Summer was in full swing and as usual there were a lot of people in Haxby Memorial Hall with stitching projects in hand. It was the start of another set of member led stitch clubs which typically run for three sessions, giving participants time to really get to grips with the techniques. This month Jaqueline was starting a group off with silk ribbon embroidery whilst Nadine's group tried their hands at Huck embroidery.
Huck embroidery is a surface stitch form also known as Swedish weaving that became popular in the early to mid 20th century. The name 'Huck' comes from the name of the fabric used but nowadays it is more commonly done on aida. The front of the fabric has rows of pairs of threads ('floats') that stand up from the back and the Huck stitch goes behind these to create a series of geometric patterns. There is no thread showing on the back of the fabric and a special Huck needle is used which is long and has a slight bend in it to help avoid catching the fabric. Huck is a form of counted thread embroidery and very suitable for items such as table runners, afghans or hangings. Nadine started the group off with a simple heart design using one colour.
Making a start on Huck embroidery
One of Nadine's huck samples
The second stitch club focused on silk ribbon embroidery. This is a type of work that is 3-dimensional, and is typically very vibrant and luxurious. The technique has its origins in 17th century Europe and became popular in the 18th century when it was used to decorate the clothing, accessories and home furnishings of fashionable women. It has continued to be popular for floral designs, sometimes incorporating additional embroidery stitches and beads to add texture and sparkle. It is not washable so best suited for special occasion clothing, accessories and keepsakes.
Before starting on the actual stitching and ribbon flowers, it was neccessary to set up the silk dupion base with a thin backing and to draw an outline shape onto the fabric before stretching it into an 8" hoop. Participants were then able to select green threads and to stitch the heart shape in order to form a 'foliage' outline. Jaqueline is a very technically accomplished embroiderer and the group enjoyed seeing the correct way to work stem and chain stitches. Next month the group will make a start on adding the flowers and leaves.
Setting up a foundation for the silk ribbon flowers
Jaqueline's sample heart
This month Michele had contributed a page of Redwork embroidery to the Travelling Book. She described it as a 'guilty pleasure' being a simple and rather nostalgic technique.
Michele's redwork
Afternoon session - members' show and tell
In the afternoon members' had an opportunity to share some of their finished projects, work in progress and embroidered items they had inherited from loved ones. As might be expected this resulted in a very diverse range of things to see (at this point I must send apologies to those whose work we really enjoyed seeing but which I didn't photograph).
Angela's embroidery based on a design found among her grandmothers' effects
Work done by Isobel, Angela's grandmother whist a student of York Arts and Crafts School in the mid 1920s
Nicola showed the group some of her technical sketchbooks. In addition to holding down a job, Nicola is enjoying taking a part time course in Bradford (FdA Textiles Practice). Nicola is near the start of her course and was working with a largely monotone colour palette at that point. It was quite a contrast to the traditional pieces worked by Isobel (above) but we don't have Isobel's sketchbooks so perhaps she was able to be experimental as well as technically skilled.
Nicola's technical sketchbooks
Next up was Jane whose tiny, delicate flower embroideries were much admired. Jane talked about overcoming her fear of drawing (something many of us could relate to) and how she was using close observation to guide her development of her own work. She intends to try to work on larger pieces in the future and we look forward to seeing these in due course (although small is beautiful!).
Jane's sketchbooks and flower embroideries
By way of complete contrast, Helen brought in some work in progress/unfinished pieces by way of encouraging everyone to revisit past ideas. There was something very liberating about hearing someone describe the enjoyment of the process of making so much. Helen has an artist's sensibilities and a playful approach to colour and design. Sometimes things work for her and sometimes she puts things aside to pursue a different idea. Sometimes she picks up abandoned pieces and can see them working in a different project. We appreciated her openness to new ideas and to sharing things that were not 'perfect' or 'finished'.
Some of Helen's 'unfinished' work
Although many members like to make things which are original, we certainly don't judge people who enjoy stitching kits. Anne brought in several lovely kantha hare pieces which she (and her daughter) had both very much enjoyed stitching. These were designed by Angela Daymond and were very charming (and beautifully stitched by Anne).
Hare among bluebells - kit by Angela Drumond, stitched by Anne
Chris brought in two cushions that she made back in 2004 as entries for a competition with a theme of 'proverbial pillows'. Chris has a wicked sense of humour and these were such fun! We figured out the proverbs - 'an elephant never forgets' and 'curiosity killed the cat'.
Proverbial pillows made by Chris
Nicky contributed three lengths of handweaving (some with embelishments) for us to admire. She had made these as part of a 100 day project that runs annually on Instagram (typically starting in February). Every year, thousands of people all round the world commit to 100 days of creating and it is open to everyone. The idea is that having chosen a creative project, participants document and share their process online using a hashtag #The100DayProject. Although she is skilled in many types of embroidery, Nicky has recently focused on hand weaving and has found many different ways to challenge herself and be experimental. The scarf that she had woven using throws of a dice to 'guide' the pattern was coveted by many of us!
Nicky's handwoven and embellished fabric
@nickybrungertextileart
Our thanks also go to Margaret for talking us through how she made a colourful textile book and to Sue for showing her bedquilts made during lockdown from hand dyed and manipulated fabrics. Thanks to Jane (our resident expert knitter) for showing a phenomenally complex and beautiful bottle green cabled jumper which she had self drafted the pattern for and was partway through making. We also enjoyed seeing work from Sheenah who had inherited several pieces of embroidery and lace from her great aunt and had worked them into a 'snippet' roll. This was such a lovely way to rescue vintage linens from the drawers and think about the person who owned/used them.
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