T H E T E XT I L E A R T M AG A Z I N E

embroidery
SOUTH ASIAN
ARTISTS AT THE A way
BRITISH TEXTILE with words
BIENNIAL CATHERINE
HILL

7-page
preview
KNITTING &
STITCHING
SHOW,
LONDON DIVA
TAKE PART IN FEVER
#SEPTTEXTILELOVE
PLASTIC
SAINTS IN HER FANTASTIC
SEWING ROOM HELEN
O’SHEA
RHIANNON
WILLIAMS NATIVE AMERICAN ART
AT THE SMITHSONIAN
UK £6.99

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9 771477 372044 September October 2023

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An event for anyone
with a love of textile
based crafts

5 – 8 October 2023
Alexandra Palace, London

To book tickets, visit: 16 – 19 November 2023

theknittingandstitchingshow.com HCC, Harrogate

EMBROIDERY & QUILTING

Artist Credit: Jan Beaney, Lefkada Wetlands

CROCHET & KNITTING

DRESSMAKING & SEWING

T&Cs:
Alexandra Palace: £2 off adult / concession tickets booked before 11.59pm Wednesday 4th October. Offer not valid Saturday 7th October.
Harrogate: £3 off adult / £3.50 concession tickets booked before 11.59pm Wednesday 15th November.
Booking fee applies per transaction
FROM THE EDITOR
Q THE GROWING popularity of textile art across the world and its
MRGVIEWMRKVIGSKRMXMSREWERMRRSZEXMZI½RIEVXJSVQGSRXMRYIWETEGI
From traditional to cutting-edge, there is huge variety in this medium, plus
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celebrated World Embroidery Day (@embroidery_mag) by looking at
LS[[IPIEVRJVSQSXLIVWSharing our art and getting to know the work
of peers has the power to unlock ideas from our own backgrounds and
KEPZERM^IYW[MXL½RIVTSMRXWSJXIGLRMUYI¯KSSHVIEWSRWXSXV]WIEQ
collective’s Instagram challenge #SeptTextileLove, with inspiration provided
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authority, a peer who inspires with originality, or a world-class practitioner,
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Knitting & Stitching Shows this autumn to see the Guild’s 30-year Graduate
and Scholar retrospective showcase, and for a welcome double dose of
inspiration, order the accompanying book, Showcase
We can learn a lot from other cultures, too, just one of the reasons we
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[I´ZIHIGMHIHMX´WXMQIXS³KSPEVKI´%PXLSYKLEWYFWGVMTXMSRVIQEMRWXLI
best way to ensure you don’t miss an issue, Embroidery magazine is now
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[EVQP][IPGSQIEPPSYVRI[VIEHIVW
We aim to provide a stimulating magazine and in this issue we meet
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Ravenstail weaving methods learned from their mother, but have found a
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24
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Embroidery magazine has always inspired with must-see exhibitions, but
now has a bumper what’s on section, highlighting that in the UK, not
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28
example, from 13 September at the National Gallery in London, one of
the world’s most visited museums, we are invited to recline and admire
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our new chapter, we hope to take you with us on
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'PEMVI;EVMRK
'3:)6Jeebh Katna (2023) by EDITOR
Gurjeet Singh PHOTO: GURJEET SINGH Embroidery magazine

embroidery
Embroidery is published six
times a year in January, March,
May, July, September and
November by Embroiderers’
Guild Enterprises Ltd, a wholly
owned subsidiary of The
Embroiderers’ Guild.
7KHPDJD]LQHZDVƓUVW
published in 1932 and is read
today by textile professionals
and enthusiasts around the
world. The Embroiderers’
Guild is a registered charity
(No. 234239), which organises
an annual programme of
events and awards. The
Guild’s Museum Collection
of embroidered items is held
at Bucks County Museum.
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Claire Waring
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$\OHVEXU\+3433ULQWHU GLVWULEXWRU
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Reproduction in whole or in part without
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Embroidery are not necessarily those of
the Editor or The Embroiderers’ Guild.

4 EMBROIDERY September October 2023


42
front
07 EMBROIDERY LOVES
Jordan Nassar
08 NEWS
Some stories to take note of,
including who has won a
number of top awards
09 DIVA FEVER
In celebration of the art of dressing
the world’s divas
10 FRESH TALENT
Katerina Knight was beguiled by the
rhythms of nature when searching for
a slower pace of life
12 OFFBEAT ARTISTS
Helen O’Shea makes art using plastic
as a comment on ocean pollution
16 THE SEWING ROOM
Rhiannon Williams has saints in her
sewing room, a haven that is pure
storybook tree-house
12
contents
38 16
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2023
features reviews
14 PREVIEW: THE BRITISH TEXTILE BIENNAL 45 OPEN BOOK
Celebrating the heritage and overseas links of Renowned artist Anne Kelly
Lancashire, the Biennial promises much to feast the eyes introduces her new book,
on, not least South Asian art unseen in the UK before Textile Portraits
20 THE GIRL WITH KALEIDOSCOPE EYES 53 OUT AND ABOUT
ĴķĺĸļĿĿĶłŃĸķŊļŇĻŀĴŁŌķļղĶňĿŇļĸņķňŅļŁĺĻĸŅĿļĹĸп
drawing inspiration from a spirit guide and working 54 A COMMON THREAD
furiously to produce some incredible textile art Meet the Thirteen Textile Group and
hear about their new exhibition
23 #SEPTTEXTILELOVE
Our challenge to you, should you choose to accept it, is to 56 EXHIBITION
take part in seam collective’s #SeptTextileLove, sharing China’s Hidden Century at
ŊłŅľļŁņŃļŅĸķĵŌĴķļծĸŅĸŁŇŃŅłŀŃŇĸĴĶĻķĴŌ the British Museum
24 MAORI MATERIAL MEANING 57 WHAT’S ON
Ron Te Kawa imbues his work with special Maori An extended look at the new season
ŀĸĴŁļŁĺņпłչĸŁŇĴľļŁĺĻļņĶňĸĹŅłŀŇĻĸņŇĴŅņĴŁķ
PS... Take a one year subscription to
embellishing with riotous colour
Embroidery and we’ll deliver each
27 WEAVING HER MAGIC copy to your door free of charge!
Laura Thomas is exhibiting her work in Woven/
ŁŊłʼnĸŁĴŇňŇĻļŁ ŅĴչ ĸŁŇŅĸпņłĻĸŅĸŊĸĻĴʼnĸĴ
quick rundown on this singular artist
28 HOW CATHERINE’S WORLD CHANGED
ĴŇĻĸŅļŁĸļĿĿձŅņŇĿĴňŁĶĻĸķĻĸŅŇĸŋŇļĿĸĴŅŇňŁķĸŅĴŁ
alter ego. It wasn’t until she became a Guild member
that she felt comfortable working under her own name
32 OVER THE RAINBOW
Nikki Parmenter creates high-impact artworks using
her unique technique of ‘plastic entrapment’ and is a
perennial exhibition favourite
32
35 PREVIEW: KNITTING & STITCHING SHOW
In this seven-page preview we take a look at some of the
exhibitors at the Knitting & Stitching Show London, from
Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn to the Guild itself 50
42 FIRST PERSON: MAKING THE PAPERS
Making paper and even stitching with paper, Eleanor
ňŅľĸŇŇļņĴŃĴŃĸŅĴձĶļłŁĴķł
46 SHARING HONOURS AND BURDENS
The Renwick Invitational at the Smithsonian
American Art Museum is wholly devoted to Native
ŀĸŅļĶĴŁĴŁķ ĿĴņľĴĴŇļʼnĸĴŅŇĹłŅŇĻĸձŅņŇŇļŀĸ
48 KANDAHAR TREASURE
Kandahar Treasure is an enterprise helping change
the lives of Afghan women, stitch by stitch
50 Xª0mmæàyyðXJّّðJّR
Dr Jack Robins is something of a pin-up for machine
embroidery, creating beautiful textural surfaces
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 
Gorgeous knitting, crochet, embroidery supplies
& handmade treasure

LOOPKNITTING.COM
@LOOPLONDONLOVES
 embroidery loves. . .
PHOTO: DAN BRADICA

THE ART OF POLITICS

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By rendering landscapes within patterns, Nassar creates layers of perspective that recede or bring
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recently has worked directly with female weavers on the West Bank, collaborating with them to develop works
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Jordan Nassar’s solo exhibition is at The Anderson Collection at Stanford University, California in the autumn.
Jordannassar.com
Instagram @jordannassar & @hilmicrafts

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 7

 news
PHOTO COPYRIGHT SHAUN LAURENS
To boldly sew
Renowned textile artist Alice Kettle, who won this year’s
ŅłłľձĸĿķŅłŃĸŅŇļĸņ ŅĴչ ŊĴŅķпļņĸŋĻļĵļŇļŁĺŁĸŊŊłŅľ
ļŁĴŁĸŋĻļĵļŇļłŁĶĴĿĿĸķł łĿķĿŌĸŊĴŇŇŊłłĹ ŅłłľձĸĿķяņ
exhibition spaces: 99 Bishopsgate in London’s Square Mile
and 30 Fenchurch Street. A pioneer in textile art, Kettle’s
work is deeply rooted in traditional textile practices but
incorporates innovative techniques pushing the boundaries
of the medium. She uses a uniquely hybrid technique
that involves a sewing machine, free-stitching and digital
ĸŀĵŅłļķĸŅŌпłչĸŁŊłŅľļŁĺłŁŇĻĸĵĴĶľłĹŇĻĸĹĴĵŅļĶтĸŇŇĿĸяņ
art explores notions of memory, identity and community and
ĻĸŅŃļĸĶĸņłչĸŁĹĸĴŇňŅĸļŁŇŅļĶĴŇĸձĺňŅĴŇļʼnĸĶłŀŃłņļŇļłŁņ
that capture the essence of the human experience.
Until 29 September. Alicekettle.co.uk
PHOTO: MARK COCKSEDGE
&)8,731)6:-00), who graduated from Falmouth University’s
textile design degree this year, has been announced as the overall
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In a double win for Beth, she also secured the Wilcom New
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In addition, Beth has been named an Embroiderers’ Guild
Graduate and her work will be on show at the Knitting &
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Falmouth University’s fashion and textiles institute won the
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Instagram @beth.som
8 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
PHOTO: EMMA HUTCHINSON
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the second Linen Biennale Northern Ireland, which has the theme ‘revive
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The duo sought to portray the displacement of people around the world
and also show how people can feel an element of loneliness even in the
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shoulder by shoulder, with elements of clothing applied to create a sense
of community, but also explores the suffering of war which causes such
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linenbiennalenorthernireland.com
DR IAN NIGEL HURLSTONEĻĴņņĶłłŃĸķŇĻĸҜҶпұұұձŅņŇŃŅļōĸ
for the Fine Art Textiles Award, which seeks to celebrate the place
of textiles among high art. Announced at the Festival of Quilts in
August, Dr Ian Nigel Hurlstone said that in his winning piece, The
Terrible Sight of Right and Wrong, he explores ‘an enduring fascination
with “dressing-up”, a conjuring trick that allows a glimpse of other
lives, from cricketer to curate. This self-portrait tells of the potential
of garments to oscillate between their practical, gendered and
fashionable territories into uncharted psychological, emotional and
cinematic terrains. Printed on to cloth and then embroidered, the
image is disrupted through a veiling of thread; the subject appears and
disappears as if following the sleight of a magician’s hand.’
Judge and former editor of EmbroideryŀĴĺĴōļŁĸпłĴĿĿņĴļķŇĻĸŊłŅľ
was, ‘a meticulous marriage of concept, execution and approach.’
Nigelhurlstone.art
'366)'8-32 Embroidery magazine would like to apologise to
Michael Brennand-Wood for printing his article on the Textile Study
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JSVLMWI\GIPPIRXGSRXVMFYXMSRQMGLEIPFVIRRERH[SSHGSQ
D IV A F E V E R
preview

The art of dressing the diva

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thou sands designed by Sandy Hollywood to the heights of 18th century
circles, dozens of plastic bottles, and Powell, 1997 at the
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ured bottl e caps ’ and is an ode to gowns to court suits and from handbags to
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the modern-day, don’t
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Kensington Palace. Until 29
October. hrp.org.uk

Gabriel Chanel.
Fashion Manifesto
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dedicated to the work
of French couturière
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who dressed the divas
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of her day, hits London GIAMBATTISTA VALLI PARIS
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the way women
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16 Sept-25 Feb ‘24.
vam.ac.uk

Top: Giambattista
Valli gown
from the spring
2020 collection
at Crown to
Couture.
Left: Marie-Hélène
Arnaud in a
Chanel tweed suit,
autumnwinter
1959 collection, at
Gabriele Chanel.
Fashion Manifesto.
© CHANEL

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 

S L O W
ĴŇĸŅļŁĴŁļĺĻŇĻĴņĽňņŇձŁļņĻĸķ
an MA at the Royal College of
Art, precious time when she was
able to forget her former work in
the high-speed fashion world and
concentrate on what matters to
her in this accelerated world
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innate desire to work with my hands has always
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+PEWKS[7GLSSPSJ%VX%WTIGMEPMWXMRTVMRXIHXI\XMPI
design, I went on to spend several years working in
the luxury fashion sector in London and Stockholm,
assisting at small sustainable brands and larger
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Expanding my skills beyond printed textiles, I was
enticed by the intricate work of embroidery, pattern
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HIXEMPERHHMPMKIRGIMRQ]TVEGXMGI&YXSZIVXMQI-
felt a growing sense of unease with the structural
W]WXIQWXLEXYTLSPHJEWLMSRXLIRIIHJSVGSRWXERX
overproduction, to be creating at an incredibly fast
speed and working on multiple collections, seasons
ELIEHSJXMQI-X[EWERMRHYWXV][LSWIVIPIRXPIWW
REXYVI-JSYRHHMJ½GYPXXSSTIVEXI[MXLMR
6IXYVRMRKXSQ]WXYHMIWMRJSVER1%MR
XI\XMPIWEXXLI6S]EP'SPPIKISJ%VXEWE&YVFIVV]
(IWMKR7GLSPEV-VIEPMKRIHQ]TVEGXMGI-MRZMXIHE
slowness into my making and worked entirely by
LERHJVIIJVSQXLIYWISJGLIQMGEPWERHQEGLMRIW
There is a new, intimate language between myself
ERHQ]QEXIVMEPW8LVSYKLIEGLLERHTVSGIWW
XLITL]WMGEPMX]ERHXMQIVIUYMVIHGVIEXIGEPQERH
WXMPPRIWW%WEJIWTEGITIVLETW%TPEGIXLEXSJJIVW
TIVWSREPLIEPMRKERHWTMVMXYEPKYMHERGI
My hope is that through sharing this dialogue, of
a textile practice that intersects healing, craft and
FIEYX]SXLIVWQE]½RHEWIRWISJGSQJSVXE
TPEGISJWEJIX]XSS
While creating narratives for the sustainability of
‘materials’ within textiles is incredibly important,
I believe addressing the sustainability of the
³QEOIV´MWSJIUYEPMQTSVXERGI1][SVOLSRSYVW
craftsmanship as a rounded way of living, with care
ERH[MXLGSQTEWWMSR
%WFSXLEREZMHKEVHIRIVERHQEOIVXLIWPS[RIWW
of growing and the repetition of weeding holds a
mirror to the steady and repetitive act of hand-
WXMXGL8LIVIPEXMSRWLMTFIX[IIRKVS[MRKERHWI[MRK
MWHIITP]MRXIVX[MRIH&SXLEVIMRGVIHMFP]RYVXYVMRK
[LIR]SYMRZIWXTEXMIRGIERHXMQI%RHXLIR
KVEHYEPP][LEXIZSPZIWMWWSQIXLMRKSJKVIEXFIEYX]
a garden in full bloom or an intricately embroidered
10 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
D
O
W
N
GPSXL%RH[LMPIMRXSHE]´W[SVPH[IEVII\TSWIH
to much darkness, to have the tools to create
something beautiful from something as simple
as a packet of seeds or a needle and thread, I
½RHYPXMQEXIP]IQTS[IVMRK
2SRISJXLIXIGLRMUYIW-RS[[SVO[MXLEVI
technically demanding or highly innovative per
seJVSQGSYGLMRKXSETTPMUYqFYX[LEXXLI]HS
HIQERHSJQIMWXMQI¯TIVLETWERIRXMX][IXEOI
JSVKVERXIHMRSYVEGGIPIVEXIHWSGMIX]
8LVSYKLPE]IVMRKEVXMWEREPXIGLRMUYIWSJREXYVEP
dye, hand-embroidery and needle lace, each textile
-GVIEXIMWEREVXIJEGXSRISJEOMRH'VIEXMRK
poetry with cloth, I partner with performers,
artists and brands to create custom-made pieces,
including limited edition garments, accessories and
EHSVRQIRXWVIWTSRHMRKXSYRMUYIWXSVMIW
My interest in lace work stemmed from a period
in 2021 when I was working closely with The Lace
Guild in Stourbridge, an educational charity that
LSYWIWEQYWIYQEVGLMZIERHPMFVEV]-XMWMQTSVXERX
to me to engage with textile archives and look at
ways to reconnect age-old textile crafts with current
XI\XMPIERHJEWLMSRW]WXIQW
8LVSYKLSYXQ]XMQIEXXLI6S]EP'SPPIKISJ%VX-
have been creating a ‘living library of textile materials’
to use for natural dye and hand-embroidered
IQFIPPMWLQIRXW8LIWIEVIQEXIVMEPWXLEXLEZIFIIR
homegrown on my allotment in the Worcestershire
GSYRXV]WMHIWYGLEWPEZIRHIVGSVR¾S[IVWERH
QEVMKSPH%PSRKWMHIXLMW-YWIPSGEPP]JSVEKIH
materials, such as blackberries and clematis and
LEZIEGSPPIGXMSRSJHVMIH¾SVEXLEXLEWFIIR
WPS[P]WXSVIHERHGSRWIVZIHSZIVXMQI
Working with such delicate, ephemeral forms I have
developed a body of textiles that feels precious Clockwise from above: Clematis
yet not everlasting, expressing the urgency for seedheads on charcoal silk (2023);
both life in nature and the life of the material The Confession Curtain (2023),
SFNIGXXSFIXVIEWYVIH ҸұĶŀŋҳұұĶŀпķŅļĸķշłŅĴłŁ
ĵĿĴĶľĵĸŅŅŌņļĿľłŅĺĴŁōĴр
%WQ]QEWXIVWEXXLI6S]EP'SPPIKISJ%VXLEW ŅļĸķշłŅĴłŁĶĻĴŀłŀļĿĸņļĿľ
come to an end, I am taking time to restore and (2023), 50cm x 50cm;
VI¾IGXERHWLEVIXLMW[SVO-LEZIIZSPZIHE Royal College of Art graduate
dialogue of slow textile craft that creates an Katerina Knight at work;
intrinsic binding thread between myself and The Library of Living Materials
SYV)EVXL%TLMPSWSTL]XLEX[MPPGSRXMRYIXS (2023), a series of stitch samples
GEVV]Q]TVEGXMGIMRXSXLIJYXYVI e łŁņļĿľłŅĺĴŁōĴр
The Healing Lace (2023), 150cm x
Katerina Knight
150cm, silk, linen, lavender and
katerinaknight.co.uk
snow in summer.
Instagram @_katerinaknight PHOTOS BY KATERINA KNIGHT
 fresh talent

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 11

offbeat artists
plastic fantastic
TO HELEN O’SHEA RECYCLABLE PLASTIC REALLY
IS FANTASTIC... YOU MAY NEVER LOOK AT A MILK
BOTTLE IN THE SAME WAY AGAIN
‘I WORK WITH WASTE plastics,’ says Cork-based textile
artist Helen O’Shea. A sense of the seas washing on to the
shores of the world pervades Helen’s stitched and pinned
objects. Organic, delicate, other-worldly and somehow
unsettling, these artworks ably demonstrate the artist’s
fascination with physical geographies, and her alarm at
the degradation of our planet through accumulations of
polluting materials. Her joy at the beauty of the world is
tempered by sorrow about its abuse. ‘I’m overwhelmed by
the volumes and volumes of waste,’ she said recently. Her
website explains further: ‘Exploring and deepening my
understanding of the material has been one of the driving
forces of my studio development. I want people to view
and think about waste plastic as the valuable resource it is.’
12 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
Helen’s art has long centred on textiles, but her practice
has been gradually transforming as she researches and
explores deep concerns about plastic and what to do with
it, especially as it impacts on her beloved sea. Her 2021
Master of Art by research (at MTU Crawford College of
Art & Design) has been followed by a string of impressive
exhibition opportunities across Europe showing her
poetic plastic-based objects.
The journey from a more recognisably textile practice
to today’s amorphous objects was kick-started by two
distinct experiences. Helen seeks considered connections
with her chosen media; in a workshop with maker David
Clarke, he gave her the provocation to work with a
ķļծĸŅĸŁŇŀĴŇĸŅļĴĿтĻĸŅłņĸŇłŇĻĸĶĻĴĿĿĸŁĺĸпķĸʼnļņļŁĺĴ
ŊĴŌŇłņŇļŇĶĻŇĻŅłňĺĻłĿķŀĸŇĴĿĶĴŁņշĴŇŇĸŁĸķĵŌŃĴņņļŁĺ
vehicles, layering yarn inside new and unexpected forms.
A residency in Iceland strengthened Helen’s interest
in deliberately working with discarded materials,
observing Icelandic resourcefulness, respect for nature
and timeliness. On an Icelandic island in a river closed
to the public while eider ducks were nesting, once the
շĸķĺĿļŁĺņĻĴķ峣ĸĴŁķļŇŊĴņŅĸфłŃĸŁĸķпĿłĶĴĿņŊĸŅĸ
carefully combing the island for the residual down from
nests, of great value in a cold climate. Icelandic land- and
seascapes informed her making, especially the micro-
łŅĺĴŁļņŀņŇĻĴŇշłňŅļņĻĴŅłňŁķňŁķĸŅŊĴŇĸŅŇĻĸŅŀĴĿʼnĸŁŇņт
ĸĿĸŁĴĿņłĸŁĶłňŁŇĸŅĸķĶĸĿĴŁķяņձņĻĿĸĴŇĻĸŅļŁķňņŇŅŌп
which she describes on her website: ‘What created a
strong impression was the way materials were utilised to
ŇĻĸĹňĿĿĸņŇтҀĻĸŅĸŊĴņҁĴĿĴŅĺĸĴŀłňŁŇłĹŊĴņŇĸձņĻņľļŁņу
ŇĻĸŌŅĸķĸʼnĸĿłŃĸķĴŃŅłĶĸņņŇłŀĴľĸŇĻĸņľļŁņļŁŇłձņĻ
ĿĸĴŇĻĸŅуņłĿķŇłŇĻĸĻļĺĻфĸŁķĹĴņĻļłŁļŁķňņŇŅŌтĻļņļķĸĴłĹ
extracting more out of waste is what has stayed with me.’
Helen’s making is a slow process, creating thoughtful new
narratives for waste plastic. She sees this as mimicking the
ocean coming on to a beach, bringing things and taking
them away, building slow layers. ‘I normally use whatever
is around me, you know, I’m low-tech. And I think
that’s a good thing, because it allows me to touch and to
experience the material and get to know it.’ She strongly
believes in the value of using all senses, of looking,
touching and smelling chosen matter.
The body of each artwork is typically a discarded
translucent white milk bottle which dictates the overall
ĹłŅŀтĻĸņĸĶňŅʼnĸķʼnĸņņĸĿņĴŅĸĺŅĴķňĴĿĿŌŀłķļձĸķļŁ
an organic and considered approach to making. Helen
avoids anything too contrived and lets the materials
and processes dictate outcomes, with titles emerging
ĴչĸŅŊĴŅķņт ĴĶĻʼnĸņņĸĿļņļŁķļʼnļķňĴĿĿŌĴķłŅŁĸķпŊļŇĻ
ĶňŇŌĴŅŁфĸķĺĸķĴŁķŃļŁŁĸķюņĶĴĿĸņяпձŁĸĿŌĹĸĴŇĻĸŅĸķĴŁķ
curled fringes of additional plastics, with found and
dyed hand-stitched thread. Linen and cotton threads are
łչĸŁņłňŅĶĸķĹŅłŀĶĻĴŅļŇŌņĻłŃņпňņĸķļŁĴľļŁķłĹņĴŇļŁ
or running stitch to delineate and cover surface areas, or
as collapsed French knots to create additional texture,
reminiscent of those sub-marine micro-organisms.
While Helen admits to being ‘a blue person’, her in-
depth research revealed that red is a colour that behaves
ķļծĸŅĸŁŇĿŌļŁķĸĸŃŊĴŇĸŅт ŊĴŌĹŅłŀņňŁĿļĺĻŇŇĻĸŁĴŇňŅĴĿ
hue fades away, so red appears to be black. She knew she
needed to use red, for this underwater elusive quality.
Helen delights in the translucence of her artworks
and is now looking at phosphorescence in the sea and 3TTSWMXITEKIEmbrace,GQ\;GQ\(GQ,MKL(IRWMX]
luminosity in deep ocean dwellers. ‘Look out for neons 4SP]IXL]PIRI ,(4) XLVIEHWERHTMRW4LSXS6SPERH4EWGLLSJJ
in my future work,’ she declares. e 'PSGO[MWIJVSQXSTPIJXBlush HIXEMP ,GQ\;GQ\(GQ,(4)
Liz Cooper XLVIEHWERHTMRW4LSXSF]6SPERH4EWGLLSJJ,IPIR3´7LIEMRLIVWXYHMS
helenoshea.ie
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TMRWXLVIEHW4LSXS)EHESMR+P]RROasis view 1, H40cm x W12cm x D17cm,
instagram @helenosheais
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\;GQ\(GQ,(4)XLVIEHWERHTMRW4LSXS6SPERH4EWGLLSJJ

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 13

preview
PHOTO: YASMIN JAHAN NUPUR
THE BRITISH
TEXTILE
BIENNIAL
The British Textile Biennial, held in Pennine
Lancashire, promises cutting-edge textile
exhibitions and the prospect of bumping into
one of Jeremy Hutchison’s ‘monster sculptures’
QNOW A FIRM FIXTURE in the UK textiles calendar, the British
Textile Biennial launches its third edition this October. Looking set to
continue to explore many of the broad themes that made the 2021
edition such a rich offer for visitors, the Biennial aims to investigate
further the local, international and colonial contexts that surround
the production of textiles in Pennine Lancashire.These subjects are in
the organisation’s DNA. Indeed, with many of the Biennial’s projects
presented in buildings connected to the textile infrastructure of
the region – Blackburn Cotton Exchange, Helmshore Mills Textile
Museum and Queen Street Mill among them – the Biennial’s projects
EVIEFWSPYXIP]VSSXIHMRXLIWTIGM½GWSJTPEGI
14 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
PHOTO: SAYAN CHANDA
Developed in collaboration with Super Slow Way, a programme
covering the Leeds & Liverpool Canal corridor that creates and
supports cultural opportunities for communities working alongside
artists, the Biennial will reckon with the region’s legacy while also
turning attention to the future of the textile industry, here and
elsewhere. Its research questions are multifaceted: what do textiles
mean for communities based in Lancashire today? What are the
human and environmental costs we pay for their production?
Potential answers come through a range of group exhibitions, new
commissions and solo projects from Thierry Oussou, Nick Jordan
and Jacob Cartwright to Christine Borland and Rebecca Chesney, as
well as projects that engage with various communities and groups to
present their invaluable contributions.
Works by 17 South Asian artists based across the world will be
brought together in one of the Biennial’s centrepieces, the ambitious
exhibition Fragments of Our Time. Organised by the Biennial’s
associate curator, Uthra Rajgopal, who curated the Crafts Council
exhibition Cotton: Labour, Land and Body (2022–2023), and taking
place at The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, the exhibition aims
to explore the central theme of sustainability. It will focus on textile
materials as well as production and distribution through sub-themes
of trade, migration and labour.
‘Contemporary textile art from South Asia and the diaspora today is
so exciting and challenges the way we might typically think of textiles
from this region. While there is always a place for tradition there
is equally a place for innovation and provocation,’ Rajgopal states. ‘I
hope when people visit they will be immersed in a multi-coloured
entanglement of voices from the region which does not shy away
from problematic colonial histories and how we shape current
debates around sustainability today.’
Fragments of Our Time features Chandigarh-based artist Gurjeet
Singh who makes weird and wonderful soft sculptures inspired by
conversations with friends and strangers, in real life and online.The
culmination of a process of sketching and working with various found
materials, his 3D works are made of a myriad of richly-coloured and
textured fabrics to form witty, other-worldly creatures. He roams local
markets collecting imperfect and discarded fabrics, buttons and found
materials. He also reuses the scrap fabrics and embroidered borders
leftover from his sister’s stitching business, giving them a new life. A
recurring theme is identity and how losses and love shape them, with
a particular interest in LGBTQ+ stories.
Lahore-based visual artist Rehana Mangi will bring her expertise in
the form of the miniature, to present cross-stitched pieces made with
LYQERLEMV,IV[SVOMWX]TM½IHF]WYFXPIX]ERHJIEXYVIWWQEPPVITIEX
 Left to right: Unity of The Untitled 4
PHOTO: ROBINA AKHTER ULLAH

(2017) by Yasmin Jahan Nupur;

Nirrti 1 (2023) by Sayan Chanda;
Salah (2022) by Robina Akhter Ullah;
I wish my hair was as long as yours by
Madi Acharya-Baskerville;
PHOTO: CHRIS HONEYWELL Top: Jeebh Katna(2023) Gurjeet Singh
PHOTO: GURJEET SINGH

patterns, using minimal materials to foreground the slow, bodily processes of

making textiles and the personal nature of creativity.The sense of time and
fragility in Mangi’s delicate work is especially poignant.
Manchester-based Robina Akhter Ullah, meanwhile, works at the opposite
end of the scale with large, vibrant fabrics, using embroidery, piecing and
print to reveal aspects of her own cultural identity.
Rajgopal comments: ‘Visitors to The Whitaker can expect to see some truly
large-scale immersive textile artworks.There is a range of hand-woven
muslin panels in pastels, with embroidered slogans made by Yasmin Jahan
Nupur, an artist from Bangladesh whose work was recently acquired by
XLI8EXI-X´WXLI½VWXXMQIXLEXXLMWFSH]SJ[SVO[MPPFIWIIRMRXLI9/
along with a host of many other artists, the majority of whom have never
exhibited in this country before. All the artworks are very intricate and
colourful and will be positioned across the museum spaces, from tapestries,
piecework, soft sculptures and collage to felted work and a small panel of
regional Kutch embroidery on loan from Shrujan LLDC in Gujarat, where I
recently spent three months on a curatorial residency.’
Another Biennial exhibition, Common Threads, is described as ‘a
conversation through shared embroidery skills’. Led by renowned textile
artist Alice Kettle, the project connects women in Karachi with women
from the South Asian diaspora who reside in East Lancashire.The project is
concerned with ideas of home and the environment, looking, as so much of
the Biennial does, at migration journeys, trade and heritage.
Elsewhere, in Blackburn town centre, Jeremy Hutchison’s monster
sculptures will stalk the streets, created from the clothing bales destined for
Africa as a haunting reminder of what he calls our ‘zombie imperialism’.
'SQFMRMRKWYGLWMKRM½GERXERHIQSXMZIWYFNIGXWXLVSYKLXLI[SRHIVJYPP]
evocative medium of textiles, the 2023 Biennial is not to be missed. e
Anneka French
britishtextilebiennial.co.uk

Above: Dead White Man

(2023), Jeremy Hutchison
PHOTO: DANI PUJALTE

Left to right: Phoenix,

Boshudhara Mukherjee
(2022–2023);
PHOTO: BOSHUDHARA MUKHERJEE

End_of_Empire, Eva
Sajovic (2023);
PHOTO: JACK BOLTON

Indigenitude, curated by
Vancci F.C. Wahn (2023).
PHOTO: VANCCI F.C WAHN

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 15

16 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
 the sewing room
I N S EVE N T H H E AVE N
Rhiannon Williams works from a storybook studio
where the mystical and the religious are ever-present
QAN ENCAPSULATION OF Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree – sky-
touching and overarched by a giant hazelnut tree – Rhiannon
Williams’ sewing room is in the attic of a 17th century threshing
barn. ‘It does feel like a grown-up tree-house,’ she says. Deep in rural
Herefordshire, it lies on the outer reaches of the farm that’s been
in Williams’ family for generations, though, as she explains, never as
a working one. With its tin roof and heavy, 7ft-high wooden door, it
still retains the shell of its original purpose as a place to house hay
and stable horses. Now it is her family’s spill-over storage space,
but Williams’ sewing room – the only habitable part of it (though
there’s no running water or toilet) – was a one-time bedroom
for her then teenage father. In 2015, just prior to her solo show
Hiraeth at Llantarnam Grange in Cwmbran, RCA graduate Williams
transformed the barn’s attic into a studio: ‘I painted the walls and
¾SSVW[LMXIERHGLYGOIHWSQIVYKWMRXSMX´
For all its aura of carefree, Blyton-esque escapism, Williams’ sewing
room is freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer.
Dominated by a large window that looks directly upon, and indeed
into, the hazelnut tree, the separation between the inner studio-world
and the outer one is nebulous. ‘Sitting at my desk I can see so much
wildlife running across its branches.There are birds and squirrels and
mice. I’d never seen mice run up a tree before. It’s really magical.’ A
devoted and busy mother, Williams tries to visit the studio at least
‘My studio feels like a grown-up tree-house’
X[MGIE[IIOERH[LIRWLIHSIWSJXIR½RHWXLIEXXMG¾SSVWXVI[R
with hazelnuts. Putting it down to some small holes in the roof where
the tree’s fruits fall through, or the squirrel’s nest she once found in a
crumbling part of the wall, Williams is sanguine about this sometime
windfall: ‘It’s all part of the magic when you go up there.’
A long-time enthusiast of Celtic mythology (her solo show explored
themes from the tales of the Mabinogion) and Druidism, where plants
are invested with meanings and qualities, she tells how the hazelnut
represents inspiration and wisdom. ‘I believe the Druids used to carry
a hazelnut in their pockets as a kind of inspirational amulet.’
Williams became ‘quickly’ pregnant with her daughter Arabella during
her show Hiraeth. As a single parent her life since then has been
challenging. ‘I know that a lot of people say that their studio is like a
refuge. And for me it’s been a real port in a storm, especially during
the pandemic, which I found really isolating.’ ‘Writing off ’ her chances
of ever practising as an artist again, Williams closed up the studio in
2016 to concentrate on raising her child.Two years later, with her
daughter attending nursery, Williams – with a head full of her new
‘Holy Mother’ project – slowly began returning to her attic. ‘What
with everything – being a single mum, and not knowing what I’d be
doing next – it really helped me. It’s been my chrysalis, my cocoon.’
Admitting to experiencing anxiety, Williams talks about the solace
of her new-found spirituality and its role in her work, and indeed, in
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 17
18 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
 ‘Williams cherishes the familial and mystical
associations that the attic room seems to bring her’
her living and working spaces. ‘I’ve been making different faces of the
Divine Mother and it’s developed into a kind of spiritual practice for
me.’ Not driven by calls for a show, Williams’ present work is an end
in itself: ‘it’s making as a kind of devotion.’ Williams’ spiritualism – a
seeming amalgam of mystic catholicism, hinduism, buddhism and celtic
mythology – manifests itself, in both her home and her studio, in an
array of interchangeable table-top altars and shrines. Regarding them
as givers of energy, Williams brings an ever-changing collection of
icons, idols, paintings of saints and candles from her home.
‘At the moment I’ve got a couple of angels as I’ve been making a lot
SJERKIPWSZIVXLIPEWXJSYV]IEVWE½KYVISJXLIFYHHLMWX&SHLMWEXXZE
and my grandmother’s watercolour painting of the Virgin Mary.’
Far from being mere reference objects that inform her current
practice, these totems are, for Williams, a ‘balm’. ‘They help me to
deepen the trust that I’m in the right place at the right time. It’s that
GSRRIGXMSR-NYWX½RHXLIQVIEPP]WSSXLMRK´
With her life on a more even keel, and a personally-engrossing
TVSNIGXSRXLIKS;MPPMEQW½RHWLIVWIPJKIXXMRKPSWXMRLIV[SVO
³;LIR%VEFIPPE½VWXWXEVXIHKSMRKXSRYVWIV]-´HJIIPKYMPX]EFSYX
FIMRKYTXLIVI-X[EWXLI½VWXXMQI-´HFIIRE[E]JVSQLIV
I wouldn’t listen to music, I just kept checking my phone. Now I
½RHQ]WIPJJSVKIXXMRKIZIV]XLMRKERHLEZIXSWIXEQMPPMSREPEVQWXS
remind me it’s pick-up time.’
Growing up amid the industry and paraphernalia of her mother’s
creative practice, six-year-old Arabella often joins Williams in the
WXYHMS[LIVIWLI[EXGLIW(MWRI]½PQWSRLIV%QE^SR/MRHPITEMRXW
draws and sews. ‘She creates little things to stick on her soft toys. I
suppose,’ adds Williams laughing, ‘we would call them clothes.’ And
though Arabella has her own dedicated desk and chair, as Williams
says, ‘she prefers to sit on my chair and be at the main table.’
Clearly a believer in signs and synchronicity, Williams cherishes the
familial and mystical associations that the attic room, and its contents,
seems to bring her, such as an antique thread box. ‘It’s my paternal
great-grandmother’s and it’s always been up here. I cleaned it all out
and it works perfectly. It’s got wheels, it’s huge so I can’t take it home.’
She recounts a visit she made to a medium. ‘A friend had booked it
but got scared so I went instead.The woman said that she saw me
working in an old barn full of colour, lots of colour, stretching bigger
and bigger and that my maternal grandmother was around me.’
Thinking nothing of this at the time, when Williams returned to the
studio and tipped back the heavy 1950s Irish iron sewing machine
to replace a bobbin, ‘I could see my grandmother’s name, Margaret,
scratched into the metal. It really spooked me out.’The inscription is
still there and she’s since etched her own name next to it. ‘When I’m
up here it really feels like I’ve got a connection to all my ancestors.’
Less sentimental about what she describes as her ‘basic sewing kit’,
there are, however, two objects that she’d be loath to part with.
8LI½VWXMWEPEVKITEXGL[SVOFEKWLETIHPMOIETIRGMPGEWIXLEXWLI
made herself. ‘I was working as a print designer for H&M when I
fell pregnant unexpectedly, so I started up my own Etsy shop selling
these bags.This was the last one.’The second is a Union Jack tape
measure. ‘I bought it when I was working in New York to remind me
of home. I was very home-sick. It travelled with me when I went for
another job in Stockholm. And now, when I feel stuck here, when I
wish I could travel, it’s a kind of anchor point. It reminds me that there
was a time when I would’ve loved to be home.’ e
Ellen Bell
rhiannonwilliams.co.uk
Instagram @sacredstitchez
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 19
 The girl with
KALEIDOSCOPE EYES
8LIPEXI1EHKI+MPPJEGIHQER]HMJ½GYPXMIWMRLIVPMJI
but she is remembered best through her art, not least
her swirling, furiously-worked embroideries

QIN AN ASTONISHING photograph
taken in 2019, a collection of large,
vibrantly coloured and heavily-worked
embroideries hang on a garden washing
line. The embroideries had been put
out to air following more than 60 years
in the storage of Patricia Beger, whose
late husband Leslie was an antiques
dealer. He had acquired 11 spectacular
embroideries, a group of postcards and
an embroidered hat by an artist called
Madge Gill. These incredibly unusual
and detailed pieces, still pristine and
made by the remarkable self-taught Gill
ѼҲҹҹҳѰҲҺҷҲѽпĴŅĸŇŌŃļձĸķĵŌņŊļŅĿļŁĺп
condensed abstract patterns full of
energy and movement.
Though she experienced some success
during her lifetime, over the years Gill’s
works were lost and became overlooked.
Many have recently come to light as
a result of extensive searches and in-
depth research carried out by curator
Sophie Dutton and her late father
Clive, who discovered a collection of
2,000 drawings by Gill that had been
donated to Newham Council where
he worked as a town planner. Since
his chance discovery in the council’s
archive, searches have been conducted
in museums, galleries and other
archives to try to retrieve and spotlight
this extraordinary artist’s lost work,
including a public appeal to which
Beger was one of the respondents.
Many of Gill’s embroideries were
ĸŋĻļĵļŇĸķĹłŅŇĻĸձŅņŇŇļŀĸļŁҳұҲҺ
in an exhibition titled Madge Gill
by Myrninerest, at the William
Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, East
London, a few roads away from Gill’s
birthplace. Audiences now have another
opportunity to get up close to Madge
Gill’s free-form embroideries and a
selection of drawings, paintings and
archival materials in a new exhibition
at Midlands Art Centre (MAC), Cannon
Hill Park in Birmingham.
The Clouds Will Burst the Sun Will
Shine Again is curated by Sophie
Dutton. Works from several collections,
including the embroideries that belong
to Beger, will feature alongside pieces
loaned from Newham Council, as well
as postcards from the Grosvenor Gallery
and another private collection. Dutton
hopes an optimism for the future will be
ŅĸշĸĶŇĸķļŁŇĻĸŊłŅľņłŁķļņŃĿĴŌтю ľĸŌ
postcard by Gill features a handwritten
message: “The clouds will burst, the sun

20 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 profile

Madge Gill’s embroidery technique is bound up with her drawing style: meticulous, repetitive and with a
feeling of horror vacui or fear of empty spaces. Artworks on this page are Untitled, Madge Gill.
%PPIQFVSMHIVMIWWLS[R[IVIQEHIFIX[IIRERH7TIGM½GHEXIWEVIYRORS[R
Photo Paul Tucker. Collection Patricia Beger. Courtesy of Sophie Dutton, Works by Madge Gill

will shine again”,’ Dutton highlights.
‘Gill’s life story is one of triumph over
adversity. The hardships she endured
saw her turn to creativity, providing
relief from her mental turmoil.’
‘Hardships’ is something of an
understatement. Gill was sent to an
orphanage aged nine and then to
Canada to work as a farm labourer.
Returning to London as a young adult,
ļĿĿņňծĸŅĸķŇĻĸķĸĴŇĻłĹĴņłŁļŁŇĻĸ
Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 and the
stillbirth of a daughter, as well as her
own health issues, including depression
and the loss of sight in one eye. Gill’s
intensely creative drive is evidenced in
all of her work.
This drive and her spiritual beliefs,
ļŁĶĿňķļŁĺŇĻĸļŁշňĸŁĶĸłĹĴņŃļŅļŇфĺňļķĸ
called Myrninerest, helped her to keep
going and thank goodness it did. When
Gill’s home was cleared upon her death,
ŇĻłňņĴŁķņłĹŃļĸĶĸņłĹŊłŅľձĿĿĸķļŇп
though, sadly, most were subsequently
ņłĿķłծłŅķłŁĴŇĸķт
‘Gill’s embroidery technique is
undoubtedly intertwined with her
drawing style: meticulous, repetitive with
a feeling of horror vacui [fear of empty
spaces].’ Dutton explains: ‘Her instinct
ĴŁķĸĴĺĸŅŁĸņņŇłŀĴľĸļņŅĸշĸĶŇĸķļŁ
the foundations of her work: she drew,
painted and stitched on whatever she
could, from postcards to torn bed sheets,
ŇłҶұչĿĸŁĺŇĻņłĹĶĴĿļĶłтłŅľļŁĺŇłņňĶĻ
enormous scales makes you wonder how
far she might have gone if there were no
boundary at all.’
Dutton admits that it is hard to choose
a favourite Gill piece. She highlights
the ‘embroidery which is a technicolour
of bronzes, pinks, purples, yellows

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 21

Artworks on this page are Untitled, Madge Gill.
All embroideries shown were made between
ERH7TIGM½GHEXIWEVIYRORS[R4LSXS
Paul Tucker. Collection Patricia Beger. Courtesy of
Sophie Dutton, Works by Madge Gill.
22 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
and blues. Gill was a master of free-
form techniques, whether she was
using a pen, pencil or needle. I love
the abstract nature of this piece. Its
complex patterning zig-zags across the
ŊłŅľпļŁʼnļŇļŁĺŌłňŇłձŁķĴņŇŅňĶŇňŅĸпĴ
ձĺňŅĸпĴņŇłŅŌт!łňŅĸŌĸĶĴŁяŇĻĸĿŃĵňŇ
շļĶľĸŅĴĶŅłņņŇĻĸĸŀĵŅłļķĸŅŌŇŅŌļŁĺŇł
connect the small areas of focus which
then dissolve, warp, blend and explode
into new shapes and directions. This
ŃļĸĶĸŊĴņŇĻĸձŅņŇņĴŊĹŅłŀŇĻĸ
remarkable collection of Beger, and as
soon as I saw its unique patterning and
style, I knew it was created by Gill.’
The exhibition will certainly be
full of impact, travelling through a
kind of seasonal journey, both in a
thematic and more metaphorical or
spiritual sense. It aims to be, as Dutton
ķĸņĶŅļĵĸņпюŅĸշĸĶŇļʼnĸłĹŇĻĸķļծĸŅĸŁŇ
tones and textures in Gill’s work. Gill
did not hold back on representing the
struggles she faced nor the moments
of experimentation, joy and hope she
experienced.’
юļĿĿĻĴķĴŁĴŇňŅĴĿĴĵļĿļŇŌŇłŅĸշĸĶŇ
her innermost self, skilfully inventing
techniques to express her emotions
through modest mediums, including
drawing, painting, automatic writing and
embroidery. The fact she was self-taught
ĴŁķķļņĶłʼnĸŅĸķĻĸŅĶŅĸĴŇļʼnĸłňŇĿĸŇĴչĸŅ
ĸŋŃĸŅļĸŁĶļŁĺŇĻĸķļղĶňĿŇļĸņņĻĸķļķп
hopefully acts as inspiration for viewers
to explore their own expression.’
A series of community workshops
facilitated by local artists will accompany
the exhibition, drawing out many of
Gill’s passions, among them her feelings
for nature and spirituality.
Dutton continues: ‘I hope viewers may
increase their awareness of their local
natural environment, and its innate
ĴĵļĿļŇŌŇłłծĸŅĶłŀĹłŅŇпŃĿĴŌĹňĿŁĸņņп
transformation and growth. I hope
Gill’s profoundly unique identity and
the sense of intrigue she evokes in her
work will continue to spark interest
and conversations, captivating new
audiences for years to come.’ e
Anneka French
macbirmingham.co.uk
The Clouds Will Burst the Sun Will Shine
Again is at Midlands Art Centre (MAC),
Birmingham, 2 September–26 November.
Madge Gill by Myrninerest is edited by Sophie
Dutton (2019) and published by Rough Trade.
 get involved

#SEPTTEXTILELOVE
INSPIRATION
Have you discovered seam collective’s
#SeptTextileLove Instagram challenge yet?
If not, check it out but beware, it’s highly addictive

QNeed to feel inspired again? The #SeptTextileLove Instagram
challenge could be just the ticket. Every day in September seam
collective will provide a prompt and is inviting all who love textiles
to join in. Each year the prompts are slightly different and each
year the number of textile-lovers involved increases. Everyone
is welcome to join the challenge, from professionals, hobbyists,
researchers, teachers, lecturers and artists to students, makers,
designers, curators and beginners. At the end of each day, one of
the seam members selects three of their favourite posts from
participants as a highlight from that day’s prompt.
The #SeptTextileLove challenge has been running since 2017
and has been growing year on year: the hashtag now has more
than 22,600 posts. The best thing about the challenge is making
connections with textile-lovers all over the world and sharing
intense thought-provoking conversations accompanied by lots of
amazing images and ideas. Bliss!
The captions are almost as important as the images. Some prompts
are better at initiating good conversations than others: ‘sustainable’
is one that always delivers. A lot of the participants are very aware
of the climate emergency and their writing on how they approach
working sustainably is both inspiring and motivating, helping us all to
work better and consider new approaches.
Many participants say that responding to the prompts gives them
the chance for a fresh look at their practice; rediscovering old work
ERHWIIMRKLS[MX½XWMRXSXLIMVGYVVIRXTVEGXMGILIPTMRKXLIQ½RI
tune their direction and focus after the summer break. It’s also a
KVIEX[E]XS½RHRI[TISTPIXSJSPPS[ERHXSJSPPS[]SYMRVIXYVR
The community built up around #SeptTextileLove is welcoming,
many coming back year after year.You can be involved as much or as
little as you like.You can post diligently every day or you can be an
observer throughout the month, following the hashtag and seam’s
daily selected highlights, participating more actively when you have
time. It’s a great source of research, whether that is to inspire you or
to connect with the community.
Find out more about the challenge at seamcollective.org and
@seam_collective on Instagram

Get ready, get set, go

• If you’d like to start thinking about
the prompts ahead of the challenge and
prepare a few responses, subscribe to
the
the seam newsletter and you’ll receive
they’re
full list of prompts one week before
pt
publicly released. There is also a prom
planner for you to download.
ctive
• Follow the seam blog or @seam_colle
on Instagram to ensu re you rece ive the
y to
prompts on 31 August, so you’re read
start in Sept emb er.
• Remember, when you write
your captions don’t forget to use
the exact hashtags #SeptTextileLove,
#SeptTextileLove23 at least once in your
e are
post and tag @seam_collective. Ther
hash tags, but it’s a bit like a
quite a few similar
e words
password, if you don’t use exactly thos
cipan ts may miss your post and you
other parti
, com men ts and follows.
won’t get as many likes

ĸŃŇĸŋŇļĿĸłʼnĸ
ŅłŀŃŇņĹŅłŀҳұҲҸпŇĻĸձŅņŇŌĸĴŅłĹҘ

WELL-KNOWN INSTAGRAMMERS WHO TAKE PART

seam collective is a relatively small but very
active group of textile artists, designers and
makers based in the South West of England.
seam’s touring exhibition, A Visible
THREAD, is at Black Swan Arts, Frome,
16 September–29 October.
Look out for well-known textile artists, makers and curators who have joined in with
#SeptTextileLove, including artist knitter Freddie Robins @iamfreddierobins, curator
Liz Cooper @liz_cooperlondon, printer professor Becky Earley @bearley_prints,
mermaids and fairy folk maker Annie Taylor @whitstabletail, tea towel truth-teller
Holly Searle @the_subversive_stitcher, knitwear designer Emma Vining @purlemma,
and Australian embroiderer and academician Sharon Peoples @sharonpeoplesstudio

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 23

 MAOR I
MAT E R IA L
M EA N IN G
Ron Te Kawa’s lively artworks
are imbued with Maori meaning
and have at their heart, inspired
embellishment and riotous colour

24 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 profile

ŁŇĻĸœłŅļĿĴŁĺňĴĺĸпĴňŁĺĴŅłŁĺł
is a name that can be used for either
a place or a person, and it translates
into English in several ways. Textile
artist and former fashion designer
Maungarongo Te Kawa (known to
many as Ron) interprets his name as ‘one
who brings peace and tranquillity to the
land’. Ron’s chosen artform is the quilt,
which he values for its symbolism as an
item that can enfold, hug and protect
– and in doing so can bring that sense
of peace and tranquillity that he is so
happily named for.
If you were lucky enough to own a Ron Te
Kawa quilt, you probably wouldn’t want
to wrap it around you – these rich pieces
are so striking, so gorgeous, that it seems
a crime to fold or obscure the surfaces.
Ron’s early training in theatrical costume
and his long career in fashion has given
him an overwhelming love for exuberant
colour and texture, and also for the
physical sensation of cloth. ‘Most textile
people have a sense of touch that they’re
hungry for,’ he remarks.
Ron’s riotous artworks are carefully
planned, machine-pieced and
embellished with yarn, thread, ribbon,
ĵŅĴļķĴŁķĸʼnĸŁņĸńňļŁņпļŁշňĸŁĶĸķĵŌ
Ron’s encounters with antique crazy
patchwork. Gauze, satin, velvet and
organza create beautiful surface interest
and are chosen carefully to enhance what
is being depicted – radiating metallic ļŁņŃļŅĸķĵŌĹĴŀļĿŌŃĻłŇłņтŇŌĿļņĸķձĺňŅĸņ entertaining and welcoming each other
ribbon for an oversized eye, lush red move through the heavens with their through word and gesture. Despite
velvet for curving lips. Ron is resourceful, hair streaming behind them, eyes wide, the warmth that these rituals imply,
seeking ‘the unwanted fabrics of society’ mouths smiling, arms outstretched to acknowledging death and loss is a big
and spotting potential in everything. He’s embrace and enfold. part of Matariki rituals. The whetu
cut up and incorporated old belts, shoes Matariki (known in the northern ƻĻňŇňľĴŊĴļņĴņņłĶļĴŇĸķŊļŇĻŇĻłņĸ
and even laptop covers, if the colour and hemisphere as the Pleiades) appears we have lost in the last year, and is
texture are right. He loves to layer up in the early morning sky in the New ŁłŅŀĴĿĿŌŇĻĸձŅņŇļŁŇĻĸĶłŁņŇĸĿĿĴŇļłŁ
treasured fragments and ‘to make weak Zealand mid-winter, its nine principal – acknowledging loss and those gone
fabric strong again’. stars or whetu symbolising aspects of being an important part of moving into
Ron’s subject matter is people and spirits ŇĻĸœłŅļŁĸŊŌĸĴŅтłŁĻĴņŅĸʼnļņļŇĸķ the future. Ron’s depiction combines
– strong, real people and their connection this theme multiple times, exploring key ŇŅĴķļŇļłŁĴĿœłŅļĶĴŅʼnļŁĺŀłŇļĹņŊļŇĻ
ŇłœłŅļĺłķņĴŁķŃĸŅņłŁļձĶĴŇļłŁņ aspects of the season, using his artform ŃłŃĴŅŇļŁշňĸŁĶĸņпŅļĶĻĶłĿłňŅņĴŁķ
of aspects of nature. ‘I want to make to demonstrate what he sees as his gleaming brocades and lurex.
ŇĻĸŀłņŇĶłŁձķĸŁŇпĵĸĴňŇļĹňĿļŀĴĺĸņ ŅĸņŃłŁņļĵļĿļŇŌŇłŃŅłŇĸĶŇĴŁķňŃĿļչ The piece Hinetakarua is one of the
łĹœłŅļŃĸłŃĿĸŇĻĴŇĶĴŁтяŁłŁяņ people everywhere. largest pieces Ron has ever made, and
Matariki series of nine quilts, exhibited Through the long dark nights full of takes as its subject the winter star of
as Heavenly Bodies, each piece brings the ņŇĴŅņпœłŅļĶłŁŇļŁňĸĿłŁĺŇŅĴķļŇļłŁņ this name, which shines across the sky
stars of this constellation to life as warm łĹĺĴŇĻĸŅļŁĺĴŅłňŁķŇĻĸձŅĸпņĻĴŅļŁĺ and ultimately dives down to the surface
loving beings, their poses sometimes kai (food), telling tales of the past, of the world to become part of a river.

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 25

 4EKI1EYRKEVSRKS 6SR 8I/E[EXEOIW¾MKLXGPEHMRLMWS[R[SVO
Portrait by Tink Lockett; page 25: Detail of Tupuarangi (2022) from Ron’s
Matariki series.Tupuarangi is one of the midwinter mother star Matariki’s
eight children. She connects to everything that grows up in the trees: fruits,
berries and birds. Photo courtesy Season gallery.
Left: Pohutukawa HIXEMP XLIWXEVMRXLI1EXEVMOMGSRWXIPPEXMSRXLEXWMKRM½IW
all who died in the last year. In this piece, Ron draws on traditional Maori
art motifs as well as pop art. Photo: Season gallery; Above: Ron with
Hinetakarua, a 3m-high homage to his mother, ‘bathing in warm healing
starlight’. Photo by Holly Burgess, courtesy Season and Commercial Bay.

This work honours Ron’s mother who
died when he was a young man. Shown
in multiple locations, Hinetakarua most
ŅĸĶĸŁŇĿŌĺŅĴĶĸķŇĻĸĵĸĴĶĻņļķĸĶĿļծņ
above alternative festival Splore near
Auckland, her glowing green eyes gazing
benignly over her children.
‘My most ultimate happy place would
ĵĸշłĴŇļŁĺļŁŇĻĸņľŌпĵĴŇĻļŁĺļŁŊĴŅŀп
healing starlight. The energy that the
ĴŇĴŅļľļņŇĴŅņņļŁĺķłŊŁŇłĴŃĴŇǶœŁňľň
(the Earth Mother) in her most desolate
ŇļŀĸļņŇĻĸņĴŀĸĸŁĸŅĺŌŇĻĴŇշłŊņĿļľĸ
ŊĴŇĸŅĹŅłŀŀŌŇƗŃňŁĴѼĴŁĶĸņŇłŅņѽŇłŀĸт
The closest I can get to that wonderful,
dreamy place here on earth is when I am
making. The unwanted and discarded
ļņŇŅĴŁņĹłŅŀĸķļŁŇłĴŊłŅĿķłĹņłչ
materials and warm skin.’
Like many textile artists, Ron learnt to
sew as a small child, so it’s always been
a part of his life. His father, his aunties
and his friends’ mothers all facilitated
his early training in needle-based skills
and he recalls dolls’ clothes he made
when just seven years old. Ron staged his
ձŅņŇĹĴņĻļłŁĶĴŇŊĴĿľŊĻĸŁłŁĿŌҲҶпĴŁķ
always knew that ultimately he wanted
to be his own boss, supporting himself
through work while funding his study for
ĹĴņĻļłŁńňĴĿļձĶĴŇļłŁņт
Moving from fashion to art in the 21st
century was an easy move for a skilled
and resourceful maker like Ron, and
he was motivated by his desire for
people to connect with their whakapapa
(family histories), and to share love
and positivity. Ron has had his share
of sorrow and loss, but rejection of
victimhood is central to his self-esteem;
he always seeks the best and the
beautiful aspects of life. He talks of the
need to love yourself, and your space,
and to ‘connect to the big bright glowing
universe’. In his making he is always
drawn to strong colours for the positive
energy they imbue.
Central to Ron’s practice and the
popular workshops he runs is the notion
of Te Whare Pora – a secure and safe
making space, strongly connected to his
identity. Te Whare Pora gives him and
his workshop participants a ‘dome of
protection’ and a place for meditation
on being and making. Ron Te Kawa’s
multiple strengths are in his optimism,
his vibrant textile creations and his
ĶĻĴŀŃļłŁļŁĺłĹĶłŁŇĸŀŃłŅĴŅŌœłŅļĴŅŇт
He says: ‘Making art is sacred and also
ŊĻĸŅĸĶĴŁłĶĶňŃŌŀŌņĸĿĹļŁŇĻĸœłŅļ
world. It’s also like religion, but without
judgement, shame or war. I pick up my
scissors and I’m unbeatable.’ e
Liz Cooper
Ron will be in Norway this autumn, as the AiR
Green resident artist at Søndre Green farm in
Noresund, at the foot of the Norefjell mountain
range in Krødsherad Municipality, Buskerud
County. He has two exhibitions in Norway.
Te Whare Pora, a solo exhibition by Maungarongo
(Ron) Te Kawa, Nitja, Lillestrom, Norway, 19
August–24 September. Curated by Zoe Black,
supported by Norwegian Crafts and Creative
New Zealand and presented in partnership with
Objectspace (Aotearoa New Zealand) and Sámi
Dáiddaguovddáš (Karasjok, Sápmi).
nitja.no/exhibitions/ron-te-kawa
Ron Te Kawa at Sámi Dáiddaguovddáš, (Sami
Centre for Contemporary Art), Karasjok, Norway,
21 October–22 December.
samidaiddaguovddas.no/en/
utstillinger-ar-2023
Instagram @rontekawa

26 EMBROIDERY September October 2023


WE AVI N G
H E R M AG I C
Weaver Laura Thomas dispenses
with convention in her latest
show at Ruthin Craft Centre
QFROM THE OFF, Laura Thomas has been
an exciting and innovative weaver. Graduating
from UCE Birmingham followed by an MA at
The Royal College of Art, she was one of the
½VWXGSLSVXSJ[IEZIVWXSFIRI½XJVSQER
Ann Sutton Foundation fellowship.
Laura makes technically inventive and
aesthetically striking works.Through her own
practice and teaching, Laura has embraced a
diverse portfolio career, including designing for
others, such as Melin Tregwynt and John Lewis.
7LI[EWSRISJXLI½VWX%VXW'SYRGMPSJ
Wales Creative Wales Ambassadors in 2010: a
two-year project working with a vast number
of groups and individuals, always making a
WMKRM½GERXMQTEGXF]KIRIVSYWP]WLEVMRKLIV
skills. A particular highlight was working with
rural primary schools in Denbighshire to
TVSHYGIEQEKRM½GIRX[SZIRMRWXEPPEXMSRJSV
a Prince’s Trust-funded project, where young
TISTPII\TIVMIRGIH[IEZIJSVXLI½VWXXMQI
Laura has exhibited pieces both at Ruthin
and at Collect in London; including in the
exhibitions Inspired By, celebrating the
MR¾YIRGISJ%RRM%PFIVWERHQSWXVIGIRXP]
Indian Threads, a collaborative project with
Wales Arts International, the British Council
and the Arts Council of Wales.
Laura writes: ‘The use of untypical weave
structures has always been a hallmark of my
practice and will remain fundamental to this
new body of work. I also intend to further my
use of interesting yarns and also integrate off-
PSSQ½RMWLMRKTVSGIWWIWWYGLEWHMTH]IMRKSV
latexed edge details.
‘I’m feeling particularly excited to build upon
my ‘return to cloth’: making textile panels that
are not encased in resin or glass. I feel a tactile
need to return to working in this way as a
welcome contrast and juxtaposition to the
cool, hard-edged glass and acrylic. I feel this
way of working is a very logical progression
and will open up new possibilities and
avenues, as well as highlight the roots of my
weaving journey.’
Laura describes her Woven/Unwoven
exhibition at Ruthin as ‘an exploration into
woven and unwoven principles; construction
versus deconstruction; stability versus
instability. Long loose threads held secure
preview
ĸչсVoid by Laura
Thomas, on show at
ňŇĻļŁ ŅĴչ ĸŁŇŅĸ
from 30 September,
plays with our sense
of perception
Above: Laura Thomas
continues to practice
from her Bridgend
studio in Wales.
Photo by Aga Hosking
‘Yarn
presented
in its purest
state, as both
metaphor and
material’
through entrapment or sparse warp threads
will be the ongoing visual language, along with
the considered use of colour and line.’
As Helen Rees Leahy writes for the
exhibition: ‘Alongside her work on the loom,
for some years Thomas has explored the
poetry of yarn by encapsulating groups
or patterns of loose threads in resin and
glass… Here is yarn presented in its purest
state, as both metaphor and material.’ Helen
concludes that Woven/Unwoven marks ‘a
waypoint in Thomas’s weaving life.This is her
current chapter, and her story of research,
innovation and creativity continues…’
Laura continues to practice from her
Bridgend studio in Wales. With work in
the collections of the V&A Museum, the
Powerhouse Museum (Australia), the Crafts
Study Centre and National Wool Museum
in Wales, as well as private collections, she
specialises in producing unconventional
textiles for contemporary spaces. e
Laura Thomas:Woven/Unwoven, 30 Sept–7 Jan
2024, Ruthin Craft Centre LL15 1BB.
Laurathomas.co.uk
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 27
 My world changed when
I became a Guild member
CATHERINE HILL’S FIRST FORAYS INTO STITCHED ARTWORK
à0ª0Çy(0ª!„ß0ª„IymÀ0ªّ0J„‫ ة‬ÇÀh„XyXyJÀR0
0w ª„X(0ª0ª²ٚJÇXm(à²ÀǪyXyJ§„XyÀ

28 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 profile

W
ith the dominating social media presence of her alter ego,
Katie – the curator, custodian and writer of the archive,
blog and Instagram account Arnold’s Attic – the real
Catherine Hill can be tricky to pin down. ‘I’m sorry,’ says Hill,
‘it sounds like I’ve got a split personality, but I haven’t really.
Katie does Arnold’s Attic and the YouTube channel. Catherine sews.’
Arnold’s Attic is another conundrum. ‘It’s a strange one, I’d been making quilts
for 30-odd years and in 2012 I started a blog called Arnold’s Attic.The year
before I’d been contacted by an old family friend, a bachelor called Arnold, who
was downsizing. He and his family had worked in the Lancashire cotton mills
for decades and wanted someone to “look after” his stuff.There were letters,
memorabilia, ephemera and fents – off-cuts or remnants from the end of the
roll, going back donkey’s years. Most were white cotton shirt material.There
were bags of it and buttons – all kinds of things his mum had saved.’
Set up to honour Arnold and his collection, the blog was also a cover for Hill to
reveal, albeit covertly, her embroidery practice. ‘It was done as a secret, a sort of
fantasy, because I’d never shared my embroidery with the world before.’
Having spent 12 years working part-time in a patchwork shop making quilt
samples, buying fabrics and teaching, Hill had begun experimenting with surface
design. ‘I was surrounded by cloth, but it was modern cloth and the sample
quilts I was doing were basically mass production on a machine. I wanted to do
something a little bit slower, a bit more concise and detailed and that would take
a long time to make.’Then a friend introduced her to the Embroiderers’ Guild.
‘That’s when my whole world changed.’ Hill started trying out some stitches. Top: Catherine Hill’s introduction to the
Embroiderers’ Guild by a friend allowed her to
‘I dabbled. I’m quite brave in that I’m happy to experiment. I don’t know the dabble and try out a range of stitches, although
names of the stitches that I did or even continue to do. In the privacy of my she didn’t know the names of those stitches.
sewing room a lot of the work was, and is, done by default.’ Pictured is Sylko Addict (detail).
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES HALL PHOTOGRAPHY
It wasn’t only fear of judgement that made Hill use the guise of Arnold’s Attic
Inset above right: Hill refers to her artworks as
XSVIZIEPLIV½VWXIQFVSMHIVIH³HEFFPMRKW´F]WXIEPXLFYXXLEXSJI\TSWYVI ‘red boxes’ because exhibition visitors don’t see
too. Personal exposure. Hill recalls an occasion when she was helping out at a ŇĻĸŊłŅķņłŁձŅņŇĺĿĴŁĶĸпĿĸŇĴĿłŁĸŇĻĸĹĴĶŇŇĻĴŇ
meeting of the Guild’s Young Embroiderers. She’d been talking to one of the they are stitched. Pictured is Hill’s artwork Sylko
AddictпĴņĴʼnļņļŇłŅŊłňĿķņĸĸļŇĹŅłŀĴձŅņŇĺĿĴŁĶĸт
mothers over lunch and they’d shared childhood experiences. ‘She’d had what PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES HALL PHOTOGRAPHY
I’d call a middle-class, very well-educated, well-travelled, worldly kind of lifestyle,’ ĸչсĻĸĴŅŇļņŇ ĴŇĻĸŅļŁĸļĿĿļŁĻĸŅķĸķļĶĴŇĸķ
says Hill, ‘and mine was completely the opposite.’Though currently living in the sewing room, where she lives in the ‘South’,
South, Lancashire born and bred, Hill often peppers her speech with Lancastrian despite having the lores of the ‘North’, which
she is in the process of moving back to, written
colloquialisms. ‘And there was I with this mum,’ Hill continues, ‘talking about through her like a stick of seaside rock.
sheep’s-head broth, and going up the Clough.’Though she’d always shared her PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES HALL PHOTOGRAPHY

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 29

 ĴŇĻĸŅļŁĸļĿĿяņņĸŊļŁĺŅłłŀļņĴŊĸĿĶłŀļŁĺņŃĴĶĸĹňĿĿłĹļŁņŃļŅĴŇļłŁпĹŅłŀձŁļņĻĸķŃļĸĶĸņłĹŇĻĸ
artist’s work to collections of brightly coloured thread, among them the all-important red thread,
plus books of local interest and embroidered clothing
PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER JAMES HALL PHOTOGRAPHY

30 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

‘If I’m not sewing there’s
something missing’
early reminiscences with her children, it was revealing them, albeit
with her work as their conduit, to public gaze that intimidated her.
In 2019 Hill exhibited Take Time to Smell the Roses in the Members
Guild Challenge, winning the Artistic Directors’ Award for Innovation.
³-X[EWXLI½VWXXMQI-´HTYXETMIGISJQ]EVX[SVOSYXXLIVI-[EW
nervous because I didn’t know if people would get it. It was very
personal work because it talks about me and my childhood.’
;LIXLIVMX´WXLIJEGXSJPMZMRKJEVJVSQLIVVSSXW WLI´WGYVVIRXP]MR
the throes of moving back to the North, initially to Crewe, though
she harbours hopes of settling in Lancashire once more) or a more
HIITWIEXIHEJ½PMEXMSR,MPP´WTVMHIMRLIV0ERGEWXVMERSVMKMRWMWIZMHIRX
Indeed, her trademark red thread is representative of the Red Rose
of Lancaster, adopted later by the county of Lancashire as its symbol.
Describing her work in terms of a kind of sewn journal, this is
evidently Hill’s way of documenting and archiving her experiences.
%RH0ERGEWLMVIQSVIWTIGM½GEPP];EVHPIEZMPPEKISRXLISYXWOMVXWSJ
Rochdale where she grew up, is clearly a rich seam for both stories names at the roll call). Hill describes how she contains it in what she
and language. Her love of Lancashire dialect poetry is encapsulated calls her ‘white envelopes’. ‘I have my own little system. Big white
in her wonderfully onomatopoeic piece The Sound of the Mills: ‘I was envelopes, A4 size. I have a stash with a dozen or so on the go.’ A
talking to somebody last week and they were saying: “What you’re WMRKYPEV½PMRKW]WXIQXLIWIEVIXLIVITSWMXSV]JSVLIV³HSSHPIW´ ³-
doing is sharing social history”. And I thought, am I?’ don’t like sketchbooks’), notes or scribbled ideas.They are sparks that
Reared in a place steeped in the textile industry, where a knowing come to her either in her fully-insulated, fully-electric, garden-shed-
of cloth and thread was once, if not still, innate, Hill has always sewn. GYQWXYHMS ³FYMPXF]Q]GPIZIVLYWFERH´ PMWXIRMRKXSEYHMSFSSOW
‘I was given cross-stitch sets for Christmas as a child, diddy ones, on her iPad or when she’s out walking where she’ll speak them into
which I’d probably only completed two-thirds of. I think I was more her Dictaphone. ‘An upcoming exhibition will prompt me to sit down
fascinated by the threads and colours.’ She remembers some later [MXLQ]IRZIPSTIWXSWIIMJXLIVI´WSRIXLIVI[LMGL½XWXLIFVMIJ´
kits that came with Anchor threads: ‘They were six-stranded and With her sights on a future solo show, Hill is intent on building up
with a completely different texture, shinier and with jewel colours.’ a body of work. Having found a creative ‘outlet’ for the wealth of
The tactility of both thread and cloth continues to enthral her. ‘I love MHIEWXLEXLEZI³¾SEXIHEVSYRHMRQ]LIEHJSV]IEVW´,MPPMXWIIQW
to feel cloth, I’m a bit of a charity shop hunter, I do like to go round is unstoppable. ‘For me there’s an urgency about working. If I’m not
touchy-feeling things. I’ve got a collection of white pillowcases that sewing there’s something missing. I’ve just got so much more in my
came from my great grandmother’s home. It’s just their weave, their head that I have to get down.’ e
thread count and the marks of their age.’ Ellen Bell
Choosing home economics over textiles as an option at school – ‘I arnolds-attic.co.uk/tag/catherine-hill-textile-artist
probably didn’t like the teacher’ – Hill went on to take a maths instagram @catherine_hill_textile_artist
degree. ‘There’s something about mathematics that I’m drawn to;
it’s the pattern, the form, the precision.’ It’s an innate preference
for order and fastidiousness that’s stood her in good stead. For all
their apparent hand-written spontaneity, her embroideries are feats
of intricate, measured exactitude. ‘I’ll draft out several versions of
EHIWMKR½VWXFIGEYWI-ORS[LS[QER][SVHW[MPP½X1]FMKVIH
boxes, for instance, take anything between 360 to 400 words.’The
typeface is hers. ‘That’s how I write. My stitch replicates it.’
However, it’s a replication that can bemuse her public. ‘I call them
my “red boxes”, because from a distance that’s what they look like.
People have to get up really close before they realise that it’s not
actually hand-written but sewn.’
Hill applies that same meticulousness and discipline to the gathering
and collation of her often exhaustive research. She tells of spending
months trawling the Imperial War archives for her Accrington Pals
piece, a heart-rending homage to a local ‘Pals’ regiment, most of
[LSQJIPPHYVMRKXLI½VWXHE]SJXLI&EXXPISJXLI7SQQI QIR
took part in the battle, but that evening less than 100 answered their

Top right: One of Hill’s sewn word artworks, Take Time to Smell the Roses
PHOTO BY CHROMATECH PHOTOGRAPHY

Right: Hill stitches her Accrington Pals artwork. The ‘Pals’ regiments of the
First World War were made up of groups of men who had volunteered from
the same area. ‘Pals’ battalions became synonymous with northern towns
PHOTO BY CATHERINE HILL

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 31

technique

over the rainbow

yXjjX§ªw0yÀ0ªٚ²XyÀªX!À0y(RXJRmæ
!„m„Ǫ0(ٙ§m²ÀX!0yÀª§w0yÀٚªÀà„ªj²
ª0§0ª0yyXmI߄ǪXÀ0²‫„ ة‬ÀRXyJmm0ªæ
²0ÀÀXyJy(ÀR0ªà„ªj²R„§²

QHIGH IMPACT ART comes in many
forms but perhaps none so engaging as
that of Nikki Parmenter. Large scale –
ĶňŅŅĸŁŇĿŌňŃŇłҹչĵŌҶչпļŁĸʼnĸŅŌĶłĿłňŅ
of the rainbow and incorporating her
‘plastic entrapment’ technique, Nikki’s
ŃļĸĶĸņĴŅĸņňŅĸձŅĸĶŅłŊķфŃĿĸĴņĸŅņт
Gallery-goers generally ask her three
questions: ‘How big is your house? How
long did it take you to create this? Do
you ever sleep?’ She generally replies:
‘My house isn’t very big, I don’t know
how long it took me and, yes, I do sleep.’
Art is an obsession, though, and one
ŇĻĴŇĵĸĺĴŁĴչĸŅĴŁĶĻĸņŇĸŅļĺĻ
School, where it was the norm to go
on to study an academic subject at
university; Nikki bucked the trend
opting for a foundation art course.
As her grandfather had been an art
ŇĸĴĶĻĸŅпņĻĸķļķŁяŇņňծĸŅŇĻĸňņňĴĿ
parental reluctance.
չĸŅĴ ѼņĻĸĺĴļŁĸķĴձŅņŇѽĴŁķ
 пĵłŇĻļŁձŁĸĴŅŇĹŅłŀĴŁĶĻĸņŇĸŅ
Polytechnic (now Manchester
Metropolitan University), she studied
a postgraduate teaching course at
Goldsmiths College in London.
Textiles didn’t appeal at the time: ‘The
general view was that textile girls were
a bit ditsy and girly-girly. It was slightly
looked down on, which is ridiculous.
That isn’t why I didn’t do it; I’ve realised
that textile art is a far broader category
than you would think.’ As a textile artist,
Nikki considers herself self-taught.
Generous with her time, the artist loves
to teach workshops, organising many
courses for the Embroiderers’ Guild,
while as a Guild member she has won
ձʼnĸŀĸŀĵĸŅĶĻĴĿĿĸŁĺĸņт
One thing that Nikki is convinced sets
her style apart, other than her unique
method, is that drawing underpins each
and every artwork, whether drawing to
prepare or with stitch. Abstraction is
anathema to her. She comments that it’s
not in her nature to create abstract art.
‘It’s useful for visitors to recognise the
image but, perhaps, not how it is made.’
About 30 years ago, Nikki got interested
in Indian art, loving the shine and
shimmer in this culture, while also
delving into literature, legend and visual
iconography. Her work must have a
context, she says, or a narrative.
ļʼnĸŌĸĴŅņĴĺłпļŁշňĸŁĶĸķĵŌŇĻĸŁĸŊņ
of global warming, Nikki made a large
ŃļĸĶĸłĹŊłŅľĴĵłňŇŇĻĸŅĸĴŇ ĴŅŅļĸŅ
Reef, introducing plastic to indicate
the problem of plastic pollution in
our oceans. Realising she could get
interesting results with the inclusion
of plastic, and that it was eminently
ŇĸĴĶĻĴĵĿĸпļľľļņĸŇłծķłŊŁŇĻĸŅłňŇĸ
of her ‘plastic entrapment’ method.
‘People don’t understand how my art
is put together so it’s a little magical to
explain it,’ she remarks. “That’s actually
a wheel trim, or that’s a cut-up yoghurt
pot.” I tend to see the potential in these
things. I’m a magpie; I think all textile
artists are. It’s important to upcycle,
recycle and repurpose.’
Nikki is preparing for an exhibition
ŁĸŋŇŌĸĴŅĴŇ ňŋŇłŁňņĸňŀĴŁķ ŅŇ
Gallery; for a piece to go into Chester
Cathedral; and for plenty of school
ŊłŅľņĻłŃņтĻĸĻĴņĵĸĸŁļŁշňĸŁĶĸķĵŌ
ňŋŇłŁňņĸňŀяņĶłĿĿĸĶŇļłŁłĹ ņĻĹłŅķ
ĿĴĶľĴŅĵĿĸĴŅŇĸĹĴĶŇņпŊĻļĶĻŅĸŀļŁķĸķ
her of pietra dura, to create a new piece.
She has also been inspired by the
engravings of natural forms by Ernst

32 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

Opposite page: Individual
panel from Wonder Rooms
 MRWTMVIHF]
endangered species,
30cm x 30cm, plastics
and fabric.

This page, top row:

PIJX (IXEMPJVSQFade
Out 2  JX\JX
TPEWXMGIRXVETQIRX VMKLX 
Detail from Sedna  
XVMTX]GLJX\JXTPEWXMGW

Middle row:
PIJX Conference of the
Birds  JX\JX
JEFVMGWERHTPEWXMGW GIRXVI 
Detail from Botticelli Garden
 GQ\GQ
JYWIHJEFVMGW VMKLX 
Tulipmania  
30cm x 40cm, plastics.
§R„À„‫ێب‬wX!R0màX!j²

Bottom row: Detail from

Conference of the Birds (2022),
8ft x 4ft, fabrics and plastics.

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 33


‘Drawing underpins each
and every artwork, whether
drawing to prepare or
drawing with stitch’
Haeckel, a German zoologist born in
1834, to produce her own images of sea
anemones and seaweeds.
Dressed in purple and with a
ĶłŀŃĿĸŀĸŁŇĴŅŌņłչņĻĴķĸłĹŃňŅŃĿĸłŁ
her hair, the artist explains her explosive
colour palette comes naturally and
she never has trouble deciding which
colours to use.
We part company with Nikki telling me:
‘I need to create another chameleon’... I
would expect nothing less.
Claire Waring
TECHNIQUE
I spent many years working on paper
ĵňŇĸʼnĸŁŇňĴĿĿŌĵĸĶĴŀĸķļņņĴŇļņձĸķ
ŊłŅľļŁĺłŁĴշĴŇņňŅĹĴĶĸт ŁĶłňŅĴĺĸķ
by my husband, who trained as a
sculptor, I started to experiment with
MDF in order to achieve a more robust
structure. I produced many increasingly
large artworks which became almost
ŇłłĻĸĴʼnŌŇłĿļչтŊĴņĴĿņłňŁĻĴŃŃŌ
with the rigidity of the wooden surface
and so decided that I needed to change
direction. Two books were particularly
inspirational: Paper, Metal and Stitch by
Maggie Grey and Jane Wild, and Fusing
FabricsĵŌĴŅĺĴŅĸŇ ĸĴĿтĻĸŇĸĶĻŁļńňĸņ
and materials I discovered in the books
were varied and exciting and opened a
whole new world for me. I discovered a
cornucopia of materials and techniques
with which I could experiment.
The fused fabric technique really
appealed to me. You take a piece of
felt, say A4 in size, then cut a variety
of fabrics into small pieces, about 2cm
to 3cm square, although this can vary.
ŃŅĸĹĸŅŇłňņĸĶĻļծłŁĴŁķłŅĺĴŁōĴĴņ
these fabrics are translucent and look
34 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
beautiful when layered one on top of Left: Parrot detail from Conference of the Birds
another. I also use iridescent rainbow  GQEGVSWWTPEWXMGW
Below: Nikki’s artwork Garden of Eden  
łŅĺĴŁōĴŊĻļĶĻĻĴņĴņļŀļĿĴŅĸծĸĶŇŇł 22cm x 28cm, fused fabrics.
that achieved by incorporating Angelina
Fibre. You put these small pieces of ĴŁķĹłŅķĸĿļĶĴŇĸņŇĸŁĶļĿĿĸķĸծĸĶŇņтŁĸ
fabric across the surface of the felt and of the main advantages of this method
ensure that all the felt is covered by two is that the sewer doesn’t need to worry
or three layers of fabric. You then select ĴĵłňŇŇĻĸļŅķŅĴŊļŁĺņľļĿĿņтĻĸձŅņŇņŇĴĺĸ
a piece of A4 coloured netting (like the is to select an image to work from. You
material used in ballet skirts) and place it pin a piece of crystal clear PVC on to the
over the felt. You position the pieces on image and trace it using a permanent
a heat resistant surface. marker, then create a series of layers
You take a soldering iron and a metal with a plain piece of PVC on the bottom,
ruler and place the ruler in the centre iridescent cellophanes and sheer fabrics
of the fabric, then score down the ruler in the middle and the traced image on the
with the soldering iron ensuring that top, and pin them together. Now you free
ŌłňŃŅĸņņձŅŀĿŌт!łňŀłʼnĸŇĻĸņłĿķĸŅļŁĺ machine embroider.
ļŅłŁłŁĸĶĸŁŇļŀĸŇŅĸŇłŇĻĸĿĸչĴŁķ ĻĸĶĸĿĿłŃĻĴŁĸļņŅĸŀĴŅľĴĵĿŌĸծĸĶŇļʼnĸ
solder again and continue to the edge when portraying the iridescence of
of the fabric. You repeat on the other ĴŁļŀĴĿņпĵļŅķņĴŁķձņĻтĻĸŇŅļĶľļņ
half. I always solder the fabric again at not to machine stitch over the surface
right angles. As the fabrics are synthetic too densely as the shimmer needs to
the heat from the soldering iron will appear between the stitches. It also looks
meld them together, resulting in a piece stunning when portraying water. e
of fabric which can be made into a Nikki Parmenter
ĵĴĶľĺŅłňŁķłŅņŃĸĶļձĶļŇĸŀт Nikki is chair of Textile Connections
Another layering technique I am (formerly Glossop Embroiderers’ Guild)
developing involves the use of clear and is a member of North-West exhibiting
PVC. I created the piece Fade Out, group Textile 21. She delivers a range of
exploring the damage being done to the talks, workshops and demonstrations.
Nikki can be contacted at
ŅĸĴŇ ĴŅŅļĸŅĸĸĹĵŌĺĿłĵĴĿŊĴŅŀļŁĺп
nikkiparmenterartworks61@gmail.com
ŃłĿĿňŇļłŁĴŁķŃĿĴņŇļĶņтĸĴņňŅļŁĺҶչ
nikkiparmenterartworks.com
ŋҴչпŇĻļņŀļŋĸķŀĸķļĴŃļĸĶĸ
portrays the sea creatures in
the top half of the image as
faded, tatty and monochrome in
colour. In the depths of the reef
the colours are bold, bright and
dramatic. In order to include a
sense of realism I incorporated
some acetate sheets on the
seabed to represent the plague
of plastic in our oceans.
I suddenly realised that using
PVC in my work was an exciting
opportunity. The technique
I have developed is another
layering technique, but rather
than using fabric this entails
collaging PVC and cellophane
together, then free machine
stitching. The technique has
huge potential as the PVC
can be used to fashion stained
glass-style images, three-
dimensional sculptural pieces
 The Knitting & Stitching Show London

IT’S
SHOW
TIME!
The Knitting & Stitching Show London promises
an abundance of inspiration for your work and the
chance to get together with like-minded stitchers

T
he Knitting & Stitching Show returns to London’s Alexandra Palace
JVSQ¯3GXSFIV[MXLETEGOIHTVSKVEQQIXSI\GMXIERHMRWTMVI
For stitchers keen to learn new skills, the Learning Curve programme
features workshops hosted by experts.The Dressmaking Studio by
Brother is dedicated to making your own clothes, while in the Creative Living
Theatre, sewing personalities will demonstrate new techniques.
In the textile galleries artists include: Batool Showghi; Jan Beaney and Jean
Littlejohn; Nneka Jones [Embroidery Jul/Aug 2021]; Sabine Kaner [Embroidery
1E].YRAERH7IPF],YVWX-RKPI½IPH?Embroidery Nov/Dec 2020].
The winner and shortlist of the Fine Art Textiles Award will be on show,
observing the rightful place of textiles in high art, while the Embroiderers’
Guild will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its graduate showcase.
Vanessa Marr [Embroidery Mar/Apr 2021] will bring her Domestic Dusters
project, where participants embroider their feelings, complaints and
celebrations as words or images on the mundane yet appealing yellow duster.
Art Textiles: Made in Britain is a collective displaying their work in an exhibition
called Illuminate, which includes hoop embroideries, kimonos,100 three-inch
squares and stitched hi-vis-clad workers, to name only a few.
For crafters looking to top up their supplies or do some early Christmas
gift shopping, there are hundreds of craft retailers under one roof, while you
can catch up with friends at the prosecco bar or food outlets, or for visitors
preferring to picnic, the rest and recharge areas.
WIN, WIN, WIN!
We have three pairs of adult tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show
0SRHSRYTJSVKVEFW%HYPXXMGOIXW† GSRGIWWMSRW†GLMPHVIR
under 18 £9); two-day tickets £31;VIP packages start from £40
XVERWEGXMSRJIIETTPMIW ,IEHXSSYV-RWXEKVEQWMXI$IQFVSMHIV]CQEKSV
embroiderymagazine.co.uk for your chance to win. Deadline: 22 September.
theknittingandstitchingshow.com/london

See Embroidery’s November/December issue for a preview of the Knitting

& Stitching Show Harrogate, 16-19 November.

Top: Unzipped by Nneka Jones, a Trinidadian artist based

in America whose work uses embroidery and mixed media
and concentrates on social issues.
Above: Vanessa Marr’s Domestic Dusters project carries
on gaining momentum as it ‘sweeps’ the country. You will
ձŁķŇĻĸĿĴŇĸņŇķĸĿļĺĻŇĹňĿĿŌŃłļŁŇĸķŇĻłňĺĻŇņłŁŇĻĸŁĴŇňŅĸ
of domestic work in the foyer.
Right: Patterns in Nature (2022) by Sabine Kaner,
48cm x 36cm, embroidery, thread, wool, canvas, calico,
paint, felt and repurposed clothing.

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 

MANY HAPPY RETURNS
FOR GUILD SHOWCASE
For 30 years, the Embroiderers’ Guild has played a crucial role in ensuring new
textile art graduates get the support and exposure they both need and deserve

QOVER THREE DECADES, the Knitting & Stitching Shows and Commenting on the creative journey, Anthea says: ‘We really wanted
the Embroiderers’ Guild have collaborated to showcase emerging to explore the creative processes artists go through and how they
graduate artists. Now, an inspiring retrospective exhibition and LEZIIZSPZIHWMRGI½VWXFIMRKI\LMFMXIHEXXLI7LS[GEWI*SVQER]
new book is set to celebrate and chart the trajectory of not only EVXMWXWXLMW[EWXLIMV½VWXTYFPMGIZIRXEJXIVKVEHYEXMRK;LEXE[E]
individual artists but this fruitful partnership. XSPEYRGLXLIMVGEVIIVWTYXXMRKXLIMV[SVOMRJVSRXSJWXMXGL
Anthea Godfrey, artistic director at the Guild, explains: ‘We set embroidery and textile enthusiasts who visit the shows each year.’
SYVWIPZIWEVIEPGLEPPIRKISJ½RHMRKE[E]XSGIPIFVEXI]IEVW The pressing need for the Showcase is illustrated by Andrew Salmon,
of the Graduate and Scholar Showcase. Selecting the students and former event organiser, who observes: ‘It should be noted that the
scholars and organising the exhibition each year for the Knitting & GSYVWIJVSQ[LMGLXLI½VWXKVEHYEXIWSJXLMWMRMXMEXMZIIQIVKIHMW
Stitching Shows is complex enough, but to gather content from over no more, which is indicative of the way the creative sector in higher
EVXMWXW[LSLEZIFIRI½XIHJVSQFIMRKI\LMFMXIHSZIVXLIPEWX education is under attack. So, while the raw talent still very much
years was a daunting prospect.’ exists, the opportunities to nurture and develop such creative skills
Enter the Guild’s new publishing team whose mission it is to have declined; something that makes the Guild’s Showcase at the
explore the incredible history of the Guild and its leading magazine, Knitting & Stitching Shows even more vital.’
Embroidery, and bring to life the wonderful treasures in the Guild’s Graduate exhibitors in the past have networked with gallery owners,
6,000-piece historical and contemporary collection. other artists and trade professionals, often receiving commissions or
Anne Haigh, trustee for publishing at the Embroiderers’ Guild, offers of employment.The feedback from the public is also welcomed,
explains: ‘Our purpose is to inform, educate, entertain and inspire highlighting what a social event these exhibitions have become to
readers of all ages and backgrounds. Starting our new publishing share ideas, discuss work and make new connections.
programme with a major book like the Showcase retrospective was ‘Young textile artists are our future and we should all support and
certainly jumping in at the deep end. embrace them into the profession,’ remarks Anthea Godfrey. ‘Many
‘We have had incredible support from our team and volunteers, artists have continued to work with multiple mediums, not only
in particular, Catherine Shirley who took on the task of contacting textiles.Their creative practices move in mysterious ways. If you
the artists selected by Anthea Godfrey to be included in the new stop to think about how an artist creates work, what inspires them,
Showcase book and exhibition. Catherine’s task was like ‘herding cats’, what materials and techniques they use, the craft skills they employ,
as artists are busy people and any time away from producing inspiring particularly in textile art where the highest quality of techniques is
art and textiles is never welcomed. required, it is inspirational.
‘Our contributors, however, quickly got onboard and have been fully ‘I think the most intriguing aspect of the new Showcase book is the
supportive of the project and wonderful to work with. Each has glimpse into the minds of these artists, all now professionals and/or
provided images of their work and insights into how they make it, scholars in their own right, many at the forefront of the textile and
revealing a window on to their creative practice.’ embroidery industries.’

Richard McVetis GRADUATE2005 SCHOLAR2006

McVetis’ practice is deeply rooted in process, and intrinsic to this is hand embroidery. His installations, drawings, and
embroideries toggle across the congruity of macro and micro, often monochromatic and labour intensive. He records time and
space through multiple dots, lines, and crosses. These meticulously rendered stitches reflect a preoccupation with the repetitive
nature of process. .

ϮϬϬϱ ;,KE^ͿŵďƌŽŝĚĞƌLJ
DĂŶĐŚĞƐƚĞƌ DĞƚƌŽƉŽůŝƚĂŶhŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ
ϮϬϬϴ DŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƚĞĚdĞdžƟůĞƐ
dŚĞZŽLJĂůŽůůĞŐĞŽĨƌƚ
^ŽůŽdžŚŝďŝƟŽŶƐ
ϮϬϮϮ ZŝĐŚĂƌĚDĐsĞƟƐ͗^ŚĂƉĞĚďLJdŝŵĞ
ƌĂŌƐ^ƚƵĚLJĞŶƚƌĞʹ&ĂƌŶŚĂŵ͕h<
^ĞůĞĐƚĞĚ'ƌŽƵƉdžŚŝďŝƟŽŶƐ
ϮϬϭϳ &ŽƌŵΘDŽƟŽŶʹƌŝƟƐŚŽƵŶĐŝů
^ŽƵƚŚ<ŽƌĞĂ
ϮϬϭϴ>ŽĞǁĞƌĂŌWƌŝnjĞʹĞƐŝŐŶDƵƐĞƵŵ
>ŽŶĚŽŶ͕h<
ϮϬϭϵ ZĞͲEĞǁʹ<ĞƩůĞƐzĂƌĚʹĂŵďƌŝĚŐĞ͕h<
ϮϬϮϭ dŚĞƌŝƟƐŚdĞdžƟůĞŝĞŶŶŝĂů
dŚĞtŚŝƚĂŬĞƌʹh<
ϮϬϮϯ dŚƌĞĂĚƐ͚͗ƌĞĂƚŚŝŶŐƐƚŽƌŝĞƐŝŶƚŽ
ŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ͛ͲƌŶŽůĮŶŝͲƌŝƐƚŽů͕h<
McVetis explores the subtle differences that emerge
through ritualistic and habitual making These
inscribed stitches mark the hand’s rhythms, a delicate
performance of obsessive intricacy, refinement, and
gesture. They record human presence, time and decay,
each stitch or line acting as a marker for lived time, an
embodiment of thought and patience. These physical,
tactile, and repetitive modes of creation allow him the
time to see and think, to occupy a space.
McVetis is an artist, designer, and educator, living
and working in London since 2006. He has worked
on collaborative and independent projects, building a
diverse folio of work across various disciplines, creating
work at the intersection of art and craft and delivering
exhibitions with a strong and distinctive voice.
Central to his practice is drawing and process,
specifically hand embroidery. Embroidery’s particular
appeal has always been about drawing, the similarities
between pen on paper and thread on fabric, and the
immediacy and directness of mark-making. McVetis
writes, ‘It (embroidery) is a wonderfully expressive,
simple, democratic, and accessible mechanism for
storytelling’. But drawing as an act is the thing that
occurs in everything that he does — drawing as a
dialogue, a focus that goes beyond the flat surface and
into the space around.
His installations, drawings, and embroideries span
the macro and micro, often monochromatic and labour-
intensive. More recently, he has taken inspiration
from his family’s Lithuanian & mining heritage to
investigate a story of class and explore our connection
and resonance to material, place, and deep time. For his
debut solo show Annie Warburton writes, ‘McVetis’s art
is as deeply philosophical as beautiful. To be with it is to
encounter a mind meditating on what it is to be present
at this time, in this place. Dwell with it a while. Take
your time.

^ĞůĞĐƚĞĚǁĂƌĚƐ
ϮϬϭϭΘϮϬϭϲ&ŝŶĂůŝƐƚʹ:ĞƌǁŽŽĚƌĂǁŝŶŐWƌŝnjĞ
ϮϬϭϳƌƚƐŽƵŶĐŝůŶŐůĂŶĚʹ'ƌĂŶƚĨŽƌƚŚĞƌƚƐ
ϮϬϭϴ&ŝŶĂůŝƐƚʹ>ŽĞǁĞƌĂŌWƌŝnjĞ

70 |  D  Z K /   Z  Z^͛' h / > ' Z   hd Θ^  , K >  Z^ , K t   ^ ഩ| 71

36 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 The Knitting & Stitching Show London

Top: Yorkshire rose-inspired design for a duchesse satin

ķŅĸņņѼҳұҳҳѽĵŌ ĴʼnļķłŅŅļņĻѼҍľļŁĺշŌѳĸŀĵŅłļķĸŅŌѽ
ŅĸշĸĶŇļŁĺŇĻĸ ŅļŇļņĻѪ ņļĴŁĻĸŅļŇĴĺĸłĹĸļĿпĴņļŁĺĸŅф
songwriter and contestant on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK
ļĺĻŇсļŁĶĸҳұҲҶ ĿĴļŅĸ ĴľĸŅяņŅĸņĸĴŅĶĻĻĴņĵĸĸŁ
within the Chernobyl exclusion zone, creating art that
crosses the boundaries of language and catastrophe.
Pictured is Mapping Value. Photo: Jennine Wilson.
ĸĿłŊŅļĺĻŇсĴŃŊļŁĺпĶňŅŅĸŁŇŊłŅľĵŌňōŌ ĺĸŅŊĻł
embarked on a career switch to textile art in 2018

When asked who should buy the book, Anthea says: ‘Everyone, it’s
a delight! Seriously, if you are a practitioner in textile arts or just an
IRXLYWMEWXPSSOMRKJSVMRWTMVEXMSRXLMWMWXLITPEGIXSWXEVX[MXLSZIV
artists’ work displayed and insights into how and why they create their
work. I think I will be going back to this book myself for years to come.
As a textile art lover, you can appreciate the quality of the work; as a
creator of work myself, I want to know how they did it, what materials
they used and why they used certain techniques.
‘I would also encourage everyone to come to the exhibition at the
Knitting & Stitching Shows where we have brought together examples
of the best work from all the contributors to the book.There is nothing
quite like seeing the art in person, where you can appreciate the build-
up of thread, pattern and texture; and marvel at the technique and say
to yourself, one day… This is what inspires and excites me.’
With the last word, artists Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn remark: ‘We
salute Anthea, the driving force and inspiration behind the initiative for
her hard work and dedication to making it the success it has become.’

TICKETS AND NEW TITLE

Knitting & Stitching Show London, 5–8 October, Alexandra Palace,
theknittingandstitchingshow.com/london; Knitting and Stitching
Show Harrogate, 16-19 November, Harrogate Convention Centre,
theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate
Showcase – 30 Years of Embroiderers’ Guild Graduate and Scholar
Showcase will be published on 5 October.To pre-order your copy,
visit embroiderersguild.com/the-retrospective-showcase

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 

 DOUBLE
TROUBLE
With their work featured in one of the textile
galleries at the Knitting & Stitching Shows,
ĴŁ ĸĴŁĸŌĴŁķĸĴŁļŇŇĿĸĽłĻŁĴŅĸņĸŇŇł
inspire thousands with the popular themes
ձŅņŇļķĸŁŇļձĸķļŁŇĻĸļŅĿĴŇĸņŇĵłłľ

QBETWEEN THEM, Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn have nature covered.
Beaney’s embroideries are centred deep in the land, almost forensic in their
HIXEMPSJ¾SVEERHJEYRE,IVGYVVIRX[SVOWVEVIP]VIEGLEFSZIXLILSVM^SR
Littlejohn, on the other hand, is currently preoccupied with the moon in all its
variations and phases.Together their works tell a story. And together the two
women, who write under the label Double Trouble but work as independent
EVXMWXWWTIEOSJJIQEPITEVXRIVWLMTWERHJVMIRHWLMTW8LI]QIXMRERH
have been working together since the early 1980s.
8LI]EVIGYVVIRXP]TVITEVMRKJSVXLIX[S/RMXXMRK 7XMXGLMRK7LS[W XLI
Super Bowl for stitch fans) this autumn.Their exhibition, called Rhythms &
6I¾IGXMSRW[MPPGSZIVXLI[SVO&IERI]ERH0MXXPINSLRQEHIFSXLHYVMRK
PSGOHS[RERHWMRGI)EVPMIVTMIGIW[IVI½VWXWLS[RMRXLIMVVIGIRXFSSO
6I¾IGXMSRW)GLSIW %WTMVEXMSRW.
8LI]EVIYWMRKXLMWI\LMFMXMSREWETSMRXXSVI¾IGXSRXLEXYRYWYEPXMQI
Littlejohn explains: ‘People always say to us: “Why are you doing that?” And I

Above: A Place of Joy; A Place of Sadness

ĵŌĴŁ ĸĴŁĸŌп ҶҸĶŀŋҸҳĶŀтĻĸĴŅŇļņŇ
duo’s works date from the lockdown.
ĸĴŁĸŌяņŊłŅľņĴŅĸĵĴņĸķłŁŇĻĸĿĴŁķ
with an almost forensic inspection of
շłŅĴĴŁķĹĴňŁĴт
Right: Pale WatersĵŌĴŁ ĸĴŁĸŌп
ҹұĶŀŋҷҶĶŀт
ĸĿłŊсWetlandsѼķĸŇĴļĿѽĵŌĴŁ ĸĴŁĸŌп
ҷҶĶŀŋҶҷĶŀт

38 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 The Knitting & Stitching Show London
answer: “Because I want to.” If you are just doing work that is
crowd-pleasing, you get bored with it.’
The latest book is also slightly different to their previous 26 books,
in that they are asking readers to think outside the box a little, to
not just copy but create their own unique works and develop a
theme. As Beaney pinpoints: ‘The more you look the more you see.’
Littlejohn concurs: ‘We want people to take an idea and get involved,
get more out of it, take it a little bit further. But we’ve done it without
giving people a total prescription for what to do, there has to be
room for the reader.’
In some ways it is a call to readers to take things a bit slower.
Littlejohn: ‘You know when you have got to an exciting place in the
work and you get that real buzz. Sometimes it takes a long time to
get to that. We really want to do something that excites us and to
get our students to do something that excites them. All you want
to do is be better than you are today, tomorrow.You want to move
forward. It’s not competitive and it shouldn’t be.’
The two both live in Maidenhead, within waving distance of each
other. Increasingly they work together on teaching expeditions as
well. Long journeys made easier with company.
Beaney: ‘We spark ideas off each other but then don’t actually talk
about work until we bring things together. I haven’t seen what she
has done and she hasn’t seen what I have done but it just seems to
work well for us.’ They don’t sew together and are mindful of each
other’s studio spaces. Littlejohn: ‘We have huge respect for each
other but our work is not similar in any way. We look at things and
we see them in our own light.’ When they were both lecturing, they
used to stitch on weekends but these days Beaney tries to work in
the mornings and do ‘life’ things in the afternoons. Littlejohn starts her
ŁĶłŁŇŅĴņŇŇłĴŁ ĸĴŁĸŌяņŊłŅľņпĸĴŁļŇŇĿĸĽłĻŁĹłĶňņĸņłŁŇĻĸņľļĸņпļŁ
particular, the moon and its various phases.
ĿłĶľŊļņĸĹŅłŀĴĵłʼnĸĿĸչсWorm Moon ĵŌļŇŇĿĸĽłĻŁпҶұĶŀŋҶұĶŀр
Blood MoonпҸұĶŀŋҸұĶŀрFlisvos Moon (detail)пҶұĶŀŋҶұĶŀт
days with swimming or Tai Chi and then gets down to work later in
the day, very often hand-stitching away an evening while ‘listening’ to
the television or audio books.
After many years in the textile business, the two have seen it all.They
EVIGSQJSVXEFP]ERHGSR½HIRXP]FIHHIHMRXLIMVS[RTVEGXMGIW]IX
still excited to be making new work and putting it out in public.There
must be a deep comfort in making new things together and having
that moral support while pushing their practices forward and their
work out into the world. And after all their years in partnership they
still play off each other’s work to advantage and with good-humoured
repartee. Littlejohn: ‘Jan’s really quite good. And so, you’ve got to keep
the standard going because otherwise when she puts all her stuff up
you think: “Oh no, mine looks so dull.” When we put the work up
together, it’s kind of sympathetic. We’re very lucky that this happens.’
We might point out that luck is not the only thing working in their
favour.Years of hard work and hard stitching are also in the mix. And
mutual admiration and kinship that they have obviously worked on
is there too. So, look out for the indomitable duo at the Knitting &
Stitching Shows, with their new work and all their books. And shall
we take bets on there being at least one more book from Beaney
and Littlejohn coming our way?
Jane Audas
doubletrouble-ent.com
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 39
 MAGIC
MUSHROOMS
ĴĶľļŁĺļŁĶłŁձķĸŁĶĸп ĿĴļŅĸķĸļŇŇĸĻĴņ
been quietly and privately creating lifelike
fungi, bark and acorn cups for nine years but
feels now is the time to reveal her mushroom
magic at the Knitting & Stitching Show London

40 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 The Knitting & Stitching Show London
Can you tell us how you started on your journey with embroidery?
1]QSXLIVERHFSXLQ]KVERHQSXLIVW[IVITVSPM½GORMXXIVW
stitchers and dressmakers and wanted to pass their knowledge
on to me, but I didn’t show any interest. I had three brothers and
preferred to climb trees and play football. It wasn’t until my late 20s
and early 30s that I started doing simple cross stitch and completed
an A-level in textiles, and it progressed from there. Now, I think of
all the things I would have learnt if only I’d sat down with Gran.
What was your work like initially and how has it developed?
I’ve always loved fairytales so my passion for textiles started off
with creating dolls.Then I discovered machine embroidery, initially
working in two-dimensions creating little badges, but progressing
to ships made from paper and textiles, which were heavily machine
embroidered. Woodlands have always inspired me so for the
birthday of a friend who loved fungi I thought I’d try to make a
mushroom. It’s taken a lot of trial and error to get to where I am.
Do you have a woodland nearby that provides inspiration?
I live close to both Hainault and Epping Forests and spend a lot
of time there. I’m also lucky that where I work at Barking and
Dagenham College there is a big woodland park just behind the
campus called Eastbrook Country Park. Quite wild and overgrown,
it has beautiful glades and ponds. I spend lunchtimes there.
ĻĴŇհĸĿķķłŌłňŊłŅľļŁъ
I am the creative technician for art and design and fashion at the
college. I get to play all day every day.
łŌłňհŁķŌłňŅĽłĵņŃňŅņŌłňłŁļŁĶŅĸĴŇļŁĺŌłňŅłŊŁŊłŅľъ
It does.You’ve got people to bounce your creative ideas off and the
students and lecturing staff are very supportive. As I am based in the
fashion rooms, where there are plenty of sewing machines, when we
have a spare half hour I can sit and play. Because we teach so many
different elements, I’m always looking at other ways to create.
How would you describe your work in three words?
Realistic, innovative and textural.
In terms of inspiration for your fungi do you refer to specialist books?
A lot of friends know about my obsession so if they see fungi or
a lovely moss-covered piece of bark they will take photos for me.
I take a lot of photographs, too. I tend to use those rather than
pictures in books as this gives me the opportunity to go back to
see how the subject is changing with the season, which helps with
the colour choice and textiles used.
How important is striving for realism?
I would say it is one of the most important elements of my practice.
;LIRTISTPIWIIXLIJYRKMJSVXLI½VWXXMQIIZIRXLSYKLXLI]EVI
encased in glass domes, they ask ‘how long will they last?’ as though
they will eventually turn to mould. When you explain how they are
made, it’s really interesting because they don’t believe it. That’s a nice
feeling because you know you’ve got where you want to be.
Tell me about how you create your woodland artworks.
The bark is paper, thread and yarn which I lay out on a dissolvable
fabric and stitch over to make a more solid piece. I dye this and
then dissolve the paper and as it starts to dissolve I pull it apart in
places so I can get the natural gaps and holes in the moss and bark.
Then heat-gunning is involved to get more texture and to create
more realistic crevices with the edges tattered from burning.
Once I’ve got the shape there’s a lot of free machine embroidery;
then I start ripping away at some of the stitches to give the moss
XLEX¾YJJ]XI\XYVI-XWIIQWPMOIMXXEOIWJSVIZIV%R%TMIGI
[SYPHTVSFEFP]XEOIEFSYX½ZISVWM\LSYVWSJGSRWXERX[SVO
although I do a bit each day.
The fungi caps are machine embroidered on a
dissolvable base, which depending on the fungi
might be one colour or two or three. The gills
underneath are also machine embroidered.
The stalks are paper but dyed and some are stitched, with tattered
and distressed silks to give the gills of the fungi their texture.
Which is your favourite piece?
My favourite piece is about 16 inches tall and is a branch-like piece
of bark with parachute mushrooms circling around it and is in a
giant glass tube like a specimen. It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done
and I feel it’s a culmination of all the techniques I’ve learned to date.
What tool or material is essential in your practice?
Dissolvable fabric is vital. According to how much of the fabric you
let dissolve away, you can mould the piece into a shape that holds.
How long have you been creating fungi and bark?
For about nine years. I have a fear of failure so I’ve never really
done any big shows before. There was an open call for the Future
Icons show in London in May, and friends and family said: ‘Just apply.
What have you got to lose?’ so I did and I was accepted.
Did that bring fresh opportunities?
I sold quite a few things and I’m in talks with a customer who
would like something on a large scale. It also spurred me on to
having a stand at the Knitting & Stitching Show London this year.
What does working in textiles give you that other media might not?
I love textiles because you have the choice of two- or three-
dimensions and can mould pieces. I love the feel, it’s just a beautiful
medium to work with. I’ve seen mushrooms recreated in ceramics
and paper but I don’t think anything can give you that gorgeous
realistic look that textiles can.
What has fuelled your interest in fungi and woodlands?
I don’t just create fungi, I create twigs, bark and little acorn cups, to
name a few. I think it’s just the beauty of woodlands; mushrooms
are a magical part of that and the variety is neverending.
What is the most useful thing anyone has ever said to you?
That it is OK to make mistakes and get things wrong as that is what
will make my creativity unique.
What would you like to be doing in 10 years?
-[SYPHPMOIXSLEZITVSKVIWWIHERHKEMRIHMRGSR½HIRGIIRSYKL
to teach others and give them the opportunity to develop their
own creativty. e
Clairedewitte.co.uk Instagram @claireytales
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 41
 making the papers
ELEANOR BURKETT HAS A DEEP APPRECIATION OF
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„y§§0ª ÇÀ²ÀXÀ!R0²àXÀR§§0ªÀ„„
MY INTEREST IN PAPER began after a trip to Hayle Mill in Kent
while an art student on the embroidery course at Goldsmiths
College. I witnessed cotton and linen rags being shredded and
pulped and was captivated by the beautiful sheets of rag paper which
resulted. Encouraged by Audrey Walker and Michael Brennand-Wood,
I spent the next two years manipulating pulp and making ‘paper’.
Depending on how it was dried, it was either three-dimensional
SV¾EXMXGSYPHTMGOYTERMQTVIWWMSRFIPIEXLIVLEVHWSJXJVEKMPI
SVVSFYWX-[EWSRISJXLI½VWXWXYHIRXWXSYWITETIVEWEXI\XMPI
QIHMYQ[MXLMRXLIHITEVXQIRXERH[EWHVE[RXSXLI[SVOSJ½RI
artists such as Harry Thubron, Joel Fisher, Kurt Schwitters, Mark Tobey
and in a broader sense, the ‘material’ language of artists such as Joseph
Beuys and Magdalena Abakanowicz.
My work is, and was, largely process-led and ideas and outcomes
evolve through making and the often slow and repetitive techniques
I use.The print department supplied me with off-cuts of rag paper
which I tore up and supplemented with old shredded rags and I
could, through papermaking, construct both the ‘mould’ and ‘material’
I worked with. By altering the rag composition of the paper I made
it either a surface to stitch and work into, with hand and machine
stitching, a material which could be cast or a surface on which to paint
or print. Paper bridges my interest in materials and textile processes,
and print and mark-making form the language I often use.
I discovered books about Japan along the way in the college library,
and my passion for the material culture of Japan began at this point. I
was to discover techniques normally associated with textiles in Japan,
and not surprisingly travelled to Fukushima and Tokyo where I lived
and worked for three years from 1980.
42 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
My work, therefore, is best understood through an appreciation of the
paper textiles associated with the Tohoku region of Northern Japan
where I was based.The unique quality of the paper from this region
is a result of the abundance of clear, fresh mountain streams and long
cold winters that provide essential conditions for the growth of strong
OS^STETIVQYPFIVV]½FVIW(VMZIRF]RIGIWWMX]ERHMREVIEW[LIVIMX
was too cold to grow cotton, strong washi was used to make paper
garments called kamiko, or cut into strips to make paper thread and
woven into a cloth called shifu. I view my practice as a contemporary
response to the traditions of shifu and kamiko. (1)
6I[SVOIHTMIGIWSRQ]VIXYVRXSXLI9/EJXIVXLMW½VWXZMWMXLEZI
recently been exhibited in the Stitch by Stitch exhibition at the Willow
Gallery, Oswestry (2) and further work from this time will be shown in
an exhibition called Unearthed at Gallery 57, Arundel. (3)
My palette and canvas, then as now, is paper, and as I piece together
sheets of rag and recycled paper that I made on my return I create
and control this leathery surface. Stitched marks are applied to join
JVEKQIRXWXSKIXLIVSVXSHI½RIXVEGISVIGLSEWLETI8LIWIWMQTPI
whipping and running stitches add surface texture and strength, and
often reference visible methods of joining and repair which appeal
so much to textile artists but which for many Japanese viewers hold
memories of an impoverished past they would rather forget. (4) I view
the simple running stitches and repetitive marks I employ as the visible
XVEGOWERHXVEGIWSJEPMJIXMQISJMR¾YIRGIWJVSQ.ETER
A pivotal moment in the development of recent work was a research
visit I made to Japan in 2019 to coincide with an exhibition at The
Paper Museum in Tokyo called Shiroishi Washi, Shifu and Kamiko.
Viewing paper sheets and artefacts, similar to some in my own
 first person

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 43


collection, on display in a museum cabinet, and talking to craftspeople
struggling in their quest to keep traditional processes alive, I realised
that much of what I witnessed 40 years ago in Tohoku, North East
Japan, has been consigned to history. I revisited the papermaking
region near Fukushima which had made such a deep impression on
QIERHRS[[SVOI\GPYWMZIP][MXLXLIMVVIQEMRMRKWXVSRK½RITETIVW
Following this pre-pandemic visit, opportunities to continue
conversations about washi, shifu and kamiko on my return to the
UK, with the aid of a translator, were compelling and I had many
online and email ‘conversations’ with two of my former teachers
in Fukushima, now in their 90s, and a retired papermaker from
Kamikawasaki, a small former papermaking village near Fukushima.
These opportunities have had the dual purpose of refreshing my
art practice but have also given me a platform to share unique and
endangered Japanese paper textile techniques with a wider audience.
A recent Professional Development Award from The Textile Society
(textilesociety.org.uk) has given me the opportunity to delve more
deeply into the roots of this interest. Conversations about Shifu will
be presented via the society in the autumn and through exhibitions of
related work in and on paper.
I have once again returned to making paper thread, kami-ito, as this
enables me to control the nature, strength and weight of thread and
marks I apply to paper or fabric. I often use stitch to couch thicker
‘paper threads’ to a background and if the couching thread is paper
too (often a commercial paper thread does the job), so much the
better. All elements must be in balance, be able to ‘breathe’ and
be in harmony. At times washi paper is slashed and hand-rolled to
reveal glimpses of calligraphic script. For stronger thread required for
weaving or stitching, paper is folded, cut and rubbed on a concrete
block before the resulting thread is spun and dyed.
Each process has a particular appeal. As I slash, crumple and twist
TETIV-VIGEPPTSTYPEVQ]XLWERHPIKIRHWVIPE]IHXSQISJTETIV
44 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
Page 42: Pages of a Book (detail); Page 43: Arabesque and Chrysanthemum II.
ĵłʼnĸĹŅłŀĹĴŅĿĸչс ĿĸĴŁłŅ ňŅľĸŇŇĻĴŁķфŀĴľļŁĺŃĴŃĸŅŇĻŅĸĴķтĻłŇłĵŌ
łĵĴŅŅļņрĴŁķфŅłĿĿļŁĺŃĴŃĸŅŇĻŅĸĴķтĻłŇłĵŌłĵĴŅŅļņр ňŇŃĴŃĸŅņ
ĹŅłŀŇĻĸŃŅļŁŇĸķŃłĸŀPunting to IslipпĺļʼnĸŁŇł ĿĸĴŁłŅĵŌŇĻĸĿķĶĻłłĿ
ŅĸņņрłĿĿĸķŃĴĺĸņłĹŇĻĸŃŅļŁŇĸķŃłĸŀPunting to Islipт ĸĿłŊĿĸչсĻļĹňĴŁķ
ŇĻŅĸĴķņĴŀŃĿĸņĹŅłŀĴŃĴŁĸņĸŀĴľĸŅņтĻłŇłĵŌłĵĴŅŅļņ
being cut, rubbed into strips and used by spies or lovers to convey
hidden messages.The concept of hidden, indecipherable or secret
text often recurs in my work and encompasses Latin script as well as
Japanese writing systems.
The formation of ideas is a laborious one, involving much
experimentation before an idea ‘works’ and materials and processes
connect to ideas and concepts. Sometimes this takes months
to resolve and on other occasions it occurs unexpectedly.The
Japanese concept mottainai, is one I heard my Japanese teachers
referring to on many occasions. Hard to precisely translate, it
expresses regret at the idea, or actual process, of something being
wasted and also describes repurposing things that are too good
to throw away. I have returned to using ‘broke’ (the waste from
the printing process) and now fashion it into a new form and the
Japanese recycling bin is offering a rich source of material.
In the writing of a book entitled Washi Memories (5) I have been given
discarded kozo papers, some 40 to 50 years old, along with redundant
compliment slips extolling the strength and purity of michinoku-
gami, paper from the Deep North, which sadly is no longer being
widely produced. Beautiful test sheets, rescued from the bin, have
also been donated by a calligraphy teacher. Closer to home, the Old
School Press, who are hand-printing this limited edition book, have
donated waste sheets of a poem, Punting to Islip, written by Eddie
Flintoff, printed many years ago on Japanese kozo paper to mimic the
meandering river.The poetry of paper and the printed word take on a
new form as they are slashed, rubbed and rolled into ‘thread’.
This paper textile dialogue is limitless and conversations and work are
set to continue… e
Eleanor Burkett
www.eleanorburkett.com
instagram ellieburkett_london
Eleanor can be contacted for workshops, demonstrations and talks at
ellie@burkett.me.uk
Although produced in other papermaking regions of Northern Japan,
the techniques of shifu and kamiko are most famously associated with
the city of Shiroishi near Sendai. The fashion designer Issey Miyake
used paper from Shiroishi for his 1982 Kamiko collection.
1. A kamiko outer garment by Wazigen Shizukuya was included in a man’s ensemble in
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk at the V&A 2020.
2.The exhibition Stitch by Stitch was featured in Embroidery July/August 2023.
3. Unearthed is at Gallery 57 Arundel from 30 September to 23 December.
4. Popularly known in textile circles here as ‘boro’, I did not hear old patched cloth being
described in this way in Japan when I lived there, although the concept mottainai, ‘too good
to waste’, was frequently used and is explained at the end of the article.
5. Washi Memories will be available in the autumn. Printed by The Old School Press, it is a
limited hand-set edition of 150, with black and white photographs from the 1950s. It includes
11 papers that were once made in the area and the voices of papermakers past and present.
 open book

TACKLING TEXTILE PORTRAITS

If you’ve thought about stitching a textile portrait but don’t
know where to start, Anne Kelly’s book could be just the thing

‘You can’t sit around and wait for

somebody to say who you are.
You need to write it and paint it and do it.’
FAITH RINGGOLD, INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTIST

THIS IS MY favourite quote from my new book Textile Portraits,

published on 14 September by Batsford Books. The original idea
for this book was inspired by teaching and project work for my
solo exhibition Well Travelled, which was shown at Ruthin Crafts
Centre in 2021 and earlier this year at the Harley Foundation
Gallery in Welbeck, Nottinghamshire.
I was making more work involving portraiture and wanted to
share some of my experiences of how to begin, plus thoughts
and motivation for this most challenging of genres. The book
FIKMRW[MXLEGLETXIVSRWIPJTSVXVEMXWGEPPIH7IP½IWEX,SQI
and demonstrates how to make a simple self portrait, beginning
with a line drawing, colour matching and compositional elements.
Portraits can capture intimate and celebratory moments,
express emotions and thoughts and as always, I have been
supported by a very talented array of contributors to the book,
including some well-known artists, as well as emerging artists and
makers. I have focused on artists who use expression, colour and
materials to create their work, rather than a strictly photographic
approach, making with intention and meaning.
Remembering family occasions, holidays and shared experiences
provided some exciting and enriching subject matter. Sketches
completed on holidays years ago resurfaced and were included
in new work. I have found stitching portraits and memories to
be comforting in challenging times and and a help in navigating I have taught this and the portrait theme as workshops this year
through bereavements. and students are always surprised at how successful their work
Increasingly, debate and discussion in the art and textile art worlds using these themes can be.
has moved towards the importance of representation and culture I wanted to create a non-intimidating environment where readers
in approaching work. I chose that as the title for my second chapter and practitioners would be able to tackle the theme, using a range
to highlight themes of identity, women’s work, plus historical and of approaches and techniques to make portraiture accessible.
religious issues. My large artwork incorporating portraits of my Portraits in textile work enable us to tell stories in new ways.
family, including past and present members, called Europeans, I was delighted to show a selection of works from the book at
is featured in this chapter. the Timeless Textiles Gallery in Australia earlier this year in a show
The third chapter looks at stylised imagery, and doll-making which called Portrait Pieces. One of my larger pieces from the book,
is very popular among textile artists. Different approaches and Summer Camp Blanket, was shown at
styles are what make this art form special and there are examples the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham
ranging from traditional to the more abstract explored here. This in August and another selection of
focus on the evocative and nostalgic seemed to naturally lead my portraiture will feature in Forty,
into an exploration of place and time, using and incorporating a retrospective and book launch
photographs into our work. exhibition at the Batsford Gallery,
-RXLI½JXLGLETXIV2EVVEXMZIW-GSRXMRYIXLIXLIQISJREVVEXMZI London in October. e
imagery and using personal ephemera and memories to create Anne Kelly
work. This was also inspired by my Park Walk Books from the Ruthin
Craft Centre exhibition. Throughout the making of Textile Portraits, Textile Portraits by Anne Kelly
I have been inspired by other artists’ and students’ approaches to is available to pre-order and is
published in September
expressing their emotions and thoughts in cloth.
batsfordbooks.com
8LI½REPGLETXIVMWEFSYXTIXWERHERMQEPWMRWTMVIHF]XLI
GSRRIGXMSRWXLEXJEQMP]JVMIRHWERHWXYHIRXWFIRI½XIHJVSQHYVMRK For details of Anne Kelly’s
the Covid pandemic. For people intimidated by representing forthcoming exhibitions visit
human faces, this can be a good place to start. annekellytextiles.com

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 45

 SHARING HONOURS
AND BURDENS
To enter the world of Native American and Alaska
Native artists is to tread lightly in the footsteps of
their ancestors, as a new exhibition reveals
Q SHARING HONORS and Burdens
is the latest in the Renwick Invitational
series, which showcases emerging
and under-recognised artists. On
show at the Smithsonian American
Art Museum, the exhibition features
JSVXLI½VWXXMQIEPP2EXMZI%QIVMGER
and Alaska Native artists. Describing
the exhibitors as ‘artists of American
craft’, the exhibition programme, in
association with the University of
Washington Press, bypasses the thorny
issue of what can be considered craft
and what is art.These works are both.
Sharing Honors and Burdens poses
the questions: what do we carry with
us, literally and metaphorically? How
and why do we carry it? We can be
burdened by grief, by our personal
histories and by history writ large.
Yet some kinds of burdens can be
precious to us.There is a tendency
to think of ‘honours’ as recognition
bestowed on individuals by institutions.
But, many of these works arise from
46 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
traditions of making that are essential
to honouring family, community or
clan and require broad community
practices.The continuation of craft
traditions is a cherished responsibility.
Artists, weavers and sisters, Lily Hope
and Ursala Hudson are members
of a separate sovereign nation: the
Tlingit tribe of Alaska.The ‘Chilkat’ and
‘Ravenstail’ textiles they weave are
QSVIXLERNYWXEVX[SVOWXLI]GEVV]
entire ways of Tlingit knowing. Learning
Tlingit weaving from their mother,
renowned Chilkat weaver Clarissa
Rizal (1956–2016), the sisters create
[SVOWXLEXVI¾IGXGPERVIPEXMSRWLMTW
gendered labor and the Tlingit values
of reciprocity and balance.
Hope and Hudson seek to maintain
the practice of Chilkat and Ravenstail
weaving, which they describe as their
'heartwork’ – their lives’ purpose.
Hudson says: ‘It is such a blessing to
continue these art forms traditionally.
And it’s a blessing to get to see how
they’re changing. And it’s a burden to
have to try to go back and adhere to
the traditional teachings and traditional
purpose of weaving these, and try to
carry it forward in the right way.’
Hope agrees, adding: ‘It’s not a
burden to go back and weave them
in the traditional way, as much as it
is a burden to move forward while
carrying the teachings with integrity.’
Chilkat and Ravenstail textiles take
hundreds of hours to make, and
require many years of training,
research, perseverance and dedication
to master. Evidence of the incredible
amount of work involved is present
in every piece by Hope and Hudson.
Though the two forms of weaving
may appear similar, Chilkat weavings
GERFIMHIRXM½IHXLVSYKLXLIYWISJ
curvilinear shapes and images that are
distinct to northern Northwest coast
native artwork. Ravenstail weavings
employ geometric designs, based on
intricate mathematical patterns.
Another way to distinguish the two
techniques is to identify the material
of the warp, or the threads that run
vertically through a weaving. At the
risk of oversimplifying, Ravenstail warp
generally contains mostly wool, while
Chilkat warp is a blend of wool and
cedar ‘threads’, or strands of the inner
cadmium layer of cedar bark.
Lily Hope, whose Tlingit name is
Wooshkindein Da.áat, uses the Chilkat
technique to create artworks that are
tied together with a message of care.
Her Chilkat Protector series of woven
facemasks offers a way of caring for
present-day kin and community, while
other artworks touch on caring for
ancestors. With the backdrop of
the COVID-19 pandemic, Hope’s
facemask series emphasises our
responsibility to care for one another
during times of change and turmoil.
Native communities experienced
disproportionate loss, sickness and
death during the pandemic. Hope
acknowledges and documents this
moment in global history, while also
using her work to draw on themes
of LGBTQIA+ awareness, ancestral
Indigenous protectors and the Black
Lives Matter movement.
Hope’s contemporary works in textile
and paper collage weave together
Ravenstail and Chilkat design and
she is one of few living designers of
ceremonial dancing blankets. She is
particularly involved in passing down
knowledge via teaching and lecturing
and has mentored her sister, Ursala.
Like her sister, Ursala Hudson (or to
use her Tlingit name Kadusné) is of
Caucasian, Filipino and Alaska Native
descent. Drawing on a graphic design
background, Hudson crafts woven
Tlingit couture with innovative designs
that break from traditional Chilkat
and Ravenstail styles of weaving.
Her intricate garments blur the lines
between custom and high fashion
and elevate the strength, beauty
and resilience of the women who
wear them. Despite being a relative
newcomer, she has won many awards. e
Sharing Honors and Burdens: Renwick
Invitational 2023, Smithsonian American
Art Museum,Washington, DC, USA.
Until 31 March 2024.
americanart.si.edu
 overseas

Page 46: We Are the OceanѼҳұҳҲѽĵŌŅņĴĿĴňķņłŁт

łĿĿĴŅсŀĸŅļŁłпņļĿľпņŇĸĸĿĶłŁĸņпĿĸĴŇĻĸŅрWoman As Wave
ŅłĵĸсŇĻļĺĻфņŃňŁŀĸŅļŁłĴŁķĶĸķĴŅĵĴŅľŊļŇĻņļĿľрTidal
ĴŃŅłŁсŀĸŅļŁłпņļĿľпĿĸĴŇĻĸŅпņŇĸĸĿĶłŁĸņпĴŁķĸŁĶĸĿт
łŀĸŁяņņļōĸҷпĴŇļłŁĴĿňņĸňŀłĹŇĻĸ ŀĸŅļĶĴŁ
ŁķļĴŁпŀļŇĻņłŁļĴŁŁņŇļŇňŇļłŁтňŅĶĻĴņĸķŊļŇĻņňŃŃłŅŇ
ĹŅłŀłŅķłňŁķĴŇļłŁпҳҸѪҸѪҲҸтĻłŇłĵŌĴĻĿļĿňķņłŁт
ĴĺĸҵҸпĶĿłĶľŊļņĸĹŅłŀŇłŃĿĸչсDouble Raven Chilkat
Dancing BlanketѼҳұҳұѽĵŌļĿŌłŃĸĴŁķļĶľŌĴĺĴĵĴŁ
ѼĿļŁĺļŇѽпŇĻļĺĻфņŃňŁŀĸŅļŁłŊłłĿĴŁķĶĸķĴŅĵĴŅľŊļŇĻĹňŅп
ҶҲļŁԵҶҵļŁԵҳļŁт łĿĿĸĶŇļłŁłĹ ĸŇņŌĴŇĻĴŁĸт
ĻłŇłĵŌňĶļĴĴŅŇļŁłт
Lightening at DawnѼҳұҳҲѽĵŌŅņĴĿĴňķņłŁт łķļĶĸс
ŀĸŅļŁłпņļĿľпĿĸĴŇĻĸŅпĴŁķŃĿĴņŇļĶĵłŁļŁĺрĵĴĺсŀĸŅļŁł
ĴŁķĿĸĴŇĻĸŅрʼnļŁŇĴĺĸŊłłĿĻĴŇсŀĸŅļŁłпņļĿľпĹĸĴŇĻĸŅпĴŁķ
ŀłŇĻĸŅфłĹфŃĸĴŅĿтłŀĸŁяņņļōĸҷт łňŅŇĸņŌłĹŇĻĸĴŅŇļņŇт
ĻłŇłĵŌĴĻĿļĿňķņłŁт
Tideland Warrior ѼҳұҳҲѽĵŌŅņĴĿĴňķņłŁпĻĸĴķŃļĸĶĸс
ŀĸŅļŁłпĹĸĴŇĻĸŅņĴŁķŀłŇĻĸŅłĹŃĸĴŅĿрņĻĴŊĿсŀĸŅļŁłпņļĿľп
ŀłňŁŇĴļŁĺłĴŇĹňŅпĴŁķŀłŇĻĸŅфłĹфŃĸĴŅĿрŊŅĴŃсŀĸŅļŁłп
ņļĿľпĿĸĴŇĻĸŅпĴŁķĸŁĶĸĿтłŀĸŁяņņļōĸҷт łňŅŇĸņŌłĹ
ĴŅŇļņŇтĻłŇłĵŌĴĻĿļĿňķņłŁт
ŁņĸŇсClarissa’s Fire DishѼҳұҳҲѽĵŌļĿŌłŃĸпĶĸķĴŅĵĴŅľ
ĴŁķŀĸŅļŁłпҲҴļŁԵҸļŁԵҲтҶļŁтĻĸłŃĸĴŀļĿŌŅňņŇт
ĻłŇłĵŌŌķŁĸŌ ľĴĺļт
Memorial BeatsѼҳұҳҲѽĵŌļĿŌłŃĸпŇĻļĺĻфņŃňŁŀĸŅļŁłп
ĶĸķĴŅĵĴŅľŊļŇĻĶłŃŃĸŅпĻĸĴķŃĻłŁĸņпĴňķļłձĿĸņп
ҲҷļŁԵҵļŁԵҲұļŁтĻĸłŃĸĴŀļĿŌŅňņŇт
ĻłŇłĵŌŌķŁĸŌ ľĴĺļт

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 47

 ĿłĶľŊļņĸĹŅłŀŇłŃĿĸչс
ĵĴĵŌņŊĴķķĿĸķļŁľĻĴŀĴľĿļŁĸŁņр
ŁŇŅļĶĴŇĸľĻĴŀĴľĸŀĵŅłļķĸŅŌļŁĺłĿķр
ŅĴķļŇļłŁĴĿľĻĴŀĴľĵňŅńĴņр
ŀĵŅłļķĸŅĸķŀĸŁєņŇňŁļĶт
PHOTOS BY JOE COCA

FROM EMBROIDERING WITHIN BOUNDARIES BY RANGINA HAMIDI AND MARY LITTRELL. SCHIFFER PUBLISHING, 2017. PHOTOGRAPHER, JOE COCA.

48 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

 overseas
kandahar
treasure
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F
or centuries, Afghanistan has produced exquisite regional art ancient art and the traditional designs that were lost during decades
works, including rugs, jewellery, pottery and embroidery.The SJGSR¾MGXMR%JKLERMWXER
women of Southern Afghanistan have practised and perfected The goal of KT is to give value to the art of khamak embroidery,
one such art form, the rare and unique embroidery called khamak carrying with it not only history but tradition and the voice of women
(pronounced kha-mahk). Girls learn this technique when young, some in Kandahar. In highly illiterate and politically unstable societies like
mastering their skills as early as 10 years old, and they continue to Afghanistan, this art form substitutes women’s expression that would
practice it throughout their lives. otherwise be written in poems or stories. Kandahari Khamak is the
Afghan women must learn to embroider and tailor to create clothing story of the women of Kandahar creating beauty and peace in the
for themselves, their children and the men of their household. A midst of instability.The resistance from these women is to continue
set of khamak linens is a requirement for a bridal trousseau and XSWXMXGLXLIMVHVIEQWERHPIKEGMIW[LMPIIEVRMRKEHMKRM½IHMRGSQI
baby garments, and women often embroider home textiles, special to support their children and families.The women understand and
SGGEWMSRSYX½XWERH[VETWERHXYRMGWJSVQIRMRXLIMVJEQMPMIW2SX depend on the transformative power of their needles and threads.
LEZMRKXLI½RERGMEPPMFIVX]XLEX[SQIREGVSWWXLIKPSFIQMKLXLEZI Since its inception, KT has provided employment opportunities to
women in Kandahar have long used their skill of embroidery to create over 1,000 women who not only preserve the tradition of khamak
beautiful products they can gift to their friends and family. In Southern but also sustain their families through their needles.This cooperative
%JKLERMWXER[SQIRVIP]SRQIRXSFIXLII\LMFMXSVWSJXLIMV½RI is helping to rebuild Afghanistan’s economy by contributing to its
art, and these men have learned to publicly ‘show-off ’ the superb infrastructure of production and empowering women to lead their
IQFVSMHIVIH[SVOIWTIGMEPP]XLIVIKMSR´WWXVMOMRK¾SSVPIRKXLWLE[PW families into a more peaceful and prosperous future, even when
Inspired by complex Islamic geometric patterns, circumstances seem dire. When Afghanistan fell
khamak is unique to Kandahar and is considered ‘Inspired by complex to the Taliban in 2021, it seemed that KT might
F]EVXI\TIVXWXSFISRISJXLI[SVPH´W½RIWX Islamic geometric become one of the casualties. Remarkably, the
embroidery techniques. It is an intricate form of organisation was able to continue operating from
embroidery worked in silk thread – a counted thread patterns, khamak is their compound in the heart of Kandahar, providing
XIGLRMUYI[SVOIHJVIILERHSZIV½RITPEMR[IEZI unique to Kandahar’ HMKRM½IH[SVOERHJEMV[EKIWJSV[SQIREVXMWERW/8
cloth. Khamak involves tiny satin stitches in intricate pays artisans upon completion, not upon the sale of
geometric designs that echo the tile-work of traditional Islamic ½RMWLIHTVSHYGXWXLMWMWIWTIGMEPP]MQTSVXERX[LIRXVERWTSVXEXMSRERH
architecture.Traditional khamak includes natural themes such as ½RERGMEPWXVYGXYVIWMRXLIGSYRXV]EVIYRTVIHMGXEFPIERHWPS[
¾S[IVWPIEZIWERHXVIIWIQFVSMHIVIHMRXSXLIKISQIXVMGWLETIWSJ Thanks to a grant from the US Department of State awarded to KT’s
Islamic art.The women of Kandahar creatively combine natural and RSRTVS½XTEVXRIV-FY*SYRHEXMSR/8LEWFIIRKMZIREJVIWLMR¾Y\
geometric shapes to create patterns much like their ancestors did, of resources, training opportunities and hope. When Mrs Hamidi
without using pen or mark to guide their stitch and so staying true to returned to Afghanistan at the beginning of 2023 – against the advice
the freeform embroidery technique. of friends and colleagues who feared the country’s high-risk travel
In recent violent decades in Afghanistan, which caused mass migration advisory – she met with business leaders, tailors, and embroiderers
across borders, this centuries-old art form began to experience in KT’s network of 180 artisans.The local response to her trip, during
the threat of becoming an endangered tradition because of new which she brought news of the grant and plans for the enterprise’s
priorities. Women had to learn to survive in new environments and near future, was overwhelmingly positive. Over and over, she was told
manage crises all the time. Little room was left for creativity. And, that her courageous trip to Afghanistan gave both women and men
with globalisation, machine embroidery that looks similar but is made hope for the future of their country and families.
for a fraction of the cost has created strong competition. Burqas, The artisans of KT continue to create products for sale both locally
traditionally embroidered with love by hand in Afghanistan, are now and internationally.Their local shop brings in small but steady revenue
largely outsourced to mass producers in China.The inorganic Afghan for the enterprise, while partnerships with organisations such as
economy that primarily depended on foreign aid from the years Global Goods Partners and Ibu Movement increase their market
XSIREFPIH%JKLERWXSMRZIWXMR½RILERHIQFVSMHIVIH abroad.The US team overseeing the grant-funded programme hopes
attire or houseware products. Unfortunately, as the economic to launch e-commerce within the year so KT can sell their unique
transition took place after the United States pulled out of Afghanistan products to individuals around the globe. Support for the work and
in August 2021, the priorities of Afghans in the country changed. women of KT has been overwhelming, while praise for the products
An unstable national economy has made the purchase of expensive has been wholly positive. Customer Laurie Hammer wrote: 'I have
hand-embroidered pieces almost non-existent. seen a lot of beautiful textiles…but the embroideries from the
Khamak has long been one of the few ways women have been able extremely talented women of Kandahar Treasure surpass them all'. e
to earn money in this conservative region, whether restricted by Kandahar Treasure will debut at the Islamic Society of North America’s
laws or cultural norms. Since 2008, Kandahar Treasure (KT), a social National Convention in September.You can purchase their khamak pieces
IRXIVTVMWIVYRF]ERHJSVXLIFIRI½XSJ[SQIRMRXLI/ERHELEV there and from several online stores.
VIKMSRLEWLIPTIHXSVIZMZIERHWYWXEMRXLIEVXSJOLEQEO½RH Read the full story of Kandahar Treasure in Embroidering Within
markets for women’s work and raise the quality of the pieces through Boundaries by Rangina Hamidi and Mary Littrell, Schiffer, 2017.
technical and business training. Founded in 2008 by former Afghan kandahartreasure.com
education minister Rangina Hamidi, KT has worked hard to revive this Instagram @kandahartreasure

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 49

 I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANNA
Zig-a-Zag-ah
Dr Jack Roberts is something of an Instagram pin-up
for machine embroidery, keeping it simple using zig-zag stitch
but achieving tactile artworks with fascinating surfaces

QDR JACK ROBERTS, aka JPR Stitch, sews
every day. ‘It’s part of the process for me,’ says
Roberts. ‘It rebalances me and sets me off well
for the day. Some people use meditation or
yoga, I sew.’Yet rather than opting for the kind of
serenity usually associated with sewing by hand,
Roberts’ textile practice is, in fact, machine-
driven. By way of explanation he adds: ‘I see
my sewing machine as a tool. I’ve never felt
comfortable drawing with a pencil or painting
with a paint brush, but sitting down at my
sewing machine I’m more at ease with creating.’
Likening it to making a continuous line, he began
using machine sewing as a method of drawing
when he was an undergraduate at Staffordshire
University. ‘It translates what I want to do and
what’s in my mind into a visual format.The
machine makes one draw in a slightly inverted
way, so that rather than moving a pencil across
a sheet of paper, you draw by moving the fabric
through the machine.’ For Roberts it’s also
about letting loose some control and allowing
an element of spontaneity and freedom into
the making process: ‘It’s not that the machine is
taking over, it’s more that it’s playing with your
control. It’s more of a dance.’
Admitting to feeling ‘exposed’ when engaging in
more traditional art forms, Roberts describes

50 EMBROIDERY September October 2023


textiles as his ‘safe place’. ‘Because I’ve been
doing machine embroidery for so long, I
know the mechanics of it. If a needle breaks it
doesn’t pull me out of that calm experience.’
An owner of two identical, domestic-use,
Janome machines, Roberts’ needs are modest
ones. ‘I looked at industrial and computerised
machines but to be honest they didn’t really
add much to the process. All I’m interested in
is being able to add an embroidery foot, to
drop the feed dog and to use a zig-zag stitch.
I’m not interested in speed.’
Embracing the practical restrictions of
working with a domestic-size machine (such
as their lack of a long arm, which determines
the size of fabric with which he can sew),
Roberts sees such limitations as adding a
‘certain structure to the process’.
Akin to the practices of other machine
embroiderers, such as Alice Kettle and Rosie
James, where the machine could be said
to be an extension of themselves, Roberts’
relationship with his sewing machine is an
intuitive, almost sensual one.
‘Sound and touch are really important
when I’m sewing.You can feel and hear it
when something is a little bit clunky.That’s
profile
‘Sewing
rebalances me
and sets me off
well for the day.
Some people use
meditation or
yoga, I sew’
ĴŅĿĸչс ŅĴĶľłĵĸŅŇņŃļĶŇňŅĸķ
ŊļŇĻĴĶłŀŃļĿĴŇļłŁĴŅŇŊłŅľļŁ
ĸĶĸŀĵĸŅҳұҳҲ
ĸչсłĵĸŅŇņķłĸņŁяŇŁĴŀĸĻļņļŀĴĺĸņ
ĵňŇķĴŇĸņŇĻĸŀļŁņŇĸĴķтļĶŇňŅĸķļņĴ
ķĸŇĴļĿņĻłŇłĹҲҵѪұҹѪҳҳ
ĸĿłŊсĻĸņĴŀĸŊłŅľłŁҳұѪұҹѪҳҳ
ņĻłŊļŁĺŇĻĸŃŅłĺŅĸņņļłŁ
why I work with a mechanical rather than a
computerised machine, I can take it apart, I’ve
done it many times.’
For all his current ‘at-home’, sewing machine-
PIHGSRXIRXQIRX6SFIVXW´VSYXIXS½RHMRK
his artistic métier has been a circuitous one.
‘I’ve always made art in the background
FYX-WXVYKKPIHXS½RHQ]ZSMGIEWEREVXMWX´
With a foundation degree in contemporary
arts practice, an MA in arts and museum
management and a PhD that looked at the
relationship between artists and galleries,
it’s unsurprising that, up until 2021, Roberts’
career was bound up in art dealing, arts
administration and teaching. With no regret,
Roberts regards his past professional life as a
JYP½PPMRKSRI³-VIEPP]IRNS]IH[SVOMRK[MXLMR
community arts. Facilitating their creativity
[EWEJYP½PPMRKTVSGIWW%RH-EGXYEPP]XLMROMX
upskilled me as an artist.’
As with so many artists, the Covid-19
lockdown imposed a seismic change on
Roberts’ working life, and in 2021 he decided
to concentrate on his artistic practice full-
time. ‘It was that whole stopping, that getting
off the treadmill, that gave me an opportunity
XSVI¾IGXSR[LEX-[ERXIHXSHS-HIGMHIH
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 51

ŅĴĶľłĵĸŅŇņŃłņŇņŃļĶŇňŅĸņłĹĻļŀņĸĿĹĴŇ
ŊłŅľłŁŁņŇĴĺŅĴŀĸʼnĸŅŌķĴŌпŊĻļĶĻņĻłŊĻļŀ
ņŇļŇĶĻļŁĺŀĴļŁĿŌļŁĻļņĺĴŅķĸŁтĸņĴŌņ łʼnļķ
ĿłĶľķłŊŁņļŁշňĸŁĶĸķĻļņķĸĶļņļłŁŇłĵĸĶłŀĸĴ
ĹňĿĿфŇļŀĸĴŅŇļņŇтĻļņŊłŅľķĴŇĸņĹŅłŀұҴѪұҷѪҳҴп
ŊļŇĻŇĻĸļŀĴĺĸņņĻłŊļŁĺĵłĿķĶłĿłňŅŊłŅľĴŁķ
ŇĻĸķĸŁņĸņňŅĹĴĶĸņŇĻĴŇŅĸņňĿŇĹŅłŀĻļņňŁļńňĸ
ŀĴĶĻļŁĸōļĺфōĴĺņŇļŇĶĻļŁĺŀĸŇĻłķ
to step back and focus on my practice.’ After
three months of ‘procrastinating’ and trying
to decide ‘what my art actually was’ Roberts
began making in earnest.
Though one can see (particularly in some
of his early pieces) echoes of the shapes,
colours and iconography of the post-war
prints that he used to deal in, such as those
by Victor Pasmore and Barbara Hepworth,
Roberts denies any such direct, overtly
JSVQEPEVXMWXMGMR¾YIRGI
‘I spent a lot of time the summer before the
lockdown walking on the South Coast, so
I think the organic shapes of the landscape
probably seeped into what I was doing.’
52 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
‘Roberts is now a habitual Instagram
user, daily posting videos and
photographs of himself working at his
machine, mostly in his garden’
Though essentially free-form in the way he
draws with his sewing machine, Roberts’
approach to size, materials and display is a
formulaic one. Eschewing sketchbooks, which
he claims ‘make me overthink things’, the
rest of his working process is essentially an
‘unplanned’ one. ‘I cut the fabric, pick one
coloured cotton and begin sewing. I usually
begin sewing in the bottom left-hand corner,
more of out of habit than anything else, and
XLIR-NYWXWII[LIVIXLIWI[MRKXEOIWQI%
pattern usually emerges.’
Working with a buckram-like cloth, which he
describes as ‘rather like interfacing’, Roberts’
choice of the type of yarn is a relatively
limited one. ‘I get quite a lot of thread
donated to me – sometimes it’s cotton, or
polyester and sometimes it’s vintage. I’ve got
a bookshelf in my studio full of thread cones,
all stacked up on top of each other.That way
all the colours are visible to me.’
Not unlike a canvas made heavy with
impasto-ed paint, Roberts’ textile works
are ‘exceedingly thick’. ‘I sew with a leather
needle because it’s got a sharp edge so it
pierces the fabric much easier.’
Roberts is not averse to cutting away
elements of an artwork and reworking it. ‘I
put another piece of fabric in and sew into it.
You can never tell where the piece has been
cut because the embroidery blends it back in.’
With over 53,000 followers, Roberts is now
a habitual Instagram user, daily posting videos
and photographs of himself working at his
machine, mostly in his garden. But he hasn’t
always been a fan. ‘It sounds ridiculous now,
but initially it was quite unnatural to me.’
Initially using it as a discipline that forced him
to prioritise his practice, it seems to have
become an essential part of his working
process: ‘It’s a diary, a daily record of what
I’m thinking and doing.’ It’s also a means of
selling work, predominantly to America. He
comments: ‘My clients have mostly come
from Instagram, or they’ve seen my work in
magazines, who in turn have interviewed me
as a result of seeing my posts on Instagram.’
Currently engaged in trying to work out
how to display his textile pieces outside,
Roberts has been experimenting with
casting his stitched work in bronze. ‘From
the perspective of casting stitching it worked
really well, but I didn’t like the fact that by
sending it off to the foundry to be cast I lost
control of the process.’
A practice that is as much about doing as it is
about achieving, Roberts continues to value
its ability to stabilise him. ‘It rebalances me
against the noise and the distractions of the
outside world – the news, the phone calls,
the emails. When I’m sewing everything is
still, tranquil and calm. I’m present, in the
moment, creating.’ e
Ellen Bell
jprstitch.com
Instagram @ JPR_Stitch
out and about
ACTIVITIES TO NURTURE AND INSPIRE
1. GROW WITH THE GUILD
The Embroiderers’ Guild has launched a new suite of Inspired to Create online courses that offer step-
by-step instructions for those starting out in embroidery through to in-depth knowledge for the more ҳ
advanced stitcher. Learn at your own pace with these exciting routes to discovery.Themes include
tasters; foundations; exploring opportunities; and for the more experienced, extending creative horizons,
with separate courses in each category for hand-embroidery and machine embroidery. Developed by
Susan Weeks of the Stitchery Stories podcast, the courses seek to inspire and demystify textiles for all.
courses.embroiderersguild.com/courses

2. LEARN FROM JESSIE CHORLEY

Stories in Stitch with Jessie Chorley is a masterclass focusing on Jessie’s signature style of hand-
embroidered illustration.You will explore several stitching techniques, including couching, running, stem,
seed and back stitch, as well as the use of hand-stitched text. She will also help you get started with
simple appliqué and patching.The not-so-good news is that due to the number of avid stitchers opting
to take her courses at Loop Knitting, 15 Camden Passage, Islington, the next available date is April 13
Ҵ
2024, 11am-5pm, £100. Get cracking and book immediately. loopknitting.com
3. SWOT UP ON TEXTILE HISTORY
Join tutor Jennifer Wearden who will use archaeological fragments and more recent textiles and paintings
to show how technologies and designs developed and how textiles have been used as symbols of wealth
and prestige from pre-history to 1700.This V&A Academy course is online on Thursdays, 10.30am–
4.30pm, from 21 September to 7 December, £395. Vam.ac.uk
4. SUBVERT A VINTAGE TEA TOWEL
3R3GXSFIVNSMR8LI7YFZIVWMZI7XMXGLIV%/%,SPP]7IEVPIJSVEJYRERHXLSYKLXTVSZSOMRKWXMXGLMRK
workshop to coincide with the Fashion and Textile Museum’s exhibition,The Fabric of Democracy,
10.45am–12.45pm or 2pm–4pm, £60. If you can’t travel to London welcome the essence of The
Subversive Stitcher into your home with a Subverted Vintage Tea Towel Kit, containing a tea towel from
Holly’s collection plus all you need to subvert your own work of art, £40. thesubversivestitcher.com
5. ADD MANIPULATION TO THE MIX
Caroline Bartlett is the instructor for Between the folds: structure and surface in textiles, and will
demonstrate simple methods of mark-making on cloth, including monoprinting using fabric printing inks, ҵ
and methods of manipulating the textile surface, such as folding, pleating, hand-stitching, binding, crumpling
and crushing, using steam to set your work.The course runs from 11–15 September at West Dean College ҷ
of Arts and Conservation, £542. Westdeanac.uk
6. PEP UP YOUR PRACTICE WITH PHULKARI
Sunny Bank Mills is holding a Stitching Folk workshop on September 17, 1pm–4pm, with Saima Kaur, £40.
Saima will use Indian textiles to inspire participants to create a stitched composition full of colour and
NS]7EMQE´WVMGLP]MPPYWXVEXIHIQFVSMHIVMIWEPPYHIXSQ]XLMGEPYRMZIVWIWJYPPSJTEXXIVRERHTPE]&EWMGLERH
embroidery experience is required. bit.ly/3K0vByg
9
7. FOLLOW TOP TUTORS TO FRANCE
Set in a stunning and tranquil part of the Lot region in South West France, Studio Préniac hosts tutor-led
GVIEXMZIXI\XMPILSPMHE]W8LI[IIOPSRKJYPP]GEXIVIHLSPMHE]WEMQXSHIZIPST]SYVWOMPPWGSR½HIRGIERH
expertise with tutors such as Sue Stone, Alice Fox, Mandy Pattullo and Louise Baldwin. Studiopreniac.com
8. BEAT YOUR BEADING DOUBTS
)\TIVMQIRXEPFIEHMRK[MXL7SRNE+EPW[SVXL]MWERSRPMRIGSYVWI[MXLXLI6S]EP7GLSSPSJ2IIHPI[SVO
over two sessions on 11 and 18 October, 7pm–9pm, £85. Using your own stash, you will look at ways of Ҳұ
stitching with beads and sequins to create textures, patterns and height to enhance your embroidery or
embellish your clothes. royal-needlework.org.uk
9. FASHION A FLY AGARIC FUNGI
0IEVRLS[XSWXMXGLE¾]EKEVMGJYRKM[MXLIQFVSMHIV]EVXMWX4MTTE,E]RIWSJ0IQSR4ITTIV7XYHMS
which specialises in stumpwork and provides a range of kits, tools and guidance. From 4–5 November,
10am–4.30pm, £250, at Hand & Lock, 86 Margaret Street, London W1W 8TE. handembroideryshop.com
10. BEGIN A BLACKWORK COURSE ONLINE
The Royal School of Needlework’s introduction to blackwork with Helen McCook is a self-paced online
course to get you started with this technique which dates back to the 16th century.You will learn a variety
SJ½PPMRKTEXXIVRWEW[IPPEWMRKIRMSYW[E]WXSGLERKIXSRIERHXI\XYVIYWMRKXLVIEHHIRWMXMIWERHWXMXGL
patterns. All materials for the course will be posted to you, £110. rsnonlinecourse.com

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 53

 l

THI RTEE N
TEXTI LE
GR O UP
How did the group start?
;I½VWXQIXEXXLIEHZERGIHXI\XMPIGSYVWIEX'MX]0MX
Institute, London, in 2012. As well as an end of term show in
the college, we also held an exhibition at the WAC gallery,
Waterloo, London. Recognising our shared commitment to
making textile work, most of us were keen to continue our
collaboration, so we formed Thirteen Textile Group (TTG)
the following year.
Is there an overriding principle that binds you together?
Although our textile practices brought us together,TTG is
held together by the friendships formed. Our commitment
to an annual exhibition to showcase our work has continued
within that framework of friendship. We keep the group
small in order to stay more easily in touch and support each
other in the process of developing new work. A few people ҲҲ
LEZIPIJXEJI[LEZINSMRIHFYXSYVRYQFIVLEWWXE]IH
pretty steadily at 13.
Where and when do you meet?
For many years TTG met monthly in London, then Covid
happened and we lost our meeting space. We now have
a new venue in a community hall so have started meeting
VIKYPEVP]EKEMR%W[ILEZIGSQQMWWMSRIH½PQQEOIVW
+MRKIV0MSRXSTVSHYGIEWIVMIWSJWLSVX½PQWEFSYXYWFSXL
as solo artists and as the Thirteen Textile Group, we are Ҳұ
meeting even more frequently. We also get together from 9
time to time, in smaller numbers, to visit exhibitions.
Do members share practice tips?
When we meet we usually bring an example of what we
are working on and a high point of our time together is the
feedback we receive from each other.
To help nurture both solo and communal creativity the
group commissions workshops, inviting various exceptional
textile artists to teach. Individually, the artists continue to
push their work further by attending courses and sharing
techniques learned with the rest of the group. ҹ

Are there any important dates in the group’s calendar? ҶтSuns ѼҳұҳҴѽпłĸ ĴņĸŌп
Yes, our annual show is the highlight of the year.This year ҴұĶŀŋҴҳĶŀ
the dates are 17–29 September at POSK, London W6 0RF. ҷтPeatbog Woman IѼҳұҳҴѽп
;ILEZIE³QIIXXLIEVXMWXW´IZIRXSRXLI½VWX7YRHE]WS[I ņĻłľĴņĻŅļпҲҹұĶŀŋҲҶұĶŀп
can celebrate and talk with visitors about our work.Then ŃĻłŇłĵŌňŃĴĶĻļŇŇĴłĵĸŅŇņłŁ
we each take a turn stewarding to be available to meet and ҸтOn the Edge - Gobi CamelѼҳұҳҳѽп
ѼĴŇŇĴĶĻĸķѽńňłŇĸĵŌłĸĿĴŅŇłŅĸп
answer questions from our visitors. ĴŀŀŌŇĻпҴұĶŀŋҴұĶŀ
Can you describe the most memorable moment in the ҹтstanding womanѼҳұҳҳѽп
the Thirteen Textile Group’s history? łņĸ ĻĴŃŀĴŁпҷұĶŀŋҲҵұĶŀ
Probably the meeting of like minds on that course at CityLit. ҺтMuseѼҳұҳұѽпĴĿĿŌ ĿĴŁķп
However, 2023 is becoming a memorable year. After a bit of ҶұĶŀŋҹұĶŀ
a lull during Covid, (although we worked collaboratively by ҲұтPandemic Word-a-Day Dress
ProjectѼҳұҳұфҳұҳҳѽп ĿĴŌŁĸ łĿĿļŁņп
sending small pieces by post for each of us to work on, like ҳұұĶŀŋҲҶұĶŀ
a relay), this year we have two new members, are making a
ҲҲтGown 1Ѽҳұҳҳѽп ĻĸŅŅŌĴŌĿłŅп
video and have this article in Embroidery magazine, all leading ҲҹҶĶŀŋҷҶĶŀп 7
up to our upcoming show. ŃĻłŇłсĴĶ ĴŀŃĸĴŁň

54 EMBROIDERY September October 2023


ҲтBook of Textile MemoriesѼҳұҳҲѽ
ŌĿʼnļĴĻļŇĸĻłňņĸпҲҴĶŀŋҺҸĶŀ
ҳтMicroscopic Pear ImageѼҳұҳҴѽ
ĴŅļĿŌŁļĿĿļĴŀņпҲҴĶŀŋҳҸĶŀ
Ҵтthe coupleѼҳұҲҸѽп ĿļņłŁ
ĴŁķļĹĸŅпҳҺĶŀŋҳұĶŀ
ҵтEdges BowlѼҳұҲҺѽп!ʼnłŁŁĸ
ĿĴĶľŀłŅĸпҴҶĶŀŋҴҶĶŀт
ĻłŇłĵŌĸŁŁŌ ŇŇŅļĿĿ
Ҵ
TEN YEARS OF CREATIVITY
AND FRIENDSHIP
QThis year is one of celebration. It is
our 10th year of creativity and friendship.
Having emerged from Covid stronger
XLERIZIVMRHMZMHYEPWEVIFYW]VI¾IGXMRK
on their textile and mixed media practice
in order to present themselves on video
as well as creating work for the upcoming
show in September.. A hallmark of TTG is
that members research, explore ideas and
I\TIVMQIRXGSRXMRYEPP]ERHXLMWMWVI¾IGXIH
in the ongoing development of our work.
ENVIRONMENT
It is impossible to be unaware of the
ҵ
impending global catastrophe as
people and nations prioritise
their wants and stories over
other people’s and the
environment. Critically
this theme is approached
from different angles and
emerges again and again in
members’ work.
Pam Smyth highlights
endangered animals. Using
appliqué and stitch she draws
these as characters, the bristlier
and stranger the better, in order
to engage and raise awareness. For
Sylvia Whitehouse, nature is fragile,
strengthening her resolve to record and
remember through old worn fabrics
which retain memories and sensations,
and detailing her exquisite observations in
stitch. While for Marilyn Williams nature
is a source of inspiration. She starts from
her love of drawing and photography,
which she then develops through print, felt,
embroidery and collage.The vulnerable
and exposed landscape of the Outer
Hebrides often lie behind Ashokashri’s
work in various media, including use of
soya milk-based earth pigments as a more
ecologically sound medium.
HISTORY
5 New member Cherry Taylor is inspired
by art and design history, in particular
traditional and contemporary Japanese
ҷ culture, dress and textile techniques.
Cherry does research for her work in
museums and galleries.
Figurative motifs are at the forefront of
another new member, Alison Sandifer.
Her work focuses on the unsaid and
unreported interactions between people
and uses discarded fabric to represent this.
She is fascinated by how scraps of textile
can provide insights into undocumented
a common thread
lives and seemingly disregarded history.
Rose Chapman also records the day
to day, using print techniques such as
cyanotypes, as well as stitch, felting
and piecing. Her work records brief
encounters, routes through landscapes
and changing histories.
NEGOTIATING THE
WORLD THROUGH
WOMEN’S EYES
For Blayne Collins, this negotiation
MWVI¾IGXIHMRFSXLThe Dress Project
as a response to the pandemic, with
words tally-stitched on housedresses to
represent and record Covid fatalities, and
The Map Project, in which the artist plots
and traces the global state of women’s
reproductive rights.
Ashokashri’s Bog Women draws on the
ancient female form and the mysterious
power she feels when cutting peats.
Multiple life-size knitted forms lie outside
as if emerging, with their own power
from the land, resembling the rolling
hills of Lewis. In a completely different
medium, with stitched found and created
backgrounds, Sally Eland also explores
the female; as landscape, her curves and
form, and as a muse, her inner self.
FROM ASTRONOMY TO
THE QUANTUM WORLD
Mixed media artist Moe Casey’s
interest lies in the marks of megalithic
art, particularly from Ireland. She works
initially in print using lino, stencils and
screens, and then embellishes with simple
stitch to evoke marks that represent the
sun, moon, stars and the heavens.
Using transparent and translucent
elements such as painted or digitally
printed organza, Yvonne Blackmore
is interested in exploring/blurring
boundaries between visible and invisible,
form and void, stability and fragility.
Through friendship, exploration of themes
and considered making,Thirteen Textile
Group will continue to meet and show.
Follow the group’s progress on their
website and social media platforms. e
thirteentextilegroup.co.uk
Instagram @thirteentextilegroup
Facebook Thirteentextilegroupttg
Ten Years of Creativity and Friendship, 17–29
September, 11am–7pm. Meet the artists:
Sunday 17 September, 2–5pm. POSK Gallery,
238-246 King Street, London W6 0RF.
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 55
exhibition
C H IN A’ S HID D EN CE N TURY
The British Museum, London 18 May – 8 October

Q   п   !ч    ņĸŊŁłŁпļŁĶĿňķļŁĺľļŁĺձņĻĸŅĹĸĴŇĻĸŅņĴŁķņĸŀļфŃŅĸĶļłňņ

and sourced exhibition shines a light on the last century and
a bit before the end of the Qing empire, and its last emperor.
There are more than 300 objects on display, but I am focusing
on a few pieces of embroidered/textile-based work which
embody the richness and diversity of this exhibition.
ŁĸłĹŇĻĸձŅņŇĸŀĵŅłļķĸŅĸķŃļĸĶĸņŇĻĴŇĶĴŇĶĻĸņŌłňŅĸŌĸļņ
a beautiful golden informal Imperial winter robe for a boy
emperor. It was made around 1875-1900 from embroidered
silk, gold thread and fur. The vibrancy of the colours on
ŇĻļņŃļĸĶĸĴŅĸŊĻĴŇņŇŅļľĸŌłňсŇĻĸշłŊļŁĺпĿļŁĸĴŅĴĿŀłņŇ
rainbow pattern woven into the silk, which contrasts with the
traditional dragon, tree and cloud motifs.
In total contrast, but possibly even more striking is a palm
ĴŁķŅļĶĸձĵŅĸĶłĴŇпĵĴŀĵłłĻĴŇĴŁķĵĴņľĸŇтļņĻĸŅŀĸŁ
and farmers in rural areas wore this type of ‘waterproof
raincoat’. In urban areas, poorer workers used them to protect
themselves from the elements. The coat was made in layers of
ņŇŅĴŊпĶłĶłŁňŇձĵŅĸņĴŁķŅļĶĸņŇŅĴŊĴŁķĻĴņĴĶłŁŇĸŀŃłŅĴŅŌ
almost installation-like feel to it.
łŀĸłĹŇĻĸŃļĸĶĸņĴŅĸŀĴķĸĹŅłŀľļŁĺձņĻĸŅĹĸĴŇĻĸŅņп
including a large embellished panel along with several
headdresses. They were worn by women on special occasions,
such as weddings. Constructed with a metal frame and then
covered in black silk satin, various ornamental elements were
stones. It is intriguing to see how the ornamental birds are
fashioned from the brilliant blue feathers.
Some stunning long, hanging pieces in a cabinet with
ornamental jewellery are actually sleeve bands, which
ŊĸŅĸŀĴķĸļŁłչĸŁŀļŅŅłŅĸķŃĴļŅņŇłĴŃŃĿŌŇłŇĻĸĸķĺĸņłĹ
women’s garments. Fine embroidery on silk depicts scenes
from popular stories and auspicious motifs.
One of my favourite pieces was a chequered child’s jacket
and trousers, which could easily be worn today. The design
ļņĶŅĸĴŇĸķŊļŇĻŃĴŇĶĻŊłŅľĴŁķņĸŊŁļŁŇłĴĶňĵĸĸծĸĶŇĴŁķ
embellished with ribbon. The colours make it joyful and
timeless. It is displayed with an embellished headpiece that
many young people would enjoy wearing.
The embroidery in the exhibition includes textile-based
jewellery, plus dolls and dolls’ house furniture among a
comprehensive array of painting, prints and drawings.
I would recommend the exhibition from a historical
perspective, to get to know and understand more about
China’s recent past, but also for the sheer inspiration of the
colours, natural world themes and glorious embellishment.
Anne Kelly
Anne Kelly is a regular contributor to Embroidery magazine.
China’s Hidden Century is at the British Museum until 8 October 2023.
Open 10am–5pm (Fridays 8.30pm). britishmuseum.org

Left: Empress Dowager

Cixi’s robe, China, about
1880–1908.
© The Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
New York.

6MKLX9RMHIRXM½IHEVXMWX
Ancestor portrait of
a bannerman. With
permission of ROM
(Royal Ontario
Museum),Toronto,
Canada. © ROM

56 EMBROIDERY September October 2023

what’s on
On show
ALTON Taking a Thread: New
Embroidery Group’s biennial
exhibition, 16 Sept–1 Oct. Also on
show will be ceramics from
English Delftware to unique studio
pottery. Allen Gallery, Church
Street, Hampshire GU34 2BW.
hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk
AYLESBURY Blooming Threads:
400 years of embroidery blooms
– an exhibition delving into the
Embroiderers’ Guild Collection.
Until 2024. Discover Bucks
Museum, Church Street HP20
2PQ. discoverbucksmuseum.org
BATH Kaffe Fassett:Timeless
Themes in New Quilts until 1
Oct.Victoria Art Gallery, Bridge
Street BA2 4AT. victoriagal.org.uk
BOVEY TRACEY Helyne Jennings:
Abstract textile art and digital
prints until 23 September. MAKE
Southwest, Riverside Mill, Devon
TQ13 9AF. crafts.org.uk
BILLERICAY Just Jane: textile art
by Jane Barry 2–30 September.
Craft Arena, Barleylands Farm
Park and The Village, Barleylands
Road, Essex CM11 2UD.
NERITIXIVNERIGSYO
BIRMINGHAM Madge Gill:The
clouds will burst the sun will shine
again 2 Sept–26 Nov. Midland
Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park
B12 9QH. macbirmingham.co.uk
BRISTOL Threads: Breathing
stories into materials until
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5YE]&75%EVRSP½RMSVKYO
CAMBRIDGE Material Power:
Palestinian Embroidery until 29
October. Kettle’s Yard, University
of Cambridge, Castle Street
CB3 0AQ. kettlesyard.co.uk
CAMBRIDGE Mediterranean
Embroideries until 22 October.
The Shiba Gallery, Fitzwilliam
Museum,Trumpington Street
'&6&½X^QYWIYQGEQEGYO
CHELTENHAM Making, Mending,
Marking: historic textiles by young
women from the Cheltenham
Female Orphanage Asylum until 3
Feb 2024. Curated by Jo Teague.
Holst Victorian House,
4 Clarence Rd, Pittville,
Gloucestershire GL52 2AY
holstvictorianhouse.org.uk
CHESTERFIELD Inspired to Stitch:
ERI\LMFMXMSRF]'LIWXIV½IPH
Embroiderers until 16 September.
St Mary and All Saints church,
Church Way S40 1XJ.
CWMBRAN Portal:
graduate show until 4
Nov. Llantarnam
Grange, St David’s
Road NP44 1PD.
Llantarnamgrange.com
DUNDEE Tartan until
14 January 2024.V&A
Dundee, 1 Riverside
Esplanade DD1 4EZ.
vam.ac.uk/dundee
EDINBURGH Grayson
Perry: Smash Hits until
12 November,The
National Galleries of
Scotland (Royal Scottish
Academy),The Mound EH2 2EL.
royalscottishacademy.org
EDINBURGH Wonder Women
at Dovecot: Dame Elizabeth
Blackadder (1931–2021) until
7 Oct. Dovecot Studios, 10
-R½VQEV]7XVIIX),08
dovecotstudios.com
EXETER Votive for the Next
Earth by MH Sarkis until 19
November. RAMM, Queen St
EX4 3RX rammuseum.org.uk
FARNHAM Lineages: Curated by
Greta Bertram and Chloe Akera,
with Textiles and Wood until 24
February 2024. Crafts Study
Centre, UCA, Falkner Road GU9
7DS. csc.uca.ac.uk
*%670)=(I½RMXMSRWSJ(VE[MRK
II (includes textile art) until 24
Sept. Plus, Woven Stories: a
celebration of 10 years of arts
and culture at Sunny Bank Mills,
opens 30 Sept. Sunny Bank Mills,
Pudsey, West Yorkshire LS28 5UJ.
sunnybankmills.co.uk
FROME A Visible THREAD by
seam collective 16 Sept–29 Oct,
Black Swan Arts, 2 Bridge Street
BA11 1BB. blackswanarts.org.uk
HERTFORD Material Evidence:
by members of Herts Visual Arts
Textile Art Group 31 Oct–25
Nov. Courtyard Arts Centre, Port
Vale, Hertford, SG14 3AA.
courtyardarts.org.uk
ILMINSTER The Textile Set: East.
+VSYTWLS[VI¾IGXMRKSRXVEZIP
and different cultures 5–30 Sept.
Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street,
Somerset TA19 0AN.
ilminsterartscentre.com
LEDBURY Textile art exhibition
by Sage Collective, 14–18
November, 10.30am–4pm.
Weavers Gallery, Church Lane,
Herefordshire HR8 1DW.
sagecollective.co.uk
ĵłʼnĸсĻĸļŅŅĸŃŅĸņņļĵĿĸłĶŇłĺĸŁĴŅļĴŁĴծĸĴņņĸŇŇ
returns to Victoria Art Gallery in Bath to show 23
of his new quilts alongside close friend Candace
Bahouth’s mirrors and candelabra
ĸչсĴŇĸŅŃŅłłĹņĹłŅĴŊłŅľĸŅпҲҹұұѰҲҹҷұпłňŇĻĸŅŁ
China, at China’s Hidden Century at the British
Museum. © Trustees of the British Museum 2023
LEEK Exploration and until 24 April 2024.V&A South
Transformation: A Stitch and Kensington, Cromwell Rd SW7
Mixed Media Exhibition by 2RL. vam.c.uk
StitchLines, 30 Sept–11 Nov.The LONDON Japanese Aesthetics
Foxlowe, Market Place ST13 6AD. of Recycling: the beauty of
foxloweartscentre.org.uk recycling in cotton, hemp, bast
LEEK Kaleidoscope: an ½FVIW[EWLMERHTSXXIV]YRXMP
exploration of colour, texture and September. Brunei Gallery, SOAS
pattern by Threadmill, 23 Sept–4 University of London, 10
Nov. Nicholson Museum & Art Thornhaugh St, Russell Square,
Gallery, Nicholson Inst, Stockwell WC1H 0XG. soas.ac.uk
St, Stafford Moorlands ST13 LONDON Mixing it up: British-
6DW. staffsmoorlands.gov.uk -RHMEREVXMWX7YVNIIX,YWEMR´W
LONDON Andy Warhol:The sketchbooks, drawings, paintings
Textiles until 10 September. and textile art 6–14 Oct. Penny
Plus,The Fabric of Democracy: School Gallery, 55 Richmond Rd,
Propaganda Textiles from the Kingston-upon-Thames KT2 5BP.
French Revolution to Brexit, 29 WYVNIIXLYWEMRGSQ$WYVNIIXLYWEMR
September–3 March 2024. 032(327LIMPE,MGOW-R½RMXI
Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Potential until 18 Nov, inaugural
Bermondsey Street SE1 3XF. exhibition of Alison Jacques’ new
fashionandtextilemuseum.org Mayfair gallery and HQ at 22
LONDON Black Venus until 24 Cork Street W1S 3LZ.
September. Somerset House, EPMWSRNEGUYIWGSQ
Strand WC2R 1LA LONDON Style and Society:
somersethouse.org.uk Dressing the Georgians 21 April
LONDON China’s Hidden –8 October (Mon,Thurs–Sun).
Century until 8 October.The The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham
British Museum, Great Russell Palace SW1A 1AA rct.uk
Street WC1B 3DGG. LONDON Ten Years of Creativity
britishmuseum.org.uk and Friendship,Thirteen Textile
LONDON Connect. Reveal. Group, 17–29 Sept, 11am–7pm.
Conceal. featuring three artists Meet the Artists Sunday: 17 Sept,
who work with textiles: Celia 2pm–5pm. POSK Gallery, 238–
Pym, Amy Revier and Donna 246 King Street, London W6 0RF.
Lynch until 16 September. By thirteentextilegroup.co.uk
Make at Hauser & Wirth London, LONDON The Offbeat Sari until
23 Savile Row W1S 2ET. 17 Sept. Design Museum, 224-
hauserwirth.com 238 Kensington High Street
LONDON Gabrielle Chanel. W8 6AG. designmuseum.org
Fashion Manifesto, 16 Sept–25 LONDON The RSN & Five
Feb 2024.V&A South Kensington, Coronations 1902–2023 until
Cromwell Road SW7 2RL. 16 Nov. (Before you visit read 16
vam.ac.uk coronation keepsakes, Embroidery,
LONDON Crown to Couture May/June 2023.)
until 29 October. Kensington Royal School of Needlework,
Palace W8 4PZ. hrp.org.uk Apartment 12a, Hampton Court
LONDON DIVA: the power and Palace, Surrey KT8 9AU.
creativity of iconic performers, royal-needlework.org.uk
September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 57

łŃĿĸչсļŅŅĴŌņłŁĸŅŅŌļŁĹŅłŁŇłĹĻļņ
tapestry Our TownĹŅłŀŀĴņĻļŇņѰҵұ
years of art, on show in Edinburgh.
PHOTO BY NICK MAILER PHOTOGRAPHY
Above: A Brexit tea towel from the
printed propaganda show at the Fashion
and Textile Museum, London.
PHOTO BY JONATHAN RICHARDS
ĸչс  ĴŇŇĻĸՔ пłŁķłŁ
© VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON
LONDON Treasures of Gold and SEDBURGH The Natural World:
Silver Wire 20 Sept–12 Nov. Tapestry Touring Int’l until 24 Sept.
Guildhall Art Gallery EC2V 5AE. Plus,Treasured by Textilia 3: What
GMX]S¾SRHSRKSZYO do we really value? asks this
LONDON Women in Revolt! textile art group, 4 Oct–23 Dec.
Art, activism and the women’s Plus, Momentum: Memories,
movement in the UK 1970–1990 Journeys and Times by landscape
8 November–7 April.Tate Britain, textile artists Sandra Meech and
Millbank SW1P 4RG. tate.org.uk Elizabeth Brimelow, 12 Oct–23
(IG*EV½IPH1MPP'YQFVME0%
LONDON Worn: an exhibition
0;JEV½IPHQMPPSVK
by Textiles2020, mixed media
artists with an interest in textiles, SELBY Into The Woods by the
2–8 October. Espacio Gallery, 159 Selby Textile Art Group
Bethnal Green Road E2 7DG 29 October–5 November. Selby
textiles2020.com Abbey,The Crescent YO8 4PU.
WIPF]XI\XMPIEVXKVSYT$KQEMPGSQ
NOTTINGHAM A Sense of
Place by the Midlands Textile SLEAFORD Jessica Grady: Colour
Forum 19–24 September. NSA Pop.Textiles as framed and
sculptural 3D forms, 16 Sept–29
Gallery, 17 Friar Lane, NG1 6DH.
Oct. River Stairwell,The Hub,
midlandstextileforum.com
Navigation Wharf, Carre Street,
PORTSMOUTH Threads
Lincolnshire NG34 7TW.
Through Creation by Jacqui
hub-sleaford.org.uk
Parkinson 6 Sept–15 Oct.
Portsmouth Cathedral, High St SNAPE Fragility of Nature by
43,%NEGUYMXI\XMPIGSQ Fibrefusion, 13–25 October.
The Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings
RUGBY Fourfold: contemporary
IP17 1SP. snapemaltings.co.uk
stitched textiles by The Broadway
Group: Jean Draper, Janis SOLIHULL Lines That Connect
Firminger, Sue Reddish and Janet Us by Together Textiles, 20 Sept–2
Read, 25 Sept–23 Oct. Rugby Art Oct Courtyard Gallery, Core
Gallery & Museum, Little Elborow Theatre,Touchwood, Homer Rd
St CV21 3BZ. ragm.co.uk &6+$XSKIXLIVCXI\XMPIW
RUTHIN Cut Shift Repeat by SOMERTON Momentum:
Matthew Harris until 24 Sept, Memories, Journeys and Times:
followed by Laura Thomas: Sandra Meech and Elizabeth
Woven/Unwoven 30 Sept–7 Jan. Brimelow, 9 Sept–7 Oct. ACE
Ruthin Craft Centre LL15 1BB. Arts TA11 7NB. acearts.co.uk
ruthincraftcentre.org.uk SOUTHPORT Colourscape by
SALISBURY To Be Free: Art and Carole Dawber 29 July–23
Liberty until 17 Sept featuring September.The Atkinson, Lord St
Cornelia Parker’s Magna Carta PR8 1DB. theatkinson.co.uk
(An Embroidery). Salisbury SOUTHWELL Identity: an
Cathedral SP1 2EJ. exhibition by Midlands Textile
salisburycathedral.org.uk Forum until 31 October.
58 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
Southwell Workhouse (free for inspired by landscape and place.
National Trust members), Upton Until 7 October.The Barony
Road, Notts MG25 0PT Centre, 50 Main Street KA23
STROUD Layers of Memory: 9AR. crafttownscotland.org
holding on letting go by Beverly WHITBY The Secret Life of
Ayling-Smith 27 Sept–8 Oct. Using Hedgerows (featuring Bridget
inherited bedsheets to explore Bailey) 16 Sept–6 Nov. Danby
whether we preserve the past or Lodge National Park Centre
reconstruct it in the light of the YO21 2NB bridgetbailey.co.uk
present. Lansdown Hall and WITNEY Samplers: Products of a
Gallery GL5 1BB. lansdownhall.org Youthful Mind 17–30 October.
SUNBURY-ON-THAMES Witney Antiques, 96–100 Corn
Inspired by Nature featuring RSN Street, Oxfordshire OX28 6BU.
graduates Sarah Dempsey and witneyantiques.com
Eliza Gomersall until 22 Oct. Plus,
Exploring Nature with The Events
Grange, 24 Oct–17 Dec.The LANCASHIRE British Textile
Sunbury Embroidery Gallery,The Biennial 29 Sept–29 Oct.
Walled Garden TW16 6AB. britishtextilebiennial.co.uk
sunburygallery.org LIVERPOOL 12th edition of
WAREHAM West Country Liverpool Biennial until 17
Embroiderers celebrate the September. biennial.com/2023
South West coast path, 5–9 Oct, LONDON Design Festival 23.
free, small parking charge. Dorset Unstruck Melody, a collaboration
Arts & Crafts Showcase, Purbeck between artist Nep Singh Sidhu
School, Dorset BH20 4PF. and Without Shape Without
westcountryembroiderers.co.uk Form, featuring tapestry.
WELLS Threads Through V&A, Cromwell Rd SW7 2RL.
Creation by Jacqui Parkinson londondesignfestival.com
18 Oct–late November. Wells LONDON Made London:
Cathedral, Somerset BA5 2UE. innovative designer-makers with
NEGUYMXI\XMPIGSQ 120 exhibitors, 3–5 November.
WEST KILBRIDE Places, Spaces, The Block at Angel Islington, 10
Traces: Cas Holmes and the White Lion Street N1 9PD.
Scottish Potters Association are madelondon-angel.co.uk
Tailors of Gloucester
The Costume for Gloucester is a trailblazing project run by Voices
Gloucester and Gloucester Cathedral, which developed from
community stitching project Threads. A coat designed by costumier
Katie Taylor has been conceived to incorporate embroidery by
community groups and individuals. Community artist Jo Teague is
charged with bringing hundreds of contributions together, including
impressions of the city from refugees, tales from history, favourite
places and the famous cheese-rolling at Cooper’s Hill.
On 29–30 September Jo Teague is hosting talks and workshops at
The Ed Shed, led by experts in costume, fabric, fashion and design.
The project is on display at Gloucester Cathedral, 16 Sept–1 Oct,
alongside donated clothing with unique connections to the city.
voicesgloucester.org.uk/voices-events/threads
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łĸĴĺňĸĴŇŊłŅľ
łŁŇĻĸ łņŇňŀĸĹłŅ
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ĵŌĴŇļĸĴŌĿłŅ
ĻĸłĶľĴŌłŅłĹ ĴŅŇłŁп
ĻŀĸķĴļķĴŁņķłŇпŅļķļŁĺ
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 artist/tutor Mary Sleigh, who NORTHERN IRELAND
Sunbury Gallery’s inspirational collaboration reveals her 40-year collection of &)0*%78%6/'SR¾MGX8I\XMPIWE
Sunbury Embroidery Gallery is to exhibit the fruits of its textiles, beadwork and artefacts. rotating exhibition until 30 May
collaboration with The Grange Centre for People with On 28 October Anne Kelly: My 2024. McClay Library, Queen’s
Disabilities in an exhibition running from 24 October to Practice sees the mixed media University, 10 College Park Ave,
17 December. Introduced by embroidery doyenne Diana artist and author discuss her BT7 1LP. bit.ly/3OvfVpC
Springall, the gallery’s trustees and volunteers have been densely embroidered works that NORWAY
ļŀŃŅĸņņĸķĵŌŇĻĸŅĴŁĺĸĴŁķńňĴĿļŇŌłĹĴŅŇпĶŅĴչņĴŁķ many liken to tapestries. KARASJOK Ron Te Kawa at Sámi
embroidery the residents have produced. For tickets to workshops and Dáiddaguovddáš, Norway, 21
The history of The Grange dates back to 1927, when Miss Julia talks visit embroiderersguild.com October–22 December.
Sweet founded The School of Stitchery and Lace. Miss Sweet samidaiddaguovddas.no
was a talented needlewoman and pioneer in teaching skills to Opportunities LILLESTROM Te Whare Pora by
young women with disabilities so they could gain employment SAQA and Timeless Textiles, Ron Te Kawa until 24 September.
and support themselves. In 1938, the school moved to Great Australia are calling for entries of 2MXNE2SV[E]RMXNERSI\LMFMXMSRW
Bookham, Surrey and later became known as The Grange. diptychs from SAQA members. ron-te-kawa
Today, The Grange provides a vital service supporting people Event dates: Aug 13-Sept 16
ŊļŇĻĿĸĴŅŁļŁĺķļņĴĵļĿļŇļĸņŇłĿĸĴķļŁķĸŃĸŁķĸŁŇĴŁķĹňĿձĿĿļŁĺ 2024. Closes: 28 Feb. saqa.com USA
ĿļʼnĸņпłծĸŅļŁĺĴĶĶłŀŀłķĴŇļłŁпĶĴŅĸĴŁķņňŃŃłŅŇĴŁķĴŊļķĸ CHICAGO Natural
The Boomer Art Prize is for consequences:The geoscience
range of skills training and activities in eight beautiful acres.
creators from all visual arts embroideries of Bonnie Peterson
Their founder’s original pioneering spirit resonates from the
disciplines, with a total of until 15 October. Peggy
moment you enter the building, with a warm greeting from
£10,000 in cash awards plus Notebaert Nature Museum, USA.
one of the resident volunteers and a light, airy atmosphere
exhibition opportunities. Closes naturemuseum.org
ŊĻļĶĻŀĴľĸņĴĿĴņŇļŁĺձŅņŇļŀŃŅĸņņļłŁт
25 Sept. boomergallery.net
ŅĴŊļŁĺļŁņŃļŅĴŇļłŁĹŅłŀŇĻĸļŅņňŅŅłňŁķļŁĺņпņŇĴծĴŁķ LOS ANGELES Woven Histories:
residents have been inspired by nature to produce remarkable The LOEWE FOUNDATION Textiles & Modern Abstraction, 7
embroideries, with a little help from renowned mixed-media Craft Prize 2024 is seeking Sept–21 Jan, Los Angeles County
textile designer Karen Nicol. The exhibition promises plenty entries to this international Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire
łĹĺļչļŁņŃļŅĴŇļłŁп award for crafts excellence. Blvd, CA 90036. lacma.org
from brooches Register by 25 Oct 2023.
craftprize.loewe.com PHILADELPHIA A Century of
and large framed Kanthas: Women’s Quilts in
embroidered The London Group is accepting Bengal, 1870s–1970s, until 1
leaves to ceramics entries for its 85th open January 2024.The Philadelphia
inspired by the exhibition, with £10,000 in prizes. 1YWIYQSJ%VX&IRNEQMR
larger installation Closes: Sept 5. Event dates: 9–26 Franklin Parkway, PA 19130 USA.
embroidery. Nov 2023. thelondongroup.com philamuseum.org
Barbara Robertson
SAN DIEGO African by Design
Gallery manager and Overseas until 17 September. Mingei Int’l
trustee
sunburygallery.org AUSTRALIA Museum, Balboa Park, 1439 El
KYOGLE The International Art Prado, CA 92101. mingei.org
Textile Biennale exhibits the best
WASHINGTON Sharing Honors
LONDON The Knitting & Matthew Parsons about how he of national and international
& Burdens (Native art) until
Stitching Show 5–8 October. set up Ginger Jerry, one of the contemporary art, 23 Sept–11
March 31. Smithsonian American
Alexandra Palace N22 7AY. foremost embroidery studios in Nov. Roxy Gallery, New South
Art Museum DC, USA. si.edu
theknittingandstitchingshow.com India; 20 Sept, 7pm–8.30pm, £12. ;EPIW%YWXVEPME½FVIEVXWRIXEY
LONDON The Textile Society sunburygallery.org or email SYDNEY Sydney Craft Week Don’t miss...
London Antique and Vintage Fair, MRJS$WYRFYV]KEPPIV]SVK Festival: focus on making with the LONDON Embroidered Arts
8 October, 10am–4pm, £5-£15. theme of ‘time’, 6–15 October. Exhibition 2023, 10-12
Chelsea Old Town Hall, Kings Rd Guild events For venues: sydneycraftweek.com November, Bargehouse, Oxo
SW3 5EE. textilesociety.org.uk WORKSHOP: Gina B CANADA Tower Wharf.
MANCHESTER Great Northern Needlework Buttons on 21 ONTARIO The World of The Hand & Lock Prize for
Contemporary Craft Fair, 19–22 October is based on historical Threads Festival showcases Embroidery returns for its second
October, Victoria Baths M13 0FE. buttons and the stitches that can GSRXIQTSVEV]½FVIERHXI\XMPI exhibition of global embroidery in
greatnorthernevents.co.uk be used to add interest. art in all its forms, 10 Oct–17 fashion and textile arts. See the
SHEPTON MALLET Stitching4All TALKING Threads, online series Dec. Oakville, Ontario, Canada. ½REPMWXWJSVXLIERH
Show, 12–14 Oct, 10am–5pm, featuring two artists in discussion worldofthreadsfestival.com TVM^I%JYVXLIVXLVII¾SSVW[MPP
Bath & West Showground BA4 with Stitchery Stories podcast NETHERLANDS exhibit embroidery by the best
6NS. Over 100 exhibitors, host Susan Weeks. On 14 Sept emerging designers. For tickets:
TILBERG Textile Now: Each
stunning Quilt and Textile Hall, 50 Sian Martin and Janet Edmonds, FMXP]-PN]
Thread Tells a Story until 1
daily workshops and demos. Free of the Textile Study Group, October.TextielMuseum, Exhibition dates may be subject to
parking. craft4crafters.co.uk discuss their love of landscape. Goirkestraat 96, 5046 GN change. Many galleries insist on
SUNBURY-ON-THAMES A THREAD Talks: online lectures. Tilburg, Netherlands. advance booking. Please check with
Journey of Discovery, a talk by On 2 Sept African Textiles with textielmuseum.ni the venue before making your journey.

World’s leading sewing machine manufacturer

Go ahead… get creative!
janome.co.uk

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 59

Laura Thomas Woven / Unwoven

Gallery 3: 30 September 2023 – 7 January 2024

Ruthin Craft Centre, The Centre for the Applied Arts

Park Road, Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales UK, LL15 1BB. Tel: +44 (0)1824 704774
FREE admission. FREE on-site parking. Open Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 5.30pm
www.ruthincraftcentre.org.uk Instagram: @ruthincrafts Twitter: @Ruthin_crafts
Void, 2021, linen, cotton, cut 3-end leno construction photo: Diana Oliveira
B EV ERLY AY LI N G - S M I T H

27 September - 8 October 2023

11am - 4pm daily
Private View on Saturday 30 September from 12 noon - 6pm
For more information email layersofmemory@gmail.com

Lansdown Hall & Gallery, Stroud GL5 1BB

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 61

 SE
CA IBI
TION

OW E EX
H

SH
CTIV
OSPE
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RET
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Old English Sheepdog courtesy of David Morrish

Immediate Live in partnership with The Embroiderers’ Guild

have been supporting and promoting textile and embroidery
graduates at the Knitting and Stitching Shows for 30 years
This year we will be celebrating this amazing milestone with a
Retrospective Exhibition of a selection of these artists at the
Knitting and Stitching Shows at Alexandra Palace, London
5-8 October and Harrogate 16-19 November
A companion book of the Retrospective will be published
revealing insights into the working practices of all the
graduates and scholars in the exhibition.
To order your copy, visit:
embroiderersguild.com/the-retrospective-showcase/
To book show tickets, visit:
theknittingandstitchingshow.com
 I

GALLERY
w w w . s u n b u r y g a l l e r y. o r g
with

MAISON JACARANDA,
A CREATIVE TEXTILE RETREAT
IN RURAL FRANCE E x p l o r i n g N a t u re
24 October - 17 December 2023
Maison Jacaranda, home to Jacaranda Design N AT U R E , FA B R I C , D E S I G N
Archive's vast collection of antique textiles, is A N D S T I T C H PAT T E R N S
now open until 21st November. Creatives and
makers from all around the world will be able
to access the archive, spend time with and
seek inspiration from its rich collection in a
peaceful rural setting in the heart of France.

To book your creative retreat, get in touch

at studio@jacarandadesignarchive.com or
visit our website: https://maisonjacaranda. The Grange is a Charity dedicated to supporting
jacarandadesignarchive.com adults with learning disabilities

The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, The Walled Garden, Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 6AB
Gallery & Café open Tuesday - Sunday 10.30 to 4.00pm - Reg Charity No. 1162121

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 63

New Autumn events and
activities for you to enjoy!
Embroiderers’ Guild Talks
2 SEPTEMBER
MARY SLEIGH: AFRICAN TEXTILES
For 40 years Mary has collected textiles, beadwork,
and artefacts as a source of inspiration for her
creative work. She has written books on the
traditional skills and diversity of African textiles.
Mary will shine a light on traditional techniques
that are fast disappearing.

28 OCTOBER
ANNE KELLY: MY PRACTICE
Anne is a mixed media textile artist whose work is
driven by narratives and issues of conservation and
migration, often combined with a folk-art aesthetic.
Anne will discuss her inspirations and her processes
for making and exhibiting her work.

Embroiderers’ Guild Talking Threads

14 SEPTEMBER
SIAN MARTIN & JANET EDMONDS
Janet and Sian (both members of the Textile Study
Group) will be getting together to talk about their
shared love of the local landscape and how it inspires
their work. They will be talking about the ways they
work and comparing notes on their individual pieces.

Embroiderers’ Guild Short Workshops

Not yet a member? Now would be a good time to join. We will be
running up to 9 short workshops during 2023/24. For Guild members these
short workshops are £2.99 each, the cost for non-members £15 each.

21 OCTOBER
GINA B: NEEDLEWORK BUTTONS
Learn how to add decorative stitching to covered
buttons. Designs will be based on historical buttons
and will explore different stitches used to add interest.
Button making enables the maker to create little works
of art in a relatively short time without a lot of outlay.

www.embroiderersguild.com
 BUSINESS FOR SALE Studio Préniac
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September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 65

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           Inspiration & Techniques
$  $ $"
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#) *  $ $"
+ ,   -. $+&'/0 Do you want more ideas?
Do you want to know what to use and how
to develop your creativity and skills?
If so, the books and DVDs from Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn,
known together as Double Trouble, are just for you.

Books from £7.50 - £19.99 plus p&p

 
Manual pleating machine for smocking,
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Give your designs the professional finish
  
DVDs from £19.99 - £28 plus p&p
Books and DVDs are available to purchase on our website
www.doubletrouble-ent.com. DOWNLOADS are available for the
DVDs and some books from our website or www.gallicreative.com
You can also see and buy the hand stitching frames we use,
the galleries showing our textile work and a list of our
teaching events on our website www.doubletrouble-ent.com
Follow us on Instragram doubletroublejanjeanofficial

Order now at : www.princess-pleaters.co.uk Order online or by sending a cheque to: Double Trouble Enterprises,
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Please allow upto 21 days for delivery.
For enquiries contact : +44 (0) 1253 738842
Est:1980 Made in Great Britain
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66 EMBROIDERY September October 2023
 Celebrating 30 years
supplying textile artists

Creative Textiles • Silk Painting

Fabric Dyeing, Painting & Printing
Felt Making • Creative Embroidery
Mixed Media and more
Sign up to our newsletter
and keep up to date with
new products & special offers

www.rainbowsilks.co.uk
caroline@rainbowsilks.co.uk
01494 727003

September October 2023 EMBROIDERY 67

The world’s leading sewing machine manufacturer since 1921 janome.co.uk