Despite my best efforts, we have not been able to find a substitute speaker for next Tuesday's meeting, so again we are dependent on members sharing their skills with us; grateful thanks to those who did so at the last meeting, Jean, Margaret, and Sue and Annette - what would we do without them all?

Some of them are coming to the rescue again - Sue and Annette will be continuing with stitches and stitched books; it is good to have this continuity, and hopefully, those relatively new to embroidery are gaining a lot from this.

Kaye Mundy has kindly offered to bring a selection of her quilts to show us, and will share with us her technique for turned-edge applique; if you have cotton fabric you would like to use, please bring it along with your usual sewing requirements. There will be freezer paper supplied for this.

Kay Carne (and I) will demonstrate simple 'silk shading'. Kay has several lovely books on the subject, which are an inspiration for trying this technique. We have fabric and threads, but you will need an embroidery hoop not larger than 10 inches diameter, and the usual sewing requirements; also stranded cottons, if you have them, preferably in three shades of the same colour. Not essential, but bring them if you have them.

I will also bring the requisites for paper collage, which might inspire some of you into more abstract work. (Magazines and/or handmade papers would be useful, plus a Pritt stick.)

There are still places on the Brenda Scarman 'Casalguidi' workshop on Tuesday 12th July; do see Sarah Edwards or me for detail and requirements. Payment will be required on Tuesday.
I think the Free Machine Embroidery workshop on Friday 24th June is full, but do check with Margaret and Annette.

In the July meeting, Jane Ostler will be working on Colour and the Colour Wheel with us, and Sue Cork will be doing Flower Pounding - I hope that both will outline at next week's meeting what this all entails.

Plans for the Belton exhibition are coming along; this will run for 6 weeks from Thursday 21st July to Thursday 1st September, and we still need lots of volunteers to steward if it is to be open every day during that period, as we would hope. Please see Sue cork if your name is not already on her list!
Boston and Stamford branches are also involved and will help with stewarding, particularly on 2nd August when we have Mary Sleigh's talk 'Jewels of India', and on 6th August, which is National Day of Stitch, when we have 2 placements at Belton, and also one at St. Wulfram's Church in Grantham,- fingers crossed for a lovely sunny day as last year. 

Set up at Belton will be 18th, 19th, 20th July, and during the week before this, there will be boards to paint ready to hang our pieces on.
Registration forms are available for your submissions to this exhibition, which are required by 
the hanging team and by Chriss Smith of Boston who is kindly making all the labels - by 21st June, please.

Dianne Marriott has set up a Facebook account for the branch, assisted by Annette, and hopefully this will be explained at Tuesday's meeting.

Annette is also requesting donations of Raffle Prizes - do keep them coming, as the raffle does help to boost our funds. 

Many thanks to all who put in so much time and effort on behalf of the branch; I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday.
Kate.

As I'm rather late writing this blog, I'll start with next Tuesdy's meeting, and then outline what has been happening since the last one!

Tuesday 3rd May will be mini-workshops, but those who just wish to bring their own stitching and socialise, that's fine - we look forward to seeing you.

We have a beading update with Margaret, for those who have not done beading with her previously, to make earrings and/or pendant. There will be a small charge for materials.

Jean will be doing 'backgrounds for stitch', and will bring all that is needed, but again, there may be a small charge.

Annette and Sue will making stitched books, and although there will be some fabric and pelmet vilene available, and a variety of threads also, you may prefer to bring your own. 

Here is a list of requirements:

firm pelmet vilene X 1 metre  
pretty cord or ribbon X 2 metres for holding in pages and wrapping around the book
even-weave fabric, fat or long quarter
strong sewing thread to match fabric
tacking thread
sharp needles of different sizes
ruler and pencil
Frixion pen
small piece of embroidery to sew onto front cover - this is optional, or could be done later.
Eyelets (Annette will provide)
Calico, 1/2 metre or 2 fat or long quarters
sharp material scissors
Pritt stick

Annette also has some recycled material for a slightly different book, if that is what you would like.
Don't panic if some of these things are not available to you, as some can be shared, or taken out of 'stash'. The Range is not far away, if we run out!

You will have seen the photos on the blog, thanks to Marian and Sue, of the 'tree' in the Melton Carnegie museum - it's looking good, and I hope more of you will have seen the exhibition there.
Plans for exhibiting at Belton are under way, and the Boston ladies will have 17 pieces to put on display, so I hope Layers of Stitch will have one or two more besides our group piece.

You will hopefully have seen the revised programme on the blog, again many thanks to Sue Cork for this, and I can now confirm that Project Linus will be coming to talk to us in January 2017

The proposed speaker for the June meeting has moved to Hampshire, and is unable to come; she has given us some ideas about someone to fill her place, but we are awaiting a response.

Jenny, our lovely Treasurer, was to have a knee replacement last week - I hope this went ahead, and we wish her all the very best. News of that on Tuesday.

Looking forward to seeing you all after the Bank Holiday.
Kate.

Capability Brown - Stately Gardens

As you may know "Mr C.B.'s Garden Tree" our joint project is now on display at the 'Landscapes and Gardens' exhibition in the Melton Mowbray Carnegie Museum.

Many thanks go to Kate Pike and Marion Jackson, who put in so much work, finishing our leaf triangles and setting it up. Marion has supplied a few photos which can be seen in the Blog along with many of the finished Triangles.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 5th April 2016, when we are looking forward to a talk from Mary Sleigh on 'Jewels of India'; Mary is widely travelled, and this promises to be one of her little gems.

Please come prepared for more stitches in the afternoon, and Annette will give some more ideas about her stitched books.

Regional Day will soon be here, and those of you who did the 'Kickstart' workshops last Autumn are now hopefully putting together your entries for this programme, which will be shown later in the summer.
We have Raffle Tickets to sell for Regional Day. 
Vicki will need to have names (and money!) if you wish to go on the coach she is organising from the Stamford and Rutland branch, as last year.
Plus, there is another request for using embroidery frames, which Vicki asked about on the blog at the end of March. Lots to think about.

The completed pieces for the Capability Brown 'Tree' are looking magnificent, and the 'Landscapes and Gardens' exhibition in the Melton Mowbray Carnegie Museum where the tree will be displayed will be going up on Tuesday whilst we are in our meeting; I'm so grateful to all of you who embroidered triangles  for this - some managed more than one; they are all so very good, and it makes an interesting group project.
I hope, too, that some of you will consider further pieces - perhaps based on the ideas you had for your triangles? - which we can display later in the summer at Belton and later in the year at Grantham Museum.

We still have not finalised further future workshops, but hope to do so in our committee meeting later; looking ahead, we do have a speaker for the 2017 AGM, which will be confirmed shortly.

I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday.
Kate.

Regional Day

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all having a good Easter despite the mixed weather.
This is a reminder that Regional day is Sunday 15th May.
I will create a list at the next meeting of those who would like 

a ticket. They are £12.50. You can also let me know by email if you 

would like one.

Rutland and Stamford branch have a coach going again this year and 

are offering a place to those who would to join the bus for £5 each. 

There will be a fundraising stall. "Instead of a book for the

Regional Stall this year, we would like you to use your imagination 

and ingenuity, up-cycle any unwanted Embroidery Hoops for us to sell.

Google: ‘Interesting things to do with Embroidery Hoops’ for a range 

of websites with many, many suggestions such as:

Pin Cushions, Lampshades, Cork Board, Ear Ring Holder, Photo
Mobile, Photo Frame, Holder for Sewing Threads and Sewing Tools,
and many others.
 
Items to be taken to Regional Day, 15th May, 2016 The donated items 

will be sold at £5.00 each. any queries to: pamkeeling@clara.co.uk 

It would be great if you 

could make something for it."

I am willing to take any offerings if you cannot make the day.
Details can be found on EMREG website about the day.
See you at the next meeting,
with best wishes

Vicki

Next Meeting - 1st March

Just a reminder of Tuesday's meeting; in the morning, we shall have a talk - 'New from Old, Making Eco Garments' - by Suella Postles from West Bridgford branch of the EG.

In the afternoon, we hope to continue with learning new stitches, and the stitched books, which some members started way back when we were at Stitchcraft! I shall have some fabric with me, as well as our stash of threads, and Tina will also bring the fabrics that she has kindly been storing for us. Annette and Sue have some handouts for these, too, and I have copies of some that Tina put out a while ago.

We have a number of workshops lined up, and as soon as we have verified some dates, we shall let you have a new timetable.

Margaret Beattie, who did such lovely beading workshops during the first two meetings of the year, will be asking what members would like to do in the way of Free Machine Embroidery work, so that a workshop on those lines can be planned, with help from Annette.

I hope that we shall see more triangles for the 'Landscapes and Gardens' project, and Marian is bringing the 'tree', so that we can try out a few hangings; we hope to complete this in the next few weeks in order to be able to take it to the Melton Mowbray Carnegie Museum for the first showing of the local exhibitions on this subject! That display, which includes several more of the East Midlands Region branches, runs from 5th April to 25th June. I have copies of the entry form for this exhibition, so if anyone feels that they could do an individual piece for Melton, the form lists the hanging criteria also. More information on that at the meeting.

We are still working on how we exhibit in the Stables at Belton House, but Boston branch are keen to join us, and I think we may have Stamford branch on board, as well. This exhibition will be during July and August, so our group piece will be on display there, and then we shall take it to Grantham Museum in September for the rest of the year. More information about Belton later, but the timing does include the National Celebration of Stitch Day, which is on August 6th.

Vicki is again organising a coach from Stamford to the Regional meeting in West Bridgford on Sunday 15th May, so please let us know if you are interested in going; hopefully, we might again have some entries for the regional competition 'All Creatures Great and Small', and perhaps also for Kickstart, the title being 'Windows on the Weather' - some of you may have done workshops as a starter for this in the Autumn of last year.

A lot of information here, and lots to think about.

Do bring any donations of raffle prizes you may have tucked away - textile related, if possible.

And, do please bring any 'show and tell' items, which I know members love to see, and don't forget the Travelling Books.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Tuesday.

Kate Pike.

Tuesday 5th January 2016

A Happy New Year to everyone.
The first meeting of the year was successful, as usual; those who did the beading workshops with Margaret and her friend Jackie really enjoyed what they did, and it was good to be able to complete a piece in so short a time. Many thanks to you both, and to Sarah for organising the day. We hope to have a repeat for other members of the group in next month's meeting.

Some pieces for the collaborative project based on Capability Brown and Gardens are starting to appear, and are very encouraging; we look forward to lots more very soon. This is looking very promising.

We had two visitors today who may be interested in joining the branch; it's always good to welcome new faces. We are a very friendly group, and new members seem to slot in seamlessly. We always seem to have a lot of things going on and everyone is willing to share their ideas and expertise, which makes for a lovely atmosphere.

The Travelling Books are looking good - we have some very talented people putting pieces in these, even those who admit to not having done much stitch before joining us - they are proving to be most interesting.

A group of volunteers from the Grantham area will help Christine and myself to take down the exhibition in Grantham Museum on Monday 18th January, and if anyone wants to come in to take away their own things, please let Christine know (christinerobbins@granthammuseum.org.uk); we start at 10.00am on that day.The exhibition has been very successful, and many thanks to Christine for organising it.

The Museum is having a 'Do Something New' day on Sunday 24th January, and we have paid for a stall for this day to 'show and tell' what we do as part of the Embroiderers' Guild. It's from 10.30 to 14.30, and several people have already volunteered to come and help for an hour or so; if you are local and able to pop in during those times to engage with the public, we would be most grateful. Bring your own stitching to demonstrate the sorts of things we do.

Today, I was reminded of the first meeting we had a year ago at the Tennis Club, after the demise of Stitchcraft; I think everyone who was a member of our EG turned up, and there was hardly room to move. It was wonderful that they all showed solidarity with our branch, but we could not have continued to support so many at any one time. We number between 25 and 30 members per meeting now, and we fit in well to the space we have.

I look forward to more of the same next month, beading and social stitching, and do bring along your CB/Stately Gardens pieces to show and tell, as well as the travelling books.
Many thanks to those who help to organise the meetings, and make EG on the first Tuesday in the month such a pleasant place to be.

Kate.