Embroiderers Guild Lincolnshire

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Yesterday I went along for the first time to the Lincolnshire Branch of the Embroiderers Guild which meets at Bishop Grosseteste College (known to its friends as Bishop Grot!). It was a bit nerve wracking to start with as I didn't know anybody but the ladies made me very welcome and I had a great day.

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The guest speaker was Lis Mann, who is described as a multimedia artist and tutor, and she introduced us to her work via the story of her journey through life and creativity so far. Lis had come to the UK from Austria as a refugee from the Second World War and it was fascinating to hear how her early life had influenced, not always on a conscious level, her journey.


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Lis works with layers of fabric and stitch, building up rich surfaces and sometimes incorporating found objects and wrapped wood. Her work is constantly evolving so I don't think you could ever pigeonhole her.


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If you click on the image above you can see the beautiful texture of the surface and the addition of paint inn places to unify areas.

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During the afternoon Lis led us in a mini workshop during which we worked on small samples experimenting with layering fabrics, stamping and stencilling and stitching. The photo shows Lis's own samples and there is a great variety of colour and texture. These small pieces could be used as they are to make bookcovers, boxes even brooches or they could be combined together to make larger pieces of work. The only limitation is your imagination as there is no right or wrong way of working with these methods. I hadn't taken any materials or sewing kit with me so I had to rely on the generosity of the members to be able to join in. My little piece is in its infancy so I will show you when I get a bit more work done on it.

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This way of working on small pieces is a great way to be able to do a little stitching when you have a few spare minutes and I am definitely going to make up a small kit to take with me on holiday to while away any travelling delays.

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Unfortunately my hands are just getting worse to the point where sewing hurts and everyday tasks are becoming difficult so I am going to take a bit of a blogging break to see if that helps. Maybe it will give me time to catch up on some of those books I've bought recently! See you in a few weeks (I'll probably still be looking in at your blogs but I may not comment so much for a while).