Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show 2022 - All the Other Exciting Bits - Part 3

Hawes Yarnbombers - Crocheted Shrek

It occurs to me that in my previous posts I missed out some of the other wonders of last year's Knitting & Stitching Show so I'm going to whizz through just some of them!

Hawes Yarnbombers - Crocheted Ogre Princess Fiona & Lord Farquaad

First of all (largely because this is what I came across first) the Hawes Yarnbombers had a Shrek display and as a Yarnstormer myself I thought I should tantalise you with some pics! And here are their useful top 10 tips if you want to try some yarnbombing/yarnstorming yourself...

Hawes Yarnbombers Tip 10 Yarnbombing Tips

You may not know but the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2022.  They had some amazing work on show.  Guislaine Peart's creative box Larder contains 82 pieces of cardboard covered in fabric and stitched together and has stumpwork foodstuffs - fab!

RSN Advanced Diploma Student Ghislaine Peart - Larder

Paris Morthorpe's creative box was a Colonial Williamsburg House and Garden...

RSN Advanced Diploma Student Paris Morthorpe
- Colonial Williamsburg House and Garden

Those stitchers amongst us may find the online RSN Stitch Bank very useful too. At time of writing it contained 275 stitches. Each stitch entry contains information about its history, use and structure as well as a step-by-step method with photographs, illustrations and video.  You can access it here.

The Quilters' Guild had an exhibition relating to quilts and the written word - Text & Context...

Winifred Dodge - Clothes Label Coverlet

Winifred Dodge's Clothes Label Coverlet was made in the 1980s from over 2000 woven clothes labels - some firms are no longer in existence.  It shows one way textiles can incorporate text that often goes unnoticed.

Lesley Brankin - Belonging

The radiating words in Lesley Brankin's Belonging quilt reflect what the Quilters' Guild means to its members and was a collaborative piece.

Jo Avery - Intertwined

I loved this colourful quilt of geometric flowers and leaves by Jo Avery.

And who could fail to be impressed by Shenley Brook End School's Going for Gold quilt inspired by the gold collecting dragon in Tolkien's The Hobbit...

Shenley brook End School - Going for Gold

The Embroiderers' Guild had work on display, including EG Scholar David Morrish...

Embroiderers' Guild Scholar - David Morrish

and graduates, Suzy Ager...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Suzy Ager

Eliza Gommershall...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Eliza Gommershall

Adrian Wa...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Adrian Wa

Amelia Fern Gething...

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Amelia Rose Gething

Embroiderers' Guild Graduate Showcase - Amelia Rose Gething

All in all lots to be excited about. Looking forward to the next Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrogate (16-19 November 2023) already!

The Embroiderers' Guild & the Quilters' Guild at the Knitting & Stitching Show - Harrogate 2019

Home Exhibition - Catherine Hill - My Mum's Baking - Cheese & Onion Pie

The Knitting & Stitching Show provided an opportunity to have a closer look at work by members of the Embroiderers' Guild and Quilters' Guild.  The Embroiderers' Guild had an exhibition entitled "Home" where their members had produced work about what "Home" meant to them.  Here are some of my favourites...

Home Exhibition

Clockwise from top left: Frances Reilly - The Cotswolds, Moira Wood - It's Where the Heart Is,  Victoria Flood - Symbols of Home, Sara Frost - Washing on the Line

Home Exhibition - Anne Kelly - Maudie's House

They also had an exhibition of "Life's Rich Pattern"...

Pauline Medinger - Pine Deconstruction

Pam Keeling - Patterns of Autumn

Jean Usher - ...two days after Pearl Harbour

And of course there was the Graduate Showcase.  There was some amazing work on show including...

Elle Foreman takes the discarded and transforms it into something unique using among other techniques, printing, stitching and applique...

Elle Foreman

Catriona Charlton's work centres on costume inspired by the teen fantasy novel Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor...

Catriona Charlton

Alex Vincent Turner's work is influenced by issues of sustainability and male identity and the need to embrace the feminine side of menswear...

Alex Vincent Turner

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Quilters' Guild and as ever they had some amazing quilts on display including...

Katarzyna Plesniak - Pieces of Memories 1

Katarzyna Plesniak - Pieces of Memories 1 (detail)

Jean Grimshaw - Berlin Wall

Heather Chalkley

CQ London were also exhibiting at the Knitting & Stitching Show.  They are a London based group of contemporay quilters and their theme was "Capital Contrasts" focussing on their home city. I particularly liked this one...

Sabi Westoby - Southbank 14 CQ Quilters

With so much to see, I can only give you a brief taster of all the wonderful work on show. If you missed the 2019 show, I'd recommend it as an essential date for your diary in 2020!

Explorations 2018 - Dundee & East of Scotland Embroiderers' Guild

On the Tay - Pamela Beecham

Last year whilst on my annual sojourn to St Andrews, I was lucky enough to see Explorations 2018, the exhibition of the Dundee & East of Scotland Embroiderers' Guild, at the St Andrews Museum in Fife.  There was plenty of variety of embroidery styles, techniques & sensational work. Here's a quick look to whet your appetite...

Summer Landscape - Anita Hutchison

5 Hanging Books - Maureen Shepherd

Collar: 1st World Tribe - Lesley Evans

Gold Leaf - Wendy Rosier

Reflections of Crinan - Helen Hill

Seaweed on Stone - Moira Moonlight

After the Storm - Moira Anne Dickson

Goldwork/Blackwork - Michelle Peet

Beyond Merino - Angela Mehlert

The Summer Garden - Carol Gorrie

Calico Collectors Purse - Jennifer Rochester

Fishing on the Tay - Freda Wood

 Landscape in Two Stitches - Elizabeth Robb

Seeing Red 1 - Bea Neilson

Verdant Vessel - Jennifer Rochester

Transformation - Meadow, Mill, Museum - Jennifer Rochester

Workbox Treasures - Muriel Banucha

Lizzie Mutch - Shona Brand

Lighthouse: Tayport - Anita Hutchison

Locked - Bea Neilson

Storm Crows - Carol Gorrie

Knot Garden - Freda Wood

Summer Poem - Maureen Shepherd

The Mill - Carol Gorrie

Mask 1 -  Kay Deas

There were also EG members' sketchbooks on show...

Sketchbooks

The Dundee EG branch has a Young Embroiderers' group, open to 6-18 year olds, and some of their work was on show including some stitched bunting featuring strong women!

Young Embroiderers' work

Strong Women Bunting

For the last two years the branch has been awarding a Best in Stitch award to a final year student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and a second year HND student at Dundee and Angus College.  The prize includes membership of the Guild, a day school and workshop and a fee for going to the branch to present and talk about their work.  Work by three students from 2017 and 2018 was on display...

Work by HND student, Mariya Holinez & degree students, Aisa Purdee & Aimee Keatch 

Thanks to Jennifer Rochester who was staffing the exhibition when I visited and took the time to chat to me about the group and the work on show.

Explorations 2018 is on until 23 February 2019 at St Andrews Museum in St Andrews, Fife.  Don't miss it! And do contact the branch if you want to join their monthly meetings of talks and workshops. Also, those with potential young stitchers at home may want to check out the Spring Flowers Workshop on Saturday 2 February 2019 at the museum.  

If you're staying in St Andrews and need somewhere to eat, do take a look at Forgans.  They have some special offers through January and February from Monday to Thursdays - check their website. It's a great place to eat!  Don't forget that there's a branch of the V&A in Dundee now - also not to be missed and visit the DCA while you're in Dundee (coffee, food, exhibitions, cinema) - another top spot!  If you want to read about the V&A in Dundee check out my blogpost here.