New Year’s Resolution - Sort out your Stash

 The meeting on 7th January will be slightly different as we are going to have a fabric swap. Each member pays £5 entry fee and gets 10 tickets. Visitors pay £7 entry fee and get 10 tickets (or can join on the day). People have a clear-out and bring in any fabrics, threads, beads, buttons, haberdashery or old napery (table linen) in small bags or bundles. Try to make each item worth at least 50 pence so it can be paid for with one ticket. Everyone can do the rounds and “buy” up their 10 tickets worth and even buy more tickets. This will generate funds for ACS, plus for the members it will enable them to vary their stash without necessarily increasing it, to reduce their stash, or obtain something for a current or new project.

Be aware when bagging, bundling or cutting that each item will cost one ticket so make it not too large or too small but Goldilocks size and so good value for money.

So get going! Raid your loft, spare room, craft cupboard, or wherever you  hoard your crafting items and bring in your excess (or donate it if you are unable to come to the meeting on 7th January) and revel in the delight of obtaining new goodies without the show prices. And, of course, feel proud and righteous that you have parted with some!!! Anything left at the end will be held over for the Sales Table at the February meeting.

Christmas get together

 We all had a lovely time at the Christmas gathering showing off our work and examining the travelling books. 

There was a little bit of business to attend to then we enjoyed the wonderful food offerings.

We examined the accounts and as we had lost money this year we decided to raise the membership fee to £30 for the next year. Don’t worry the new year does not start until May.

We will also have to raise the cost of workshops to  £40 for members and £50 for visitors. 

Tea Rota 2025

 I’m posting this so you can easily see when you have agreed to make the tea without needing reminders.

Here’s hoping.

December social meeting

 The next meeting is on Tuesday 3rd December and will be a social event. Please bring a plate with some food to share. We want everyone to bring something stitched they have been working on over the last year. In particular we would like to see items produced at the Alsager Creative Stitchers workshops (even if they are not quite finished). If you like you can bring one Christmas card and put it in the mix then take one (not yours) when you leave. There is a raffle planned, if you have any suitable prizes please bring them.

If you have a name badge please wear it as we have quite a few new members.

Please bring the travelling books so we can all have a look at them as well as passing them on.

There may be a bit of business i.e. deciding on the membership fee for next year. Fees are not due until May.

The programme for 2025 looks very promising.

November meeting

 The November meeting was very well attended and we had to keep on putting out more chairs and tables. Thanks to Ruth and Yvonne for showing us their method of working to make folded flowers pictures. We all had a go with great success. 

Ruth also brought her cushion and showed some of us how she made the diamond shapes for the rosettes.

Programme update

 Please update your old blue programme for 4th November 2025 to show a talk by Tina Saunders “An Embroiderer’s Tale”. The newly printed programmes do show this. If you are on this post you will have realised that the blog spot is alsagercreativestitchers.blogspot.com and not .co.uk as shown on the front of the 2025 programme.

2025 Programme

 

Thimble keepers

 More thimble, ring, earrings, sweetie keepers from the last meeting.

November meeting

 The November meeting will be on Tuesday 5th. As usual we will be in the meeting room at Alsager Library from 1.45 for a prompt 2pm start. Visitors welcome.

Ruth is kindly showing us how to make her Folded Flowers, assisted by Yvonne.

You will need:

Frixion pen (or a pencil will do)

Embroidery threads

Sewing kit, including pins/quilt clips

Bone folder, if you have one

October hands-on

 We had lots of members and guests attending today. Thanks Lyn for an inspirational meeting.

If you would like to join us next month we meet on the first Tuesday of the month (except August ) at 2pm in the meeting room at Alsager Library. 

October meeting

 The next meeting in the library will be on 1st October and will be a hands on so please bring your usual sewing kit. Lyn R will be showing us how to make Christmas tree dangles and a thimble keeper / small gift pod. You will need:

Christmas or fancy satin type fabric , 4x8 inches, card ( from cereal packet or similar), 8 inch piece of thin ribbon, tassel or beads, and for the thimble keeper felt, 4 x 8 inches. 

Lyn will supply a template for a kit for £1.

We meet in the upstairs of Alsager library at 1.45 for a prompt 2 pm start. Visitors welcome.

Jennifer O’Leary workshop

 Great workshop yesterday with Jenny. Some of you have missed a treat. We painted fabric with pale ink colours, waxed the parts we wanted to keep pale (with a soya wax which does not smell), inked in medium tones, waxed, then put in darker tones. With all the drying involved we did not get to ironing out the wax so that is a job for today. We will then have some fabulous fabrics to embroider on and perhaps turn into books. Thanks Sally for the delicious refreshments.

Jenny O’Leary workshop 14th September

 Jenny says that on the day it is unlikely that we will begin to make the batiks into a folded book because of drying time and removing the wax. She will have examples to show you and we can talk about how that will happen. We will make two long landscapes that we can then construct and stitch at our leisure. You’ll see on her photographs some have been hand or machine stitched just to show a range of examples, and some are just A4 or A3 landscapes but give an idea of the possibilities.

Facebook page

 We now have a Facebook page where you can post your own photos and comments. Details of the meetings and workshops will also be on the site. Thanks Stevie.

September meeting Tuesday 3rd

 Talk “Who Needs Words” by Jane McKeating

Jane combines drawing, printmaking and embroidery to tell visual stories, exploring the relationship between touch and vision.

See more on janemckeating.co.uk

Batik Workshop Saturday 14th September

 Jenny O’Leary is holding a workshop on Landscapes in Batik on Fabric.

Inspired by the exciting art of batik- hot wax resist - on fabric we will use traditional and non traditional tools to create interesting marks and textures to form pieces inspired by landscape. We will work with wax, inks and bleach, layering to create beautiful atmospheric images.

From traditional batik tools such as tjantings, to potato mashers and combs we will explore mark making with wax to create textures appropriate to the theme. Finished pieces, once the wax is removed, will be suitable for further embellishment with stitch.

You will need to bring:

Apron

Hairdryer

Gloves

Landscape images for inspiration 

White or cream cotton fabric (can be pre-used or vintage), 40-50 cms long that can be cut into two long strips to make two landscapes. These can be backed at home if you choose

Old newspapers to be used to iron off the wax

Jenny will provide kits at £3 which will contain inks, wax, paper, all brushes, batik equipment, stencils, etc.

If you wish to book on the workshop contact Gail Dell on 07872129618 or gailndell@hotmail.com

The price for members is £30, non-members £35, plus £3 on the day for materials 

The workshop will take place at the United Reformed Church Hall, Brookhouse Road, Alsager, ST7 2PA from 10am to 4 pm

August

 There is no meeting in August. Time to catch up on all your works in progress.

2nd July Embellishment

 This month the meeting is concerned with recycling, reusing, updating, pimping and decorating. Bring something that needs a bit of a lift or completely rescuing, your usual sewing kit and any decorative bits and pieces.

The meeting takes place as usual on the first Tuesday of the month in the meeting room on the upper level of Alsager Library and starts at 2pm. Refreshments are available and visitors are most welcome. There is a lift for those who can’t manage the spiral staircase.

There will be no meeting in August.

Raya Brown Workshop

 Great workshop today with everyone producing a finished piece of work. Raya very helpful and encouraging. 

 Three stunning individual pictures 

The rest of us worked on bluebell landscapes all of which turned out to be individual too.