MARLBOROUGH & DISTRICT BRANCH

www.marlboroughembroiderers.org

NEWSLETTER –MARCH/APRIL 2018 Wishing all our members and guests a warm welcome

and a very Happy Easter

REMINDERS FOR THIS MONTH MAR 5th BRANCH OPEN DAY Speaker: Cherrilyn Tyler “Journey Cloths” MAR 6th Tutor-Led Workshop: Cherrilyn Tyler “Working with soluble Fabrics and silk fibres” MAR 20th Design To Stitch Course (5) MAR 26th Stitch Day

DATES FOR APRIL

APR 9th PLOUGHMAN’S LUNCH With demonstrations and sales table APR 10th Young Embroiderers APR 17th Design to Stitch (6) APR 30th Stitch Day

PLOUGHMAN’S LUNCH APRIL 3rd As most of you will know from previous years, there is no speaker planned for our April meetings. In its place however, there is the annual ploughman’s lunch social, which provides a welcome opportunity in a relaxed atmosphere for members to chat to one another and to enjoy a delicious buffet lunch provided and catered for by the committee members at the very reasonable cost of £5.00 per head. Please remember to sign up at the March meeting, flagging up any special dietary needs. There will also be a display and demonstrations of the branch equipment, which is available for hire, as well as a bring and buy sales table for members to dispose of some of those stockpiles of textiles, threads, books and paraphernalia we all seem to hoard but never get round to using, and to replenish them with someone else’s ! A great afternoon is promised for all. All proceeds from the sales will, as usual, go to the branch to help with speaker costs.

MAY SPEAKER: HEATHER EVERITT Heather is an embroiderer and artist, originally from Derbyshire, but now living in the beautiful landscape of North Devon, which is a constant inspiration to her, as are all aspects of the natural world. Her family history is entwined with textiles: weavers, sheep farmers and even a court dressmaker is in the mix. She claims to have fibres in her bloodstream! She graduated with a degree in embroidery from Manchester Metropolitan University, which provided her with an opportunity to develop her artistic skills whilst learning all the techniques of embroidery from world class practitioners. Her work mainly comprises silk appliqué embellished with machine stitching and hand beading as she loves the variety of texture and rich jewel like colour of pure silk. Heather’s current ‘Papillio & Lepidoptera’ work is centred around butterflies and moths and was inspired by a visit to the RAMM museum in Exeter. However, she combines creating her own work with making and designing bespoke Masonic and ecclesiastical banners, which we will be hearing more about in her presentation.

BRANCH OPEN DAY: MARCH 5th Please remember to bring in any work and /or sketchbooks, either completed or works in progress, done at workshops and courses or for competitions or personal projects throughout the past year.These will be exhibited during the afternoon and will provide an opportunity to examine the range and quality of work being done by our

members as well as a chance to show off our skills to visiting guests.

MDEG BRANCH

SUMMER EXHIBITION

JUNE 23rd-24th

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES: April 30th and May 21st (Stitch Days) June 11th (Extra Exhibition Stitch Day) On these days we will be making flowers and flower garlands with which to decorate the hall. You can also use this opportunity to make your flower badges to wear during the exhibition as well as any exhibition related stitching, including your take a line piece. June 22nd 5-7pm Members’ Summer Celebration Party. All members are invited to come together for drinks and nibbles following the opening day of the exhibition to celebrate our ongoing accomplishments as a branch. March onwards online and at April 9th meeting Entry forms will be available for members both online and in hard copy for members without access to computers or printers. May 14th meeting This is the latest date by which completed entry forms together with photographs of finished exhibits or works in progress are to be submitted. June 22nd All exhibits to be brought to Kennet Valley Hall for the setting up of the exhibition. June 25th All exhibition pieces to be collected from Kennet Valley Hall. In the meantime take time out of your

busy lives to be inspired by your

innate creativity and

keep stitching!

MAY TUTOR-LED WORKSHOP: THREAD SALAD Kathleen Murphy is also known as Murgatroyd & Bean an artist based in Herefordshire. www.murgatroydhoots.blogspot.com Commissioned work includes pieces for theatre and puppet companies. She handcrafts textile curiosities in bright colours and embroidery stitches inspired by folklore and fairy tales. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are created using recycled fabric, hand embroidery and found objects. The workshop will comprise a day of experimental sampling with hand stitch techniques. We will take a still life composition of fruit and vegetables as our inspiration and over the course of the day, explore ways to translate the associated shapes, shading and texture using fabric and thread in place of pencil and paper. A chance for hand stitchers to learn new techniques and for machine stitchers to come out of their comfort zone. Please see Kay or Vernice to sign up.

DATES FOR MAY MAY 14th Speaker: Heather Everitt “Butterflies and Banners” MAY 15th Tutor-Led workshop: Kathleen Murphy “Thread Salad” MAY 21th Stitch Day MAY 29th Young Embroiderers

“TAKE A LINE” ARRANGED BY LINDSAY SHERWOOD

MDEG EXHIBITION AT THE WEST COUNTRY QUILT AND TEXTILE SHOW

We now have the dates for the show which will take place over 3 days from Thursday August 30th to Saturday September 1st 2018, 10am to 4.30pm. We have been allocated Gallery number 81, a 4x2 metre space, to display the 30+ pieces promised for the exhibition. Volunteers will be required to man the gallery during the show days. It will require 3 members per day for whom entry passes will be issued. Volunteers will also be needed to help with the dismantling of the exhibits on the Saturday immediately after the show. Lindsay will be making up 2 lists for the March meeting: one for the signing up of volunteers and the other for the signing up of members making a piece for the display. Meanwhile, keep going with your 20x50cm pieces, any colour, any technique, any materials, the only stipulation being a horizontal line 20cms down! Speak to Lindsay if you need any practical help. She will also be providing further organisational details at the March meeting .

BE CREATIVE WITH WORKBOX MAR/APR 2018 ISSUE

BEADED CLUTCH BAG

PROJECT BY LINDSAY SHERWOOD

Lindsay Sherwood has submitted an entry entitled ‘Zooplankton’. Her piece was initially inspired by the BBC Blue Planet 2 ocean theme series. The programme had links to the Life Sciences Department at the National History Museum, where presentations of the discoveries made by the BBC were presented. Based on plankton and small marine creatures Lindsay developed her piece from painted papers and fabrics, coloured film, seed beeds, wire and stitching.

INFORMATION FROM THE GUILD

We have recently been informed by Terry Murphy from EGHQ that there is important new legislation in the form of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will apply from May 25th 2018. In view of this there may be some policy changes required of the Guild, its regions and branches so that they can all be seen to be completely transparent in respect to storing and using members’ personal data. It has been suggested that each branch has a primary contact to circulate documents from HQ and to act as a guide for policy implementation. Clare Russell has very generously volunteered to act as the go-between for our branch. She will keep the committee and members informed of any necessary changes to our current policies. HQ expects these to be minimal as we do not share any personal data with any other organisations.

EG MEMBERS’ CHALLENGE 2018 – UNDERFOOT

Two more MDEG members have submitted entries to this year’s EG Members Challenge which can be seen displayed at the NEC. Robina Orchard took her inspiration from the fact that 2018 is the 200th anniversary of the institute of civil engineers. Her piece depicts a section of tunnel in the underground sewage system being walked underfoot, while an engineer is exploring inside the tunnel partly illuminated by his headlamp. Robina used free machine embroidery together with painted, applied, stitched and soldered synthetic fabrics to produce the different textures. Nikki Vesey Williams took her inspiration from Wiltshire’s most famous prehistoric monument and its celtic iron age heritage. Her piece depicts the ancient stones of ‘Stonehenge’, an archaeological dig and a celtic sword and shield in the forground. Nikki used a variety of techniques including fabric painting, felting with the embellisher, hand embroidery and silk ribbon embroidery.

SW REGION EG - REQUEST FOR INSPIRATION PACKS

The SW Region EG expect a footfall of approximately 3000 visitors at the CRAFT4CRAFTERS Show. They have asked that branches in the region assist them in providing sufficient packs which will be sold for £3 each or 2 for £5. The packs should be see-through and no bigger than 23cms square and should include at least 2 pieces of co-ordinating fabric, 10cms square and some thread together with a small quantity of, beads, buttons, sequins, ribbon or braid. If you are interested in making some up then please contact one of the committee members. They need to be with the EG SW Region chair by April 10th.

SW REGION COMPETITION - MUSEUM DISCOVERIES

The SW region of the Embroiderers’ Guild will be presenting a small exhibition at the Craft4crafters show in Shepton Mallett from April12th-14th 2018 and have taken the opportunity to organise a regional competition.

This gorgeous machine embroidered and beaded bag, which will dress up a simple outfit for a special occasion, day or evening, was created by Lindsay Sherwood. The complete instructions together with illustrations, fabric ideas and method have been published in ‘Be Creative with Workbox’ this month. If you don’t subscribe to the magazine but would like to have a reprint of the instructions to make your own, do let me know and I will email you a copy. It is an ideal way to use up some of your scraps of sari silk, scrim, velvet, painted fabrics, netting, metallic ribbons, variegated threads and beads and whatever else you may have in your stash. Adding a contrasting lining gives it that extra zing! Well done, Lindsay, on a fabulous project and on getting it published.

SW REGION EG at the CRAFT4CRAFTERS SHOW VENUE: BATH & WEST SHOWGROUND - Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 6QN http://www.craft4crafters.co.uk/Bath2/ DATES: April12th-14th 2018 10am -5pm Free parking ENTRY: Advance tickets – Adults £7 Seniors £6. On the door – Adults £9 Seniors £8 The SW Region EG will be taking two stands at the show which presents a huge collection of craft businesses, displays, textile artists, workshops, make & takes and competitions, with stands over two floors including new workshop rooms and larger restaurant and cafes. One stand will display a small exhibition and the ‘Museum Discoveries’ competition entries. The second stand will have stitching activities and will be selling member-made inspiration packs to cover some of the expenses incurred by the event.

REQUEST FROM ROS LOMAS COMMITTEE PUBLICITY REP

Each month after our meeting Ros writes a brief report and circulates it to various local publications. Her emails to the parish magazine, Ridgeway Bell, which covers the Ogbournes and Chiseldon, have bounced back. If any member lives in the area and can help Ros by providing her with an upto date contact, she would be very grateful. Please see Ros at the next meeting or contact her on: Rosalindlomas21@gmail.com

ANNUAL OPEN ART EXHIBITION

VENUE: WHITEHORSE BOOKSHOP 136, HIGH ST. MARLBOROUGH SN8 1HW

DATES: 3rd May - 26th May 2018 10am-6.30pm Daily

ENTRY: Free www.whitehorsebooks.co.uk/event/

A reminder for those interested in putting in an entry for this annual event that all pieces must be handed in by Monday April 30th. Last year there were two or three textile art pieces. It would be lovely to see more. Sculpture, in its widest interpretation, is also acceptable, Full details available on the website or contact: tel:01672512071

JOURNEYS - AN EXHIBITION

OXFORD TEXTILE ARTISTS VENUE: The Oxfordshire Museum 14 Park Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, OX20 1SW DATES: May 5th- Jun 3rd 2018 Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm Closed Mon open BH 2pm-5pm ENTRY: Free This is an exhibition by a passionate group of textile artists based in Oxfordshire to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a group. It promises to take you through a wonderful range of textiles and mixed media expressed through colour, texture and stitch of both

traditional and contemporary textile art.

OUTING TO NEC – MARCH 15TH

SEWING FOR PLEASURE INCLUDING FASHION & EMBROIDERY SHOW

It is not too late to join this trip to the NEC. There are still 4 places available on the coach. Cost of the coach is £20 per person. Unfortunately, anyone joining now will need to book their own ticket as Ann has already paid for the group booking. Full payment needed at the March meeting. There are 2 pickup points: Kennet Valley Hall 8am and The Beeches car park Cirencester 8.45 am. Coach leaves the NEC at 4pm arriving in Marlborough around 6.30pm.

GREAT WESTERN EMBROIDERERS

FOUND ON THE DOORSTEP

VENUE: John Bowen Gallery, Malmsbury SN16 9BZ DATES: Mar 24th – April 12th 2018 Mon-thurs 9am-4.45pm Fri 9am-4.15pm ENTRY: Free Tel: 01666 822143 www.greatwesternembroiderers.blogspot.co.uk GWE was formed in 2007 to serve the Swindon and North Wiltshire areas of the country. They are a very local group and meet in the daytime in Cricklade. They enjoy stitching together and exhibiting their work at local venues. They also have an enthusiastic committee who are very active in organising activities and workshops for its members. They regularly display new work. Their current exhibition ‘Found on the Doorstep’ is a stitch response to things seen close at hand. Do make the time to support this local group, particularly as one or two of the members will be well known to some of you.

If you have any interesting news items or any other information which can be included in our monthly Newsletter, please

pass details to Maria. Also, please advise if you are willing to receive the Newsletter via email to help us cut the cost of

printing. Tel: 10672 515283 or Email: mariafraser2013@outlook.com

A copy is also available on our website. www.marlboroughembroiderers.org

BRANDED: FASHION, FEMININITY

AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE

VENUE: Killerton House, Broadclyst, Exeter, Devon, EX5 3LE DATES: Feb 10- Nov 4 11am-5pm Daily ENTRY: Normal admission charges; £11.60 Free to NT members Parking £4 all day Free to NT members www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killerton 100 years ago women first achieved the vote in a British Parliamentary Election.This year The National Trust is recognising this important anniversary with their ‘Women and Power’ programme – telling stories of National Trust places which have direct links to women and men who were involved in the suffragette movement. Killerton’s exhibition reveals how the ‘uniform’ of the suffragette movement subtly branded its supporters. The fashion exhibition will explore the importance of feminine dress and fashion in challenging negative opposing views of suffrage and show how some female dressmakers, designers and artists of the period were supported by the movement. A curious charachteristic of the militant suffragette movement was the importance it attached to dress and appearance – all suggestion of the masculine was carefully avoided, and

the outfit of a milititant setting out to smash windows would probably include a picture hat!

UNFOLDING STORIES

CONTEMPORARY QUILTERS WEST

VENUE: Harbour House Centre for Arts & Yoga, The Promenade, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 1JD. DATES: April 27th- May 3rd 2018, 10am-5pm Daily www.contemporaryquilterswest.org. ENTRY: Free Contemporary Quilters West is a group of 25 individuals who came together five years ago, with the aim of supporting and encouraging each other in our individual working practice. They have a wide variety of artistic skills in contemporary quilting and textiles but have a common ground in that stitch forms a part of their work. Over twenty of the members will be exhibiting their work, including several renowned international award winners. Many of the artists are inspired by the environment and the local landscape. Each artist tells their own unfolding story. Textiles used in unusual and innovative ways make for a provocative show. A treasured First Communion dress, transformed with stitch; textile fragments, dyed in seawater on an uninhabited Scottish island; and plastic marine debris stitched into cloth are just 3 of the exciting new contemporary quilts being exhibited by members of the dynamic group,

Contemporary Quilters West.

SEASONS IN SILVER

AND THREAD EXHIBITION

VENUE: Newark Park, Ozleworth, Wotton Under Edge GL12 7PZ. DATES: Mar 7th-April 16th 2018. Closed Tues. 11am -5pm Daily Tel:01435842644 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/newark-park/ ENTRY: normal admission applies £8.60 Louise Watson, Liz Hewitt and Rosemary Cochrane have spent the past year exploring the grounds and gardens of National Trust property, Newark Park, to create a body of work inspired by the seasons, which includes both textile art and jewelry. There will be an opportunity to meet

the artists on Sundays during the exhibition.

ORLA KIELY – A LIFE IN PATTERN

VENUE: Fashion and Textile Museum 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF T: 020 7407 8664 www.ftmlondon.org DATES: 25 May – 23 Sept 2018 Tues- Sat 11am–6pm Thur until 8pm Sun 11am–5pm Closed Mondays ENTRY: Adults £9.90 Seniors £8.80 Orla Kiely is one of the UK and Ireland’s most successful designers. Her stylized graphic patterns are innovative, influential and instantly recognisable. With a global audience in thrall to the rhythms and repeats of her designs, this exhibition explores the power of decoration to transform the way we feel. Featuring over 150 patterns and products, as well as collaborations with photographers, film directors and architects, Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern emphasises the role of ornament and colour in our everyday lives. Highlights include the original paper sketches for the trademark ‘Stem’ graphic, created in the 1990s, which has evolved to feature everything from mugs and dresses to notebooks and even cars, plus prototypes for her early signature bags and the evolution of the iconic ‘Pear’ and ‘Flower’ designs. With unique access to the company archives, the exhibition offers a privileged insight into the designer’s world – how she works, what has inspired her, and why her facility with pattern has produced designs that have resonated around the world.

GRAYSON PERRY:

THE VANITY OF SMALL DIFFERENCES

VENUE: Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Queens Road, Bristol BS8 1RL tel: 0117 922 3571 DATES: Mar 31-Jun 24, Tues-Sun 10am-5pm, Sun closed ENTRY: Adults £5, Seniors £4 Six large tapestries exploring the British fascination with taste and class by one of the UK’s best-known and best-loved artists - Grayson Perry. Inspired by Hogarth’s morality tale, A Rake’s Progress, Perry’s tapestries follow the socially-mobile life of fictional character Tim Rakewell from infancy to untimely death. Made in parallel with a Channel 4 documentary series, ‘All in the Best Possible Taste’, they are crammed with acutely-observed detail and invite us all to consider our own attitudes to class and our positions in society. The exhibition also includes a number of works from the museum’s own collections, including historical ceramics, and the original Rake’s Progress print series by William Hogarth and David Hockney. A specially designed guide will take you on a journey around the museum in search of historic motifs found in the tapestries, and you can hear perspectives from experts in very different fields through newly created audio.

A CELEBRATION OF FLOWERS BY KAFFE FASSETT

WITH CANDACE BAHOUTH

VENUE: Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge St, Bath BA2 4AT DATES: May 19th -Sep 2nd 2018 10.30am-5pm Daily ENTRY: £4.50 Internationally renowned colour expert and fabric designer Kaffe Fassett makes a welcome return to Bath. He has been associated with the city since the 1960s when he moved to England from San Francisco. Inspired by flowers his entire life, Kaffe brings his full creative flair to bear in this stunning new exhibition. Featured items include quilts, needlepoints and paintings. With the addition of mosaics and other works by Candace Bahouth, the gallery is transformed with pools of vibrant colour.

IMAGINATION IN DETAIL: SMALL STORIES,

SANDY SNOWDEN

VENUE: Lady Sew & Sew, Henley Warehouse, Farm Road, Henley on Thames, RG9 1EJ DATES: 12th-30th Mar 2018 ENTRY: Free www.ladysewandsew.co.uk/ Sandy Snowden developed a love for small works when she got involved in the Journal Quilt project started by Karey Bresenhan for the Quilt Art online group. She found it an deal way to tell stories with textiles. In the first series she found she could use her imagination to tell stories of the Tudors as if Elizabeth I was doing a textile journal. Sandy continued to make journal quilts and other small works through the Contemporary Quilt group. Many of her stories are of dragons and fire creatures that she says sort of poured out of her imagination down her arm through the needle onto fabric! Sandy has used a variety of techniques and materials to explore stitches and colour and of course, Imagination! She exhibits her larger work and her wearable art both here in the UK and internationally at quilt shows, Galleries and Museums. There will not only be inspiring displays to look forward to but also

thousands of fabrics and yarns to shop for in the warehoouse.