KEEPING IN CONTACT Sharing news and events across the Guild
EXQUISITE CONTAINERS Members’ Challenge 2020/2021
Judging has now taken place of the 2020/21 Members’ Challenge, the overall winner of the ‘Constance Howard Award for Most Outstanding Piece’ was ‘Matchbox Challenge’ by Catherine Hill. A full report with images will be in the next issue of Contact and images of all entries will be available to view on the Guild website shortly.
FLORALIA an exhibition by Nikki Parmenter at Gawthorpe Hall (Gawthorpe Hall will open in May 2021, but please check the venue for further details of dates)
Inspired by Floralia, the ancient Roman celebration honouring the Goddess of Flowers, Nikki’s exhibition of large-scale mixed media textile pieces includes her stunning six storey ‘Flower Power Tower’ and ‘Gawthorpe Casket’ decorated with floral and faunal motifs taken from historical textiles currently on display. The exhibition has been installed at Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham in one of the rooms dedicated to the Gawthorpe Textiles Collec- tion. Tel: 01282 771 004,https://www.gawthorpetextiles.org.uk/ SOUTH DEVON STITCHERS formerly South Devon Embroiderers’ Guild
The 2020 National Stitch Day challenge was to work on a project relating stitch to birds. Traditionally National Stitch Day activities would mean a public demonstration and involving as many of the public as possible. Lockdown in 2020 soon put an end to that!
South Devon Embroiderers’ Guild (now South Devon Stitchers) decided instead to create a work that could be donated to an appropriate public organization. Based in Marldon and with members coming from the surrounding area, Torbay Hospital was an obvious and unanimous choice and gave us a chance to thank the Hospital and all its workers for their efforts during the current pandemic. The “Rainbow” NHS theme gave us an immediate colour scheme.
The Cockerel was designed so its feathers would give everyone a chance to contribute a piece of individual work and it’s a great way to use our colour scheme! Members were emailed with feather outlines and they were invited to embroider them in an appropriate colour but with their own individual stitch patterns. It was really exciting to unwrap the results as they arrived and to see the tail take shape as feathers were added. The work was completed with the red, yellow, and orange body feathers and machined the background. Cockerels crow, and there was only one thing that ours could be saying – “Thank you!”
The Cockerel is now in Torbay Hospital and a competition is to be organised to name him!
We have an exhibition this summer at Torre Abbey called “Stitch by the Sea” from 3 July until 5th September 2021 where we will be showcasing our map of South Devon and our finally completed Rainbow Squares amongst other work.
SEW Region Magazine
The SEW Region Magazine is mainly written by the members of the South East West Region of the Embroiderers’ Guild, with in- vited guests who are well known in their field of interest. We are looking for interesting articles for the June issue. If you would like to contribute please contact Anne Walden-Mills at [email protected].
Book Threads: reviewing books on embroidery and textiles is the only online magazine reviewing the latest publications of books on embroidery, textiles and related arts. The publications are reviewed by exponents who are members of the South East West Region of the Embroiderers’ Guild. The magazine is produced twice a year. The following are just some of the titles reviewed in the April issue due out at the end of this month. The Textile Artist: Expressive Stitches: A ‘no-rules’ guide to creating original textile art by Jan Dowson Resilient Stitch: Wellbeing and Connection in Textile Art by Claire Wellesley-Smith Queering the subversive stitch - Men and the culture of needlework by Joseph McBrinn A philosophy of Textiles - between practice and theory by Christine Dormor Shedding the Sheckles: Women’s empowerment through Craft By Lynne Stein A Fine Tradition: The embroidery of Margaret Light by Margaret Light Bedfordshire Lace by Jean Leader A Passion for Needlework: Blakiston Creamery by Inspirations Studios Cloth Doll Faces: A practical guide to creating character and expression by Ray Slater The Art of Chinese Embroidery 2: Intermediate Level by Margaret Lee Create Landscape Quilts: A step-by-step guide to dynamic people & places by Meri Henriques Vahl Pulled Thread Embroidery: Stitches, techniques & over 140 exquisite designs by Marie-Hélène Jeanneau Figure Work in Embroidery: Techniques and projects by Angela Bishop Modern Fabric Art Bowls: Express yourself with quilt blocks, appliqué, embroidery & more by Kirsten Fisher and others
THE BRODERERS’ EXHIBITION: THE ART OF EMBROIDERY Open Call for Entries Organised by The Broderers' Company 22-27 February, 2022
The Worshipful Company of Broderers invites artists to submit embroidery artworks for an art exhibition at the Bankside Gallery in London. The Broderers’ Exhibition: The Art of Embroidery is an open-submission art exhibition, open to UK & International artists (over 18). We are seeking submissions that demonstrate embroidery as an art.
Full details can be found at https://broderers-exhibition.co.uk Website: https://broderers-exhibition.co.uk Instagram: @broderers.exhibition Email: [email protected]