Next Meeting: Wednesday, Dec 7th, Talk by Josie Beszant, "My Work in Textiles and Collage"

Our next meeting is a Stitch Morning followed by our guest speaker Josie Beszant. The fabulous work below is to be exhibited by one of our members at the Craven Arts Christmas Exhibition, Craven Arts House, 55 Otley Street, Skipton.Friday 9th Dec, 10am-4pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 11th 10am-5pm.

It is well worth a visit to the Mill Bridge Gallery, 3 Mill Bridge, Skipton, at the moment. Sarah Roche is exhibiting her felt landscapes and Bev Parker her fabric watercolour prints.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, Nov 16th - Stitch Day

Please can I remind members we have a new venue for our next meeting, Grassington Town Hall. A superb location, only a few minutes from our local needlecraft shop, "Spinning Jenny" and the famous "Walkers Bakery" for delicious sandwiches. There is plenty of parking next to the Town Hall and the side door access on Moor Lane means there are now no stairs to climb!

Please note,there has been a change of speaker on Dec 7th. Josie Beszant is coming to chat about her work in collage and assemblage, incorporating found objects with a variety of techniques. The photo above is an illustration of her work. Josie will be our Tutor for Stitching in the Dales in May next year. This is a two day workshop, May 17th and 18th. More details to follow at the beginning of the year. This will be our first "Stitching in the Dales" for over three years. It will be a smaller affair this time, with only one tutor and two days of stitching. In May 2024, we plan to offer the three day event with two tutors. I went to meet Josie at her gallery in Masham, well worth a visit. A little village with a number of galleries and craft shops. The textile work that Josie produces needs her explanation and I am very excited about working with her in May. We felt that our members would also gain an incite into the May workshop if she were to come and visit us before hand. Josie explained to me "I have always collected objects that interest me, usually either natural objects or items that have a history and story to them, often items that have been discarded and left unloved"

November 2nd - Pat Archibald Workshop and Talk

Pat Archibald, textile artist, teacher and writer was GTAG's tutor and speaker this month. The morning was spent block printing fabrics for our decorative elephant panel. This was then quilted, embellished with foils, sequins and beads and finished off with Rajasthani tassels. In a power point presentation she explained how her travels have been such a strong influence in her quilt making. She explained how her colour selections and design decisions reflected the places she had visited. Below are just a few examples of her amazing work, but no photographs can do justice to the finished pieces that Pat brought to show us. What a truly amazing lady.