On Saturday September 8th 2018, we were delighted to welcome some of the ladies involved in the Stamford Bridge Tapestry Project.Heather gave a wonderful entertaining and informative talk on the place of the Stamford Bridge Battle in the history of England.

If Harold Godwinson had not had to march north to fight two battles in order to defend his claim to the English throne he may have beaten William at the Battle of Hastings.

Shirley then talked about the inspiration behind commemorating the Battle of Stamford Bridge in the style of the Bayeux Tapestry.

She gave us a wonderful insight into the groundwork of preparing the drawings and transferring these onto the linen for stitching. The colour palette is as close to the Bayeux as possible with the addition of red and purple. The pictures are stitched with an outline stitch infilled with the Bayeux stitch. 20 ladies meet regularly taking turns to stitch each panel and each panel follows the style of the Bayeux tapestry with writing above the scene and the banner below has a symbol unique to each stitcher.

The expectation is that the whole work will be completed in the next few years and ultimately a  hoped for permanent display in Stamford Bridge.

Thank you to the ladies for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm for this project and we look forward to following its progress and the opportunity to see the finished work.

Saturday May 12th

Lindsay Roberts

Shibori learnt in India

Above, cotton and merino mix , indigo dyed. Batik.

The Border Tart-Tart’s Textiles Travels

On Saturday May 12th we were taken on a journey, starting in the Scottish Borders travelling to Gujarat in India and back to Scotland.

Lindsay shared with us her textile travels, learning first hand, techniques of dyeing, weaving and printing. It was in Gujarat that Lindsay developed her interest in Islamic pattern after visiting some of the area’s historical sites. She travelled to two different areas within Gujarat spending some time with local weavers and dyers. On her return to Scotland Lindsay trialled some of the methods she had seen .

Above. A boy’s dress hand embroidered with traditional patterns from the Kachchh area of Gujarat. Although much of the symbolism of these traditional patterns may be lost the young women still use them in their work.

A very enjoyable and interesting afternoon sharing Lindsay’s travels.

Catherine Lawes 14th April 2018

From Here to There and Back Again

Catherine drew a pattern of her life and influences through the many and varied textile pieces she brought to our society. Born in New Zealand,the child of emigrants, she returned to England aged 18, but New Zealand and it’s culture have remained her muse.

Her own journey in textiles started out with kits and then developed into individual works ranging from wall hangings and quilts to coats and jackets. Many of the pieces having been specifically designed as commissions for Knitting and Stitching Shows.

One particular aspect of Catherine’s textile art is landscapes inspired by favourite views especially New Zealand. To this end Catherine shared her expertise and skills with us the next day in her Layered Landscapes workshop.

The, partial, results, of this day school can be seen on our workshop page. We look forward to seeing the completed pieces in May.

Another fantastic speaker inspiring us all with her on journey into textiles.

Julia Soares-McCormick March 10th 2018

Queen of Fashion

What Marie Antoinette wore to The Revolution

Julia’s talk about Mari Antoinette was a wonderful insight into the 18th Century French Aristocracy and women’s styles of the time.

Her attention to detail, historical accuracy and enthusiasm for the subject was contagious. Members were encouraged to view the garments and ask further questions following Julia’s talk.

This article is deliberate in not including content of Julia’s talk as we would encourage everyone interested to visit Julia’s website to find out where she will be speaking in the future. A wonderful afternoon.

close up of Silk Damask used in the dress.

Silk trim on dress