Come and Visit Us!

THERE'S STILL TIME!!!!... Our exhibition at Ruskin Mill entitled "Curiously Enough" is only open until 1pm on Thursday, if you have not seen it, only 3 days left...In the meantime...with huge thanks to Ian Wilson, here are a few quotes from his review of our exhibition "Curiouser...?" at the Silk Mills in Frome last September...some of the work featured at our current exhibition "Curiously Enough" was shown at this exhibition...The review was in the Jan/Feb 2012 edition of Embroidery Magazine...



"...'A Print for Patti', made by Susi Bancroft while caring for her dying mother, was so hung that it moved in the slightest draught of air. Like a very English interpretation of a Tibetan prayer-flag, Bancroft's thoughts about making and grieving were hand-written on Liberty cotton lawn, cut and pieced  onto an unfinished quilt begun by her mother..."



"...Against the cream-painted stone walls Kay Swancutt's joined, seamed and stitched quilt like pieces in ecru fabric "Joins 1 and 2"-had a presence both quietest and impressive, which encouraged thoughts about the meditative slowness and repetitiveness of the making process..."


"...Uncoiling from a niche in the wall-like water falling from a cleft rock, 'River of Cloth' by Liz Hewitt had a single, sensuous line of blue stitches working its way down the white cloth and formed a fascinating companion to 'Water Stills my Soul', a slender strip of blue material with thousands of tiny white stitches making the unstitched central position into a meandering, curving stream and manifesting how the understated stitch can posses a semiotic power..."


"...Alison Harper recycles synthetic materials used for takeaway coffee containers, and also meticulously cuts crisp packets by hand putting the resultant lengths of fibre to many uses including knitting and making jewellery..."


"...'Friday Tea' celebrated this weekly ceremony in Lizzie Weir's family and consisted of a washing line of charmingly clean family linen bearing, in both hand and machine stitching such words as 'Jammy Dodgers', alluding to the cherished ritual...


"...Paying homage to the culture of Japan, Carolyn Sibbald's representation of a kimono, with sashiko stitching on indigo dyed fabric, was reconstructed but wearable garment that would look wonderful in movement...."


"...This exhibition bore exhilarating witness to the range of concerns and practices.personal philosophies and deliberations upon the processes of making of the Brunel Broderers represented..."

last few days!

There has been some wet weather this week...!

 

     But we BB's know how to brighten the days...
     and how to add a bit of sparkle...

'Curiously Enough' is open Monday 11th, Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th from 10 - 5 and our last day Thursday 14th we open 10 - 1pm
More photos on the way and possible even a little film...

Curiouser Collages

Lizzie, Susi, Liz H, Kay

Lizzie's work for Curiouser....

a small statement from Lizzie about "Curiouser...?" work in progress...

Discovering a forgotten method in a world of speed and throw away,
Taking time to mend the frayed and join the ripped,
to seal, seam and stitch
the torn.
A long seam of straight stitch-what was once a side is now a seam.
together.

More on pom poms!

As you see here we are, with fans (the boys), in the Star Anise Cafe in Stroud discovering a quick and easy way to make miraculous pompoms. This is part of the Pom Pom Project that Alison is devising with Textile Forum South West as a way to 'map' where textile people live and to bring people together to share skills and enjoy 'making' together (and chat and have coffee and cake).

All will be revealed for this project at the TFSW Conference in Taunton on Saturday 26 March - see here .Get your ticket now!

As for more pompoms for the BB's - well, it involves a birthday cake and a new exhibition - details coming at the end of this month.

POM POMMING!

Yesterday some of the BB's were in the Star Anise Cafe in Stroud making pom poms..

Alison's idea - so here she is with those we made earlier! More images later and an explanation as well as BB

birthday news..

as promised some further images of "Friday Tea", these are small cups/mugs entitled "Just half a cup" there is also some detail of the tablecloth I am working on...more to follow

hardakerandpope.blogspot.com

What a delight to see this blog post about Curious Drawers - and what a pleasurable and interesting browse of their blog and Sarah's site at hardaker and pope - click on the link and scroll to the post for 30th May 2010. Thank you to Jo and Sarah and we have linked your blog (see right hand side for blogs we follow) - best of wishes.....

Just bought myself an embellisher! What a beauty and joy, can't believe that it has taken me so long to discover! I thought I would show you guys what I have been working on, I have been playing around with "curiouser and curiouser" ideas, still retaining the theme of 'Grandma'...just a start and a bit rough I know, but am really excited by it! Wanted to get a bit of work in before baby! x




"Friday Tea"

Jars of Joy!

Lizzie

Looking, noticing, observing, selecting, collecting, choosing, questioning, thoughtfully presenting little jars of joy.

The final step in the shop trail!

So - here we are at the end of the shop trail images.
Thanks to In Print, 31, High Street, Stroud where the window display includes this beautifully sensitive piece by Lizzie. Still plenty of time to do our trail - a whole week to go till 22nd May!

More Glimpses!!

Hi
Some people have asked how to look back at our posts - scroll to the bottom of this page and look at the right hand side which says 'older posts' - click on this and you can start to scroll through our current 40 posts!!! Alternatively look through the 'blog archive' section on the right hand side and click on any month to see older posts - hope it works!
Meanwhile - here are some images Louise has taken to add to our rolling collection - thanks Louise!

Lizzie

Liz

Louise

So - curious and curiouser!

Family hands that hand made items on Susi's chest of drawers are drawn and stitched onto a fine layer of 'dust sheet' evoking the wrapping, protective enveloping of treasures. The chair was made by her great grandfather who made one for each of his children.

A detail from Lizzie's 'Meet June at the Tate'

More will follow!

Detail - Lizzie

Detail of my work for the Curious Drawers exhibition, the piece is entitled "Meet June at the Tate" and is about the lost, forgotten and secreted lists and writings that I have found recently whilst sorting out my Grandma's things. It is slowly coming together and I am really excited about seeing all of the work that the BB's have created for the exhibition completed, think that it is going to be FAB!!!!!

buttons - vintage fabric

Have just finished some covered buttons for the exhibition, really enjoyed it, have got a bit covered button crazy! Went to a rag fair on Saturday and bought some beauty vintage scraps, cant wait to turn them into buttons!