July 3 Zoom presentation 10 AM. The Guild welcomes guest speaker Sarah Pedlow with a presentation entitled “Threadwritten: Folk Embroidery Traditions in Eastern and Southern Europe and Contemporary Practice.” In her talk, Sarah will given an overview of her ThreadWritten work, research and travel. Also, she will talk a bit about her art practice which involves stitching on photo images. Sarah will also share information about Netting. (She will be giving a workshop on Netting to interested Guild members on July 10th. We will learn to make a fun reusable bag with the fisherman’s knot and several other utilitarian knots). Sarah Pedlow makes textile works and photo-based drawings that honor traditional embroidery, handmade clothing, and home decor, exploring memory, folklore, and the intersections of culture, heritage, and identity in a globalized world. In 2009 while in Budapest for an artist’s residency, she visited the Ethnographic Museum and fell in love with the traditional clothing and embroidery. The visit inspired her to seek out women who stitch a particular style called written embroidery in Transylvania, Romania, and start the education and preservation project ThreadWritten in 2012. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she moved to Amsterdam, NL in 2019 where she now lives and works. She writes: I am drawn to handmade objects with a history, and textiles in particular, for the intimate roles they play in our lives, as markers of identity and the passage of time. We wear fabric on the body and pull it open and closed each day in the window. We give it shape and living with it shapes us. In the age of globalization, fast fashion, over-production, and information-saturation I want to honor, preserve, and elaborate upon the disappearing tradition of embroidery, the slow, meditative practice of handwork, and folk traditions. In a dialectical exploration, I use traditional and synthetic sewing materials to create a conversation between the public and private, hidden and revealed, remembered and forgotten, rural and urban, historical and contemporary. For more information, visit: sarahpedlow.com or threadwritten.com
The Zoom meeting:
When: Jul 3, 2021 10:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkdOuvqzIoHNRU8QdEPthV1aGhsaCYaBMd
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Sarah Pedlow Netmaking Workshop
July 10th Zoom Workshop: 10am-2pm, $35.00
During an artist’s residency in Iceland in 2016, Sarah learned the netting knot from an Icelandic net-maker and fisherman. She subsequently furthered her studies in Holland. Her other interests can be found on www.Threadwritten.com or www.SarahPedlow.com
In the workshop, participants will learn to make a reusable net bag (from start to finish) that can hold a bottle, groceries, just to name a few possibilities. Sarah will cover a short history of net-making practices and nets throughout history.
It will be fun and informative. Sign up by emailing Georganne Alex, alexclothing.com@gmail.com and soon, as space is limited to 15 and time is needed to mail you your materials. Georganne will provide payment details and the Zoom link.
The following materials are listed for general info. The basic materials, read carefully, will be included and mailed to you if sign up no later than July 4th.
The Net Needle and Paracord will be supplied as part of the class. The other tools should be gathered by the participant.
Netting needle/shuttle:
Net Needle, Delrin 10-1/4 in. long, 1-1/8 in. wide (STOCK NUMBER: NE6) from Memphis Needle and Twine, https://www.memphisnet.net/product/7250/needles#minicart_a, for example, if using Paracord. If you’re using a narrower fiber you can use a smaller needle, keeping in mind that the width of the needle has to be smaller than your gauge. See below.
Fiber: 50 feet/ 15.5 meters of Paracord, yarn, or string. Paracord is easiest to work with, as knots can slide, be easily loosened and adjusted. Cut one length that is 20 feet long (so you have one piece that is 30′ and one that is 20′). You are welcome to work with natural fibers instead, just keeping knots loose until you’ve got them in the right spot. I used 550/ 7 stranded Paracord in my orange example online. Paracord Planet is one source as well as Amazon with orange and so many fun colors and patterns!
You will need to supply the following:
Gauge: cut out a piece of cardboard that is 2”/ 5 cm square for Paracord. Make your cardboard 1 inch high and 2 inches wide for yarn or thinner cord/string (using a netting needle that is narrower than 1 inch).
Tape measure.
An S-hook like https://amzn.to/2R3IcIH to hang over a chair or a clamp like https://amzn.to/32RYaIu to attach to a table or counter. I used to buy the S-hooks at Ikea but they no longer sell them. You’ll use either the S-hook or the metal bar that adjusts the clamp as a support while you make the bag.
Optional: Button Toggle. If you are working with a finer cord or string other than the thickness of Paracord, it’s easier if you use a button on a piece of string as the support for your net in addition to the S-hook or clamp. Thread an 8″ long string through a large button (3/4 inch or more in diameter) and tie a knot. You’ll then hang that on the S-hook or clamp.
Lighter or other flame for sealing ends of Paracord.