designs, all beautifully illustrated and inspirational. The tips are invaluable throughout, with plenty of templates and easy to understand. The descriptions of stitches and other techniques are easy to follow. Useful for both the beginner and those with more experience. The book ends with two projects which would be well within the capabilities of a beginner, giving them satisfaction and encouragement enabling them to embark on their own projects. This is a reprint of a popular book and is a joy to see it again. In fact it was one of the earlier editions that was responsible for my love of goldwork, so I would recommend it to anyone. Review By Julia Little 75
Members Challenge 20162017 Imprisoned Splendour INSIDE THE VOLCANO by Loe ta Gibier Winner Constance Howard Award for most Outstanding Piece Winner Beryl Dean Award for Hand S tching Volcanic Rock imprisoning the river of lava below Layers of couched thread and fibres.
THE SERAGLIO By Margaret Lawson Winner First Place Val Campbell‐Harding award Hand s tched with machine embroidered top layer
Entries from members of the South East West Region who took part in the Members' Challenge. The Embroiderers' Guild holds the challenge each year. It is open to all members of the Embroiderers' Guild Entry forms are on the Embroiderers' Guild web site or are obtainable from Embroiderers' Guild House, the address is on the informa on page.
A Grand Performance By Maralyn Williams As a pianist, I always have 'itchy fingers' whenever I see a grand piano. There are many splendours 'imprisoned' under the lid
Elizabeth Portrayed by History By Anne Walden‐Mills Hand embroidered on silk, tambour lace, applique with found objects and beads
Members Challenge for 2017‐2018 UNDERFOOT (... UNDER ONE'S FEET, ON THE GROUND
Our thanks to all the people who made this Magazine possible.
CONTRIBUTORS Jan Messent Anne WaldenMills Bryanne Blacker Anna Slawinska Carol Winter Linde Merrick
The Embroiderers' Guild Amanda Smith Pauline Johnson Cate Bowley Carol Naylor
Jen Best Sue Smith Elizabeth Bond Gillian Swift Tina Heath Jayne Lewis
Julia Little Anne Sandwell Kate Crossley Gail Winter The V&A
PHOTOGRAPHS
Pauline Johnson Anne WaldenMills Embroiderers' Guild Gillian Swift
Anna Slawinska Kate Crossley Gail Winter Elizabth Bond William Phillips
Jan Messent Amanda Smith Cate Bowley Carol Naylor Jen Best
Editors Anne WaldenMills (Editor) Amanda Smith (Proof Reader)
Please send contributions for the next magazine to: The Editor at sewregion@hotmail.co.uk by 1 November
Sue Smith Elizabeth Bond Kate Crossley
Further Information Helpful Contacts
The Collection
Embroiderers' Guild ceo@embroiderersguild.com
embroiderersguild.com
Tree of Good News Anna Slawinska
slawinska@ora.pl
annaslawinska.pl
Opus Anglicanum
V&A Museum
contact@vam.ac.uk
vam.ac.uk
Tall Stories
Kate Crossley
kate@katecrossley.com
katecrossley.com
The Country Wife
nat.n.a@live.co.uk
nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk
Land Lines
Carol Naylor
carol@carolnaylor.co.uk
carolnaylortextiles.com
Restoration
Elizabeth Bond
hallo@thesmartstitcher.co.uk
thesmartstitcher.co.uk
Dorset Buttons
Jan Best
info@beakerbutton.co.uk
beakerbutton.co.uk
Canoe Marathon
Gillian Swift
gillsew@btinternet.com
gillsew.co.uk
Black Flower
Tina Heath
tina.heath@gmail.com
Book Reviews
Search Press
support@searchpress.com
searchpress.com
GMC
katief@thegmcgroup.com
gmcbooks.com
Embroiderers' Guild
National Celebration of
Stitch Events Across Britain
Saturday 8 August