Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild - Newsletter March 2011 - featuring Rakonczays "Mars and Silvia" tapestry

Dear honourable Lords and Ladies,
dear gentle members of the "Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild" and "-eMail Group"!

February passed by and again I am very glad that I may feature another lovely project of a Guild member to you - Rakonczays "Mars and Silvia" tapestry.
The project is still in progress and will take about two more years until it will be finished - Rakonczays progress documentation at his website is very interesting and maybe some of you would like to follow the project till it's finished. Please also visit Rakonczays website http://www.elisanet.fi/huikari/Rakonczay.htm and take a look his lovely tapestry and embroidery projects (and many more other A&S projects).
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/03/featuring-another-great-project.html

Amal binti Hamid Al-Chania also provided some very nice embroidery pictures as inspiration for other embroiderers :)
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/03/and-some-new-embroidery-done-by-amal.html

Please don't forget - inspiration is important!
...and your project could be an inspiration for someone else! :)

Therefore please share your projects / embroidery / weaving!!!

Guild Project 2010 - "Coat of Arms Wallhanging for Drachenwald":
Concerning last years guild project I may forward some words from the local guild head Renika (Nordmark) to you:

"Greetings! For those of you that started or planned a patch (or more) for the Coat of Arms challenge - You now have the chance to contribute to part two! I have three patches so far, but know for sure that many more exists in the kingdom. Please send them to me before the end of May or bring them to Double Wars, where I hope to start assembling them.
YIS Renika

Yes, we enlarged the deadline for the first guild project until end of May and Renika will assemble a second wallhanging with all "latecomers" and maybe some new patches (for the people who miss the coa or their group at the first wallhanging). If you want to send one (or more) finished patch(es) to Fru Renika and need her address, just contact me and I'll send you her snail mail address asap.
You can find the project details here:
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/01/1st-guild-project-2010-coat-of-arms.html
...and a picture of the first "Coat of Arms Wallhanging for Drachenwald" here: http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/01/coat-of-arms-wallhanging-for_16.html

Guild Project 2011 - "We have Dragons":
Great news!!! I am very glad to point you to the first lovely patches for the "We have Dragons" guild project done by Ida Juhanantytär. Inspired by the "Opus Anglicanum" class of Lady Petronilla at the Aarnimetsä Academy Ida started to try out the "Split Stitch" technique and as you can see at the pictures of the posting, she is doing very well... and it seems that she found a new favourite embroidery technique. :)
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-pictures-of-ida-juhanantytar.html
...and once again the project details:

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2nd Guild Project - "We have Dragons"

- Fabric: wool

- Fabric size: 20,0 x 20,0 cm (7,9 x 7,9 inch) + ca. 1,5 cm (0,6 inch) Surplus for sewing

- Fabric color: every color allowed

- Embroidery: every technique allowed

- Important restrictions: 1) at least one dragon per patch (or more!) ; 2) the basic fabric for the patch should be wool, you can use silk, linen, wool, metal,... (thread or fabric) to embroider it

- End date: October 2011 (please send in your patches till 1st of October)

- The project is open to everyone - you don't need to be a Guild member to join this project.

- Every embroidery technique and skill is welcome - please don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested!!

If you ever had a favourite picture or story including at least one or more dragons - this is the time to embroider it!

Dragons fighting against knights, dragons sleeping at the top of a hoard, dragons flying above woods, lakes, fjords, mountains; dragons eating or scaring virgins, a dragon mother surrounded by kids, dragons who just lost their fight against the knight (or the other way round), ... just take a journey through your memories and the old stories you read in books or you've been told - lets bring the old legends to life again! :)

...and if your embroidery is based on an old myth - I really wouldn't mind if you tell us the old myth by posting a picture of your embroidery and a short text telling the legend (and if you don't like to post it by yourself, you can still send me your photo and your text and I will do that for you).

Thinking of all people and also the newcomers in some regions, who maybe haven't done a lot of wool embroidery till now, I would ask the lords and ladies who have some experience in wool embroidery to screw up their courage and to offer one or more wool embroidery classes at the next events they will attend or at a private embroidery & sewing evening for your local group - it would be great to see more lovely applique, intarsia,... and all the other possible kinds of wool embroidery in the future!

And last but not least - because of the great support and interest into our first guild project shown by the local guild in Aarnimetsä, the second guild project will be assembled by the local guild in Aarnimetsä under the gentle guidance of the local guild head Lady Fiora. Many thanks to Lady Fiora for her great help.

...and again the artisan who makes the most patches will get a small embroidered gift from the guild head. :)

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The "We have Dragons" project is a great chance to get rid of wool leftovers or to swap wool leftovers with friends :)

...btw. please also don't forget the very important "Token Challenge" and the "Pennsic Giftbasket"!
You can find more information about the giftbaskets here: FAQ - Giftbasket confusion: http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/01/faq-giftbasket-confusion.html

...or "Duarte's Raglan challenge!"
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-your-information-duartes-raglan.html

Now back to the normal Guild business:

Guild Membership Roll:
I am very happy to tell that Felicitas Schwartzenbergin, Baroness of Gotvik joined the Guild - we have 60 members now.
( http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/search/label/Guild%20Member-List )


Guild Blog - Dragon's Embroidery Workshop:
If you would like to join the Workshop, just write me an eMail! ( http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com )
...related blogs:
- Insulae Draconis Fibre Arts Interest Group ( http://idfibreinterestgroup.blogspot.com/ )
- Aarnimetsä Embroidery Basket ( http://kirjontakori.blogspot.com/ )

Guild Fanpage at facebook:
Our guild fanpage at facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/guild.head.Racaire ) has 172 fans! :)
Every project can be an inspiration - therefore please don't hesitate to use the fanpage or the blog and to post your embroidery projects or links to your projects there if you like :)

Guild Projects / Challenges:
- The 1st Guild Project 2010 - "Coat of Arms Wallhanging for Drachenwald" http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/search/label/Coat%20of%20Arms%20Wallhanging%20for%20Drachenwald
- The 2nd Guild Project 2011 - "We have Dragons" http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/search/label/Guild%20Project%202

Misc. Projects / Challenges:
- A&S 50 Challenge ( http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/2008/03/50-challenge.html )
- A&S 50 Challenge Drachenwald Blog ( http://drachenwald-as50.blogspot.com/ )


Yours in Service
Racaire
Dragon's Needle Embroidery Guild Head
http://dragonsembroiderers.blogspot.com/
http://embroidery.racaire.at/

more pictures of Ida Juhanantytär lovely embroidery - patches for the "We have Dragons" guild project :)

Ida Juhanantytär was very kind and sent me some nice photos of her embroidery progress for the "We have Dragons" project - I am very glad that I may share them with you :)
...btw. you can find photos with more progress at the "Aarnimetsän kirjontakor", the blog of the local guild in Aarnimetsä (Finnland) -> posting "Ida Juhantytär ja hänen lohikäärmeens" ...and Ida also has an blog which can be found here: http://harharetket.blogspot.com :)





Ida was inspired by the "Opus Anglicanum" class of Lady Petronillas hold at the Aarnimetsä Academy event and her new favourite technique is "Split Stitch" - I think her embroidery shows how much she loves the new technique and it looks really great! :)

Little news from Aarnimetsä

Hi everyone!

I had promised to report to Racaire in time for this report, but forgot it
completely - I feel so ashamed :(

So here's little news from Aarnimetsä:

We had a little workshop for the kingdom wallhanging project in Gudgel wars.
However it was extremely hot&humid that week, so not that many people showed
up. In spite of that Aarnimetsäns have been very active in the project: Lady
Petronilla made amazingly many patches, and both Ida Juhanantytär and Amal
binti Hamid Al-Chania have been very active and productive also. Vivat for
them!

We had a local guild meeting in Hukka Sunday meeting in Sebtember. There
were some people new to medieval embroidery who would like to learn more,
and hopefully become guild members soon!

Next big thing in Aarnimetsä will be the Aarnimetsä Academy. There are many
interesting classes, even some on embroidery. Lady Petronilla of London will
teach a class on Opus Anglicanum -embroidery and Lady Lia de Thornegge will
teach Elizabethan metal thread embroideries. That will be very intresting!

I eagerly await the new wallhanging challenge and dragons!

best wishes,

Fiora

More patches for the wallhanging :)

More lovely patches by Ida :)

Drachenheim and Infimus mons Aureus

(please sroll down a little bit for the patches)

and a lovely bling bling patch for:

Shire of The Emerald Glenn

lovely patches! Thank you very much Ida! :)

More patches for the wallhanging :)

More lovely patches for the wallhanging - this time done by Ida from Aarnimetsä:

Kirjomisia.. (Stuff I do while I wacth TV.)

I like them very much :)
...the main text is in Finnish but if you scroll down a little, you will find the English translation... :)
Many thanks Ida! :)

More patches for the wallhanging :)

Ida Juhanantytär finished her first patch for the wallhanging: Miehonlinna ...the next one is about half-done and she already volunteered to make more patches :)

...and Amal binti Hamid Al-Chania finished her second patch for the wallhanging: Nea Nikopolis

I am very delighted! :)