Our June Meeting was taken by one of our own members Sandra Kendall. The workshop was on the use of Shiva sticks in embroidery and Sandra brought samples of patches made with Shiva and cushions made with hand dyed material, decorated with embroidered Shiva pictures.
Sandra showed members how to remove the skin from the sticks and how the colours mixed as in paints.
The members then carried out two tasks to familiarise, or remind themselves, of the properties of Shiva. They made a grid on one piece of white cloth and a pattern of torn strips on the second. They then applied Shiva to the tape and transferred it to the material with toothbrushes! The members were delighted with the colours and the way they mixed.
Sandra then showed everyone how to make their own stencil from freezer paper which they could attach to their material with a medium iron
. Once the stencil was attached members set about applying the Shiva to the edge of the stencil and transferring it to the material with a tooth brush.
You can see the interesting results in the pictures once the stencils were removed.
The pictures were then ready for the embroidery to make them stand out from the background.
The members were very pleased with their Shiva patches and many had started the stitching.
I am sure we will see lots of finished pieces at the next meeting!
