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25th Anniversary


In 2004 Durham Guild celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Along with the obligatory but much enjoyed social gathering, two founder-members, Norma Butcher and Ann Evans were each presented with a memento in the form of a small wall-hanging. The idea was masterminded by Geni Glatt, who collected sample squares of work from as many Guild members, past and present, as could be contacted.

The many aspects of weaving and other textile forms included tabby, twill, leno, Theo Morman, tablet, tapestry, hand-made felt, hand-spun yarn, tie & dye, vegetable dyeing, crochet, knitting - plain & Fair Isle, hand-spun pillow lace, drop-spindle spinning, kumihimo and plit-ply braiding.
The Mementos
The Mementos


Geni had nobly undertaken the task of assembling and mounting these diverse samples. Each square was slightly reduced in size and framed with a crochet border, then mounted on layers of strong backing, with 28 squares in each of the two hangings.
Finally, crochet borders and fringes were added overall, and each maker’s name placed on the reverse side of the relevant square.
This happy collaboration had produced unique mementos in appreciation of Norma’s and Ann’s long-standing and still on-going contributions to the life and work of the Guild.



Beaded Tassel Workshop
Sat. 9 May 2009
St. Oswald’s Institute, Durham

The visiting tutor was Elaine Peel who had travelled across from Cheshire.
There were eight Guild members and one visitor in the class, all of whom plied their beading needles with intense concentration throughout the day.



Elaine had brought many beautiful examples of her distinctive and colourful work.
The selection included tassels of all sizes, knitted bags and purses, wall hangings, plaques, and beaded objects, but no jewellery, as this area of beading does not appeal to her.
 Beaded Tassel Workshop


Elaine has developed a method of using hanks of multi-dyed, rayon embroidery thread for the fluid body of the tassel.

She then encrusts the neck of the tassel with layers of beading, both woven flat and hanging free in festoons, plus frills standing proud from the tassel head.
The class were tackling a fairly straight forward design, but it proved none the less challenging for those who were out of practice.

Most of us went home with some work still to finish off, but the day had
been an inspiration for anyone looking to change gear, explore colour and design, and acquire or refresh their skills in this fascinating medium.
Talk and Workshops with Ruth Lee
2/3 October 2009
At this well-attended event, Guild members were intrigued and entranced with the variety of work that Ruth Lee had brought to inspire them.
Ruth Lee Looking approvingly at samples.jpgRuth is internationally known in the world of textile art, and already has several books to her credit with a new one in preparation. Her workshops were aimed at getting Guild members to explore ways of incorporating found objects into knitted structures, and to experiment with wrapping, binding and winding techniques.
At first glance these would not appeal to everyone, but for those adventurous enough to have a go it proved to be an engaging challenge. At the end of the day members were astonished at the huge variety of samples produced.
In the December/January edition of Workbox magazine there is a four-page spread about Ruth and her work. Entitled 'Darning the Landscape and much more' it gives a comprehensive narrative on the background and scope of Ruth's artistry, with colour illustrations.
 
Ruth Lee looking approvingly at the days samples.
  Updated 2 March 2010
Sec: email: angela.colbridge@tiscali.co.uk
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