workshop at the EG

Spent a wonderful day yesterday at the Festival of Quilts, meeting up with some new people and renewing old friendships. I shall be teaching a bowls and bugs workshop at the Embroiderers Guild Hampton Court on the 4th-5th November. Anyone interested should contact the Guild at
their website www.embroiderersguild.org.uk and go to the workshops page.
I shall be spending the rest of the week at Canvey Island in Essex staying with my mother.
we are also taking number 1 daughtr and grandson. Hopefully we might get some nice weather!

more brooches and Quilts festival

Still making my lady brooches. I am hooked at the minute. I'm really looking forward to the festival of Quilts at Birmingham on Sunday. it will be nice just to be abl to browse and not have to worry about manning a stand for a change. I am teaching at Hampton Court in November for the Embroiderers Guild, a two day bowls workshop so anyone interested check it out at their web site.

We are promised a heatwave later this week. Might get one if we are lucky.

Marlborough EG Visit to Salisbury

Our Marlborough Embroiderers Guild Outing this year was to Salisbury where I had arranged for us to have a tour of the Embroideries. We were able to go into parts where the general public couldn't and we had a wonderful time seeing the kneelers and the beautiful frontals. It was especially exciting for me to get a closeup look at the beautiful Energy frontal by Jane Lemon. It is a favourite piece of embroidery of mine. We started off having coffee and biscuits in the Cathedral coffee shop and there was plenty of time after the tour to explore the rest of Salisbury including the museum with it's collection of costumes.

I have just spent two weeks teaching at Marlborough College Summer School and the photo shows the work produced by my adult class. It never ceases to amaze me how different all the work produced is even with starting from the same point. There was quite a variety this year with one lady making jewellery instead of the green man. I have come back a few pounds heavier from all the lovely food so the diet has started already ready for next year.

Brooches and summer school

I am rather hooked on making these little brooches at the minute. This one is Queen Elizabeth 1st. I can do the machine embroidery during the day then sit and stitch all the beads on in the evening. The head is also hand stitching. It would make a good workshop so if anyone is interested let me know. Off to mums for the weekend then a 'bowls' talk at Dorking Embroiderers Guild on Monday morning. Have to get everything ready next week for the Marlborough College Summer Schools felt making courses. Two weeks of good food ,singing, dancing and entertainment. Can not wait!!!!

Marions Bowl!

What a thrill for me on arriving at Marlborough Guild on Monday to see this bowl produced by one of my Students at my workshop. This was Marions own design and although she hadn't finished it on the day she had done enough to take it home and finish it off. The Butterflies are gorgeous. I am always so proud when I see a finished piece that someone has made from either the instructions in my book or a workshop. Keep the pictures coming Girls!!!!!

workshop

I spent yesterday teaching silk bowls to a lovely group of ladies at Broughton Gifford. It always amazes me that people are game to do a workshop that they know very little about and that is well out of their usual comfort zone. They all worked with gusto and once we had overcome several temperamental sewing machines, had reached the stage by the end of the day, where they could finish their bowls off at home. It seems to me that some of the more advanced all sing all dancing sewing machines like to be in control rather than let the user do free stitching. We did manage to get all but one to co-operate so one student finished up using my Bernina machine.