The morning session was a fabulous workshop run by two of the members on the delights and delicacies of Dorset buttons – truly inspiring, and so many variations that we were all just left with heads spinning and great plans of experimenting further. Hopefully I shall have some photos to show you next month.
The Speaker this month was Jennifer Hughes – who brought the results of many shopping trips in Burma, as it was then (Myanmar now!) to show us. The table at the front was piled high with textiles too gorgeous for Jennifer to resist, lots of woven silks which the locals make into tubes and tie at the waist as loose skirts. (I was planning a whole new summer wardrobe until Jennifer’s demonstration skirt descended slowly to her ankles!!)
Jennifer told us that it was only the soldiers in Myanmar that could wear trousers at one time, and otherwise men and women alike wore tube skirts – with variations in tie tops and knotting! Jennifer passed round laminated sheets of her photographs taken at the time to further illustrate what she was saying. Her talk also included showing us hangings, monastic woven manuscript ribbons, a puppet and some vessels.
