Goldwork & exhibitions with the Embroiderers’ Guild

Saturday 5th May
10am - 12 noon
15 Queen Street, CO1 2PH

This Saturday the Embroiderers’ Guild are hosting their monthly Goldwork workshop. Goldwork is a type of embroidery using gold threads. We discovered the examples above from Smallest Forest on flickr. The image is a perfect example of how you can create a golden wonder using coloured & metallic threads.. The phrase ‘couching’ is the term for when materials are laid across the surface of fabric and fastened in place with small stitches of the same or a different yarn. So if you like what you see you can give this technique a go on Saturday.

The group is run by flexible member Linda Watts. Linda has been hosting workshops here for over a year. Each session is open to all, beginners to textiles pros are welcome. The classes are aimed to introduce you to a new medium with all the material provided. You don’t need to be a member of the Guild to join in. The group is £5 for the class and drop a £1 in to help with material costs. Linda always allows you to take some samples away to try at home and you get to keep what you produce. It’s a great way to start your Saturday with a group of keen and friendly local crafters.

The Embroiderers’ Guild also have an exhibition starting this month at Layer Marney Tower. The exhibition is on from 2 - 30 May. The exhibition is a collection of corsellis (tapestries) and contemporary samplers. It’s a fantastic blend of 19th century work with modern day crafts. Our co-ordinator Alex Davis who runs Stitch & Bitch also has a collection of books on display made during the Embroiderers’ Guild Saturday morning workshops.

You can visit the show every Monday and Sunday throughout the month from 12noon - 5pm. £6 for adults and £4 for children and a family deal (two adults & two children) of £18. We’ll be visiting soon and snapping some pictures for the blog. Watch this space.

Embroiderers Guild @ Layer Marney Tower

We went along to the end of exhibition celebration for the Embroiderers Guild at Layer Marney Tower.

They have been based in two rooms of the tower throughout August showcasing the best needle work, gold work and embroidery the guild has produced. Some were inspired by their visit to the tower earlier in the year, the rest, their own self instructed craft. Here are a few photos, but it was quite hard to capture the pure brilliance of the pieces due to lacking a steady hand and the harshness of flash.

      A fabric wall housing some beautiful embroidery of colourful geometric shapes. Who doesn’t love Henry the 8th?

We were blown away by this structured embroidered chimney, inspired by the Layer Marney Tower. It’s hard to see but it had padding underneath the work so it had an amazing relief effect coming right out of the frame. Smoking.

Sadly the exhibition is now over but we wanted to post this blog entry to highlight the great work the Embroiderers Guild do. We would like to shout out a well done to Lesley Sams, Linda Watts and all the other crafty ladies involved for a fantastic exhibition.

The Embroiderers Guild run monthly morning meetings here at 15 Queen Street every last Saturday of the month. Join us for workshops on all sorts of crafts (not just embroidery) from silk work, gold work, to using foils and metalic fabrics. They are open to everyone and we recommend you come along to be introduced to a new craft or skill. 

The next workshop will be Saturday 24th September 10am - 12pm, more info here. Hope to see you at 15 Queen Street getting crafty!