31/01/2009 by Mary.

Well there has to be an upside to the freezing cold weather and that has been that I have spent more time sewing than usual.  I have finished lap quilt for my brother-in-law and had an amazed thank you letter by return of post.  I have also made a log cabin cushion for the Hexagon AGM Challenge using curved courthouse blocks.  This was a method a devised for my City and Guilds course and I was pleased to see that its replication on a small scale worked well.  I have also finished my piece for the monthly Loose  Threads challenge!

Three of us had a great time on Tuesday shopping for more fabric at Village Fabrics and then yesterday I started to think about finishing my Philippa Naylor workshop piece and realised it could only be done by buying more fabric. I think I better work on something else instead!

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31/01/2009 by Mary.

My newsletter came this week so I can pass on a few dates which might be of interest.

Saturday 7 March there is a Regional Day in Charvil Village Hall with Joan Nutall and Kathleen Laurel Sage. The following day Kathleen is doing a workshop, which I have booked on.

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March there is a Region 6 exhibition at Radley College and 27-29 March is the Conference and AGM in Swansea. I will be getting my certificate for completing the judging course at the AGM.

The date for the Summer lunch is 16 July and the Autumn Regional day is 17 October when Claire Tinsley will speak and give a workshop the next day.  I have still to finish the piece I started at her workshop with the Hexagon Quilters!!

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08/06/2008 by Mary.

I went with two friends to the Henry Moore Foundation at Perry Green in Herts. on Friday.  We decided to visit after seeing the sculptures in Kew Gardens last year.  We booked in advance for a tour of the house and a tour of the grounds and exhibitions.(£10)

The house has been kept as it was when Henry Moore was alive.  The sitting room was fascinating because covering every surface were objects which could have been used as design sources:- rocks, shells, native artifacts etc.

The beautiful gardens have recently been re-done by Yvonne Innes -who had a show garden at Chelsea this year. Within these grounds are the sculptures.  Apparently they are often off on tour, so the actual positioning in the garden varies.  We had a knowledgeable guide who took us through the various stages in making the sculptures with the aid of demonstration exhibits. She also explained the design sources and gave details about where the sculptures went around the world.

There is a special exhibition on in the Sheep Barn at the moment on Henry Moore’s textiles, which is well worth a visit.  We could have spent longer in this but were hurried on to another barn full of amazing tapestries based on Henry Moore’s sculptures made at West Dean College in Sussex.

This is just a taster so you know what is there.  Its well worth a visit. www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk

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30/05/2008 by Mary.

Quadriga are a group of four textile artists- Kate Cox, Delia Salter, Lynne Seaman and Sandra Meech.  Their exhibition is at the Old Fire sation Gallery, Henley on Thames until 31 May.  I have always loved the work of Sandra Meech and so it was interesting to see how her latest work has developed.  I particularly liked her ‘London Series’ including a dimensional piece ‘Under the Arches- London’ -she has stitched through wire to create the texture and detail.

Kate Cox has produced some excellent studies of water in her dyed cloth.  I particularly liked ‘Ebb and Flow’.

I had a long chat with Delia about her work. She has stopped using wadding and is enjoying hand stitching through several layers of dyed or photo transferred fabric. I liked her small pieces called ‘Waterloo Sunsets ‘reflections of the sunset in the water from the South Bank, while listening to The Kinks’.  I did not like a piece inspired by London Calling by the The Clash!

Does anyone else need music to inspire their fabric creativity?

Anyway well worth a visit and both Sandra and Delia were very generous with their time in discussing their work. 

Mary

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