With just a hint of the odd nipple, Joan Kendall's calendar was meant to be a saucy bit of fun to raise money for charity.

A few strategically placed spinning yarns and balls of wool were all that preserved Joan's and other members of the East Sussex Guild of Spinners and Weavers' modesty.

But not everyone appreciated the risque images.

Members of the guild committee were outraged to spot nipples visible in some of the shots They promptly banned the offending calendars from their meetings, leaving Joan, 50, with nowhere to sell them and £15,000 out of pocket.

Joan said: "We would have tried to cover up our bits better had we realised it was such a big no-no to show any of them.

"But it's more difficult than it looks."

Joan thought she was doing a good turn and hoped to raise some much-needed funds for the little-known Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

But the nipple scandal led to members of the guild falling out about the nature of the pictures.

Sales in farms and shops around Sussex were also not as successful as hoped and could not make up the shortfall.

After 15 months on the shelves, less than 1,000 of the 10,000 printed were shifted, leaving Joan with a £15,000 debt she says will take her years to pay off.

Joan, of Uckfield Road, Lewes, said: "The sales were a disaster. The guild meetings were going to be one of my best sales points.

"But some members of the committee took umbrage and thought the shots were too risque.

"I also got sales estimates wrong in general.

"I did lots of market research to find out how many I should get printed but we just weren't anywhere near as successful as we'd hoped."

The guild was angry its name was associated with the naked project and some committee members felt people would look at the organisation unfavourably.

Joan said: "My life was made very difficult and some people refused to speak to me but I got a lot of support as well.

"Some of the other models were on the committee and they couldn't believe what was happening. They were very upset for me."

The arguments took time to resolve but Joan said life was now back to normal at the organisation's monthly spinning meetings in Lewes.

She said: "It's all done and dusted and we're all friends again.

"Things were quiet before I came along and shook it all up and they're back to normal now. There are no hard feelings. We're just women who like to get together and weave."

After six months in storage Joan eventually paid for the unsold calendars to be shipped off and pulped.

She said: "They were recycled and I have no idea what they ended up as."

Despite her unfortunate experience, Joan has no regrets.

She said: "It was a lot of fun and any one of us who took part would do it all again.

"The way things panned out is a shame but that's life."