Knitting and Stitching Show

Please excuse the hiatus in writing.  The world seemed to have moved too fast over the last few months and I am just gathering myself together before half term starts and I get lost again.

Last weekend saw a trip to Alexandra Palace in London for the Knitting and Stitching Show.  I had a great day, meeting up with Maggie Grey, Fiona and Lauren (from Workshop on the Web) and my lovely friend Paula Watkins.  It was incredibly busy and too packed out in places to be able to walk around and see some of the stands at leisure (much better at half past four, when my feet were starting to complain) but I think I managed to see a good proportion of the show.

I really enjoyed some of the exhibitions that were there this year.  Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn had a wonderful exhibition, Jan being inspired by fields and how different times of day and the year affected their appearance.  Jean Littlejohn's work came from the glimpses of times past as a result of renovations in her home and her fanastic works of distressed surfaces were a joy to behold.  The fantastic stitching had us bowing at the altar of Textile Royalty.

Jean Littlejohn - Reclaimed Victoriana

Hoar Frost Jan Beaney

Moving on from there, Ruth Issett and Bobby Britnell had a joint exhibition Equal on all 4 Sides.  I loved the contrast between the two here.  Bobby's work was based on a Ugandan game, and the bold colours and pattterns were striking (left).  Ruth Issett's work was a bonanza of colour, and having reviewed her new book A Passion for Colour in the September issue of Workshop on the Web, it was fantastic to see how bright and vivid her work is in the flesh (it was incredibly vibrant on the page).(right)

Also on show, and not covered in my WOW review was the work of Nicola Jarvis, The Embroidery of Nicola Jarvis and May Morris.  The daughter of Willliam Morris, May Morris was a designer and embroider in her own right, and ran the embroidery studio of Morris & Co.  Her work is held in galleries around the UK and it was these textile designs of May and her father that inspired Nicola Jarvis to create embroideries, drawings and paintings.

The birds featured in the work were beautifully painted and stitched and I loved how Nicola Jarvis incorporated the colours and patterns into each bird.

All above pictures Nicola Jarvis

A lot of great stalls were there and I bought some fantastic fabric from Alter Ego (www.handdyedfabric.co.uk)

I also bought a few thermofax screens, some seagull masks and some yarn for my sister.

But aside from the shopping opportunities, at the end of day, we met Stuart Hilliard from The Great British Sewing Bee.  I have to say that he was so delightful it was the perfect end to a great day.  We all chatted about the Sewing Bee and how lovely and British it was to have people all supporting each other and being competitive in a non-competitive way!  He was hand-stitching some lovely pieced fabric.  His life in textiles has taken off since the show and it is fantastic that someone so enthusiastic about their work has such a life-changing experience and embraces everything it has to offer.

Knitting and Stitching Show

It's hard to believe that it was a whole 2 weeks since the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace.  I went with Paula Watkins and her friend Moira, although I did keep losing them whilst looking round all the lovely stalls.  I also met up with Maggie Grey and her grand-daughter Lauren, although my other Workshop on the Web friend Fiona sadly couldn't make it.

There were plenty of things to see, and I wanted to post a few pictures of my favourite things there.

First were some unusual pieces in the Mr X-Stitch stand.  He was there in person talking about the pieces he had got together. My favourites were these.  First, the embroidered doors:

Both were drilled with holes and then stitched through.  Pretty amazing stitching.

Also found were a series of pieces by Rosie James called City Streets, using stitch, applique and printing (looks like screen printing).  I loved this series.

I met a few interesting people on my way around.

First I met Jane E Hall and her husband Neil.  I was familiar with Jane's first book, The Embroidery of Jane Hall, having read it when it came out and loved it.  Jane creates wonderfully detailed observations of nature that must require endless patience, good eyesight and an abundance of talent.

These are some of the pictures I took, and I can hardly believe how perfect they are.  The stitching is exquisite!

This butterfly is so perfect it looks real.  It is hand stitched!

These cobwebs were made by hand from woven silk thread and silk fibres painstakingly glued on.  In real life they are so delicate and beautiful. 

Jane has a new book out, called The Art of Butterflies.  I am reviewing it for December WOW, but it was fantastic to then read the book after seeing these photos as you can really appreciate the work and detail.  I also was given a copy of An Interview With Jane E Hall to review and it is a perfect accompaniment to the book.

I took a few pictures, but these don't do justice to the work done.

Another exciting find for me was new work by Jean Littlejohn:

Choker



Widows Weeds

I loved the top piece.  It was so delicate.

I had a great day and didn't spend too much (only on essentials...).