2019: Celebrating 10 years!

Welcome to Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles group.
We meet four times a year in Bracknell and are open to all with an interest in contemporary textiles - whether beginner, intermediate or professional.

Meetings

Sandy Snowden: Fourth plinth exhibition piece (detail)

Meetings are varied

Talks, workshops, sharing advice sessions, 'Been there, Done that' table for selling unwanted books, tools or materials, bringing work in progress or finished pieces, collaborating on exhibition projects and more.

Marion Robertson: Fourth Plinth exhibition piece (detail)

All welcome

All welcome, 11am to 4pm. £10. Tea, coffee and refreshments included but please bring sandwiches for lunch. Please arrive by 10.45 am for a 11.00am start.

Mavis Roles: Fourth Plinth exhibition piece.

Venue

Birch Hill Community Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire.
​More information on the venue here. ​

Latest newsletter: including details of forthcoming meeting - 18 May 2019

rom Joanne Saunders, TVCT Coordinator:

Hope you had a lovely Easter and enjoyed the glorious weather! I am definitely welcoming the longer daylight hours and seeing the pop of colour from the blooming flowers in the garden. As Christina Rossetti wrote:
  Spring is when life's alive in everything.
 
The Thames Valley Contemporary Textile Group is blooming with new creative opportunities in our next meeting on the 18th May. We are privileged to have Catherine Lawes join us to speak about her work. Catherine is a Textile and Quilt artist; originally from New Zealand she is now based in East Sussex. Her work is rich and textural and can be seen in quilt form and as small textural pictures. Catherine is also leading a workshop on creating faces in textile art.

---- materials list from Catherine for the workshop
The 2D face needs the following equipment;
·        Calico - fat 1/4
·        fine wadding or felt to back
·        brown or black embroidery threads
·        green or other eye colour thread
·        embroidery needles
·        pencil for drawing
I will bring some faces to trace onto the calico.I have kits for my Green Man 3D face and lots of patterns for the face and leaves.
The kits are £30 and the patterns £10. I will have  some wool picture kits and some layered landscape ones. I will bring some of my other merchandise, as well.
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Following this there will be an introduction to the In-House Challenge for 2019, an opportunity to boost ideas for your own work.
 
It was fantastic to see so many members at the TVCT 10 year celebration in January. I would like to thank Fran for her delicious cakes and Carol and the members for their help in making the afternoon tea such a success. It was a lovely opportunity to sit and chat with friends and get to know our members better. I thought the presentation by artist Kerry Lemon was inspirational, particularly her advice on challenging yourself beyond your perceived limits.
 
I am already getting excited about the May meeting, if you know anyone involved in textiles who would be interested, do bring them along. Also if you have any creative achievements, or upcoming events that you would like to share with the group we would be really pleased to hear them!
 
I look forward to seeing you on the 18th May.
Best wishes, Joanne Saunders, TVCT Coordinator
Thames Valley Contemporary Textile Group

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Upcoming dates

18 May 2018
Catherine Lawes - Talk
Workshop about creating faces in textile art
Also: Introducing the In-House Challenge for 2019
this is meant to give a boost to you and your work

21 September 2019
Samantha Jones – Fashion & Textiles Lecturer Farnborough College
Backstage Director at London Fashion Week. Demonstrator for Creative Textile Studio at FOQ

22 November 2019
Embroidery Group altered books – Mel Ward and fellow embroiderers presenting their round robin book project
Reveal of In-House Challenge