Autumn has finally settled in and the summer days are over. Welcome to warm socks, scarves and slippers, hot drinks and cosy nights. Also to longer evenings inside as the light disappears early, leaving us with more sewing time maybe?

We are still caught in the stranglehold of COVID19, with some areas in total lockdown and all of us somewhat confused about what we can and cannot do, so we are hunkering down and leaving the streets, cafes and bars to the younger generations. While we have this time on our hands we might expect to be able to spend our enforced leisure following our creative impulses, but for many of us these have dried up.

Talking of finding creativity hard work in these strange times, Julie Williams shares her current project:

Over the past few (weird) months, I‘ve found that I have plenty of ideas and initial enthusiasm for producing work.

But, every time, after starting, I quickly lose interest, abandon what I’ve started and move on to something else.

However I’ve just done this Lino cut, these are ‘tryouts‘ on paper and fabric.

Now I need to find better background fabric and then decide how I’m going to add stitch.

Work in Progress……I hope!

Annie Nicoll has been busy too:

After the long haul of completing my sofa makeover, I decided to go back to mosaics. I had received a commission for a mosaic to go into my friend Joy’s new kitchen. She was having all the doors made to match her Art Deco living room doors, so that was my starting point for the design. I decided to do a triptych as it would be easier to transport. So after nine weeks of cutting, cementing and grouting, it is finally finished. The only problem now is how to get it to Joy’s house in Spain. The original plan of a trip to collect it keeps getting put off due to the combined difficulties of Covid 19 and Brexit. So probably I will get to keep it for a lot longer than I imagined.

Viv Denscombe has a great report here:

A Yarn and a Half

I’m a member and committee member of Cosby Quilters….even though I have never actually completed a real quilt in my life – the nearest I have come to it are wall hangings, but I’m still allowed in!

Last year one of the local Cosby ladies came up with the idea of Yarn Bombing the village and asked as many Cosby groups and individuals as possible to take part. The exhibition ran concurrent with the annual Cosby Victory Show, so we had many passing visitors. It turned out to be a great success and so it was decided to repeat the idea this year.

The theme this year was ‘Childrens’ Story Books’.  It turned out to be an even greater success and demonstrated a really wide and diverse collection of knitted, crocheted, felted and, basically, anything and everything that could be created with yarn.

Many of the stories were well known favourites including Peter Rabbit, Three Billy Goats Gruff, Harry Potter, Rapunzel, Noah’s Ark, and Jack and the Beanstalk (created by our very own Sue Wilson).  Cosby Quilters entered Jungle Book.  There were also more modern stories – which I must admit (not having any Grandchildren) I hadn’t heard of, including The Scarecrows Wedding.  The Wedding, in addition to the full-sized knitted scarecrows, complete in their full wedding attire, included various animals including a cow – complete with cow pat and flies!

In addition to the main stories being told in yarn, many of the lamp posts, telegraph poles and basically, anything that didn’t move, was dressed in yarn flowers, wraps, animals and 3D items inspired by nature.

It was a really incredible display of talent, enthusiasm and dedication.

Next year’s event is themed ‘Up, Up and Away’ to coincide with Cosby’s final Victory Show….I’ve already heard murmurings of ideas and they sound incredible….hopefully see you there….

If you have any newsletter contributions, puzzles, recommendations, etc, do please send them to me via the Living Threads email address: livingthreadsgroup@gmail.com  We do all love to see what others have been up to, or hear news related to our love of textiles.

I’ve not got much to add. I was gearing up for starting classes again, only to have to pull the plug on them. Theoretically they can go ahead, as they come under the educational exemption, but it feels all wrong in the current climate to be bringing possibly vulnerable people together, even all suitably distanced, etc. I’m learning my way around Zoom workshop teaching and filming tutorials, but it wont be the same. I miss the connection with my fellow stitchers and the communal fun we have!

Sadly also, we have made the unwelcome decision to postpone our April 2021 Exhibition at Trent College until Easter the following year. Things are too uncertain at the moment and the planning and preparation cannot be done without teams meeting up and working together – not something we can count on being able to do for the foreseeable future.  We are planning a Virtual Exhibition of small pieces of work going up on the website and Facebook in December and will have photos of the 2019 exhibition on there as well soon.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check our website at: www.livingthreadstextileartists.com or email us at: livingthreadsgroup@gmail.com or check us out on Facebook.

It has come to our attention that not everyone has been refunded for bookings made for classes which we rolled over from March 2020 and since we can’t see when classes can re-start we want to clear the slate! Please contact your tutor directly and provide details and banking info if you are in this situation.

We wish you all a speedy recovery if you or family have been unwell or had Covid-19, and that the rest of us manage to avoid it.

Everyone please stay safe and keep creating. We will get through this and come out the other side.

Until November!

Cheers

Gilli Theokritoff, Newsletter Editor