15th January 2026

The view from the cutting (and stitching) edge presentation by Mr X Stitch 

 

 

 

 

Mini workshop  1.00 - 3.30pm

Dorset Buttons

 

 18th December 2025

Christmas Celebration with a 'Surprise Speaker'

Ticket only meeting

Doors open at 10.30

Speaker 11.00- 12.00

Lunch 12.30 

Christmas 'swap' - gift tag 

 20th November 2025 

The presentation 'Creative icebreaking' given by Angie Hughes supported by her varied selection of work was interesting and informative. 

 

 16th October 2025

 

Tina's presentation 'An embroiderer's tale' was a fascinating insight into her creative work and the extraordinary journey that developed from this.

Like many of us Tina has always enjoyed crafts, sewing etc and on leaving school applied to the Royal School of Needlework for an apprenticeship. This comprised 2 years of learning various skills /techniques and the 3rd year working in the workshops on projects. Throughout she was paid a weekly wage but had to provide her own materials and threads.

 

Tina's first piece was crewel work, followed by goldwork and  then a silk shaded piece featuring a flower.

 

 

 

 

Next came the 'master piece' to showcase skills featuring her take on an animal, saint and a cross - Tina selected an African theme, the Chieftain (saint) created with long and short stitches and colour to create texture.

Then a 3-D piece, many choose to create a box and decorate it Tina however used her own design to make 'Wembley Stadium'

 

 

 

The third was 'Both sides alike' where the fabric is stitched through so the reverse is identical to the front, used for flags/colours etc , the lettering is stitched on to seperate fabric and applied onto the main piece.

The last piece was the 'Coronation goldwork'

 


 

 

Tina's third year in the workshop featured work on varied projects, picture of a dog owned by sponsor, those connected with churches , Embroiderers Guild etc as well as work experience where she went to Jim Henderson (Muppets) and saw how the world of work was outside the RSN.

After leaving the RSN Tina needed to find work so applied to any business that was textile related. From this she went to Jimmy Choo (couture shoes) for a trial day demonstrating sketching/design/embroidery/beading etc.

 This led to an internship for a month which extended into years of freelance work for them involving design work, embroidery and beading on shoes prior to being made.

Later Tina went to Locks, an embroidery workroom used by many designers/fashion houses, creating beading and embroidery for unique items.

One of these was the beading on a white Adidas tracksuit worn at the opening of Commonwealth games in 2002.

Another was beading/decoration on the dresses worn by Dame Edna Everage.

 

Following a part time degree at the London College of Fashion Tina applied for a job(employer unknown just a PO box), asked to attend for an interview/trial day and was offered a junior position, working at the Palace. She started with embroidered/beaded collars for dresses progressing to making state gowns, dresses for tours  and 'work wear' for Queen Elizabeth II.

Tina works freelance making wedding dresses, mother of the bride outfits, carrying out alterations, running embroidery/ dressmaking classes as well as giving talks.


 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 18th September 2025

 

September social and AGM 

Following the AGM and review of the year, members enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with each other, partake of the drink and selection of home made cake and look at the display of work featuring a variety of pieces from workshops undertaken throughout the year as well as the Travelling books project.

 

 

 17th July 2025

 

'Paint with fabric, draw with stitch'  by Melanie Baugh 

Melanie completed city and guilds in interior creative techniques, also HNC in stitch and constructing textiles, she has also undertaken a variety of jobs and roles including teaching textiles. Life changed with the Covid lockdown, she took a Dionne Swift online course 'drawing for textiles' which also used water paints.

This led Melanie to put the scenery, images,emotions and memories from her running, pre and post lockdown onto paper in the form of small sketches, some of these were abstract in nature. 

The first piece she created was a series of squares each one representing something she passed whilst running and the middle part of the panel depicts her running route for her half marathon.

The squares are made using paint, scraps of fabric and threads stitched into place with hand and machine stitches. Melanie uses the ends of threads she cuts off after stitching to create the running route.

 

Her next panel was based on a poem/piece she wrote featuring her training runs both on the roads and over the hills.

 

 The pictures she drew are abstract eg the road runs alongside a hedge which borders a ploughed field whilst the other side of the road has a wire fence.

Melanie also drew landscapes which she would photocopy and then cut these into small pieces/panels, she would then experiment with paint/handstitch/machine stitch etc. 

19th June 2025

'Felted journey with botanical colours'  by Helen Melvin 

 

Helen's journey started with spinning, she was then taught felting by Sheila Smith  making a scarf and then waistcoats, throughout this process she kept records and learned much from the making process.

She also uses the wool to crochet, making for example a 'fantastic coat'. 

 

  She then went to a natural dye workshop (initially Helen used synthetically dyed textiles) and following this has created her own natural dyes which she uses to dye merino wool for her work. She uses concentrated extract of natural dyes to paint onto fabric/wool/fibres.

An exhibition of textiles/felt from Central Asia - Kyrgyzstan, influenced her ideas for colours, patterns and designs. All the dyes used were natural and this led Helen to use indigo.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen has produced 4 books related to natural dyes including colours of sea and sky (indigo) and colours of the rainbow.

 Initially she made her own paper to stitch, batik, paint over with inks and then rip up in order to stitch by hand or machine onto her pictures as featured on the stones i the river in spate picture.

In other work Helen uses fine Japanese paper, stitched and painted together with ideas from the countryside which she develops to create pictures eg Slate fences, stone walls, path to the stile and standing stones (machine and hand stitched into with doodles). 

 

 

 

Japanese papers have a long staple length and can be felted in with wool which meshes with the paper, this when dried holds its shape. Helen uses this process to make the 'wasp like ' vessels. The finer the paper the softer the structure of the vessels is. Helen also makes felt, stitches into it and felts it further which distorts the stitches.

 

 

Helen uses 'solar dying' using solar pots - she uses Kilner jars to put dye in with one colour at the bottom and another at the top (multi colour), then puts wool or silk fabric into them and leaves them in the sun, this creates multicoloured fibres and 
fabrics to use.