February 2014- am: Stitch and Chat. pm: Talk by Elizabeth Shorrock – Working with maps and found text.

The weather didn’t quell the enthusiasm for the morning session and after notices about the NW Regional Day in Rochdale; and the forthcoming NW Regional Exhibition ‘Tied by Stitches’ at the Storey Gallery in Lancaster; alongside gentle reminders about our own exhibition ‘Follow the Thread’ in September, Sylvia and Barbara had a request. They run our shop and asked members if they would be happy if some of the threads and materials were donated to local charities who would use them in their work with community projects. A very definite yes was given.

Then members began to chat.

A great deal of chatting in fact but also an industrial mood of stitching as well. What a variety of techniques, from continuing ‘Wessex Stitchery’, with Chris Cannon on hand to help once more, to cross stitch, felted pieces, crewel work and many more.

Can you spot the techniques ?
After many cups of tea and coffee and roars of laughter the morning session came to an end. Everyone had had time to circulate and ask questions of others’ work. It appeared to have been a very enjoyable and productive morning.

After lunch Elizabeth Shorrock spoke about her projects ‘Working with maps and found text’.

The exhibition titles challenged her ideas and with titles like ‘Grid’ and ‘On or Off the Wall’ she began to make concertina books and pieces made with equilateral triangles with words printed on to them. She uses ‘Tissutex’ in different weights, the finer weight being suitable for overlaying onto other materials, so edges blend into the background.

Developing her work further she introduced the use of Atlases, which have more colour and a higher quality of paper.

Elizabeth completed her City and Guilds in the mid-eighties and has exhibited regularly with different groups including ‘Page, Paper, Stitch’ and with ‘Green Door’, a South Lakes group of artists.

She began by making blank books with her embroidery projects and then decided to introduce words into her work.

She began to use maps when the Ordnance Survey changed their maps to include “right to roam” areas. Using maps from Cumbria and North Yorkshire she explored lots of different structures from flat forms to 3D. This work was ready for her first visit to the Leeds Book Fair.

Other exhibitions included ‘Paper’, ‘From Where I Stand’ and ‘The Old Grey Town’ (Kendal). Here Elizabeth printed sections of maps and photographs, tore them up and used some surface stitchery.

Her work has developed to use guide books, old dictionaries and music scores, fitting the little books into printers’ trays.

Another project developed a variety of books based on poems written about the Church at Grasmere. Elizabeth designed the books either by the meaning of the text or as a result of the way the poet had written the text.

'The Organ’ was written onto strips of paper and rolled into tubes and arranged to represent the organ pipes. A long line poem was made into a Japanese Book.

We all had the chance to look at the books and appreciate the tactile appeal when handling them.




Thanks to Elizabeth for sharing her journey of working with maps and text. Several members may remember the dayschool in September ‘Folded Books’ that Elizabeth led.

Next month Sue Abbot will be taking a workshop on Pulled Work. A requirements list will be forwarded soon. In the afternoon Marie Lewis will give a talk on ‘Boutis’ work.

Hope to see you all then. Meanwhile keep stitching!