June Peterson, resident of Cokesbury, joined our meeting. June has some lovely stitched and fiber arts pieces on display in the showcase for the month of September. Due to the construction, we don't walk past the display case on our way in. It is worth a side trip to see the pieces she had on display. We hope June joins our meeting again.
Upcoming Meetings
For the October Meeting, Jennifer L. will provide a talk on buttons. She will share a history of buttons, talk about her collection and how she got into button collecting. She will have buttons for sale.
For the November Meeting, Cynthia Steinholt will discuss Pennsylvania Samplers.
For the December Meeting, it will be our Annual Holiday Luncheon and Exchange and covered dish luncheon. Your small should be sampler themed and must be a stitched piece. If you bring a wrapped small, you get to participate in the exchange. Whether you bring a piece to exchange or not, it is always a great meeting and a real treat to see the beautiful stitched exchange items. More details on the luncheon and sign up sheets will follow.
For January 2017 (what how did we get to 2017! I remember Y2K!), please bring in any holiday stitching related items you received. We will also be wrapping up the 2016 Challenge.
DVHSG Business
The revisions to the By-Law and the Standing Rules were introduced at the August Meeting. The revisions were also shared via email to all members. The By-Laws and Standing Rules were discussed again at the September Meeting. The main changes include the alternating terms of officers. President and Secretary will be elected in odd years; Vice President and Treasurer will be elected in even years. This will lend continuity to the leadership of our organization. In addition, some Committees were changed to better reflect the current direction of DVHSG. Copies of the new laws and rules will be added to the new member pack.
Member, Marney B, moved to accepted the new By-Laws and Standing Rules as presents. Seconded by Pat L. All in favor.
Upcoming Events
The Mancuso Quilt Show - Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza, will be at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks, PA from September 15th through 18th.
Embroidery: The Language of Art and needlework symposium will be October 14th and 15th. Please go to www.winterthur.orghttp://www.winterthur.org for more information.
The Instruction of Young Ladies: Arts from Private Girls Schools and Academies in Early America will be at the James Fenimore Cooper Museum in Coopertowns NY starting on September 24th through December 31, 2016.
The Instruction of Young Ladies: Arts from Private Girls Schools and Academies in Early America will be at the James Fenimore Cooper Museum in Coopertowns NY starting on September 24th through December 31, 2016.
Show and Tell
Jean T. stitched this sampler from Shakespeare's Peddler. It is the Jane Philpott Sampler
B. J. S. stitched Day Into Night by designed by Judy Soliolus.
Mary Rita stitched the doll below. It is one of the series by Julia Manfredini. This was one that was taught in Williamsburg.Just love her sweet little purse.
This is also stitched by Mary Rita. It is a Laura Perrin design. The colors are so vibrant.
Robin T. shared her Pining to Stitch set of smalls. This was an EGA pattern designed by a guild in Maine.
Ellen P. stitched up and finished these little cuties.
Kathy R. did a fabulous job on Snooty Parrots by Barbara Ana Designs......but I didn't get a photo :-(
And here's a lovely collection of the Grace Mason Sampler from Of Female Worth. The 'Jersey Girls' saw Susan D. stitching this a while back and eight of them jumped on the bandwagon to do it as a stitch-a-long among themselves.
More Grace Mason.......I am one of the stitcher's and I have to say it was an enjoyable piece to stitch and I for one was very happy when I got down to the bottom corner that the border met! The one on the top left is really not that dark, it was in the shadow.
Although eight of us stitched Grace, first Susan and then the seven from Jersey, only six were photographed today. One of the girls had to leave early and another has transplanted herself to Tennessee. Image that! It was fun to see them all together. Different count fabrics were used. Above, top center is Pat L. on 40 count. Robin T. to the left of her on 36 count and the rest seem to be on 32 count. Color changes were made with the floss as well. Stitchers used different reds and greens and golds.
Below, Karen M. on the left might have stitched on 30 count.
And then were were changes to the verse.....it was originally charted with a verse from Proverbs.
Carol W. and Pat L. changed their verse to the following.
Although eight of us stitched Grace, first Susan and then the seven from Jersey, only six were photographed today. One of the girls had to leave early and another has transplanted herself to Tennessee. Image that! It was fun to see them all together. Different count fabrics were used. Above, top center is Pat L. on 40 count. Robin T. to the left of her on 36 count and the rest seem to be on 32 count. Color changes were made with the floss as well. Stitchers used different reds and greens and golds.
Below, Karen M. on the left might have stitched on 30 count.
Carol W. and Pat L. changed their verse to the following.
And Karen M. removed the verse altogether adding birds and trees instead.
It was fun to work on together and encourage each other along the way. The Jersey Girls are off embarking on finding a new piece as a stitch-a-long.
Program
Carla Bates from The Frame Shop in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania was our guest speaker for today's meeting. She led a discussion on framing and conducted a tutorial on pinning your needlework rather than lacing it. She comes to us with 30 years of framing experience.
Carla strongly suggests to never use masking tape to bind edges! Even once the tape is removed, residue of the adhesive it still there. Also the glue will attract bugs which will eat the grain based glues. When the bugs are done with the remains of the glue.....they could move to your fabric!
Glass selection is important and a personal choice. Conservation glass will reduce fading. One side of the glass is coated and the framer needs to be sure to have the coated side towards the fabric. If left facing outward, it could become scratched and leave a visible marking on the glass. Museum glass is a good option. Your glass however should never rest directly on your fabric. Space between the glass and the fabric allows for airflow. Matting and spacers can accomplish this.
Frames are decorative as well as functional Dust covers should always be added to the back of a framed piece. This will also deter insects. Frames should have enough depth and weight to support the weight of the project. Carla also used aluminum barrier tape to keep fabric away from the wood of the frame to seal off the acid migration from the wood to the fabric.
For lacing, you start at one end working stitches a quarter of an inch apart toward the other end with one long long thread ( I use #5 perle cotton) Work horizontally on your piece as shown above. Once completed, turn your piece 90 degrees and repeat the stitch every quarter inch. You than pull an excess in the lacing tighten and to ensure a taunt, flat, centered, stretched piece of needlework.
Pinning has the flexibility to undo and fix a missed stitch. Foam core and straight pins are used. The center of each side of both the cut foam core and your needlework are measured out. Then the center of the fabric is mounted to the center of the foam core. Alternating side to side and top to bottom working your way out from the center to the corners. Stainless steel straight pins can be used but climate control issues and head of the pin may still rust and leave marks on your fabric. Carla prefers the use of rust proof pins.
Carla provided us each with a piece of foam core and a selection of frames to choose from and we were off to the races.
This is how much I was able to get down in class. Should be EZ-PZ to finish up.
