Yesterday's morning session was how to make Dorset buttons. The three buttons above illustrate the speed with which one can be completed
a) by using the right thickness of thread
b) arriving for the start of the session!
Hilary also demonstrated how to cover a button with weaving, hope people will try these at home and bring the results to the next meeting.
In the afternoon we had a very special speaker who was 12 years old when first spotted at the Knitting and Stitching Show two years ago wearing the shoes below. Sarah has been embroidering and making shoes under the guidance of her grandfather for seven years now and brought in examples of her work covering this time, including the first piece she did with her sister, the Parbold canvas work.
It's difficult to tell from the picture above but the embroidery is actually stitched on slate. Sarah spent a very long time drilling holes into the slate to hold the stitches.
Sarah's Grandfather told her that if she wants to be a shoe designer she should learn how to make shoes. She has made several pairs with clog like bases but finds them too heavy to wear for too long. It's a pity that all shoe designers don't do this!
We all really enjoyed Sarah's talk which was enhanced by the series of photographs passed round the group during the talk. This was an interesting alternative to showing slides or power point presentations and was greatly appreciated. We even had two Halifax members come along especially to see Sarah.
Good luck with your ambition to be a shoe designer Sarah.
Two other bits of news
Margaret has an article in "Stitch" magazine this month (June/July) on how to make a biscornu pillow in counted thread work. Congratulations Margaret.
Charlotte brought in a 'pillowcase' dress to encourage other members to make them. These dresses are simply made and are sent to deprived children in various parts of the world. The idea behind making these dresses is that every girl deserves one pretty thing of her own (other organisations make shorts for boys). Charlotte is hoping to make 100 by the end of October so why not give her a hand? An ideal opportunity to use up the stash in the attic
Next month Judith is going to do a workshop on Shisha work, below are two examples of her samples. The second one uses bottle tops rather than mirrors. See you then.
