Innehållsförteckning för March - April 2024 från Embroidery

SCAMMERS – THEY get everywhere, don’t they? I’ve lost count of the number of princes fleeing war-torn countries who have wanted to put millions into my bank account for safe-keeping… And, while we had a wonderful response to our online competition in January to win a set of informative embroidery books, unfortunately entrants on Facebook were falsely told they had won by scammers. It was flagged up quickly by some eagle-eyed readers and we’re very sorry this happened. We weren’t alone; several accounts were hacked over this particular weekend. On a happier note, we can reveal the winner is Sally Bramall, who wrote: ‘I run charity workshops in aid of brain cancer research and always welcome new inspiration for our workshops.’ Your prize is on its way. Our regular book…

Mingei is the influential folk-craft movement that developed in Japan in the 1920s and 1930s in response to rapid industrialisation. Japanese philosopher Yanagi Sōetsu coined the term to mean ‘the art of the people’, ascribing cultural value and aesthetic purity to traditional craft objects, unnamed makers and a simpler way of life. More than 80 works on show at William Morris Gallery will encompass ceramics, woodwork, paper, toys, textiles, photography and film. Art Without Heroes: Mingei, 23 March–22 September, William Morris Gallery, London British Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare’s new works examine systems of power in Western iconography and the legacies of European imperialism. Suspended States will include installations, sculptures, pictorial quilts and woodcuts. His quilts focus on the ecological impact of colonialisation. Suspended States, Serpentine South, London, 12 April– 7…

Dutch artist Mathilde Renes lives in a houseboat on a little ‘island’ between the river Spaarne and the IJ lake. Located in the village of Spaarndam, made famous by its association with the fictional American story of the boy who stuck his finger in the dyke to save the town from flooding, it’s a 20-minute drive away from Amsterdam. ‘It’s an old boat,’ says Renes. ‘It was built in 1911, it’s made of iron and very big.’ Originally intended as a grain transporter, at 31 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, it is certainly that. Renes and her husband, a civil servant at the Ministry of Justice in the Hague, bought the barge 25 years ago. A permanent severe housing shortage in The Netherlands means that boat-living is common and…

Textile artist Ali Ferguson is a collector and embroiderer of stories. Found between the fountain-penned lines of a letter, a pencil-scribbled recipe on the back of an envelope or an agony aunt’s response, carefully cut-out and placed in a diary, the stories Ferguson collects are not extraordinary. The artist explains: ‘It’s about giving place, giving value to those things that weren’t, at the time, considered important. It’s like the shopping list I picked up last week after someone had left it in their supermarket trolley, it’s a nothing thing, an ordinary thing. I take people’s words, thoughts and written conversations and give importance to them.’ The context from which Ferguson’s sewn-narrations are drawn is a narrow one, a confined one, some might say. Principally from the domain of women, these…

Australian textile artist Annemieke Mein is that rare thing: a consummate craftsperson and a talented artist. She reflects: ‘Good craftsmanship is the backbone of good art in any medium. Factors that also make a difference are research, practice, a bit of flair, hard work and some imagination.’ In 1988, in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, she received the Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts, which she counts as her greatest achievement. Now 80, a retrospective called A Life’s Work, showing more than 200 pieces by the artist, is at Gippsland Art Gallery, 2 March–26 May, from where her first new book for 30 years can be obtained. Annemieke was born in Haarlem in Holland in 1944. Her family left behind the vestiges of war in 1951, when she…

PATHWAYS IS AN exhibition at Spring Gallery in Cheltenham, from 27 March to 2 April, which features interpretations of the natural world by two very different artists. Friends and colleagues Sylvie Millen and Deborah Collum come together to create a vibrant exhibition of textile and mixed media work. Deborah lives and works in rural Warwickshire, which she believes is one of the loveliest areas in Britain. Her work is based on close, daily observation of the farming landscape and the result is a colourful and highly textured interpretation of the layers of the countryside, through the seasons and in all its moods. Deborah’s work is a celebration of fabric and stitch and demonstrates strong links to domestic textiles traditions, such as patchwork and mending. Sylvie is based in the Worcestershire…

OLIVIA CONWAY’S TEXTILE PRACTICE is driven by illustration and heavily inspired by haute couture fashion. The artist says: ‘My artistic style is composed of a combination of illustrative and detailed still-life botanicals. This informs my textile practice and the way I approach embroidery. ‘My graduate collection explores key themes of femininity, lust, romance and psychological symbolism, influenced by contextual research on the Roman myth of Eros and Psyche.’ Conway’s graduate collection was tailored towards intimate wear, as she has a long-standing love of lingerie and luxury craftsmanship. Using a combination of digital, freehand and appliqué embroidery, the artist showcased the idea of sculptural silk as opposed to traditional drapery. As well as textiles, Conway engages in life drawing, where she is both the subject and the artist. She enjoys using…

‘I felt there was something wrong with the fashion industry but wasn’t sure what to do about it’ As an American Bill Bryson was able to cast a critical eye over British culture with hilarious results. Japan-born Hikaru Noguchi, known for her highly sought-after knitted accessories and darning, has a twinkle in her eye as she relates what we know is wrong with the fashion industry and the interior design scene in London: one is worthy of an Oscar for exceptional waste and the other is so dominated by the upper classes it is impossible to break into without a double-barrelled name. Now living in Japan and taking part in a Zoom interview at night because of the nine-hour Tokyo time difference, Hikaru sits in her kitchen swaddled in one…

SUE DOVE’S EMBROIDERED, self-professed ‘weird heads’ catch the eye with a riot of reused vintage fabrics and thick threads, applied as though one of the oil crayons she uses alongside collage and paint. ‘They are slightly odd,’ says Sue of her‘portraits’ but explains, ‘I’m inspired by the narratives of people’s lives.’ Well-educated, original and free-spirited, this Cornwall-based artist is influenced by everything from primitive art – especially ‘wild and wonderful’ tribal figures – to the expressionists and impressionists. The work of Russian expressionist Jawlensky (1864–1941) is a favourite, along with Matisse and the colourists, whose intense use of pigments was their driving motivation. ‘I like artists who don’t feel the need to over-describe a face and use lots of colour to produce an abstraction,’ Sue explains. ‘It should be recognisable…

How did the group start? EAST (East Anglian Stitch Textiles) had its inaugural meeting at Braintree District Museum in September 1995. At that time, founder member Carol Dixon was the Eastern region’s representative on the Embroiderers’ Guild committee and persuaded Anthea Godfrey, past chair of the Embroiderers’ Guild and currently artistic director, to become EAST’s mentor, a role Anthea continues to fulfil. Is there an overriding principle that binds the group members together? At those early meetings it was decided that members would meet regularly and encourage, stimulate and develop their work by research and experimentation. It was also agreed that the group would exhibit as widely as possible to promote textile art. Where and when do you meet? EAST usually meets nine times a year in a village hall…

ON SHOW ARUNDEL Cloth and Clay until 27 Apr, Gallery 57, 57 Tarrant Street BN18 9DJ. gallery57.co.uk AYLESBURY Blooming Threads: 400 years of embroidery blooms – an exhibition delving into the Embroiderers’ Guild Collection. Ongoing. Discover Bucks Museum, Church Street HP20 2PQ. discoverbucksmuseum.org BATH Lubaina Himid: Lost Threads until 21 Apr, Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath, BA2 4DB. holburne.org BIRMINGHAM Quilt Art: Material Evidence until 7 May. Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, B12 9QH. macbirmingham.co.uk BOVEYTRACEY Graduate award-winners from Bath Spa University’s textiles degree and the University of Plymouth. MAKE Southwest, Riverside Mill, Devon TQ13 9AF. crafts.org.uk BRISTOL Slow/Flow until 21 Apr, UWE Bristol students’ artwork inspired by recent show Elias Sime: Eregata. Plus, Acts of Creation: On Art & Motherhood until 2 Jun. Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay,…

Taking a world view Farfield Mill is the only UK venue for the stunning International Textile Exhibition, inspired by the theme ‘tribes’. It features textile art from the 30 finalists who entered the European Patchwork Meeting in Val d’Argent, Alsace, France. Don’t miss the chance to see the wonderfully quirky artwork, Slavic Mushroom Pickers by Magdalena Gasowska from Poland, pictured below. Of differing ages, poor and barefoot, the women pictured have baskets brimful of fungi from the forest, a traditional ingredient of dishes on the Slavic Christmas table. Based on a photo from the National Digital Archive, circa 1930s (with the author of the photo unknown), this is a work in free-hand quilting, embroidery, raw edge appliqué and acrylic paints. The overall winner is Invisible, pictured left, by Angela Minaudo from…

What are your earliest memories of cloth and stitch? When I was about five years old, I wrote to Santa and asked for a wedding dress. On Christmas Day, I was given a beautiful white lace dress with a matching veil. The dress had little pink roses made out of ribbon down the front. The dress came with a note saying that Mrs Claus had been staying up late each night to sew my dress. I loved it so much I insisted on wearing it to school to show it off. Years later I found out it was my mum who had stayed up late to create the dress. When my parents moved a couple of years ago, we found the dress and veil and it’s now hanging in my…

Abstract Embroidery Emily Botelho Rich in texture and vibrant in colour, Emily Botelho’s stunning abstract embroideries are works of art in thread and have earned her a worldwide following. In this, her first book, she showcases 12 beautiful projects inspired by three distinct environments: coastal, mountain and urban. She leads the reader through her unique creative process, from finding inspiration and creating bespoke fabric backgrounds to embellishing each embroidery with a diverse range of stitches, beads and found items that capture a moment in time. Her use of intuitive, slow stitching and a vibrant palette, taken from sources as diverse as mossy rocks or peeling paint, make each of her pieces unique. Emily is a firm believer that you don’t need to go far to be inspired and encourages you…

1. SAVE THE DATE FOR SUMMER SCHOOL From a wide range of embroidery classes to talks and special events, the RSN’s International Summer School offers sew much. Immerse yourself in the world of the RSN, with its first-class tuition, and treat yourself to this festival of stitch in July and August. The RSN is offering four ways to get involved: join the International Summer School on-site at Hampton Court Palace and RSN Durham in the UK, as well as Lexington Kentucky in the USA, or take classes live online, from anywhere around the world. Choose from a stunning range of class designs, from captivating crewelwork (1) and coronation goldwork to a Tudor sweete bag, Christmas box-making or a goldwork medieval crown. There are special offers for booking multiple classes. Royal-needlework.org.uk…