Doughty's are coming to whetstone

 

Please note that the AGM paperwork has been updated and also the follow notice.

February Meeting

 The next meeting is the 5th February which is the AGM.  The AGM will be followed a talk from Mark Francis of the Sewing Bee.

Please note that details of the year's programme are now available on the speaker's page and workshop page.  There is still some information to fill in but that is all towards the end of the year.

The documentation for the AGM will be put on as soon as it is available.

We all look forward to seeing you at the next meeting.

December Meeting

The December meeting is a practical afternoon.  Viv Denscombe will be showing us how to make "Decorated Jars" to be used with a tea light. Example below.

Decorated Jars

Requirements:

Jars/bottles (bring them ready painted with white emulsion paint) or, paint them on the day - just saves time and ensures they’re dry before gluing!

The items below Viv can supply, but feel free to bring your own if you wish:

Picture paper napkins;

Scissors

Paint/glue brushes

PVA glue (or if you have matte medium)

White emulsion paint

Wet wipes

Pots/plates to hold emulsion/glue

Table cover

Hair dryer

November Meeting

Wednesday 6^th November was another of those “grey days” we had become accustomed to for so long but once at Cosby Quilters we were transported to the colourful world of Gilli Theokritoff.

Surprisingly, we learnt she began as a designer of shoes and then knitwear for exclusive London stores and yarn companies.  She followed a City and Guilds Course and in her early sewing days made items for her children but used a limited colour palette.  Once persuaded to embrace colour she has not looked back.

Through her friendly and bubbly personality, she showed her beautiful colourful quilts, many of them being exhibited and entered in competitions.  She even shared the judges’ comments.  Despite her talk being called “Please don’t look at the back” these too were eye-catching.

Some of us had already done Gilli’s kantha workshop in the past and several people seemed interested in one of the workshops she talked about in the future. 

Kathy Francis

Examples of the work Gilli showed us.

November Speaker

Our speaker for November is Gilli Theokritoff and her talk is entitled "Please don't look at the back".

Gilli Theokritoff is an experienced quilter and teacher and has won awards for her contemporary quilts. She loves traditional piecing too and is keen to encourage new quilters with her lively and engaging classes. Gilli started her career as a shoe designer, moved into knitwear, designing for exclusive London stores and later for yarn companies such as Rowan. Eventually she discovered her true passion, patchwork, while bringing up her children (they are very handy with a sewing machine too!). She now teaches around the country and occasionally exhibits her work.

September Meeting 2

The afternoon of 2^nd October was a colourful one for members of Cosby Quilters as we welcomed Nikki Parmenter.  We knew she was a multi- media textile artist but the examples she brought with her were breathtaking.

With the help of images on the screen and actual examples she explained the process of planning and making them, many based on myths and legends.

A wide range of materials were used including fabric, net, threads, metal, acetate, plastics, paint, padding and funky foam which were used as a ‘base’ for her creations.  Heavy free machining, as well as embellishment by hand and the addition of threads, feathers, beads, jewellery and spray paint lead to pieces of rich depth and colour.  Many pieces were really large but at the end many ,both large and small, were passed around for really close inspection.

A workshop was held on the Thursday, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.  The results are shown below.  They are all work in progress.

September Meeting

 

Our speaker for the 2nd October is Nikki Parmenter and her talk is entitled "Post Cards and Projects". This is an afternoon meeting.

She is a Cheshire based artist who specialises in mixed media, textile based pieces. She takes her inspiration from a variety of sources and she is particularly interested in the way in which ancient societies created a series of visual symbols to represent the things which were important to them. She investigates myth and legend and draw parallels between societies, showing that although many people have different beliefs we are all united by visual iconography.

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She has exhibited widely both in group and solo shows both here and abroad  and has had articles published in magazines and on the internet. She also features in Kim Thittichai's book, 'Experimental Textiles'. Her work has won  prizes at The Ferens Open, The Potteries Open and the Grosvenor Open  Exhibitions.

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She has received positive feedback from the galleries where she has exhibited as  she tries to make her work accessible to all age ranges and to people from different backgrounds. Viewers, especially younger people, respond to the visual  richness of the objects whilst others make connections with their own religious beliefs and feelings.

Her workshop on the 3rd October is Fantastic Flowers

A sewing machine, fabrics, soldering iron and glue gun are needed for this workshop. You will learn how to bond fabric together in order to create an intensely coloured piece of material which will be made into a 3D flower with a padded centre.