Two and more for Tea Flora Tales....the Knitting and Stitching Show
Just arrived back from the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. The response to Tea Flora Tales has been overwhelming. It was so good to see people interacting with the installation and finding their favourite pieces. Along the way we have raised a good amount of money for Plantlife . I will reveal more after the show moves on to Harrogate. Thankyou to the Embroiderer's Guild UK and the Knitting and Stitching Show for their support of this project.
A contingent of beauties from the Profanity Embroidery Group (PEG) in Kent playing with Tea Flora Tales. Read about them here on Mr Xross Stitch
Top Brenda Parsons for Lucy Margaret Nesbitt, Vad, Bottom, Jill Munday, For the Canary Girls, and Annette Collinge, Machine Gun Corps.
Jenni Dutton's powerful comment on Dementia and Aging in wool and thread portraits proved emotionally charged in its intimate reflection of a subject shared as a common experience for many.
Dionne Swift and Collective Stitches a collaborative exhibition of artist and student work which celebrates what we all learn as part of the student and teacher partnership.
I am sure I did not get all my words in the right places at the right time so to those of you who may have got rather strange responses from me as days went on..I apologize. I enjoyed meeting each and every visitor. The support and help from all who have been involved has been phenomenal from the team that help set up and take down to the volunteers who not only came to assist on the stand, but became excellent ambassadors for Plantlife.
It was a powerful show this year with many exhibitors working around emotionally charged themes. The 100 Hearts by The Embroiderers' Guild in partnership with SSAFA Charity, Wiltshire proving a favourite with the visitors. The pieces commenting and commemorating of family, loss and life. (You do not see many in my images as I could only sneak photos at the beginning of the day before visitors arrived)
Roxanne Hawksley's Pale Armistice in the foreground.
Phillippa Mogridge, ...and the Earth Ran Red with Blood, Juliet Bryon, Patricia Iles, Anthea Godfrey, To Dress Extravagantly in Wartime is Worse than Bad Form and Siew Ong Hinchcliffe. Anthea currently has an inspirational interview on Stitchery Stories Podcast and is the driving force behind the Campaign for Creativity to retain creativity in schools.
Nigel Cheney, Decorated Tour of Duty, Sentinels in Cloth reminds us that the division between uniform and mortality is a very fine one.
Caren Garfen, What's Going on Upstairs reflect upon the devastating world of eating disorders in another emotionally loaded and powerful comment on a difficult subject.
Emily Tull, 10 Years of Markings and Unmarkings and the nature and power of stitch as a tool for marking, drawing and painting.
Dawn Hemming, Spiralling Out, Hand knit circular textiles one of the few very welcome exhibits in knitted textile.
Carol Naylor, A Stitched Timeline from the 70's to Today marking the incredible strength in her work reflecting landscape in stitched cloth over the years.
Fabricated Narratives...Alyson Midgelow Marsden, Helene Carpenter, Di Halstead and Marianda Twydell. I like the way this exhibition was carefully curated in a small space as if giving an intimate portrayal into an 'artist's collective studio' celebrating process and ideas in collaboration.
Not all the artists represented at Alexandra Palace move on to the shows at Dublin and Harrogate so please check the Knitting and Stitching Show website for further details.
Finally, a little glimpse of the other part of my show which includes some pieces from Textile Landscape. (The book sold out on the morning of the third day so apologies for those who came to get a copy.)
I will be at Harrogate on stand TG15, come and say hello.
Oh, and my heart, dedicated to both my grandfathers and Edith Cavell, a great Norfolk heroine. This piece will be on show at Norwich Cathedral where Cavell is buried.
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