For the April Guild meeting Susan did a talk on “How to look after your Spinning Wheel”. Susan began the talk by giving a brief description on how spinning began. She demonstrated how spinning would have been done using a stick and then how spinning developed when a whorl was added. This progressed to the stick and whorl being attached to a wheel followed by the development of the treadle and flywheel.

Guild members bought their spinning wheels in for Susan to look at. She explained that different wheels required different attention. Different oils were discussed for different spinning wheels as well as the use of polish to nourish the wood.

Although a small meeting, everyone appreciated Susan’s expertise and felt more confident about looking after their spinning wheels.

In May the Guild welcomed Christine Sanderson to the meeting to talk to both Guild members and visitors about her wonderful needle felted figures. Christine’s life size needle felted figures were much admired when Doris and Rosie were exhibited at the Norwich Makers Festival earlier this year. For the Guild meeting Christine bought grandparents Doris and Arthur as well as granddaughter Rosie and Pip, the Jack Russell. They graced the meeting with their presence, reclining in the comfort of armchairs, with Rosie perched on Doris’s knee and Pip sitting on Arthurs lap. With cups of tea and a packed lunch they really looked the part. The figures are so life like that for a moment you might mistake them for real people.

Christine did an informal talk and lots of questions were asked. The photos, passed around, of the figures in their underwear were fantastic and had many members in a fit of giggles. The expression on the faces of Doris and Arthur looks different from every angle and everything from the clothes, shoes and hair styles down to the lunch box with the packed lunch is so authentic.