Antique Textile Fair

Please come and visit Cheshire Textiles 
at the Antique Textiles Fair on March 6th.

Our stand will be upstairs where you can see some of our more recent pieces and have the opportunity to talk to us about our work and the group.  

We are always pleased to meet new people and share our passion for textiles.

Workshop and Antique Textile Fair

It is very easy to get 'stuck' creating the sort of work you feel very comfortable with, never wanting to take a risk or try something different.  Often it is the pressures of day to day living that make it an easier option or it could be that you have become slightly stale and you need a bit of external input; someone who will encourage you to look at things from a different angle.  With this in mind we asked Sally Payne to join us for a workshop.  Sally is fantastic, full of ideas and inspiration, introducing new techniques and encouraging an experimental approach.  We have chosen the title 'Degrees of Separation', looking at the elements of composition.  

The workshop will be in a couple of weeks but in the meantime we have been asked to gather photographs and drawings.  The two images above were my starting points, when we last did a workshop with Sally and from it I developed a whole body of work! 

We have also got the Antique Textile Fair to look forward to on the 6th March at the Armitage Centre in Manchester.  Please make a note and come and visit our stand.

Art Textiles at the Whitworth

Grayson Perry

Magdelana Abakanowicz

Do Ho Suh

Ghana Amer

Mary Sibande

Monika Zaltauskaite-Grasiene

A good day out yesterday visiting the Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester to see their current exhibition 'Art Textiles' - closes 3st January.  Very much a thought provoking exhibition about the role of textiles as a visual arts medium.  The pieces on view were from various eras including a beautiful hand embroidered sampler from 1601, selected to highlight its vital role in a girls education during the C17th - C19th. 

Several pieces are like old favourites notably the Grayson Perry, Tracey Emin, Michele Walker and Sally Freshwater but it was the huge 'Red Abakan III' from the 1970's that remains in my mind having only previously seen it in print.  Well worth a visit and lunch in the cafe just adds to the enjoyment!

Jen

Happy New Year

A very Happy New Year to all.  As January 6th approaches when the Christmas decorations are boxed and stored for another year I thought it would be nice to show you the beautiful hand made cards I received this year.  They are lovely to receive and I always treasure them, appreciating the time and effort that goes into the hand made.  Thank you.

Before 2016 gets well and truly underway and we become absorbed in new ideas, new exhibitions and of course new work I would like to thank everyone who visited our two exhibitions at Little Moreton Hall and The Waterside Gallery in Sale. It was truly a very busy but rewarding year.  Cheshire Textiles regular meetings resume tomorrow after the Christmas break and no doubt Bridget - our current chair - will be bursting with inspiration   and ready to lead us into another exciting year!  

I am working on a new website for Cheshire Textiles which is something to look forward to for the early part of 2016.  

Jen

Christmas Lunch

To round off our lovely Christmas lunch at Cottons, Knutsford we each received a beautiful hand made card.  I use the word 'card' loosely because three of them were 3D!  The Christmas card exchange is a Cheshire Textile tradition and something we all enjoy both in the making and of course the receiving. Reading from the left to right the makers are Sue, Elizabeth, Jen, Bridget, Grazyna , Shosh and Jean at the front but of course the artists individual style can easily be identified.  

Have a very Happy Christmas!                                                                                   Jen

Connections Project

We regularly set ourselves  short stimulating projects to encourage creativity  and generate more of a 'gut response'.  If you have been to The Waterside Gallery to see our latest exhibition 'Unravel', you will have seen several examples from some of the projects we have worked on throughout the year.  

The latest project 'Connections' proved to be a bit more challenging than first thought because everything has a connection and it was finding a starting point.  As always we had some lovely results, some of which can be seen in the image.  From left to right - Elizabeth, Bridget, Jean and Sue.                                                             Jen

Last Week of 'UNRAVEL'

Last chance to see our latest exhibition 'UNRAVEL'

We are now into the last week of the exhibition, it closes on Saturday 21st November.

'Unravel' has been very warmly received, there are some lovely comments in the visitors book, thank you to everyone.   What really seems to have been appreciated are the artists books where we have given more insight into how we work and where the inspiration comes from.  Also the little samples on the wall which are available to touch.  

I must mention the 2nd gallery, where the animators Mackinnon and Saunders, those of Clangers, Bob the Builder, Mars Attack and Corpse Bride fame have a very interesting display showing how the puppets are designed and constructed.  

Please visit, parking is easy in the Q car park next door or the Metro Link across the road and perhaps have lunch in the Slug and Lettuce adjacent.                      Jen