Luminary - Serena Partridge & Gawthorpe Hall

Nelson's Column & Big Ben by Serena Partridge

Luminary by Serena Partridge is currently being exhibited at Gawthorpe Hall.  This year, it is 50 years since Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth died.  She set up the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection based at Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire.  (This is my second trip to Gawthorpe Hall - you can read about the first here.)  Luminary is a series of installations inspired by Rachel & her textile collection.  Working with local schools and adult groups across Lancashire & Yorkshire, Serena Partridge has created pieces which relate to Rachel's life & her ethos of keeping traditional craft skills alive. 
 

Notre-Dame D'Afrique, Algeria by Serena Partridge

Serena creates beautifully stitched artworks inspired by historical textiles and storytelling.  You may have read about Serena on my blog before.  You can find it here.

Bruges Belfry, Belgium By Serena Partridge

"Set" in the Dining Room reflects Rachel's extensive travels on which she collected many of her embroidery and textile pieces. Serena worked with local school children who sketched famous landmarks which she translated faithfully into embroideries.  Her use of glow in the dark thread is a reference to a spiritual experience Rachel had of a great luminosity which convinced her to set up her house (Gawthorpe Hall) as a centre for craft learning.

Eiffel Tower, France by Myles & Serena Partridge

Nuremberg Castle, Germany by Abredha & Serena Partridge

Windmills, Holland - Serena Partridge

In the Long Gallery, "Guide"  takes inspiration from Rachel's long involvement with the Girl Guides and the communal sampler made by Guides to her design.  School children created drawings relating to this or their own experiences of camping and outdoor activity.  These were mixed together and translated into embroidered pennants by adult groups.

Girl Guide Communal Sampler Designed by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth

Here are some of the pennants...

The pennants were mounted on 7 different poles...

"Care" in the Huntroyd Bedroom reflects Rachel's role as caretaker both of the Hall and her textile collection.  Working together, Serena & Angela Chalmers have produced a series of cyanotypes (a type of cameraless photography) on felt of antique lace and whitework - as if documenting parts of the textile collection.  

Care - Serena Partridge & Angela Chalmers

Care - Serena Partridge & Angela Chalmers

The textile collection itself is very interesting and worth exploring.  I also like the display of Rachel's desk and her green ink labels for everything.

Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth's Desk

One of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth's labels in characteristic green ink

Whilst I was visiting, I spotted a Threadifitti installation in the grounds.  This textile grafitti piece was made by UCLan's Fashion Design Department, postgraduate students from the MA Textiles and the Ground Up community group.  It uses thread, rope, crochet and embroidery.  There are other pieces in the grounds.  Threadifitti in on display until the end of September.

Threadifitti Installation

Threadifitti & Luminary are both part of Fabrications - a celebration of textiles through the eyes of artists in Pennine Lancashire in September 2017 presented by Super Slow Way.

Luminary is on at Gawthorpe Hall until 5 November 2017.  Why not go and take a look?  There's a cafe & car park in the grounds.

New stock for Kunsthuis

Felt Necklaces

I have been along to Kunsthuis Gallery in Crayke with some new Hippystitch stock.  There are some colourful felt necklaces, a great selection of Liberty print fabric necklaces...

Liberty print fabric necklaces

a variety of button brooches...

Various button brooches

and you might even find some of the new bike bags in green and black - especially suitable if you've just cycled out there!

New green and black bike bags

Kunsthuis is open Wednesdays to Sunday from 11-4pm.  There's plenty of parking if you're going by car, a lovely cafe and a fab gardens.  Why not pop along and check it out?  

Stumpwork with Kay & Michael Dennis

Kay Dennis - Mouse in a Blackberry Bush (Stumpwork)

 
Recently Kay and Michael Dennis came to talk to the City of York Embroiderers' Guild about Stumpwork.  Stumpwork is a type of raised embroidery, using an array of different materials and embroidery techniques, including needlelace. Stumpwork came to England in the 17th century and was done by teenage girls of the aristocracy.  Then it was known simply as raised embroidery.

Kay learned to embroider as a child and learned stumpwork from Barbara & Roy Hirst.  She has even got her husband, Michael, hooked on the technique.  You can hear Kay talking about stumpwork and Barbara & Roy Hirst here.

Here are some examples of Kay & Michael's work...

Kay Dennis - Toadstools

Kay Dennis - Stumpwork casket showing detail to sides and lid

 

Michael Dennis - Fantasy Bird

 

Kay Dennis - Acorn & Berries

The following day, I got a chance to try my hand at some stumpwork at one of their workshops with a seabird theme. 

Kay Dennis - Sea Birds

Kay Dennis - Seabird & Lobster Pots

Kay had some lovely examples of birds at the seaside.   Our aim was a water's edge picture.  We began by painting some puddles onto our calico and then adding some rock shapes in vilene which were stab stitched in place.  Next they were covered in stitch using embroidery threads.  After that we added the body of our seabird.  The body was made up of layers of felt which was then covered in leather...
 

The beginnings of a stumpwork seabird

Next came a needlelace wing...

Needlelace wing in progress

As you can see it's very much a work in progress.  Lovely to have a go at something I've never tried before.  Thanks Kay and Michael!

Just in at the Ropewalk Craft Gallery, Barton upon Humber

Femmes Fatales Brooches

I have made a delivery to the Ropewalk Craft Gallery in Barton upon Humber to stock them up with Hippystitch goodies. Check out what's new...

Liberty Print Fabric Necklaces

People and Places Brooches + Map Pouches

Knitted Wire Bird Brooches

Vintage Button Bracelets

Coin brooches

Screen Printed Bike Bags

Lino Printed Fish Bags

Button Brooches

 
There's domino brooches and mermaid brooches and lots more.  Take a trip out there. It's well worth a visit.  The Ropewalk has three exhibition galleries as well as the Craft Gallery and a fab cafe.  It's just across the Humber Bridge in Lincolnshire so why not combine a trip with a walk in the area. The Waters' Edge Visitors Centre and Country Park and the Humber Bridge Country Park are close by too.  Go visit!