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We set off from Birmingham in bright sunshine for our visit to Slimbridge and a happy afternoon with the Goldwork Guild but watched with trepidation as the rain clouds rolled in as we journeyed south.  Still, it would be dry inside the classroom and we would be assured of a warm welcome from Janice and Colin.  Arriving early, we had time to look at the pictures in the reception area and a drink in the restaurant before heading for the meeting.

As always, Janice was there to greet us and hand out name badges and she was very pleased as she had remembered how to get the accent for the correct spelling of my name – Siân.  As usual, Deborah and I headed straight for the sales table – who can resist all those wonderful threads and beads – and picked out a small selection plus a book each.  (Note for Colin – can we have non-transparent bags please so that we can sneak our purchases through the door when we get home!!)

Janice started the meeting by talking about the Goldwork competition and looking at the subject of Carnivorous or Insect Eating Plants.  She showed us a number of pictures and talked about how an image from a photograph or from the Internet could be developed into a design for the competition.  As I am not the greatest designer, I found this very interesting and will certainly be using the computer to work on this project.  Neil Woodward, the centre manager at Slimbridge, is a great fan of Carnivorous plants and brought a selection of his collection for us to see and also gave us some helpful tips and information about these amazing plants.

The next part of the afternoon was spent, needle in hand, working on a challenge from Janice to use purl to create a rose pattern or to practice some of the other Goldwork techniques.  We all settled down to have a go, even the total beginners, and had great fun trying to work with different materials.  Although a lifelong embroiderer, I am new to Goldwork but Deborah helped me to get going.  My rose ended up looking like a pear (I’m sure that was the plan all along) but I enjoyed the challenge and everyone produced something to show for the afternoon.

The Challenge: Silence reigns as everyone gets to work on the challenge Janice has set.	Mmmmm not as easy as it looks is it girls??!	How are you getting on? Colin takes a tour to see how the workers are progressing!	A challenge result: One attendee shows off her work for the challenge.
Janice Williams talking about one of the kits she has available - the Chinese Bat.	Time for shopping! Attendees had the chance to stock up on supplies at the meeting.	Examples of carnivorous plants for the Goldwork competition and exhibition.	More examples of carnivorous plants for the Goldwork competition and exhibition. Photographs by Paul Williams

Refreshments arrived and we all found time to enjoy a drink and a cookie (very naughty but very nice!) in between stitches and another visit to the sales display.  We even attracted some attention from members of the public who looked in to see what we were up to and, who knows, we may have found a new member!

Before sending us on our way at the end of the afternoon, Janice spent some time showing us a variety of background fabrics, including some patterned fabric, to give us more ideas for our competition pieces.  Finally, we looked at the wonderful work that had been brought along by members of the guild, which again brought home the wide variety of techniques, and effects that could be achieved with Goldwork.

Many thanks to Janice and Colin for a fabulous afternoon and we look forward to the next meeting.

Siân Edkins and Deborah Hewitt (the Terrible Twins)