THE speaker and demonstrator for the December meeting was textile artist Frances McLeod.

Her topic was Victorian Christmas decorations but this was broadened to include a talk on her work on textile design.

Frances received her art education at Loughborough College and her teaching training at Brighton before going into full-time art teaching.

However, she now works virtually full time on textile design commissions with just occasional teaching assignments.

She showed numerous examples of her designs for needlepoint canvases and explained how these could be varied to suit different needlework abilities.

Some of the examples were her hand-painted originals and others were the production versions that had been computer processed and printed.

Completed needlepoint work is used for cushion and seat covers and for many other decorative fabric products and it was noticeable all the designs incorporated natural forms like flowers, fruit and foliage.

Frances explained fashions in fabric design change and that the natural look is in demand at the moment.

She demonstrated the making of colourful Christmas decorations using patchwork fabric and other handicraft materials.

The next meeting will be a St Luke's Memorial Hall, Evesham Road, Headless Cross, on Wednesday, February 5 at 7.30pm when the AGM will take place followed by a session when president Alex Jackson RBSA will offer his comments and advice on members' paintings.