York Embroiderers and Stitchers - A Celebration of Stitch

A Celebration of Stitch

York Embroiderers and Stitchers (YES) are a friendly group of stitch and textile enthusiasts of all levels of ability and experience who meet on the first Saturday of every month at Haxby Memorial Hall in Haxby, York. Recently (last weekend) they had an exhibition "A Celebration of Stitch" at the Tithe Barn in Nether Poppleton, York. There was a vast array of traditional and contemporary embroidery featuring work on a theme of hedgerows. In fact as well as a beautiful hedgerow banner and lots of lovely hedgerow related work, there was also a hedgerow! 

Details from the Hedgerow Banner and YES logo

Details of the Hedgerow

And work based (loosely) on a theme of hedgerows...

Jeanette Davies - Garrowby hill

Chris Small - Hedgerow

Barbara Cox - Shooting

Jose Gledhill - A June Hedgerow

Liz Farmery - Ouch!

Moira Wood - Lie Long Fields of Barley and of Rape

Gina Smith -The Hedgerow & Jill Slijper - Come for a Walk

Sue Giles - Box

There was lots of the other work on show too...

Carol Coleman - Slice of the Past 1V

Marina McCleave - Pumpkin Pie

Judith Johnson - Book in a Tin

Nicky Brunger - Under the Greenwood Tree

Janet Caldwell - Circles

Shirley Smith - Page 18

Eileen Gibson - Cityscape

Heather Cawte - Four Elements: Water

Maggie Smales - Shakespeare

Jane Murray - Map

Colleen Nicholl - Ideas Board 2

Shenagh Linton -
Miss Doris Shepherd

YES had also been working on a stitched postcard project on the theme of landscape, instigated by Chris Beavers.  Here are some detail shots of each postcard and you can see more of these and who made each one on the YES Facebook page here or on their Instagram account here.

Details of the Landscape Postcard Exhibit

For those who like a challenge, there was a "Guess the Musicals" Competition. Stitched representations of 12 musicals were on display for you to identify.  The prize was a £25 M&S voucher.  Some were easy and others really hard. Now the competition has passed I can show you all the stitched musicals and the answers...

Guess the Musicals Competition & Answers

The Travelling Book was also on show.  This is where a book is passed between members and each member includes a different technique...

Travelling Book - pages by Josie Storey, Jose Gledhill and Sandra Atkin

If you want a quick reminder of what I was exhibiting, you can see them below.  You can read more about the making of the 3D hare here, the embroidered tree here and I hope you guessed my entry in the musicals competition.  My other two pieces - a stitched robin and a stitched hare - were from workshops with Mandy Patullo.

Hippystitch Exhibits
Thanks to Alyson Cowen for the 3D Hare Today Gone Tomorrow image 

As well as all the work on display there was a sales table, and yes, reader, I couldn't resist a few treasures for myself!  And , importantly, all through the exhibition there was tea, coffee and scrummy cake available to keep you going (no pics, sorry - too busy enjoying it!)

Sales Table - Kits, Books, Threads & Fabric

Nicky from Nicky Brunger Crafts was also there with her lovely cross stitch kits, notebooks and haberdashery. 

Altogether, it was a great exhibition with some amazing work on display.  I've tried to give a flavour of the variety of work but there was much more than I have featured. YES are a friendly bunch - I admit a bias as I'm also a member of YES.  Why not come and join us at one of the monthly YES meetings and see for yourself!