Burgh le Marsh
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Burgh le Marsh
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| Welcome | Committee | History | Programme | Report |
| Cathedral Window Patchwork At Denman |
Sheila Chapple's Report on her Denman College Visit August 2005 for her course on “Cathedral Window Patchwork A
cool, dull, damp Monday morning saw us setting off for Denman. Soon the
sun came out and the temperature rose as we sped towards Oxford . The
directions to the college were excellent and we arrived there at exactly
ten past four. Parking at the main entrance, wee made our way inside to
be welcomed by Valerie and Ruth, the College Chairmen for the week. No
sooner had we registered than we were invited through to the bar for a
welcome cup of tea. After chatting to other new arrivals we drove round
Gwalia and unloaded the car. Gwalia (sponsored by Wales ) is situated
conveniently right opposite the teaching block, and consists of two rooms
– a double and a single connected by a bathroom and a small kitchen. Sheillah
from Derbyshire, our neighbour, offered to make us tea in the morning
and we enjoyed the experience of being waited on each day. |
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| At six o'clock everyone assembled in the Livingstone Room for an introductory talk and to meet the tutors. There were six courses altogether – Cathedral Window Patchwork, Stately Homes of England, Jacobean Crewel Embroidery, Portrait Painting, Indigo Dyeing and Golf for Improvers. After dinner (the food all week was excellent – a good variety and well cooked) it was time to meet up in the Light Crafts Room. There were nine of us in the Cathedral Patchwork course and our tutor, Sarah Harris, introduced herself. She had trained at the Royal School of Needlework and had several other qualifications, including a City & Guilds Certificate. No work was started, but we all displayed the fabrics we intended to use and there was a wide variety. We looked at sample cushions and heard a brief summary of what this type of patchwork involved. Next
morning we started work. First cutting out 25 x 6¼?squares, using
a template and a cutting wheel. Then each square had to be turned in ¼?
on all sides, folded twice into the centre and carefully pressed, before
stitching them together into one large square. This seemed to take forever;
in fact on Wednesday afternoon we took our sewing into the grounds and
sat in the sun, stitching away for an hour after lunch before the afternoon
session began at three o'clock. Most sessions lasted one and a half hours
and it was good to have regular breaks. Later on Wednesday we progressed
to cutting out at least 60 small squares for the “windows” and shaping
each side slightly. Then came the interesting part, deciding how to arrange
the windows to make a pleasing pattern and the more difficult stitching
of them into place. It was obvious we would not get out sample completed
in the remaining time, so Sarah showed us how to finish the edges and
stitch on the beads optional but making a big difference to the finished
appearance.
On
the last evening there was a short entertainment with poems and sketches,
after which we were able to visit the other rooms to see what the other
students had been up to during the week. Then it was time to clear up
and take things back to our rooms ready for packing next morning. Our
journey home was uneventful and we made good time arriving home early
afternoon after a most enjoyable week.
Finally
I would like to thank Burgh W.I. for providing the bursary and making
it possible for me to attend Denman for this interesting course.
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