Woolfest

On Friday 22nd June I was given a lift up to Woolfest which is held

 at Mitchell's Auction Yard in Cockermouth. I like Woolfest because it is more rural than the other shows I go to and it always has a nice atmosphere with folk bands playing. It is always very colourful with stalls selling mainly wool and wool related products. There are also displays which can fill you full of ideas.

One of the more unusual things about Woolfest is that you can see some of the wool providing animals, including some of the rarer breeds of sheep.

As well as sheep there were neatly trimmed alpacas with their beautiful soft, warm, wool and angora rabbits.

With my shopping list in hand I was able to visit the stalls and stock up on items for my stash!!!!! A day well spent.

North Lonsdale Branch E. G. Silver Anniversary

At the June meeting of North Lonsdale Branch of the E.G. we were each producing a small embroidery based on nature that had to have some silver on it somewhere. We could choose any style or stitches we liked.
I was leading the meeting and so I had created a few samples before the meeting. [See Below]

All the members were full of ideas and they began producing their own designs with silver on them somewhere. The finished pictured were then laced over foam board and backed with cotton fabric.

The pictures are to be displayed in a grid format at our exhibition in Grange library in November.

Summer School with the Embroiderers' Guild

At the beginning of June I attended Summer School at Clitheroe. There was the choice of two workshops, felt making or lace books. I had opted to make a lace book and was all packed and ready. We stay at Waddow Hall which is set in lovely grounds at the head of the river Ribble.

In the lace group we used lace as an stimulus to make lace-like patterns keeping to a neutral palette. We stained and painted backgrounds and then constructed pages using lace motifs, rubbings, holed paper, weavings , patterns with threads etc.  and then embellished with beads, buttons stitch, knots. Some of my samples are below.

We then used our samples or mixed several together to make pages in our book. I have put some below but I am still working on the book!

Some of the work by the other members is below.

The other workshop was wet felting, layer by layer, to build up a landscape.

It was a good Summer School and enjoyed by everyone and I could have participated in either workshop.