Princeton Chapter EGA Holiday Party 2017

Your humble writer promised to write a blogpost about our holiday party, and in the confusion of the moment, left her tablet, on which she takes pictures, at home, charging!

So Margaret K generously stepped in, and made a lovely series of pix of our embroidered projects, sent them on to me, and you'll notice I credited her with the pix.  Thank you for saving the day, Margaret!

Helen and Jane, original founders of the Chapter, invited Liz into their annual picture, since for once she was not taking the photos, and she was happy to be included

 

 

We all wish everyone who was able to come, and absent friends, a wonderful holiday season and a good New Year to come.

Liz says good bye to the guild blog

Good morning!

I just want to let you know that this is the last post of this blog in its current form.  As the creator, writer and photographer since its inception five years ago, it's now time for me to step away, since my own priorities need changes in my commitments.

It's been fun, very much appreciated, that's always nice, and I will not delete anything.  I've loved celebrating our chapter and activities and the wonderful members and their work, so I will leave this in place. This link will still work, you will still be able to scroll back as far as you want to read and enjoy.

What I'm hoping is that another chapter member will try her hand at it, and I'm willing to sit with her to set up a new blog, same platform, but new lifetime.  This one is on my personal email, so I can't transfer it, but I can show another person how to continue, so that members won't detect a difference, except in style and touch.

If you're feeling ready for a new adventure, here's one!

And thank you everyone for all the encouragement and appreciation you've given to your humble writer.  This includes the readers in other countries who occasionally get in touch to let me know they follow along.

I'm not going anywhere, will still stop in now and then at chapter meetings and stitch ins, but the blog will be on hiatus, until a new writer shows up.

Stitching spans generations in the Princeton Chapter of EGA

The Guild skipped a meeting today, so I thought I'd seize the day and post a favorite picture I took recently, at a stitch in.  Between youngest and oldest stitchers all hard at work, there is almost 85 years difference in age!  The young friend learning shashiko, and making a great job of it, is the granddaughter to Carol, on her right.
Across the room is Polly W. one of our older members, and still a serious needlepoint stitcher.  Debi is working on a canvas in amazing colors over there on the left, turquoises and golden browns.

Just a reminder: make a note that the May 7th meeting, first Sunday in May, will be Smocking, taught by a visiting instructor, a very experienced worker in this artform.  Nearer the time you'll hear more about costs, and what to bring, but note your calendar now, since this has been in the works for a while.

Princeton Embroiderers embark on Shashiko

This month's adventure in stitching, prepared very thoroughly, and taught by Ginny H, is in shashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching form.  Originating centuries ago as a repair technique for clothing, it developed into an art form, the white stitching on indigo background becoming an end in itself, as well as a means of extending the life of clothing.  

Seen as a quilted form, in fishermen's work gear, and monks' clothing, as well as other everyday garments, it has developed into a beautiful form.  The stitch itself, a stabbing movement, shashiko meaning stabbing, is simple to learn, but its application can be as complex and beautiful as the maker can take it.

The outreach to the Robbinsville Chinese Club, led by Ginny for several years, incorporated this stitch into last year's projects, as the group branched out into other Asian stitching directions, and you see here the students' success in their shashiko work.

Today we had choices of many kit patterns, and fabrics, as well as the official shashiko thread, to work with, and we couldn't wait to set to. 

Ginny brought in reference books and fabrics, in addition to the kits.

Many thanks to Ginny for terrific preparation, as always, and generous sharing of her expertise and knowledge.  The group had a great afternoon.

Speaking of great, here's an update on the latest work from Florence K, who is on number nine of the bat mitzvah bags she has created in needlepoint for great granddaughters.  They are really heirlooms, wonderful to see and handle, and here she is, with number 8 finished

 and number nine still on the frame.

Inside are messages about the girl's family, and the stitcher! Florence tells us that these are the last bat mitzvah bags she plans on making!  It's a privilege to be around this great stitcher, and to be able to record this work on our guild blog.

February 2017 English Paper Piecing

Today's monthly program meeting (no meeting in January, because of snow) was presented by Ginny H  and Karen G, both adept in this old artform from the world of quilting.

They brought with them samples of old paper pieced fabrics to share and examine, showing that templates of paper were used, and fabric folded over to the back in hexagonal shapes, then the edges stitched and joined.

 I turned over the bottom right one to show the back, which was not necessarily very orderly! but the front is pristine.

reference books

modern paper pieced works of all sizes

and using the sample fabric selections they brought,  taught the embroiderers the art of manipulating fabric into hexagons, stitched together to create interesting color and print contrasts into honeycomb shapes. 

Carol P also brought in a quilt she made in the 70s, using similar techniques

and this is work in progress today, different artform. a needlepoint belt of her own design

and Karen showed us her newly completed motif in the pieced paper form

In the nineteenth century, a new fabric was brought to market, a cheater, which appeared to be pieced, but was in fact printed.  Jinny brought in a modern version of this type of fabric for our interest

This was an excursion into a different world of textile arts, linking us back to the past, probably early eighteenth century, up to the present adaptation of the form.

The March meeting will present Ginny with sashiko stitching, the program held over from the planned January meeting.  From England to Japan, stitchers without borders!