Carol P. led us in a session of learning Schwalm whitework embroidery, using a traditional design of linked hearts, and we soon understood why she had set up two meetings for this stitching form. It's slow and painstaking and has several stages of work, fine small stitching, cutting, drawing out thread, all of which need time.
Jane S. was a great help, too, as an experienced teacher who gave a generous assist to Carol, since this work needed a lot of observing and correction by the teacher, and there was a sizeable group enrolled. Jane is seen here demonstrating how to start the thread skein correctly.
Along with the kit, you see flyers of German women creating this kind of whitework, and scenes of the historic region it comes from.
This bottom picture is Carol's own work, on a different project. This is what we aspire to. She started us off on a simpler design, but still challenging enough for beginners.
Nice afternoon for all of us. So in May we continue with the Schwalm adventure.
In other news, our chapter has officially moved from the MidAtlantic Region of the Embroiderers' Guild of America to the Metropolitan Region. Geographically we are right in the Metro area, so this is a good logistical move, enabling our reps. to get to regional meetings much more easily.
However, before we left, MAR invited us to take part in stitching the MAR banner, which is marked off in small squares, for members to design within as they choose, as long as they observe the colors. The banner comes complete with a bag of threads of all kinds to choose from, and a roster so that participants can indicate which square she completed, her name and the date, for this historic document in stitching.
Your blog admin took on the first square for our chapter, and is struggling a bit, with the fineness of the mesh, and the stiff competition from previous stitchers, whose work is world class, as you see in the detail picture!
But it seemed like a good thing for a president to do, as a friendly gesture as we leave. Other members of this chapter with superior stitching skills to mine will do squares, too, before the June deadline by which MAR needs to have it sent to the next chapter in the roster.
The embroiderers were joined by several dozen spectators this afternoon at their Stitch in Public Day, where members of the Guild came along to work on their current stitching, show off finished stitched projects
and encourage onlookers to learn more and maybe join us.
Our sign up sheets were filled, and we really hope the interest we saw today results in new members, who will be very welcome.
Florence L. organized the event, along with Lauren the librarian who now jokes that her second job seems to be the stitching admin! She created the flyer and set it up on display,
and arranged to have furniture set out in a friendly layout so that people could come, ask
questions, watch, and generally enjoy the afternoon along with the guild
members. She kept a friendly eye on activities all afternoon, which is
probably why it went so smoothly.
Guild members, here's Ginny at work in typical generous teaching mode, also advised one another about works in progress, one of the characteristics of this group, where one member who has completed a project gladly shares her learning with the next person trying it.
We also came up with a suggestion for an upcoming Guild program, to be taught by Liz A, on making paper beads! just as a little diversion from serious projects. So that may happen. The idea arose from seeing Liz's bag of handmade beads (seen here on the end of the setup table with cardboard loom) she was using to weave as a part of the bigger tapestry ongoing in the library at Plainsboro, where she's doing an Artist in Residence stint.
The Monroe library has terrific lighting for stitching, and a big crowd of Sunday afternoon library goers. In fact the pix don't show crowds because your blog photographer was busy with questions during crowded periods, and had to seize the day for pictures when things were quieter.
We think we must do this again. Particularly at the beginning of spring when people are thinking of getting out and about again.
Despite grim weather forecasts, the meeting went
ahead, and Ginny Hallock presented the Gilded Star, a project using
perforated paper, flosses and beads, to create an ornament. She made up all
the kits, with choices of red, green, or white paper and spent the afternoon coaching us in the project, for some of us a first in working on perforated paper.
Karen G. showed us a
needlework box, made in many parts, a simplified version of which might
be in our program future.
It's architecture as much as stitching,
interesting to create and assemble.
Carol
P. just got back from a visit to family in Thailand, bringing with her
Thai embroidered items to show the group.
One purse is in the finest cross
stitch, in traditional designs, the other a folk design. One of the
members' dolls was caught in this picture, but she's not part of the
Thai display.
The April meeting will bring us
Carol P. presenting and teaching Schwarm embroidery, which she is
studying in Germany before we see her again for the meeting. Here's her current work in progress, and books of instructions on the technique.
She'll
bring back kits and expertise to share with our members. A
fine needlewoman herself, with a special interest in the
white-on-white family of work, Carol is, as you see from the work in progress, skilled in Schwarm, too. She's also done beautiful Hardanger work in the last year, one piece of which formed the ring pillow for her daughter's recent wedding.
Schwarm embroidery will probably form the program for the May meeting, too, since this is a complex and time consuming stitching approach and will probably need two sessions to get us established in working with it.
Local needleworkers interested in coming along, please just email us at the address given in the header, so we can give you exact location, mark your calendar for the first Sunday in April, 1-4 p.m.or any Wednesday evening 7-9 p.m. and you'll be made very welcome.
This is us! at least the Guild members who made it to the December holiday party
where one of the highlights of the evening was the setup of turtle projects, in honor of our late Guild member Caroline Maisel, who introduced us to the project. Carol Prevost created the turtle habitat and several members displayed their critters.
At February's meeting, January's meeting having been snowed and iced out, Ginny Hallock created a wonderful hands-on display of bobbin lace, with many samples from her own extensive antique collection, along with pieces she created herself, and the pillows and bobbins typically used in this art.
She brought in period booklets with great old photos of women and girls working at lacemaking, an insight into the life and times of lacemakers who toiled at this art.
Carol Prevost also brought in a dress she'd made with a collar she created in bobbin lace during her studies with a lacemaker in Bruges some years ago. Sally Craig contributed a notebook filled with her own beautiful work in bobbin lace.
Ginny also demonstrated the art on a work of her own in progress.
One of the members commented that it was like having a
traveling museum visit the chapter, complete with three generous
skilled practitioners of the art.
In March, first Sunday as usual, our program will be this Gilded Star on perforated paper. The picture here is of Suzette D's work in progress on this project, when she came back to visit her home chapter a while ago. After seeing it, everyone wanted to try it!
Just a reminder: if you're in the Princeton area and are interested in coming along as a visitor to the March meeting, or to any of our Wednesday evening stitch-ins, to see what's up and join in, please email us at the yahoo address given in the header, and we'll get back to you with exact place and time, and a warm invitation to come meet us. Doesn't matter if you don't have a work in progress right now, just come along and we can probably get you started in no time.
Our Princeton EGA chapter has come to the end of an eventful year, all kinds of adventures and new learning, new work started, earlier work still in progress..
We had a significant loss this year with the death of Caroline Maisel a long time member and great embroiderer and designer. She is missed sadly, and our holiday party honored her work and her life in stitching. The turtle, a project she taught us, was the theme of a tableau set up at the party, to show off the members' completed turtles, and her family members were able to attend, to celebrate her life and her achievements.
We had trips to world class stitching venues,seeing ecclesiastical goldwork, and medieval tapestries, and private collections, and our monthly program meetings saw us stitching, beading and learning.
We did a Stitch in Public Day to encourage the general public to join us and enjoy our art, too. And we created a well received exhibit of work, with many members sending in works in a wide range of stitches. Another form of outreach involved us in teaching stitching at the summer program of Plainsboro Public Library, and you see Ruth L. at work with her students, along with Ginny H.
One of our Presidents, Suzanne D., was transferred out of our region, but has managed to visit us frequently, and you see her seated at our goodbye (well, au revoir!) dinner. The two remaining presidents are coping!
I'm putting up a little montage just to show our stuff for 2013. Hard to choose from many great pix, but this is just a sample.
Our chapter has all sorts of ambitions for 2014, from lacework demos to possible goldwork classes, and your blog admin. would like to hear from you, too, readers: what would you like to see in our blog in 2014? Stitch ideas, book reviews, program coverage, trip pix, just let us know what you would enjoy,and we'll do our best to oblige.
Remember if you're in the Princeton NJ area, we meet for program on the first Sunday in the month, September through June, and we have weekly stitch-ins, informal events where people drop in with their work, on Wednesday evenings. We have a lovely stash of kits, too, in case you want to join but don't have a current work in progress, and we'll give you one to start on!
Just send an email to us at the address given in the header of this blog, and we'll get back to you with exact directions and a warm invitation to join us as a guest and meet us all.
And Happy Healthy and Successful 2014 to all of us!
Before the New Year, I'll do a post of the highlights of our EGA year, which was packed with events, some joyful, some sad.
But meanwhile, here's an electronic sampler greeting, courtesy of the wonderful Jacquie Lawson, whose cards and greetings are well worth investigating! I really had a good time making this for you all.
Enjoy your holidays, and we all enjoy the friendships we've created over stitching.
On permanent display in the public gallery of Plainsboro Town Hall is a banner created by the Princeton Chapter of EGA, and this is a small tribute to the great skills of the 23 members -- one, Jane Sweeney, still very active in the chapter -- who created this artwork.
Here's the whole banner, seen from the side
And the top segments
Middle segments
And the bottom segments
It includes many forms of embroidery, from Jane's blackwork, to Mountmellick whitework, pulled work, canvas, and crewel. It features several ways of depicting the Mercer Oak, an iconic symbol of the Princeton region, relating to the Battle of Princeton, a turning point of the Revolutionary War. Also to be seen is the Eastern Goldfinch, the New Jersey state bird, and the violet, the state flower. There's a lot to see!
The piece is hung in an area too narrow to back up and get a front image of it all, so I photographed it from the side, and then did segments, so as to include all the parts.You'll see overlap if you study the three pictures.
And here's a picture of the accompanying literature explaining the planning, and naming the participants. their names and the form of embroidery they used are shown in a grid which correlates to the banner itself, so you can see who did what and how. Click on pictures to see better.
Browse and enjoy!
