10 October 2025
Today two members led two very different workshops, and both were a great
success.
In the morning Jane Wheeler introduced us to Dorset buttons. Once a huge cottage industry, there are all sorts of designs to be made but the basic assembly and construction is the same. Small rings (curtain rings of any size) are covered in thread by blanket stitching around the circumference. Spokes are then created that can use different colours and weights of threads. Additional embellishments such as beads and sequins can be added. Many members had seen a beautiful wall hanging created from many different shapes and sizes of buttons at Festival of Quilts this year. There is lots of social history to explore about Dorset buttons. And I was also recommended the novel Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier that I’ll be checking out.
In the afternoon we put down our needles and threads and took up pens and paper. Mavis showed us a very fun stitched piece she exhibited at Lullingstone Quilt Show last year, three “cubist” self-portraits in fabric collage and stitch. This was developed from a workshop she did at Missenden Abbey with artist Gina Ferrari. Mavis explained the process of “blind contour drawing” where you trace a line with your non dominant hand, and draw (without looking at the paper) that tracing with your other hand. So to create our own self-portraits we first traced down our profiles, then our face shapes and then details like eyes and lips. Not all of these were where they should be. But Mavis showed us how to trace some of the lines we liked to create a
cubist style face shape that we could then go on to collage and stitch at home. Everyone produced unique, fun and stylish portraits. Picasso would have been very impressed!
Many thanks to both Jane and Mavis for two interesting and enjoyable sessions which proved just what an open, versatile and creative group we are.
Alison Livesley