Stitch21 'Legacy' exhibition

 As part of the Creative Stitch Graduate Show 2022 new exhibiting group Stitch 21 (made up of students who completed the Advanced Stitched Textiles course in 2021 - hence the name) had a small exhibition with the theme of 'Legacy'

My 'Legacy' pieces are inspired by the weaving industry. 

I was born in the Scottish Borders in the heart of the wool weaving industry. Each one of my 'Legacy' pieces includes a piece of wool blanket woven in Hawick and given to my parents as a wedding present in 1962

The wool blankets were used for many years on beds to keep my family warm during the very cold Northumbrian winters until the arrival of duvets in the 1980s. 

The blanket, liberated from my mothers' airing cupboard, has been dyed using natural dyes. Logwood, Madder and Weld.

Each piece also contains a piece of silk woven in Sudbury where I have lived for the last twenty years.  

'Logwood Legacy' shown here was first made for the STARS Challenge in 2021

'Madder legacy' was made in the same way using a variety of dyed wools, cottons and silk fabrics which are embellished to the blanket base.

With the very hard water in East Anglia it if difficult to get a natural madder dye to be truly red - mine have an orangey tone. You can see how the different wool, cotton and silk fabrics take up the dye differently with the silk viscose velvet being the richest colour

Hand stitching and beading is added for additional texture - I really enjoy this part of the process

'Weld Legacy' is my least favourite of the three. Weld gathered from the  hedgerows near my home dyes the most vibrant yellow. This was combined with another piece of Sudbury woven silk but needed the addition of another colour to make it work - hence the blue indigo dyed fabrics. 

These 'Legacy' pieces will form part of a large exhibition on work on the theme of Wool - Cotton - Silk at my solo exhibition at Snape Maltings in October 2022

Creative Stitch Graduate Show 2022

 I was very proud of all the Creative Stitch students who completed their course and exhibited work at the Graduate Show 2022. Here is just a sample of a few of the exhibits by my Advanced Stitched Textiles students.

Final piece by Heather Evans. Inspired by a flint stone.

A nuno-felted caplet as part of a fantasy costume by Irmgard MacAskill

Final piece by Phillip Rees. Inspired by the pneumatic bone structure of bird skeletons. Wax resist and multiple layers.

Fantasy costume by Penny Evans inspired by the Eri silk moth. This piece is featured on Fibre Art Now magazine summer issue 2022

The next Advanced Stitched Textiles course with Creative Stitch starts at the beginning of October 2022 in Nowton near Bury St Edmunds. More information at www.sefwi.org.uk/creative_stitch or from me by email maryelmcintosh@gmail.com

Eco printing with CQ Iceni

 

Multiple leaves

We had a hot and steamy session on one of the hottest days of the year with 16 CQ Iceni members all having a play with eco printing.

Six pans steamed away all day and then the bundles taken home to be unwrapped. Hopefully we will see the results at the next meeting in July.

The one of the left was a demo only, a new departure for me, but giving some nice colours. I am still learning about eco printing and enjoying the whole process of gathering, printing, unwrapping and then stitching. 

I was pleased with some of my fabrics with the ever reliable rose leaf on mordanted fabric giving nice clear prints. This one on cotton.

This was on un-mordanted silk and an unexpected pink colour from raspberry 

Creative Stitch Open Day at The Cosy Cabin

 

If you might be interested in taking a one year course to advance your design and stitching skills then this is an idea opportunity to come along and meet the tutors and discuss what course might be right for you.

Applications welcome from those with some stitching experience who wish to create original work. 

Entry to the Advanced Stitched Textiles is now possible without a first City & Guilds or equivalent qualification but by the submission of a portfolio of work. If you have taken lots of courses and workshops but want to now focus and use those skills to create a body of work then this might be the right route for you. 

Sarah has shrivelled (and dyed)

 I love it when having taught a workshop someone sends me a photograph of their finished item. As a tutor it makes it all worthwhile. 

Sarah Lally 

 I taught the 'Shrivel Up and Dye' technique at Alex   Waylett's Elm Farm Studio https://alexandrawaylett.com/earlier in the year to a very talented group including Sarah Lally from Bedfordshire.

This is Sarah's completed piece with the Shrivel Up and Dye panel inserted into the linen fabric background we dyed in the same dye bath.

I love how Sarah has used the additional pieces we dyed too to add the circles. All brought wonderfully to life by the stitching to give great movement as well as the colour and texture.

If you would like a pack of materials to try out the Shrivel Up and Dye technique yourself it is available in three ways:

- Just the wool shrinkable base fabric 18" square for £5

- The wool base plus 12 different fabrics inc silks, velvet, linen and cottons for £15

- The whole pack plus linen to make up into a cushion or panel as above for £20

Please email maryelmcintosh@gmail.com to order 

Text and Context Gallery at Festival of Quilts

 Well I was feeling a bit pathetic at another year going by without me entering anything into the Festival of Quilts 2022 However it was a lovely surprise to open the latest edition of The Quilter Magazine to see that a piece of my work will be included in the Quilters' Guild gallery 'Text and Context'

This gallery is jointly curated by the collection curator Heather Audin and a guest curator Judy Fairless from the Contemporary Quilt

https://www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk/the-quilters-guild/

The pieces are all selected from the QG museum permanent collection and feature the written word. 

My piece "Forty years of progress - Thatcher to May" was made for the 2019 Spotlight Gallery celebrating 40 years of the guild. 

I was honoured to represent my region (Suffolk and Essex) and to hang alongside quilts made by a member of every region and specialist group of the guild.

These were all taken into the museum as the  'Forties Collection'

The 'Text and Context' exhibition will be on stand TG5 at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC Birmingham from 18th - 21st August 2022

I will also have my own small stand in the Quilting in Action zone on QIA10

Advanced Stitched Textiles Foundation Course

 

 Applications are invited for the Advanced Stitched Textile Foundation Course. 

This is a one year course designed to enable students to design and make original and innovative textile art.

Some previous textile training is required. This might include:

- City & Guild courses in Patchwork and Quilting or embroidery 

- Creative Stitch courses in Creative Patchwork and Quilting or Creative Stitched Textiles

- RSN courses

- Quilters' Guild courses

- Embroiderers' Guild courses

Applications are also invited from those who have not undertaken a formal qualification but have experience gained through practice and personal study. Application would be supported by a portfolio of work*

*A pre course assessment in person or online would be required and additional support could be given if required.

The next Advanced Stitched Textiles Foundation course will begin on Tuesday 20th September 2022 at Nowton near Bury St Edmunds

For more information please see https://sefwi.org.uk/creative_stitch/courses or contact mary.cs@sefwi.org.uk 

The Foundation course can then be followed by an optional second year of Advanced Stitched Textiles Extension course