From Joan Steel

Jenny Rayment, “The Calico Queen”, named her talk on patchwork and quilting as All Tucked Up and Twiddled”. Jenny travelled throughout America and round the world doing lectures on fabrics, judging quilting shows and taking teachers workshops. We were shown the wonderful collection of quilts that Jenny had made using every quilting and patchwork techniques with amazing skill. She had so many good and original ideas that she wrote a book entitled “Tucks Textures and Pleats”. Jenny used calico to start with, because it is relatively inexpensive and plain fabric with tucks and pleats show off the texture well. Panels of pleats folded in different ways were very effective. Dozens of other fabrics in colours and black and white used in different ways eg sculptured spheres, hexagons, circles, flowers, fans and some showing the art of sewing on three layers of fabric to give a very textured effect were all included in Jenny’s quilt collection. In her workshops Jenny shows nine different designs and also does creative crafts making toys felt hats bags etc.

Amazingly, this talk was the most entertaining and humorous we have ever had at Valley Wives because during showing us examples of her wonderful skills and techniques in quilting, Jenny told us many hilarious accounts of her life experiences and tales of very amusing situations she encountered on her travels. The talk ended with everyone overcome with laughter when after a story about a Royal waitresses, Jenny “morphed” into a Bunny Girl waitress (complete with her outfit including tray crockery etc all skilfully made of fabric). Susan gave the vote of thanks for a most entertaining, humorous and interesting talk.

Our January meeting was a most enjoyable games evening arranged by Jill and Doreen, ending with refreshments and a chance to chat and exchange news of Christmas and New Year festivities.

From Joan Steel
Bucks County Crafts was the subject of an interesting talk by Mrs Janet Dineen who outlined the history of local crafts including chair seating made with caning and reeding, straw work for millinary and the traditional lacemaking. We were shown samples of each craft, with reeding and canning shown on miniture chairs. Mrs Dineen had wonderful hats showing every type of straw plaiting, and told us of the Strawplaiting and Lacemaking schools. Children from 3 years upwards were crowded into small cottage rooms with no heating. They were only allowed to go home when they had finished their work. The conditions were deplorable. Also in Mrs Dineen’s collection were a huge range of lace designs and samples from coarse thread work to very fine highest quality Buckinghamshire Lace. Lace Making was brought to Britain by the Huguenots (about late 17th century) and it spread rapidly in Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Pay was very poor and the lacemakers were tied to a dealer who sold them thread, then they had to sell the lace back to him. Conditions changed in 1850 when machine lace came in. Unemployed lacemakers then started making Maltese lace which could not be copied on machine. Many bobbins are needed for lacemaking and they are a craft in themselves, the South Bucks “thumpers” being made in different coloured woods, whereas bobbins made in other areas have beads of different colours. Bone is also used to make bobbins. They are arranged on a large cushion and small pins hold the lace during making. Victorian ladies did tambour beading and in 1910 frogging became popular. We were shown samples of these crafts too which were also very skillful and beautiful. Janet (Clarke) proposed the vote of thanks saying that we would now look more carefully at all the craftwork we see.
On October we have our A.G.M and 46th Anniversary Party. Please bring plates, cutlery and a glass, also a £4 wrapped present.