Monday 8th January online talk

Ninya Mikhaila - A gown of ten-thousand pearls; reconstructing the clothing of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon  

In 2020 historical costumier Ninya Mikhaila was commissioned to reconstruct the clothing worn by Mary Tudor (sister to Henry VIII) and her husband Charles Brandon in their famous double portrait. In this talk Ninya shares insights into the research and making process for the elaborate garments, of which only certain areas are depicted in a painting which begs as many questions as it provides answers. Read more here.

 

Saturday 10th February 2.30pm

Social Meeting

A social meeting at Tylers Green Village Hall where all are welcome.  A chance to chat with friends and stitchers and for visitors to learn more about CETG.

 

Monday 12th February online talk

Linda Miller – In Stitches

Working with her sewing machine Linda makes one-off machine embroideries using her distinctive, unique style. Linda’s colourful, naïve, and narrative embroideries contain figures and animals with inspiration gathered from the world around her. Her work is successfully exhibited and held in public and private collections such as those of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Arts Council Southeast.  Read more here.

 

Monday 11th March online talk

Marian Jazmik – Beyond the Surface

The talk will cover Marian's creative journey from collecting inspiration using macro photography, sourcing and using mixed materials and techniques involving heat treatments to create experimental textural work and creating the final pieces of wall art, sculptures and vessels. Read about Marian's stunning work here.

 

Monday 8th April

Clare Bullock - My Life with Felt

The traditional craft of wet felt has become a huge part of Clare’s life.  It has taken her on an adventure she never thought possible which she shared with us. She demonstrated her techniques - read more here.

 

Monday 13th May

Towse Harrison - Before the Zip

When our scheduled speaker cancelled at the last minute, member Towse Harrison stepped in with a fascinating talk on why we should not underestimate the importance of textiles in history and prehistory.  She asked us to imagine a world without fabric – no clothing, no household linens, the very chairs we were sitting on would be hard and uncomfortable.  Read more here.

 

Monday 10th June

Karen Nicol – Couture Creatures 

In 2010 Karen was offered a gallery show in the West End of London and  needed a subject which would allow her to show off the wonderful diversity and wealth of mark making abilities of embroidery, but telling a story which would hold together as a whole and that was recognisably hers. She decided to embroider animals and clothe them in couture skins: nearly 200 creatures later she still sells all she can do. Karen talks about the vast array of fabrics, techniques and stories behind this work and the strange characters that have taken shape under her machine needle. Read more here.

 

Monday 8th July

Harriet Riddell – Travels with a Sewing Machine

Harriet tells stories from her street stitching around the world. She embroiders the people and places she meets and loves interaction between herself and her audience whilst working. She demonstrated a live stitched portrait during her talk: see it here.

​

Monday 12th August

Social Meeting with Tea and Cake

A social meeting at Tylers Green Village Hall where all are welcome. The theme of the evening was "Textiles from Around the World": members brought textile treasures collected on their travels, and shared stories about these lovely things.  There was tea and home-made cake.  Read more here.

 

Monday 9th September

Jenny Beattie – Mad as a Hatter – Modern Day Millinery

Jenny Beattie discovered millinery in her forties whilst an expat in Bangkok, Thailand. With a lifetime love of textiles, of making, sewing and a fine arts degree, she started making headpieces for favours and just for fun. In 2012 Jenny started to retrain; by 2017 she ‘left’ her husband in Bangkok and returned to London for a full-time millinery course.  So, what is millinery like now? Are there any similarities today to the traditional heritage craft of millinery? And what about materials? Is it still mostly straw and felt? Not in Jenny Beattie Millinery’s studio, no. Read how she’s making ‘Trash Hats’ in plastic and truly making her own modern headpieces.

 

Saturday 12th October begins 2.00pm 

Annual General Meeting at 2.30pm

William Morris Society - The Making of Beautiful Things

A talk exploring May Morris’ beautiful embroidery designs and completed works alongside the stunning needlework of Lily Yeats, showcasing the beautiful embroideries created by the remarkable Hammersmith craftswomen in the late nineteenth century. May’s knowledge of needlework, her talent for designing and her brilliance with the needle led to raising the status of embroidery to fine art. Lily worked as an embroiderer for May and the two women worked closely together, producing stunning stitched works that are justifiably considered masterpieces. Read their fascinating stories here.

​

Monday 11th November online talk

Sophie Levi-Kallin – Sew the Scene

Using recycled/scrap textiles and sewing machine drawing to create urban landscape scenes.  Sophie will describe her inspiration and method behind her art. This will include: how she chooses which scenes to sew/her compositions, collecting and selecting fabrics, using the sewing machine stitch/embroidery to attach the pieces and add depth, definition and details.

 

Monday 9th December online talk

Lindsay Roberts – Tart’s Textile Travels

Lindsay travelled to Gujarat in 2012/13 for two months, working with artisans in Kutch. Returning in 2020, Lindsay spent time in Rajasthan and Karnataka where she gathered old and new pieces of stitch, weave and print to examine in more detail on screen.