Buns & Roses WI

Our February meeting was a little off the wall and definitely one of our most unusual and energetic sessions to date.

We were joined by a whole troupe of Morris men and women, thanks to our lovely member Sarah who had managed to co-ordinate them to perfection.

Sarah lives and breathes Morris dancing so told us all about the history and traditions, the various styles and costumes.

Then there were some demonstration dances, complete with accordion players, before we got to have a go.

It was hard work trying to find rhythm and co-ordination for several of us, but great fun was had by all.

A massive thank you to the dancers from Leeds Morris Men, Liggate Breeds, Wayzgoose and Rhubarb Tarts who came to share their passion with us.

And a big hello to the many new faces who came along and joined in - we promise not every meeting requires as much energy!

Our February workshop was Needle in a Wool Top where we had the chance to try out needle felting.

The session was led by our friend Katie of Japan Crafts who always impresses us with her knowledge and talents.

For those who have never come across needle felting before, you should know that it requires the use of very sharp barbed needles. This meant that we had to concentrate rather hard on what we were doing and spend a little less time chatting! There were plenty of plasters in case of accidents but fortunately no blood was drawn.

The process involves taking some wool fibres and shaping and felting them by repeatedly stabbing them with the needle. This knits the fibres together. The work is done on a sponge square and we used cookie cutters to make simple shapes before moving on to felt beads, animals and pictures.

The results were very impressive.