Stitched Coffee Pod Flower Collage Workshop

My Stitched Coffee Pod Flower Collages

This weekend I visited the Quilters' Guild Contemporary Textiles group Region 14 (Cleveland & Yorkshire) to lead a workshop for them entitled Stitched Coffee Pod Flower Collage Workshop.  The aim was to show how used coffee pods could be manipulated into some basic flower shapes which, with a bit of design work, could then be turned into a stitched collage. You can see some of my examples above.

Coffee pods, prepped and ready to use

I had prepped plenty of coffee pods for everyone to use in a whole array of colours.  All the coffee grounds I had removed from them been added to my garden compost! And there were plenty of threads, buttons and beads available too...

Threads, buttons & beads

Coffee pods sorted by colour

And after some coffee pod manipulation demonstrations, everyone got going...

Workshop participants flower shapes in the making

Some great new ideas emerged from cutting, hammering and the use of pliers.

At the end of the day, some fabulous collages had been created.  One Young Quilter, had been particularly imaginative to great effect...

Here is the fabulous work of the other participants...

I was really impressed with everyone's ideas and creativity - what a super group!  Thank you Contemporary Textiles for inviting me along.

Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show 2022 - All the Other Exciting Bits - Part 3

Hawes Yarnbombers - Crocheted Shrek

It occurs to me that in my previous posts I missed out some of the other wonders of last year's Knitting & Stitching Show so I'm going to whizz through just some of them!

Hawes Yarnbombers - Crocheted Ogre Princess Fiona & Lord Farquaad

First of all (largely because this is what I came across first) the Hawes Yarnbombers had a Shrek display and as a Yarnstormer myself I thought I should tantalise you with some pics! And here are their useful top 10 tips if you want to try some yarnbombing/yarnstorming yourself...

Hawes Yarnbombers Tip 10 Yarnbombing Tips

You may not know but the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2022.  They had some amazing work on show.  Guislaine Peart's creative box Larder contains 82 pieces of cardboard covered in fabric and stitched together and has stumpwork foodstuffs - fab!

RSN Advanced Diploma Student Ghislaine Peart - Larder

Paris Morthorpe's creative box was a Colonial Williamsburg House and Garden...

RSN Advanced Diploma Student Paris Morthorpe
- Colonial Williamsburg House and Garden

Those stitchers amongst us may find the online RSN Stitch Bank very useful too. At time of writing it contained 275 stitches. Each stitch entry contains information about its history, use and structure as well as a step-by-step method with photographs, illustrations and video.  You can access it here.

The Quilters' Guild had an exhibition relating to quilts and the written word - Text & Context...

Winifred Dodge - Clothes Label Coverlet

Winifred Dodge's Clothes Label Coverlet was made in the 1980s from over 2000 woven clothes labels - some firms are no longer in existence.  It shows one way textiles can incorporate text that often goes unnoticed.

Lesley Brankin - Belonging

The radiating words in Lesley Brankin's Belonging quilt reflect what the Quilters' Guild means to its members and was a collaborative piece.

Jo Avery - Intertwined

I loved this colourful quilt of geometric flowers and leaves by Jo Avery.

And who could fail to be impressed by Shenley Brook End School's Going for Gold quilt inspired by the gold collecting dragon in Tolkien's The Hobbit...

Shenley brook End School - Going for Gold

The Embroiderers' Guild had work on display, including EG Scholar David Morrish...

Embroiderers' Guild Scholar - David Morrish

and graduates, Suzy Ager...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Suzy Ager

Eliza Gommershall...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Eliza Gommershall

Adrian Wa...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Adrian Wa

Amelia Fern Gething...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Amelia Rose Gething

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Amelia Rose Gething

All in all lots to be excited about. Looking forward to the next Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate (16-19 November 2023) already!

New Acquisitions to the Quilters' Guild Collection

Quite some time ago (in fact it was back in 2018!) I went to the Quilters' Guild new acquisitions mini exhibition in the Guild HQ at St Anthony's Hall, York.  I came across my pics recently and thought you might like to see them.  Below are the acquisitions I liked best...

Jean Grimshaw - Berlin Wall Quilt - 2005

Jean Grimshaw's triptych incorporated fabric painting, photo transfer, applique, quilting & embroidery.  She was in Berlin in 1961 with her penpal when the Wall went up and her penpal's family were divided by it.  The quilt represnts Jean's feelings and experiences of Berlin and her joy when the Wall finally came down in 1989.

Val Jackson - The Lilac Dress - 2014

Val Jackson explores the role of women in the 1950s in The Lilac Dress. The text is taken from advice manuals and popular culture of the time.  It is heavily quilted and embroidered

Thirties Log Cabin Coverlet - Maker Unknown

Made from lots of different printed dress and furnishing fabrics, this log cabin coverlet has been hand sewn. 

Mosaic Coverlet with Art Nouveau Fabrics - Maker Unknown - 1880-1910

The back of this coverlet by an unknown maker features a number of Art Nouveau fabrics.

Corded Quilted Stomacher - Maker Unknown - 1730s

This stomacher features a floral design woked in backstitch.  Stomachers were popular in the 18th Century and filled the gap in the mid section between two edges of an open robe.

Other acquisitions included: The Muriel Rose Cot Coverlet - maker unknown (1930s), Betsy Cope's Irish Chain Quilt (1872), All the World's a Stage  - Linda Straw (1993), Applique Cot Coverlet - Mrs Routh (1890s-1900s), Child's Fabric Book - maker unknown (1920s - 1930s), Eiderdown Doll Quilts and Designs - Mary Morgan Lloyd (1930s).  You can find out more about them all here.

Open days and events at the Quilters' Guild Museum Collection will resume in 2021 - more info here.

 

The Embroiderers' Guild & the Quilters' Guild at the Knitting & Stitching Show - Harrogate 2019

Home Exhibition - Catherine Hill - My Mum's Baking - Cheese & Onion Pie

The Knitting & Stitching Show provided an opportunity to have a closer look at work by members of the Embroiderers' Guild and Quilters' Guild.  The Embroiderers' Guild had an exhibition entitled "Home" where their members had produced work about what "Home" meant to them.  Here are some of my favourites...

Home Exhibition

Clockwise from top left: Frances Reilly - The Cotswolds, Moira Wood - It's Where the Heart Is,  Victoria Flood - Symbols of Home, Sara Frost - Washing on the Line

Home Exhibition - Anne Kelly - Maudie's House

They also had an exhibition of "Life's Rich Pattern"...

Pauline Medinger - Pine Deconstruction

Pam Keeling - Patterns of Autumn

Jean Usher - ...two days after Pearl Harbour

And of course there was the Graduate Showcase.  There was some amazing work on show including...

Elle Foreman takes the discarded and transforms it into something unique using among other techniques, printing, stitching and applique...

Elle Foreman

Catriona Charlton's work centres on costume inspired by the teen fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor...

Catriona Charlton

Alex Vincent Turner's work is influenced by issues of sustainability and male identity and the need to embrace the feminine side of menswear...

Alex Vincent Turner

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Quilters' Guild and as ever they had some amazing quilts on display including...

Katarzyna Plesniak - Pieces of Memories 1

Katarzyna Plesniak - Pieces of Memories 1 (detail)

Jean Grimshaw - Berlin Wall

Heather Chalkley

CQ London were also exhibiting at the Knitting & Stitching Show.  They are a London based group of contemporay quilters and their theme was "Capital Contrasts" focussing on their home city. I particularly liked this one...

Sabi Westoby - Southbank 14 CQ Quilters

With so much to see, I can only give you a brief taster of all the wonderful work on show. If you missed the 2019 show, I'd recommend it as an essential date for your diary in 2020!