October Meeting - AGM and Marion Anniss

Our speaker this afternoon was Marion Anniss, and her accompanying guest was a very friendly gnome. Although he is only about 12" high, he was the captivating subject for Marion's talk about the trials and tribulations of creating a 3D functional piece for City and Guilds.

Marion's Gnome

The gnome (he is nameless, and only known as 'gnome') proved to be made from a wealth of different textile techniques, and called upon Marion's skills and inventiveness. From the initial research into gnomes - she knew she wanted a friendly gnome - to discovering how to create articulated limbs, turn tights into heads, use a soldering iron to best advantage, and create painted toenails, the finished gnome was a showpiece of the wide range of skills learned on a City and Guilds course, and the talk was light-hearted, amusing and very informative.

In other things . . .

For possibly the first time, our branch AGM was held in the morning, rather than at the start of the afternoon. Chairman Kath stood down after eight years on the committee, with four of them as chair, but not before she gave us her report and a resume of the activities of the year - mostly all detailed here in the blog. She is looking forward to being an 'ordinary' member of the branch again and thanked all the committee members past and present that have supported her so ably over the years. Stevie and Caroline are also standing down. We now have Joint Chairs in Sue and Shirley, but are in need of a treasurer. There is a possibility the role can be split into two. Do let Sue or Shirley know if you are willing to take on some or all of this role. It is vital that there is a treasurer for the branch to continue.

The bursary which is available to members of the Yorkshire and Humber region was awarded to two people this year - Linda and Jane from the Harrogate branch - and will help them complete their City and Guild studies. They both brought some of their work to the meeting today, and will exhibit at our next exhibition (in 2018).

A detail from some of Linda's work

Stitch Club will be starting up again at the November meeting. It will be led by Chris, with her band of helpers. Stitch club runs in the morning from 10:00 am until lunch time. The aim is to teach whatever techniques are requested - so bring your ideas! The theme will be the seasons, making tiny panels in appropriate colours throughout the year. It isn't necessary to commit to every month.
If you'd like to be part of this, bring a basic sewing kit and threads and fabrics in appropriate colours - starting in November with Autumn. As these will be mini panels, you won't need big pieces of material!

There will be a sales table at the November meeting.

Young Embroiderers will meet in the October half term. There will be a Noah's Ark theme. Classes run on two consecutive mornings, and cost £4 in total. If you would like more details, see the Young Embroiderers page by clicking on the tab above.