Gentle Pursuits of Richmond EGA

October Regional Meeting - MAR

2011-11-14T07:04:00.001-08:00

The Mid-Atlantic Region EGA meeting was held here in Richmond in October. As well as a business lunch, it was also the SMART Weekend so there was a wonderful lecture on antique needlework tools by Carol Meacham on Friday night and two great classes with Joyce Lumkomski to learn about beading and filling stitches. Gentle Pursuits chapter hosted the meeting and Catherine, Kathy, and Laurie, and many of our other members did a great job setting things up.

Here are Dee, Laurie, Kathy, Nancy, and Catherine at the Welcome table on Friday.

And here is Joyce with one of her amazing necklaces. Her fabulous fillings class was great as well.

Many people also made the trip to Agecroft Hall to see their latest exhibit - Woven into English Society: Textiles and Embroidery from the 16th and 17th Centuries. This exhibit includes many of the amazing textiles in the Agecroft Hall collection as well as the partially completed coif Gentle Pursuits has been working on. The exhibit runs until next year, so if you are interested there is still time if you are going by Richmond.

EGA National Seminar

2011-09-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

It looks like our chapter president, Catherine Jordan, is having fun at the EGA National Seminar in Naples, FL! Here she is with Patty Smith-Gardner, the MAR Newsletter Editor. If you want to see more of what is going on at the National Seminar, check out the latest entries on the EGA Blog.

Christmas Biscornu with Sue Hillis

2011-09-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

It has become a Gentle Pursuits tradition to have a Christmas ornament class on a Saturday in August. It is always a good way to inspire the group to get started on gifts and ornaments for our exchange in December. This year we were thrilled to have Sue Hillis come and teach our group. Not only did the project include a lovely stitched biscornu, but Sue came up with a great display idea. The biscornu sits on an antique spool and is trimmed with antique lace. Then there is a long cord and tassel, with a small spool ornament. The piece was designed to hold scissors for display but I'm sure there will be other ideas when our members bring in their finished products. The kit included the spools, the lace, buttons and lots of lovely threads.

Sue demonstrated how to put the biscornu together, as well as cording and tassel techniques.
As usual, we all oohed and ahed over the other items Sue had displayed. And Sue graciously held a drawing and the two winners received booklets for other projects! Sue had done several cruises with stitching, so if you want to go in January!

The coif visits Agecroft Hall

2011-07-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

A lovely group of ladies from Historic St. Mary's City in Maryland came down yesterday to visit Agecroft Hall and see their embroidery collection. They work as interpreters and costumers for HSMC and wanted to exchange expertise with Agecroft staff. Catherine, Diana, and I met them at Agecroft Hall and brought along the coif, the handkerchief, that Jean Connelly has been working on, and the sweet bag Catherine made. We had a lovely tour, saw the freshly cleaned and repaired tapestry going up, and then had a behind the scenes look at the collections. Some of the embroidery was already out, in preparation for an embroidery and textile exhibit to coincide with the October MAR meeting here in Richmond. And there are plans for more to be on display by then. It was great and I was able to get a picture of the group from Maryland, with Libby and Richard (l) from Agecroft Hall, and Catherine (3rd from left). The two youngest members of the group interpret the life of children at HSMC and brought their lovely pockets to show us. It was great to see two young people so enthusiastic about embroidery and history. If there had been time, I would have loved to have them work on the coif!

June - New officers for Gentle Pursuits

2011-07-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Officers for the Gentle Pursuits chapter of EGA are elected every 2 years. So every two years we have a nice pot luck supper and hold a ceremony. The years in between are silent auctions with a dessert table.

So here are our officers for 2011-2013. Catherine Jordan will stay on as President. Program Co-Chairs are Merry Susan Shreck, Holly Rison, and Cynthia Cogswell. Sharon Spradlin-Barrett is now treasurer. And Diana Paisley will be our Recording Secretary. Members in most of the other Board positions have agreed to continue - you will be able to see the complete list in the next issue of the Gilded Thread.

Mary Ann (l) led the induction ceremony. With (l-r) Catherine, Holly, Merry Susan, Diana, and Nancy Yates standing in for Sharon.

There is one Board member who will be moving out of town. Terry Haugh has been our wonderful Ta-Da Table presenter for the last 6 years, since the start of our chapter! Her enthusiasm for every piece she shows has been a wonderful part of our meetings. Jean Connelly will be our new Ta-Da Table presenter.

Along with announcing the new officers, Catherine thanked the officers from the last two years. She made everyone stunning book marks. And Kathy and Laurie, the retiring program co-chairs, also gave out some lovely thank you gifts to members who have helped by teaching programs.

Finally, we presented our President's Challenge pieces. This year, we were given a small, square metal form to decorate any way we please. Only 4 were complete, but others had them there and were working on them. As always, there was a variety of styles and uses.

Jean used a fabric painting technique from a previous class by Catherine, and made an ornament.

Holly did a lovely little petite-point mini-sampler and put it on a wooden thread holder.

Linda used the recently taught Casalguidi technique and made a wonderful little box.

And Margaret used needlepainting techniques to make a horse ornament.

On a final note, those of you who don't want to be tempted by a beading kit, might want to stop here, because one of our Ta-Da items was an amazing beaded goldfish scissors keep by Merry Susan.

If you are interested, the kit is here (in 4 colourways). If you love beads and haven't looked at the Shipwreck Beads web site before, you may not want to go there - you will be tempted.

Special Pamela Darney class.

2011-03-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, March 12, we had an exciting extra class. A huge thank you to the MAR Region and Joan Masterson Memorial Education Fund for supporting the Gentle Pursuits of Richmond class with Pamela Darney. Pamela designed a special Richmond Two-Tone Sampler for our chapter. Our class centered on a wonderful technique of joining two pieces of linen to make single piece with a neat join that could be stitched on. It was a delightful day getting to look at Pamela's beautiful collection of Quaker style samplers, delicious lunches, hands-on charting of names, and an added color "throw-down" bonus at the end of class!

Be sure to join us for our regular meeting on Tuesday, March 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Christ Church. We'll be doing some beading, which is just as addicting as stitching.

Hearts for Christchurch

2011-03-01T11:46:00.000-08:00

Sew a hanging heart to send to the people of Christchurch to show you care.

Find the information you need to send it on the blog Hearts for Christchurch.

Coif in Williamsburg

2011-02-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

Just a quick photo update. Leslie, a stitcher from Texas, had a chance to work on the coif this morning at the Gathering of Embroiderers. Thanks so much for your help!

Blackwork for Agecroft

2011-02-02T18:50:00.000-08:00

We had a real treat for our January program - a special program held on a Saturday. It was taught by our own Jean Connelly; who was recently awarded a Mastercraftsman certificate for Counted Thread and had her Blackwork step to show us her impressive skills. As well as a couple of coifs, Agecroft Hall also mentioned that a couple of handkerchiefs and sweet bags would be welcome. Well, what better to decorate a handkerchief than blackwork! Jean designed a lovely pattern that could be worked as a set of accessories or multiple rows could be combined as a wide border.

Jean was an excellent teacher and made us all feel better by telling us she didn't like blackwork the first time she tried it, but once she figured out the paths, it was fun. So with her help, we all started to learn how to do blackwork.

Lots of concentration going on.

And here are Jean's samples. The pincushion (2 pieces on the left) isn't finished so we can see the back. The wide handkerchief border on the right is really 5 fairly easy rows - doesn't it look complex! We are going to try to make at least one handkerchief as a round-robin so everyone can get a chance to work on it, just like the coif.
Many thanks to Jean for her teaching and patterns, and great instructions. And also to Diana for organizing this Outreach Program.

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-11T09:46:00.001-08:00

December's holiday lunch was a great success. Isn't this a wonderful selection of ornaments? It gives you an idea of the amazing range of styles of needlwork practiced by our members.And here is the chapter showing off their ornaments. Many thanks to Kathy, Laurie, and Nancy for a wonderful event.

We have an amazing line up for this year.

January 22, special Saturday meeting – Outreach Black work with Jean Connelly.
You should already be registered but if not, you can still come and stitch with us.

February 2-5. The coif will be in Williamsburg at A Gathering of Embroiderers. Margaret Henderson is going down for a couple of classes and will take it down. If you wish to stitch a bit on the coif, email her before the end of January February 15 – Debbie Stieler design American Patchwork, taught by Julia Bender.

March 12, Saturday - Richmond Two Tone Sampler, designed and taught by Pam Darney. Supported by the Joan Masterson Memorial Chapter Education Fund. Mid-Atlantic Region members and guest welcome.

March 15, Tuesday - Twisted Rope Strand taught by Cathy Keith.

April – Casalguidi with Julia Bender

May - Swedish weaving with Dee Ragsdale and possible Lavender Fields road trip

Please check your newsletter for registration forms and more information on all these events. If you would like to become a member, please email Dee Ragsdale

Gentle Pursuits and the EGA Master Craftsman Program

2010-11-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

We had some news at the start of our October meeting. Catherine Jordan, our chapter president, has been appointed as National Coordinator for the EGA Master Craftsman Program. And one of her first duties was to give Jean Connelly a certificate for the completion of the sixth and final step in her Counted Thread Master Crafstman certification. Congratulations to both of you!

The outfit for this doll is Jean's final project. It was absolutely beautiful - the colors and the stitching and the pattern. The photo doesn't do it justice, but you may see a better one later.

Here are some of the finished bookmarks from September's hem stitching class. Many thanks to Catherine Jordan for teaching this special free program to our chapter. Our free September programs are annual thank you programs from members in good standing, and every one has been enjoyable.

October's program was an apron lecture by Sharon Spradlin Barrett. She had an amazing array of aprons going way back in time, including some she has made for her costuming work. Some were quite beautiful and obviously not meant for use in the kitchen! Thanks for the great lecture Sharon.
Don't forget to bring your December luncheon coupons to the November meeting. Have you started your Christmas ornament?

October update - August to November info for all

2010-10-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

August 2010 Program Our Christmas in August program on finishing with Joan Hippen was very well attended and enjoyed by all. September 2010 Many thanks to Catherine Jordan for the chapter members free program in September - Hemstitching. Hopefully there will be some finished pieces in October to show in the blog. Thanks to everyone who brought in work for display at the Fairfield Library in September. These displays are always well received and it is a great way to show people the variety of needlework we do, and maybe even get new members.

Jean Connelly has been working on the coif since August. It has been wonderful to see the coif slowly show all its colors. Can't wait to see how it will look in October after another month with Jean. The Holiday Luncheon is scheduled for December 4 (check your newsletter for more details). If you plan on participating in the optional ornament exchange, it is time to start planning. Here are some of last year's ornaments for inspiration. October 19 Meeting Join us for a talk about aprons by Sharon Spradlin Barrett - come with a tea cup and wear an apron if you have one you'd like to show off. It is also time to sign up for this year's President's Challenge. Join in October using the coupon in the newsletter and get the metal form and instructions you will need to participate.

November 16 Meeting Kathy G will be teaching us how to work the crewel piece 'Heart of the Shenandoah' designed by Michele Chavez. Check the newsletter for the registration coupon which is due at the October meeting.

Coif progress

2010-07-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Our July meeting was an informal stitch-in. Catherine Jordan, our chapter president, had been working on the coif for a month and brought it to the meeting to show us the progress. She has done all the strawberries and 1 1/2 cornflowers and 1 and a bit roses.What an accomplishment. She has the coif for another month, plus more silk. We may be ordering more soon.

June meeting - auction and notebook challenge

2010-07-02T09:38:00.001-07:00

Every other year, our June meeting is the election of officers and a pot-luck dinner. The June meeting in alternate years, like this year, is a silent auction and salad & dessert potluck. Every year, we have a display of the president's challenge.

So here is what we did. The busy table at the auction was the 2 for $1 table of patterns. Several people cleared out their stash of finished patterns ( and some unfinished, we all can change our minds) and rather than bid on every one or create groupings that might only have one wanted pattern, we let everyone just pick and choose. It was a great success.

We also had lots of stash of various sorts - materials, threads, kits, stands, frames, and more.

Any items that weren't auctioned off were given to various charities. And everyone was happy with their new stash.

The salad and dessert pot-luck was great. We had an incredible assortment of foods and everyone enjoyed the meal.

Finally the members who finished the president's challenge to create a cover for a small notebook told the group about their work. Catherine reminded everyone that you can still finish your cover over the summer and bring it in for your bookmark prize.

May meeting and exhbit

2010-07-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

We had an excellent meeting in May - Holly taught us motifs from the Wilton House sampler and created a project to use them, and as usual Kathy and Laurie made up amazing kits for those who participated. There are no photos of the class to post but I hope to post some finished items soon (hint to those who participated).

Also during May was our exhibit at the Tuckahoe Library. Thanks to all who contributed items. While it is a bit of a challenge to find items to fit into these cases, it really does create an exciting exhibit with many 3-D embroidery items, and shows everyone how exciting embroidery can be.

April meeting and coif update

2010-04-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of our generous members, Diana was able to send 3 boxes of supplies to Haiti by Hand for distribution to craftswomen in Haiti. Take a look at the blog to see what the group is doing.

We've had some fun programs making needlecases, silk strawberries, and leaning to mount and frame needlework. Our May program is based on a cross-stitch sampler at Wilton House, an historical site in Richmond. June will be our silent auction. Members can bring in needlework related materials (books, stash, etc.) and it will be auctioned off to other members to benefit the chapter (things like paying for the instructor for our Christmas in August program and our free September program). Out with the old stash and in with some new!

Don't forget ALL EGA members renew at the same time this year. Dues must be received by our May meeting.

And for those following along with the coif, here is the latest.
Two new motifs have been stitched and added to the instruction book. This daffodil is based on a motif on the purse in Agecroft Hall.
This cornflower is a traditional design, although the base and shape are adapted to fit into this particular coif pattern.

Gentle Pursuits members, if you have any photos to add to our blog, please send them to Margaret.

Coif Progress - March 2010

2010-03-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the coif motif tests that have helped with the colour choices. The honeysuckle is a common motif on jackets and coifs - there is even one on the demi-lune purse in Agecroft Hall. There are a couple of adjustments on this one, the side flowers are smaller than the center flower and two buds are missing. Also, in order to fit into the design, it has to sit on the heart. The spider web circle will be done with faux gold after all the silk stitching is done, so progress photos might look a bit odd for any of the motifs that need gold.

The pansy and strawberry. The pansy is from the original pattern. We will try to save leaves, strawberries and buds for people who only want to work a meetings, rather than taking the whole coif home for a month. So members, even if you don't want to carry the frame around, you can still put your name on a strawberry or a leaf.

Here is the mounted coif, thanks to Sharon. She had to add a strip of fabric because of some shrinkage, but you can tell by all the tacks it is securely mounted (Evertight frames for those who are interested)

And here is the first motif stitched on the coif - a tudor rose, which is another common motif.

And here is the coif as of March 22, 2010.

The coif and threads and a binder with instructions and photos will be ready for the next stitcher at April's meeting. Be sure and let Diana Paisley know if you want to take it home or if you want to stitch during a meeting - remember the room at Christ Church is open to us at 5 pm so there is an hour and a half to stitch before the meeting even starts!

The Coif is Started

2010-02-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our January meeting marked the beginning of our Coif Project. Before the meeting we met to go over the logistics of the actual coif. Then after the business meeting. Margaret Henderson taught reverse chain and detatched buttonhole and how to use freezer paper to transfer patterns. Hopefully next month we will have some of the member motifs to post, but there will be some more test motifs, used for planning a silk order, to post in a week or so.

Margaret, Holly, and Sharon are looking over the coif pattern on linen and the motif tests before the January meeting. Here is the traced pattern. Sharon will take it home with the frame and set things up - can't thank her enough for that. She has costuming and embroidery experience so she is the perfect person to start the ball rolling. She will do some roses. It is exciting to see the pattern on the linen, looking quite different from the pattern on paper somehow, and imagine what it will look like when complete.

For those who are interested in working on the coif, please join us before our regular meetings, at 5 pm. Members who take the coif home for the month will need to get it to the next meeting, so the next member can take it home.
Thanks to Cheryl Christian for the photos.
Contact Diana Paisley dipais@aol.com for more information

Testing threads for the coif

2010-01-16T11:02:00.001-08:00

Our next meeting, Tuesday, January 19, 2010, will be the beginning of our Agecroft Hall outreach program. We will be practicing reverse chain and detatached buttonhole stitch and starting on the first coif.

The coifs we are making for Agecroft Hall will be worn during interpretive programs held during hot, humid Virginia summers, so we need to use materials that can be washed if necessary. So thread testing was in order, and it also did duty as detatched buttonhole practice and ease of motif stitching testing. Gilt Sylke Twist and real gold thread were out because of washing and expense.

This pomegranate was done in cotton perle 5 and while it fills nicely, it is just too thick - the detatched buttonhole doesn't look quite right. The gold is Nordic Gold very fine - a gold braid - and it isn't shiny enough. But the French knot center seems good in concept. It will add some variety. We really wanted this motif on the coif since there are pomegranates on the coif and a purse in the Agecroft Hall collection, plus in the plaster decoration in the dining room.

This cornflower is done in cotton perle 8. Better than the 5, but still too bulky. The gold is faux gold from Thistle Threads and it works up easily and looks very good
This carnation tested a few things. The pink and white are two strands of silk floss. The dark pink is the detatched buttonhole and seems a bit sparse. The light pink and white are trellis stitch and it is alot of work to fill with plus it doesn't seem to really add anything, plus it is hard IMHO. The green is 3 strands of cotton floss, which fills nicely but doesn't have the sheen of the silk. The gold is the Nordic Gold again, just not shiny enough.
Here is the Soie Perlee and faux gold. We sort of knew this would be our choice, but we had to see for sure. The petals of the rose are nicely filled and even and shiny - all in all, a wonderful thread to work with (but don't use too long a piece or it will unravel). The gold on the strawberry is really lovely in person. There was no green silk to test with yet, so the leaf is an overdyed cotton floss from Catherine Jordan. The center of the rose is a spiral trellis, which is easier to do that the regular trellis and the look is worth it.

The pattern we decided on was 'Mary', made by Laura Mellin and purchased from Reconstructing History. But several of the motifs were complex and since this is our first try at this sort of thing, a few easier motifs were in order. The replacement motifs are based on a couple from the Plimoth Jacket and a couple from the demi-lune purse in the Agecroft Hall collection. They will appear on the blog as we get going.

The test colours have come in from Hedgehog Handworks (they are having a sale until the end of the month). Not only do we need to decide on which colours to use for each motif, but we also need to measure how much for a motif and then calculate our final amounts to order.

New Outreach - 17th century coifs for Agecroft HallEach

2009-12-02T16:11:00.000-08:00

Gentle Pursuits will be starting a new outreach project in January 2010. Agecroft Hall would like some authentic embroidered coifs for their interpreters, so, inspired by the Plimoth Jacket Project, we are going to make two coifs. Our first coif will use a pattern created by Laura Mellin, which can be purchased through Reconstructing History. For the second coif we will try to reproduce this coif in the Agecroft Hall collection.

We will start in January by learning how to do the stitches needed for the Elizabethan style embroidery - reverse chain and detached buttonhole. Each member will stitch a small motif that can be made into a scissor fob or sachet.

As people become comfortable with the stitch they will have a chance to stitch on the coif. Really enthusiastic members who are comfortable with the stitches will have a chance to take the coif home to stitch between meetings.

Participating in our outreach project is just one benefit of being a Gentle Pursuits member. Hope to see you in January. (There is no regular December meeting - we are having our Holiday Luncheon on Dec. 5).

Free September program for Gentle Pursuits Members.

2009-08-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

Our September program is a free program for current members of our chapter. Catherine Jordan, our new group President, will be teaching a class in fabric painting.

Introduction to Fabric Painted Landscapes

Member Appreciation Class

Explore the possibilities of adding color to your work with a small painted landscape! In this class we will cover how to work with textile paints to make a beautiful landscape.

These are some examples of Catherine's painted fabric pieces.

Please contact Laurie Jones or Kathy G by September 1 if you would like to attend.

President's Challenge photos from June

2009-08-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

The President's Challenge for our group this past year was to alter a tin for another member. We had from September to June to figure out what to stitch and what to put inside the tin. Here are some of the final tins. Every one was a little work of art and the whole group had a great time examining all the details and the tin contents. Thanks everyone for all the wonderful work!

Come to Short Pump Barnes & Noble on Feb. 7

2009-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

February National Embroidery Month and EGA is celebrating by encouraging all members to have a Stitch-In-Public day on Saturday, February 7th. Gentle Pursuits members will be stitching at the Short Pump Barnes & Noble from 1 pm to 4 pm. Please come and join us for some chat and stitch time!

Good Reasons to Join Gentle Pursuits

2008-05-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have a biennial silent auction so you can weed and enhance your stash at the same time. This year it is on June 17 so there is still time to join us.

We have lots of winning members: Congratulations to scholarship and exhibit winners Cynthia Cogswell, Catherine Jordan, and Merry Susan Schreck.

We have a free September program for members - this year a felted pincushion cupcake.

We always have fun at out meetings, chatting and learning.

We have an annual Christmas in August workshop so you can start your ornaments early.

Don't put it off any longer, come and join at our next meeting. If you still aren't sure, visit us and find out how much fun it really is to be part of Gentle Pursuits. Link to our website (top link on the left) to find out more.

Our square for the MAR regional banner

2008-03-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Catherine Jordan for the bargello design and lettering and hand. And thanks to the members who stitched on our square. Hope those of you who go to the region seminar in Virginia Beach or the National seminar remember to take a photo of the whole banner.

Spring in Williamsburg - for Stitchers

2008-03-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Even stitchers who aren't chapter members may be intersted in some of the projects, programs and news items from our chapter newsletter, The Guilded Thread.

Here is something from the March 2008 issue:

Our Favorite Things

Spring in Williamsburg.
My thoughts always turn to Colonial Williamsburg in the spring and this year there is more than just the gardens to lure me down the highway. The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum is showing the exhibit American Schoolgirl Needlework: Records of Virtue, an exploration of the art of samplers. There are many wonderful items in the Colonial Williamsburg textile collection and I always love studying the stitches in all the wonderful clothing and embroideries. Also in the textile area are two exhibits at the recently opened addition to the Arts Museum, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. Flowers, Birds, and Baskets: Pattern in 19th century Bed Coverings displays some wonderful quilts, and In Memoriam: Mourning Art in Early America includes some 19th century mourning embroideries. What a wonderful way to spend the day. Don’t forget lunch in the garden behind the King’s Arms Tavern if the weather is nice

Welcome to Gentle Pursuits of Richmond EGA

2008-02-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

This blog is being set up to communicate with members but we hope it will also provide potential members with information about the events of our chapter. There is a link to our chapter web site on the sidebar with more general information.
Thank you, and we hope you can join us for some stitching.