Sunday 12 July 2009

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).


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17 comments:

The WestCountryBuddha said...

Enjoy your break and go and soak up some sun. Hope you feel better soon. Take care x

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

You have posted some fabulous stuff, a gorgeous quilt, beautiful dyed fabrics, sun printing, all wonderful. I do hope your hands feel better soon Julie. Hope to keep in touch while you are having a break ... enjoy and make the most of it!

Heather said...

Hope your hands recover soon and enjoy your break. Lis Mann is a wonderful artist - her work is so powerful and sometimes 'dark', but she is such a good teacher and mentor. The group I belong to had two weekends with her some years ago and we all benefitted from her advice and guidance. Looking forward to seeing your work when you have managed to do a bit more to it.

Sharne Gregory said...

Enjoy the break, I hope that your hands recover with rest and that it is not too long before you can hold the needle again.

Jackie said...

Have a lovely break and come back refreshed and pain free. Don't worry about commenting..give your hands a break from the keyboard.

silverpebble said...

So sorry about your hands Julie - I hope they improve with rest. This is a lovely post - Lis's work looks stunning. Many thanks for your lovely comments as ever xx

Mrs Moog said...

Your day at the Embroiderer's Guild looks lovely - those mixed media pieces are beautiful.

Hope your hands are soon feeling very much better. Enjoy your blog break and look after yourself :)

xxx

Lesley's Creations said...

Hi Julie. What an interesting post, I now want to go off and experiment! Sorry to hear your hands are feeling worse, I do hope they feel better soon. Take care. Hugs xx

Timaree said...

Glad you enjoyed the day at the Guild. I am always nervous about attending new things like that too. Like you, I would have gone in unprepared but you know how willingly you, yourself would have shared supplies so it worked out. This does look like a good idea. Sort of a free-for-all crazy quilt piece.

Hope your hands feel better soon. We all need our hands so very much.

DILLY said...

Hewo Julie!
Hope hands be gettin better!
Mummy sez, ware gluvs!
MWEAH!
¬"

Digitalgran said...

Julie I'm so sorry the problem with your hands is getting worse, so maybe a rest from using the computer will help. Enjoy and relax and we hope to see you back soon. You will be missed.

Lovely interesting post.

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing your inspiring day amongst strangers. I haven't done anything like that in eons, maybe I'll try something new. Have a great trip!!!!!

Unknown said...

it sounds like a lovely barnch, and thanks for sharing about Lis Mann. I hope your hands will soon start to recover with rest.

silverpebble said...

Hi Julie, I do hope all is well x

Mrs Mac said...

I hope you're having a great time!

Maggi said...

So glad you enjoyed your first meeting. What lovely samples you have shown. So sorry to hear about your hands. I hope they start to improve soon.

B.T.Bear (esq.) said...

Hallo!
Ar yu home yet?
Hope yu had/ar havin a grayte time!!

:@}