Mind, Pencil & Needle - Workshop: Sat 11th June 2016

Mind, Pencil & Needle

Afternoon Workshop at

Embroiderers' Guild

South & East Essex Branch

1.45pm-4.30pm

Saturday 11th June 2016

Full Branch Information, see HERE

For your afternoon pleasure next week, you have ME taking the Branch Meeting.  Its a practical afternoon Workshop, open to everyone - visitor fee is £5. which includes tea/coffee/biscuits. (there is usually cake as an optional extra) - but there is no need to spend any further funds, if you don't wish to.

Its open to all skill levels, but if you want to just come, sit and chat, well that's OK too!

So what will I have on offer, let me tease, because I'm not revealing all cough.

You will need to bring with you, if you have:

A pencil (or pen)

Needles and Scissors

Thread

There is a task which uses only one thread, so don't feel you have to carry your entire stash - but you can bring as you wish.

I will have some supplies on hand, but not an extensive offering,

and if you forget, don't worry, we are all happy to share.

So what are you going to do in the afternoon - well you will need the Mind part - I know, but the best kind of mind is one willing to be open to the experience of the afternoon.  I can tell you that the afternoon does involve a bit of brain stimulation!

How about a couple of hints.....  mhmmmmm I wonder......

If you know me, then you will know I don't do traditional - I leave it to those who can. The afternoon however can be as challenging as you want to make it, but it really is nothing to be scared of.

If you want any more information on this Guild Branch, use the links to be found here.

Or you can always comment here - I am the Branch IT Rep.  You can find me on Facebook, and also via my own website.

Please come and join us at this, or any other meeting - I can vouch, the homemade cake is excellent!

Beverley

Salvage to Selvedge - My Workshop

Past Saturday I took the meeting at my Embroiderers' Guild Branch.  Finances mean we do several of our own 'inhouse' events, usually a practical session.  I've done many of these over the years.  Between that and the other Members who take the meetings its getting harder and harder to think of something to offer up, not seen before or a new slant on things, for a room of mixed interests and abilities.

I have a reputation in my Branch - heard it said  a few times - "oh you know who Bev is, she does the weird stuff" - Moi!!!  Its more that I'm abstract... realism is beautiful but my brain and fingers just don't co-ordinate to make it.

So... can't let them down can I? Mwah ha ha.  I decided enough, can't expect and assume people have finances for things, nor for an afternoon out do they need to bring masses of stuff.  So in my world, whatever you have in the house can be transformed.  bbq sticks, wire, magazines, chunky beads from the 'buy this garment and get this lovely belt for free',calendars, and books, cardboard boxes.
My intent was not necessarily for them to go home with something beautiful, but rather just to go home and think of what was in the house which can be transformed with a bit of effort.  Its doesn't have to be from the stand point of finance, recycling, more just because its the right thing for the task.

So this is what I had to show them.... plus some of my own work.

You can't assume anything - I asked if everyone knew how to make a cord with thread, pencil and a door handle. I've been doing since a young child, kinda thought one of these things everyone did... For some it brought back memories, for others they'd never come across.  So we had a go at that.  Yes I do have a cord winder machine, but that is no good if your students don't have, so I left it at home.

A selection of the afternoon's play....

I must tell you, one of the ladies brought along her mother, who has early stages memory loss etc.  They have been having trouble getting her to engage with things in the assisted living place she's now in.  There is a crafts person with meetings, but she flatly refuses to join in.  Saturday though she leapt in at the pile of things, took an image from the book, cut it out, and made a piece.  Her daughter was thrilled.  May be the image struck a chord with her, may be it was not 'wasting' precious products, or just simply the different environment.  Anyway everyone had a go at something, chatted, ate cake - which was delicious - after all, that's really the main purpose of the afternoon.

I've already been thinking of what to do for them in the next Programme......a twist on a standard...
Oh and I was 'paid' - here's what I received.

Thread packs from Texere

Up and Coming

I'm back to singing that song again... "busy doing nothing, working the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do"
Actually I'm doing a lot of work on a website for a group, lots of on the job learning and doing.

Coming up........
~ Embroiderers' Guild Branch Workshop - 10th August - with little moi, practical afternoon making simple books:

~ Hand and Machine Made Cords 22nd August - click on the link for the venue information.
See previous post for details.

~ Rochford Art Trail, 19th-28th September.  This is my venue.  No, not the inside, you will be looking through the window!  So I will be open 24/7.
For any of you on Facebook, search for Rochford Art Trail to find their page.  Each artist has been asked to submit photos, so its ongoing, but there are taster images appearing, full of wow!

Last Friday, I went out and bought one of these..... 19th July and I have next year's diary!  What's even more jaw dropping is that one day in March has the possibility of being in 4 different places, and not just around the corner, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Herts.  I have this mad life, nothing for weeks, and then everything piles in on one day.

I can also show you these... task for my EG Branch.  We are making a visual record book of techniques.  We each had a colour box and told to use one stitch.  I had the blue so used seeding stitches, then I took a friend's red box and probably my favourite all time stitch, raised chain band.

Right must not take on any more "can you just" - except I've got one more, and to a deadline, sigh.

Lifelong Learning

So you go off on a workshop and what do you hope to achieve?  A nice day out, meeting new people amongst it all, perhaps the chance to learn new things, or be reminded of things already tried, or a new slant on them?  And then home, and what next.

Workshop with Wendy Creak at Art Van Go last Friday

Well to start with the big challenge, fitting things back in cupboards, and in my case pulling out a set of wheelie drawers, something clattered behind them when I was sorting what to take.  Can't remember the last time cleaned behind, to my shame, whole eco system going on.

This got me sidetracked as everything moved off the top too.  There I am with this nice large jar of paintbrushes, is actually one of those big sweetie jars you have at Xmas.  I thought it looked pretty arty and like I'm busy and know what I'm doing... but actually its ended up with another eco system in it.  So I tidied and binned the contents (and the jar) and those of a drawer, and have a lot less.  I decided to bin all the very old and extra paintbrushes, sticks, sponges  that I simply don't use.  Quite ironic when Friday I was using sticks, and bits of stone, and bricks and wood as mark making tools. This brought about another profound thought:

is it OK to stay with what you know

is it necessary to constantly have challenges

You may have noticed that Beverley's Bulletins aren't happening any more.  The idea was to make me look back and revisit things, bring them back to the forefront of thinking, in sharing them with you, it would be a reminder to me.  But in practice its not happening, its not fitting in with how I am...  So back to the Friday workshop, what to do with it next... I have a couple of ideas but actually I'm thinking its one of these things to be absorbed and pulled out when needed, right now, its just not right for my ideas.  To be real its because the class takes place on a particular day and obviously that's not necessarily where you are at that point and time in design or project.  I often find the benefit of a workshop is not what you expect at all... its the throwaway comment which strikes a nerve and inspires, its a trigger for a thought process which races ahead.  And its the act of putting everything away, and realising time to stop holding on to physical things, get rid of some of the clutter, find working space, and brain space.

I enjoyed Friday, all sorts of challenges in the day, processes revisited, and ideas which have (oh that dreaded word) 'potential'.  But what I've learned in the broadest sense will filter through and be used, at some point, but its not necessary right now to explore further.

Its been a profound thinking art weekend... as something else came into the thought process, but I'll save that for another time.

 





Teaching and Creating

Roll up, roll up, time to book my class at The Sewing Box.

Tuesday 18th June
not running due to lack of student numbers

NEW DATE
THURSDAY 22nd AUGUST 2013

Hand and Machine Made Cords

Check with the shop for information - places available

The intention is to use the sewing machines on the premises.  The requirements are a few machine threads, for practice use up the threads/yarns from your stash, knitting yarn, embroidery threads, even string!  It is my intent that we work on a rotation, with some learning the machine techniques, whilst others do the hand and others play with some equipment I have.  So everyone goes home with a range of samples, a practical dictionary if you like for future reference.  But what will I do with them?  As well as being accent decoration for pieces of textile art, there's the practical, light pulls, bag handles, jewellery.  These sample techniques will reference to endless possibilities.

-----------------------------------------------

Sigh, I would like to be able to show you all lots of lovely work which I'm doing.  I look at artists on Facebook and see masses of creations appearing on an almost daily basis, and think oh dear, where are mine?  However, what I'm involved with is work for exhibitions and displays.  Personally I don't feel it fair on those attending such events to share it widely first, so hence it looks like not much is hapening.  But have a clue....

A very badly painted sketchbook cover.  I really love these sketchbooks so have to do something to them, so I can find the latest, or the one with specific things in.  And to go in it.... mhmmm

Stage 1 in sampling.........







Workshop, Wonderment, Walking

I've lost my mojo, have you seen it? Got loads of ideas, but when it comes to getting down to it, suddenly they don't seem so exciting.

So I thought this past weekend might do something to wake up the creative spirit.
Saturday, I went on a Lynda Monk workshop. It was full on we worked hard, but we came away with lots of goodies. Not least part of the pleasure of the day was that Lynda had prepared everything we needed, so no hunting around for supplies, and better, no trying to fit stuff back in cupboards when returning home. Lynda provided the best 'kit' I've ever came across, generous with materials, and her knowledge. It was also nice to meet up with friends and new acquaintances for the day, so much what these events are about.
Sunday me and himself went off to London. I'm not a lover of the capital, being a country bumpkin, hate the swarms of people. But we had places/people to see.
First off to the degree show of the Julia Caprara School graduates, and in particular to see and support Chris Spencer. Many congratulations Chris, all that hard work. Do look at her blog to see the journey she's made to get this degree. Some of the other work I really liked, some I simply didn't understand, sigh. But this is what art is about, perhaps it makes you think, assess, look again.
Next and not far away, we went to visit a house. This has been on our wish list for sometime, its only open a few days in the year (again this coming Sunday), so very lucky to coincide with the graduate show. 19 Princelet Street. Although neither of us have any connection to the cultures or people who formed part of the history of this house and the area, we still wanted to see it. Its in a bad state of repair, but for me all the more poignant. I spent a lot of time, just sitting, looking, absorbing and imagining those peoples from the past, which is how I like my history... the ordinary folk, their daily lives, seeing the buildings/streets they might have seen.
As we left, look what we found in the pavement - a drain cover I suppose, but no others in the street like this one.