Our January Meeting

On a cold Yorkshire morning we were happy to meet up and wish each other a "Happy New Year".  In the morning two stitch clubs started.  We aim to offer contrasting clubs so that a 'technical' option is counterbalanced by a more experimental one.  Typically these are run for three sessions so that members have time to get to grips with the techniques.  Some members love to join a stitch club whilst others prefer to work on their own projects. 

The first was Goldwork led by two of our very skilfull and experienced members. Celia and Josie produce exquisite and technically accomplished pieces so we were very pleased that they were willing to help novices get to grips with some of the basic techniques. 

Technical samples created by Celia and Josie

Members made a good start on Goldwork by trying the 'brick' technique to make straight lines.  Apparently it was quite hard to do (the hall's lighting isn't great for fine stitching) but everyone made progress couching pairs of gold wire.  The next stage was to add a coloured metal line to create a striped effect.  Over the next months members will be guided to achieve angles and curves.  This is a lovely form of embroidery that requires much artistry and precision.  

Jackie making a start on the 'brick' couching technique

The other stitch club option was Colour and Collage which was led by Helen.  Helen has an Art background and always produces vibrant and harmonious pieces so we were delighted to have her lead us through some experimental techniques to help us think about colour and design in new ways.  No 'right' or 'wrong' things for this group - just gentle encouragement and play.

Simple colour mixing

Stencilling onto paint colour samples

Picking out colours from a photograph - a demonstration of Helen's design process

Members in Helen's group enjoyed simple colour mixing exercises.  Whilst the swatches were drying members chose a photograph/magazine page picture that 'spoke' to them and tried to pick out and mix the colours.  It was an instructive exercise in finding harmonious colour combinations that was very much enjoyed by the group.  

At  most meetings we lay out a sales table.  This runs on a 'pay what you feel' basis and is a good way for members to pick up fabrics, books and threads (and sometimes small pieces of equipment) to use and experiment with.  We are very happy to receive donations from stitchers whose stashes have become too much (if that is even possible!).  Please contact the YES chair if you have items to donate.  We generally use the donations to provide materials for stitch clubs.  If items don't sell we take them to the Cone Exchange in Harrogate which repurposes them into valuable resources for local crafters as well as environmentally conscious materials for schools and playgroups.  

Sales Table

Batik, Wax and Wonder - Rebecca Mason

Our speaker in the afternoon was York Textile Artist Rebecca Mason.  Rebecca specialises in Batik - a dye resist technique using wax.  She makes silk scarves, framed pictures and wall hangings using  both traditional Indonesian and modern methods.  Rebecca gave a wide ranging talk about the processes involved in making Batik.  We learned a little of the history of resist dyeing and its development in Java where makers were particularly skilled.  Hand drawing with hot wax gave way to wooden block printing and the invention of copper stamps (tjaps) to apply the hot wax in a faster (and commercially cheaper) way.   Over time the techniques were disseminated across the globe, being particularly popular in 1890s Amsterdam and in Holland, Germany, France, Poland and the UK between 1918 and 1925.   In these countries it was used for interior decoration rather than its traditional use in clothing.  After this time it waned in popularity in the West before being revived in the 1960s by artists including Noel Dyrenforth in London who founded the Batik Guild.  

Originally batik making was a distinct cultural and economically important industry in Indonesia before being appropriated commercially by international traders.   It was also adapted by artists for use in different ways.   For example we were interested to learn that the women of the Utopian Aboriginal community in Central Australia developed a distinctive style of batik from the late 1970s which has become recognised internationally as a vibrant art movement.  

Batiks from Utopia - The Riddoch Collection.  theriddoch.com.au

Untitled.  

Samples of traditional and experimental batik from Rebecca's collection

As well as explaining the batik making process, Rebecca shared information about contemporary makers whose work she particularly admires, including Rosi Robinson who uses traditional implements such as kistkas, cantings, dye, wax and Indonesian cotton to  produce figurative batik paintings.  Rebecca, like many contemporary textile artists uses the 'crackle' effect of wax being penetrated by dye to create both abstract and figurative pieces.  She had brought along some of her varied work for us to admire.  

A selection of Rebecca's silk scarves

 Rebecca Mason's batik 'paintings' and cards

As well as producing items for sale Rebecca regularly exhibits her work and runs workshops.

Further information can be found on her website www.batik-art.co.uk .  

Rebecca has a studio in York at the South Bank Studios www.southbankstudiosyork.co.uk. 

Her work (with other York Textile Artists) can be seen on www.yorktextileartists.com

Our next meeting

This takes place on Saturday 7th February.  Meetings are held in Haxby Memorial Hall starting at 10.30.  Visitors are always welcome to come along to see what we do.  If you are an experienced embroiderer or if you would just like to try your hand at a new skill, do pop along and have a chat to us.  Why not start 2026 by bringing some stitching or a Christmas kit you haven't started yet and make some new friends?