Notes from the Poppy factory

 This year being 100 years since the end of the First World War, Wonderwool Wales has initiated a Centenary Textiles project.  The aim "is to produce a Community Textile Installation", with members of the public making textile poppies to commemorate those who died between 1914 and 1918.  The Abergele Guild has been working away, producing not only the traditional red Remembrance poppies but White Peace Poppies as well (which remember everyone, including civilians, who die in all conflicts past and future).

Patterns are provided for knitting and crochet, and for "cutting out" fabric to make the flowers:  http://www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk/show-events/curtain-of-poppies.html  and we are being very helpful (!) and attaching our poppies to i-cords of green wool.  The resulting strings of poppies will be posted off to Abergavenny for JaneVeevers to assemble into a curtain with all the other contributions from across the country.   (If anyone is tempted to start a poppy or two after reading this, please note that Jane wants everything to reach her by the end of March, in time for Wonderwool in April.)  All details are on the Wonderwool website, as per link above.

Bryn will be happy not to be knitting any more poppies  after this....

Alison is assembling the other various offerings - a glorious mixture of textile techniques - looks a bit like a poppy tree this way up.

It's a little difficult to photograph two 2-metre-long strings of poppies, but I hope you get the idea...?
Many thanks to Bryn, Di and Margaret, and (in anticipation) to those of you who have made poppies but haven't given them to me yet!

AC
2018

Feltmaking

We had a busy day in LlanfairTH on Sunday, 9th. November:  as part of the preparations for our 30th Anniversary next year we have decided to make a new felt banner.  We don't have a definite design yet, but seem to have arrived at the idea of a "Tree of Life" as a basis (this may change!).  So, today we were busy making leaves in felt.  Some of us made traditional "wet" felt pieces while others had a go at needle-felting.  Jenni and Bryn had been on a short course, and passed on their experience to others.  A few needles were broken, and a few fingers were stabbed during the process of repeatedly and rapidly prodding fleece to make felt, but everyone had a very productive time.  Some bolder souls had a go at three-dimensional work and produced some impressive rodents and insects.  Let's hope there will be room on the banner for everything.

Several people took photographs, and I'm hoping they will post them.  In the meantime, here are my poor efforts which were badly affected by the red light from the heaters.

"Wet" felting, with water (yes, really) and soap.

Needle felting on a piece of foam rubber.

AC

Fine felt scarves

Here is the first photograph in what I hope will be a fine collection of scarves made in Helen Melvin's workshop:

Sherry B.

 

and some more:

Yvonne

Betty

Krithia

Sunday March 10th: silk and fine felt with Helen Melvin

Another excellent workshop, this time with our very own Helen Melvin, who showed us how to use "prefelts" to make beautiful textiles.

Helen has evolved a very effective technique using a variety of silk fabrics, commercially made prefelt and other bits and pieces which she dyes with her own natural dyestuffs to produce the most beautiful range of colours:

The prefelts, which as the name suggests are pieces of partially felted merino fibre, are manipulated, cut and reassembled with layers of silk. The assemblage is then carefully hand-felted using olive oil soap solution.  Stitching and other embellishing techniques can be used to finish.  Helen is making a line of "wearable textiles" to complement her bags and landscape pictures, and her work can be seen at Fiery Felts .
We all made at least one piece of colourful fine felt - it was lovely to have the opportunity actually to finish something! And I, for one, am very pleased to have been introduced to the use of fine plastic dust sheet instead of net to hold the pieces in place while felting.

AC

Sunday 13th. Jan: felted bowls

Our first meeting of 2013 was held in the Memorial Hall in Llanfair, as our usual venue is not open after the flooding in December.  Rosie Smith kindly came all the way from her new home in Snowdonia to show us how to make felted woollen vessels.  Using rovings, or very loosely spun yarn, and big knitting needles, Rosie knits h..u..g..e baggy bags and then felts them in the washing machine at 60 degrees (using a pair of trainers to provide friction, and not forgetting to put the knitting in a bag to avoid clogging up the washing machine with fluff).  The shrinkage is remarkable.  Rosie then stretches the felted bowl over a suitably sized pudding basin and leaves it to dry.  She also showed us how to spin a loose, "lofty" yarn using a modified long draw technique.  Some of us made a good start on a bowl, and others took the instructions away with us to try later.
We had a good opportunity to catch up on each other's news; a new home on a National Trust estate; a grandson off to study with Jamie Oliver; a daughter awaiting the publication of her new, contemporary version of the Canterbury Tales.  And of course, lots of chat about spinning and textiles generally.
Our temporary venue was very satisfactory and felt lovely and warm when we arrived.  However, as the temperature dropped and the snow fell outside we began to feel the chill and crawled away to our burrows before 3o'clock!
Bryn has kindly taken some photographs:

AC

Textiles at Trefriw

A reminder to everyone about the forthcoming Textile Market at Trefriw Woollen Mills on the weekend of December 4th. & 5th. - see also Elaine's post on August 31st.

TEXTILE MARKET

Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th December, 2010 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Hand made Christmas gifts, plus materials and equipment for textile makers.

Demonstrations on Sunday morning.

Exhibitors include:- Anne Campbell, Wendolyn Docksey, Helen Melvin, Ann Hughes, Serentex, Crafty Ladies, Mandy Coates, Christine Birch, Maggie Oliver.

Trefriw Woollen Mills, Main Road, Trefriw, Conwy Valley, LL27 0NQ.

Tel: 01492 640462 www.t-w-m.co.uk

in the centre of Trefriw on the B5106 between Conwy and Betws-y-Coed

MARCHNAD TECSTILIAU

Dydd Sadwrn y 4ydd a Dydd Sul y 5ed o Rhagfyr, 2010

Anrhegion Nadolig wedi eu gwneud a llaw, a defnyddiau a chyfarpar ar gyfer gwneud tecstiliau.

Arddangosfeydd ar fore dydd Sul.

Gwaith gan:  Anne Campbell, Wendolyn Docksey, Helen Melvin, Ann Hughes, Serentex, Crafty Ladies, Mandy Coates, Christine Birch, Maggie Oliver.

Melinau Wlan Trefriw, Prif Ffordd, Trefriw, Dyffryn Conwy, LL27 0NQ

Ffon 01492 640462 www.t-w-m.co.uk

Yng nghanol Trefriw ar y B5106 rhwng Conwy a Betws-y-Coed

Tel: 01492 640462 Email: info@t-w-m.co.uk Web: t-w-m.co.ukTrefriw Woollen Mills Ltd, Main Road, Trefriw, Conwy Valley, North Wales, LL27 0NQ

Crafts at Trefriw Woollen Mills 2010

Hand spinning demonstations:-

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m until end September

Sunday 19th September and Saturday 25th September (http://www.helfagelf.co.uk/)

Wednesdays (Wendy Docksey) throughout October 10 a.m . 5 p.m.

Felt making demonstrations with Anne Campbell:-

Tuesdays throughout October 10 a.m .- 4.30 p.m.

Rag Rug making demonstrations with Christine Birch:-

Thursdays throughout October 10 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.

Textile Market Saturday 4th December and Sunday 5th December 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.:-

Handmade Christmas gifts plus materials and equipment for textile makers.

Demonstrations on Sunday morning:- hand spinning with hand spindle and spinning wheel, rag rug making, peg loom weaving, weaving on triangular loom, aran knitting, basket making, felt making,

Exhibitors:- Anne Campbell, Gwendolyn Docksey, Helen Melvin, Christine Birch, Mandy Coates, Maggie Oliver, Ann Hughes, Serentex, Gwen Owen, Margaret Hiorns, The Crafty Ladies