Day 11: Embroidery Retreat Day 9

Today dawned grey and damp - a complete contrast to yesterday. It mattered little to us as we stitched madly all day, but it does cast a bit of a gloomy atmosphere.

This contrasts sharply with the photo sent to me this morning by Laura Turnbull from yesterday's photo shoot.  I did not have a photo of the whole hotel so I'm very grateful to Laura.








Our work today focused on the satin stitch edge of the acorn leaves. Jenny meticulously taught us stitch angles and techniques for prefect satin stitch - and mine improved significantly.














We then filled a quince leaf with Gold Purl- an interesting, painstaking process. After lunch we went through a couple of stitches needed to finish the project before we began to pack up our work.












Lunches have been wonderful this week - light, varied, with lots of salad and soup. Today's soup was parsnip and vanilla - truly delicious. I also chose the Red Bream Salad, which was great.






Some of our work is now on display for a couple of hours. I have reluctantly packed my bag. I don't leave until 12.30pm tomorrow but there is an atmosphere of packing and moving that is hard to resist. I am experiencing the feeling I hated at school in my last year when I was, because of Honours Classes, sometimes in the school when everyone had gone on the last day of term. I hated the sense of abandonment - of being left behind.




Our last evening has been spent in a slide-show of photos, dinner, a quiz and a lot of laughing and clapping. We have also filled out a form indicating our interest in attending a retreat again next year.

A couple of our party are leaving during the night - taxis are booked for 3.30am and 5 am. The rest of us will share breakfast. I have a bag of my projects - one in a slate frame- that Philippa will kindly package and mail to me in Australia. I also have a taxi booked for 12.20 pm  tomorrow to take me to Keswick and the next leg of my adventure.

Day 10: Embroidery Retreat Day 7

This morning the daffodils were fully out and the sun shone on a still landscape.

















Today was full-on embroidery in our second project. We were all pretty keen. We began by finishing our 12 shadow leaves. This photograph was taken with a navy cloth on my lap to give a background to the transparent fabric.







We then worked the centre of the rose (already appliqued in silk) with silk wrap plate.

Our space was light, sunny and very conducive to work and companionable interaction.









By 5.15 pm I and most of my companions had edged and partially beaded the rose, worked a little quince with an eyelet and highlighted satin stitch in silk and added a couple of leather leaves.

Tomorrow is our final day. We have a way to go, but are well positioned to cover all the remaining elements.



















As 6 pm approached, Philipps rounded us all up to have a play with crewel embroidery. She had laid out a wonderful pile of wools, some hoops with a design and fabric in them, and a selection of samples. We had to choose three shades of one colour and a colour we would never think of using.

Philippa was obviously suffering from teaching deprivation. Her energy and enthusiasm was infectious - and the treasure trove of wools and resources were so enticing that by 6.15 we were all sitting down playing with our fabric, experimenting and comparing ideas.

It was enormous fun, energising and uplifting.









We are beginning to talk of what we are doing when we leave on Saturday. There is also a bit of a push to finish the jigsaw puzzle. The hum of conversation is extraordinarily relaxed, warm and underpinned with laughter.

England Day 9: Embroidery Retreat Day 6

This morning the daffodils had buds that were beginning to open. It is chilly, but the day was largely clear.
















As we began breakfast two deer came to graze.















In the morning we had a session with Auburn Claire Lucas, a student of the Royal School of Needlework who has been sponsored by The Crewel Work Company.  Auburn taught us  an Elizabethan Sweet Pea.








The sweet pea itself was done in a corded buttonhole - green thread over gold passing thread. It is a lovely technique and Auburn gave very clear and precise instructions. I really liked the stitch and the effect. I have an idea to use it on my next Dijanne Cevaal dragon.













The Elizabethan plaited braid stitch was much harder - though beautiful. I got into the swing of what I thought was it, but in fact I had not quite got it right. Nevertheless, I'm happy with the effect and I look forward to putting the piece together.

I'm really pleased to have had the chance to learn with an  embroiderer of the future. It is important for all of us that we support the future of our craft and mentor young embroiderers.






While we were working with Auburn, the hotel changed the flower arrangement in the lounge. Spring is evident.























In the afternoon we swapped tutors to begin our second project. My group is now working with Jenny Adin-Christie on a lovely roundell based on work at Blackwell, where we were yesterday.

It was a lovely sunny space this afternoon - so sunny that for some of the time I worked with my back to the window!





We were a very relaxed group and Jenny paced our work well.

We began with shadow work, which I love and moved on to prepare an appliqued gold insert.

As I am writing this, well into the evening, some of my fellow stitchers are still working on this, advancing their projects. I will need to get up early tomorrow to catch up !

England Day 8: Embroidery Retreat Day 5

Today was excursion day. We set off at 8.45am for Dove Cottage, the Wordsworths' home in Grasmere. It was chilly but very clear as we set out.

It was a lovely drive to Grasmere in our bus from Appleby driven by Tony, who drove us around Scotland on the Scottish Highlands tour.

Every image is conjured by, and conjures, poetry and music.

 

The tiny bridge house.

The sheepfolds did indeed seem calm and tranquil this morning.




















At Dove Cottage, home of the Wordsworths from 1799 to 1808, we were privileged to have a private tour. There are many moving artefacts, including William Wordsworth's spectacles and a cushion embroidered by Dorothy Wordsworth.

Our guide read from Dorothy's diary and, in the garden, read William's "To a butterfly".

We were then treated to morning tea with gingerbread in the cottage before we moved on to the museum!

 In contrast to Dove Cottage, the Wordsworth Trust Museum is a purpose-built modern building with plenty of light. We were privileged to have the curator show us some extraordinary documents and artefacts - letters and books written and published by the Wordsworths and a number of their friends.







We were allowed to photograph some of these for our own personal use - and we all got quite excited by some.






From Dove Cottage we went to Blackwell Arts and Crafts House near Bowness where we had lunch and a tour of the ground floor.

















Blackwell is extraordinarily beautiful - light and airy with views at all angles over the landscape and exquisite detail in wood, textile, glass,metal, plaster and ceramic.

Everywhere there was elegance and inspiration


- even music.



Back at our hotel we are relaxed and reflective - conscious that we have spent a day in places of greatness and beauty - connecting us not just to the past, but to the continuity of ideas and creativity.