Excited! I am excited and proud and grateful and…lots of other good feelings!
I haven’t been to the Knitting and Stitching Show in London since 2010. Although we planned to go last year so I could see my RSN goldwork piece on display, our plans had to be cancelled. This year, however, we are going. In fact, we are going next week and I will be there on Thursday, October 10 all day and into the evening to see everything and everyone.
My dear friend and wonderful teacher Nicola Jarvis has an exhibition in the Gallery as does my very first teacher Phillipa Turnbull. The Acorn pillow I stitched for Nicola’s one woman show, “The Art of Embroidery: Nicola Jarvis and May Morris” at the William Morris Gallery will be on display in her exhibition.
Last week Phillipa emailed me and asked if I would be willing to loan her the Bateau Bayeux piece for her exhibition “A timeline of Crewel Work 1630 -1930”. You don’t need me to tell you what my answer was – and I sent it in record time – under 5 seconds! I feel very fortunate to have friends in the embroidery world who think highly enough of my work to include me in their exhibitions. Their encouragement is what motivates me to keep learning and striving to create higher quality work.
Above is the Bateau Bayeux piece all framed and ready to go. I’m carrying it over with me and will go to Alexandra Palace on Wednesday to get it to Phillipa in enough time for her to mount it.
The last and only other time I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show I didn’t sign up for any workshops. This time, I’ve chosen to attend a workshop in the morning given by Bobby Britnell titled “Easy and Fun Sketchbook Skills”. According to the workshop brochure, “You will be given clear and accessible, step by step instructions of how to create effective and instant designs, working directly into a sketchbook using a variety of media. You will go away with your sketchbook full of ideas and a head buzzing with possibilities for personal interpretation. This makes this short course a must whether your interest is in drawing, designing or in any aspect of textiles. Suitable for the complete beginner through to experienced artists.” Oooohhh! I HOPE so!
I decided to treat myself and enjoy a proper British tea in the afternoon. Since I’m going on my own, I will be put at a table with others and hope to meet some equally enthusiastic needlewomen. If any of you, dear readers, are going to be there on Thursday and have booked in for tea, please let me know if you want to meet up! I will also be at Nicola’s exhibition just a bit before 6 pm so that is another place we could say hello.
For those of you – of which I know there are many! – I will do my very best to see all I can, write about it and take photos where I’m able. I wish I could pack you all into my suitcase and take you with me. Wouldn’t we have fun shopping, talking, drinking tea and eating scones?!
Would you like to embroider your own Acorn Pillow?
Click on the image below to purchase the e-book “The Acorn: A Story of Stitching” .