Outcomes from Maria Thomas Workshop

This is my finished creation. It's made from a remnant and the appliqué aspects are from my pre-loved oddity drawer which includes pyjama off cuts, hand dyed experiments with turmeric and a woollen star cut off some slippers the dog ate! The plant stem flowers came to represent my family who now live all over the country and we can't meet right now so Zoom keeps us together. I wanted to make something that represents the larger social change and the smaller familial change that has happened this year so it won’t be forgotten. The jacket is lined with a letter from my daughter, a recipe for chocolate cake (essential) and my first address in Oxford. Thank you Oxford Embroiderers Guild for being so creatively inspirational and welcoming.

The Jacket
© Jo Edwards

Outcomes From Maria Thomas Workshop

As a would-be gardener this is my herbaceous border gardener's jacket....with a plea to help the bees and birds. Suffolk puffs with hand-dyed buttons and the pocket is a seed packet, appliqué birds, lazy daisy flowers and stamped bees. Medals were a challenge, and the little gold one actually reads "let it blossom" (the top to a bottle of Blossom Hill white Zinfandel now to be enjoyed). had to edge the jacket when fabric started to fray badly. Now thinking about another one....

The Jacket
© Alex Messenger

Outcomes From Maria Thomas Workshop

The fabrics are old family tray-cloths, dressing table sets and remnants pieced together. The accidental placing of some pieces seemed to suggest denim and biker-style jackets, and as it was already busy enough without adding more appliqué, I decided to embroider into it. I''ve worked various insects and a thistle, and added heavy 'hardware' to re-inforce the idea of a bikers jacket, and also to stop the jacket becoming too sweet. I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this - in fact may do another, this time in denim so that I can use my pretty buttons and lace!

The Jacket
© Fiona Beresford

Outcomes From Maria Thomas Workshop

Vintage tablecloth, ruffled pattern paper channelling the inner punk rocker with safety pins - little gold ones. Broderie anglaise cuffs and inside neckline.

The Jacket
© Catherine Howard

Outcomes from Maria Thomas Workshop

The jacket and edging are made from recycled fabric bought before the Sue Ryder Nettlebed sales closed. I have added pockets with small pieces of travel passes, luggage labels with maps, old currency exchange ticket. Pockets are made from an old skirt. Inside is a stowaway kitten!

The Jacket
© Judy Seimers

Outcomes From Maria Thomas Workshop

I started sewing aged five, at infant school. Running stitch, then later tent stitch, and on and on. My jacket is a bit of my own history of sewing. Lots of dressmaking, teaching Textiles in school, embroidery, general stitchery, collecting old bits. The tablecloth came from my grandmother-in-law. I still love running stitch, fancy scissors, Broderie Anglais. It's almost like a 'memory quilt', but in jacket form!

The Jacket
© Karen Rowe

Autumn Glory

October 2020 We couldn't be together, but we could stitch together! Some of us 'Zoomed' too. A loose theme of 'Autumn Glory'. Posted to Karen Rowe for a 'Stitch Swap', here are the first arrivals.

© Alex Messenger

© Hannah Thompson

© Jo Edwards

© Lynn Pilgrim

© Margaret Craig

© Rosemary Meara

© Sue King

C&G Samples

Done in the early 1990s as part of my city and guilds work (part 2), I can’t even remember what it was based on! Layers of transparent fabrics, burnt through with a fine soldering iron, hand embroidered on top and each section connected by machine embroidery done on water soluble fabric. I’m still proud of it!

C&G Samples
© Amanda Smith

Granny Squares Blanket

My daughter’s baby is due on 12th October so I have been busy through lockdown sewing and knitting. Finally finished this “granny squares” blanket which i backed with Tana lawn and anchored to the backing with large cross stitches at the corner of each square. Seems to have worked!

Granny Squares Blanket
© Sue King

Jug of Flowers

My completed piece, inspired by Suzette Smarts, workshop in a box.

Jug of Flowers
© Judy Siemers

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Hand Stitching

Some lovely hand stitching - just the thing to be working on during these 'home-based' times.

Hand Stitching
© Maureen Ergeneli

Japanese Embroideries

Embroidery Bridge, East Meets West is a design specially designed for the world exhibition of Japanese embroidery held in Cambridge in 2007. As this is not one of the phase pieces for my Japanese embroidery course, it has spent most of its time hibernating while I worked on phase pieces. However, it make a good demonstration piece as there are so many different techniques on it so I would take it to exhibitions and demonstrations to work on but never managed to do much more to it. During the lock down, I have been doing more stitching than normal and, having been working on completing some of my WIPS. This piece was very enjoyable to stitch and it is a good feeling to finally finish it.

Embroidery Bridge
© Carol-Anne Conway

Morning Glories was stitched for a group project devised by the Japanese Embroidery Academy. It was inspired by a panel designed and stitched by Studio Kusano Shizuka. The panel is made up of 40 individual sections each embroidered with a flower circle. Some of the flower circles are duplicated with one stitched in full colour and the second stitched in a softer colour palette and more open design. JEA supplied the fabric, silks, and line drawing for each panel but each stitcher could interpret their design there own way given a very broad brief. I chose the Morning Glories panel.

Morning Gloryh
© Carol-Anne Conway