Innholdsfortegnelse for September - October 2025 i Embroidery

The British Textile Biennial celebrates the rich textile histories embedded within Lancashire’s past and present, and the many global intersections that the area is home to. With a title as exciting as The Future was always there – from sea snails to Star Wars, anticipation for the fourth edition, launching in October, is high. ‘Our context is Lancashire’s innovation and ingenuity in the evolution of textiles,’ explains Laurie Peake, the Biennial’s artistic director. ‘A lot of what we’ve covered in past Biennials has been centred on the industrial revolution but the area was also prominent in the evolution of synthetic, manmade fabrics in the 20th century. One of the first polymer fibres, Terylene, was invented in Accrington. New fabrics were developed in Burnley for the evangelist and explorer George Grenfell…

With views of the highest point in Cornwall – the 1,378ft rocky tor known as Brown Willy (or in Cornish, Bronn Wennili) – a visit to Adam Halls’ studio in the wilds of Bodmin Moor affords a vantage point on the dramatic scenes the artist drinks in daily. Living in such an unspoiled landscape is accompanied by experiencing nature in the raw: ‘We’re right in the middle of Bodmin Moor, not far from Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn, so it’s quite bleak. When snow is predicted, you can guarantee we’ll be snowed in because we’re so high, and as we’re so far out in the sticks, we’re always the last to be reconnected to the power supply.’ This can be frustrating with deadlines looming that require a sewing machine. Adam…

■ IN A CONVERTED BARN in Much Marcle in rural Herefordshire, ten Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) heritage volunteers from Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Malvern enjoy a coffee break after a morning of crewelwork. Sunshine pours in through the floor-to-ceiling glass doors on to their work-in-progress; a ten-metre-long tapestry depicting the 1,000-year history of Hellens Manor near Ledbury. Called A History in Stitches, it’s a visual feast. Apples made from red and green French knots are crushed for cider in a horsedriven stone mill; Queen Mary I is knighting owner of the house Richard Walwyn on a richly patterned seed stitch and Turkey rug stitch carpet; and suffragist composer Dame Ethel Smyth is having a bath next to stacked paintings sent by the Tate gallery for safekeeping during the Second World War.…

‘What are the origins of the Fibrefusion group? Fibrefusion evolved as a design-led exhibiting group when, in 2000, the late Pauline Verrinder, an accomplished textile artist, teacher and mentor, encouraged the members of her advanced workshop to exhibit their textile art. The composition of the group has changed over the years but two of the original group continue to be members, Sandra Duff and Marian Harrington. As a group member herself, Pauline tutored, mentored and inspired, with generosity in both ideas and materials, while sharing her passion for textile art. She laid a solid foundation for Fibrefusion to continue for years to come. Is there an overriding principle that binds you together? Fibrefusion is a contemporary exhibiting group of textile artists. Pauline set up the group with the aim of…

ON SHOW ABERDEEN Reading Between the Lines: Embroidered Samplers, until 30 Nov. Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill AB10 1FQ. aberdeencity.gov.uk ARUNDEL Abstract Aesthetic, with an East/West influence until 13 Sep. Plus, My Fury Expressed: Rachel Pearcey – stitched quotes on subjects of frustration: politics, inequality and the environment until 13 Sep. Plus, Collections, 4 Oct–21 Dec. Gallery 57, 57 Tarrant Street BN18 9DJ. gallery57.co.uk AYLESBURY On a Grand Scale – larger works in the Embroiderers’ Guild Collection. Until Jan 2026. Discover Bucks Museum HP20 2PQ. discoverbucksmuseum.org AYLESBURY On a Grand Scale – larger works in the Embroiderers’ Guild Collection. Until Jan 2026. Discover Bucks Museum HP20 2PQ. discoverbucksmuseum.org BANBURY Muses and More by Vivienne Beaumont, until 31 Oct. Upton House and Gardens, Edge Hill OX156HT. textilestudioartists.co.uk BEXLEY Textile Studio Artists: contemporary…

■ WHEN MIA HANSSON completes her 70-metre replica of the Bayeux Tapestry she will have stitched 58 scenes, 626 characters and 202 horses, single-handedly. Her reaction to the tapestry’s loan to the British Museum next year is that it’s going to save her a trip to Bayeux, where she saw it on holiday in 2005. She was instantly captivated by this masterpiece of 11th century art, a significant historical document telling the story of the Norman conquest of England. For nine years now, Mia has spent an average of two to three hours a day sitting on her sofa surrounded by her dogs replicating the embroidery, using a tablet to zoom in on stitches in photos on the Bayeux Museum website. She has completed 52.4 metres. For someone who ‘hated…

After more than three decades of inspiring makers and showcasing textile brilliance, The Knitting & Stitching Show has a brand-new name: Knit + Stitch. While the name and logo have had a contemporary update, the much-loved shows remain a vibrant celebration of the world of textile crafts. This year’s events in London, Northern Ireland and Harrogate promise to be bigger and better than ever. You’re invited to take a seat at the live stage for talks, demos and catwalks from sewing celebs. Sessions are free and provide the chance to learn new techniques in easy to digest 30-minute segments. The shopping is legendary, too, from artisan yarns and eco-friendly fabrics to haberdashery, kits, patterns and tools. In London, shows in the textile galleries feature: Anne Kelly, Carmen Mardonez, Jane Walkley,…

■ KNOWN FOR PRODUCING sculpture that combines autobiography and folklore, London-based Jonathan Baldock’s practice brings together processes from embroidery and stitch to weaving and ceramics. His current exhibition, WYRD, at Jupiter Artland, a gallery and sculpture park just outside Edinburgh, features a group of extraordinary, larger-than-life textile sculptures of animals, based on both real and mythological forms. These hybrid creatures, rendered predominantly in textiles but with ceramic elements, take influences from handmade soft toys of the 1970s and 1980s. The animals within WYRD use an aluminium wire armature, covered and packed with coconut fibre, similar to that used in upholstery, to ensure the sculptures are robust. Fabrics are then stitched over these and finished with hand embroidery. Small ceramic faces or other elements are paired seamlessly with the textiles so…

● KATY RUNDLE’S VIBRANT images convey the joy of being alive and of opening up to the opportunities that life brings. Up-close, if you zero in on her fabric collages of African wildlife, the denizens of Hampshire’s New Forest or the delights of the Jurassic coast, you’re likely to come across a kaleidoscopic circle here, a perfect petal or standout stripe there, or a vivid leaf design representing a tree, all taken from such boldly patterned fabrics the artist describes them as ‘Marmite’, you either love them or you hate them. Katy’s artworks are a remarkable celebration of life and spark a sense of delight in the viewer. And this comes not only from the heart of the artist but from her professional experience, most recently as a nurse working…

■ THE BROADWAY GROUP celebrates the social, emotional and political significance of textile art. While their output is distinctive and diverse, they unite in themes of landscape and social justice. Committed to exploring the significance of artistic practice more broadly, and to socially engaged art with politically inspired elements, their work has been shown at Tate Liverpool, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, People’s History Museum and Coventry Cathedral. The four members met at Jean Draper’s Design for Stitch advanced workshop in Lichfield, Staffordshire. When Jean stopped teaching the workshop in 2017, they continued working together, forming a close-knit mentoring and exhibition group, called the Broadway Group because two artists lived in streets named ‘Broadway’. Today, members live in Coventry and Derbyshire. Sue Reddish says: ‘We gather in a space where making matters…

THE GENESIS EXHIBITION: DO HO SUH: WALK THE HOUSE Tate Modern, London, 1 May–19 October ■ I HAVE RUN OUT of superlatives to try to convey what it feels like to be immersed in the ethereal spaces of Do Ho Suh’s Genesis Exhibition: Walk the House at Tate Modern. The fragile beauty of translucent walls created from paper and cloth in his ambitious new installation Nest (2024) welcomes the visitor to ‘walk’ these re-imagined architectural replicas based on the homes in Seoul, London, New York and Berlin where Suh and his family once lived. The intimate architectural details of door handles, light switches and extractor fans are exquisitely rendered in stitch and invite us to create our own connection to the places we inhabit and reflect upon the impact of…

At Liberty… women designing for women William Morris Gallery’s major exhibition Women in Print: 150Years of Liberty Textiles marks the store’s innovations and relevance, highlighting the pivotal role of women textile designers in their success, including Althea McNish, Susan Collier, Sarah Campbell and Lucienne Day. Featuring over 100 works, spanning garments, fabric, original designs, film and historic photographs, the exhibition shows how Liberty became a household name, from its distinctive ‘Tudorbethan’ storefront, to its fabric being used for both high street and bespoke fashion. Liberty commissioned pioneers like Ann Macbeth (1875–1948), a member of the women’s suffrage movement who taught at Glasgow School of Art and played a key role in modernising embroidery designs. Opportunities for women around the time of the First World War opened doors to professional textile…

THE 2025 GRADUATES of the Royal School of Needlework’s BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery degree programme offer a bright beacon for self-expression, creativity and continuing hand-skills in embroidery. This world-renowned programme is delivered solely by the RSN, validated by Kingston University, and studied full-time over three years at Hampton Court Palace. Traditional hand embroidery techniques are studied within a contemporary context, from crewelwork, black work, gold work and raised work to tambour, silk shading and white work. Students participate in a wide range of high-profile projects within couture, costume, interiors and textile art, with, for example, Alexander McQueen, Lock & Co. Hatters, Patrick Grant, Nicholas Oakwell Couture and artists Susan Aldworth and Ruben Montini. Students are encouraged to apply to competitions, including those run by The Worshipful Company of Glovers and…

What is your background? I have a degree in fine art sculpture and for many years worked in the community running workshops in wood, sculpture and mosaics. I set up an arts charity and oversaw community arts projects for six years and then worked as an arts and grants officer helping community projects attract funding. When I had my first daughter I found I could create small projects at home. I fell in love with using textiles and threads when my mother gave me some of her threads and fabrics and have never looked back. What led you to embroidery? I found I could create very detailed work with threads, rather like drawing or painting but without the need for a huge studio space. I started embroidering with single strands,…

Viewers of the hauntingly beautiful film The Nettle Dress, chronicling the making of a garment from nettle fibre, foraged, spun, woven and eventually hand-stitched into a dress by Allan Brown, whose friend Dylan Howitt made the film, will be familiar with the scene in which Brown, sitting on the floor, having removed the nettle cloth from his loom wraps himself in the fabric; which has taken a total of seven years to produce. It’s a profoundly moving moment Brown describes as ‘amazing. Until then, I feared something would go wrong; it wouldn’t become cloth. I felt as if I’d crossed the rubicon.’ Spinning nettle on a drop spindle, partly to console and occupy himself in hours spent beside his ailing father’s bed as he died, and subsequently, as Brown’s wife…

At first glance, visitors to one of Laura Sánchez Filomeno’s exhibitions are inevitably attracted to the jewel-like colours of her exquisitely detailed embroideries of corals, nautical charts, leaves, plants, fossils and stones. Closer examination, though, reveals that the startlingly rigid ‘threads’ Laura has deliberately left long to seemingly grow from her pieces are in fact strands of human hair. The Franco-Peruvian multi-disciplinary artist, who has exhibited across France as well as elsewhere in Europe and Peru, explains: ‘One of my initial intentions is that the viewer should not recognise this as hair embroidery. When confronted with this “misappropriated” embroidery, viewers generally have an intense reaction, somewhere between fascination and rejection, because the use of this raw material can provoke unease, at odds with the delicate, meticulous workmanship of the embroidery…

After 180 years of undeserved obscurity, it’s time for a re-evaluation of the great Mary Linwood. In her lifetime (1755-1845) she rose from a middle class teacher to be the most famous textile artist there had probably ever been – the first woman to own a London gallery. Linwood created stitched versions of famous British and European paintings, the likes of which had never really been seen before and pushed the art of embroidery into a new realm. The technique she used was known at the time as needlepainting or worsted work, that is creating an effect like painting but using worsted (wool) threads. Others used the same process, although mainly on a smaller scale to make pretty images for the home, usually with painted silk or paper faces. Linwood,…