Thank you to our outings organiser who kept us busy this year!
Fashion & Textile Museum, 13th April 2022, London
We had a great visit to see this show at the Fashion and Textile Museum which closes September 4th. We had a guide which was really useful. I think the best shows always tell a good story, and this one does. We learned how RSN has preserved hand embroidery as an art form and supported women’s rights and ability to work.
RSN has preserved the old and traditional as well responding to trends, fashions and current affairs often through collaboration. Examples included working with wounded soldiers during WW2 because embroidering really helped them in their emotional as well as physical recovery.
Significant collaborations with and commissions from the Arts and Crafts movement, royal family, religious institutions and fashion designers means that they are contemporary as well as deeply committed to the traditional and treasured skills. The show displayed an incredible range of work. And my favourite piece was “The Red Dress” . Led by Kirstie Macleod, 343 embroiderers across 46 countries have worked on it. It’s absolutely ravishing.
– Gill
Pam Judd Exhibition at the Sunbury Garden Gallery, 1st June 2022, Sunbury-on-Thames
Kingston Stitchers visit to Pam Judd exhibition at Sunbury Garden Gallery.
Twelve members plus two husbands visited Sunbury and toured the current exhibition of Pam Judd, who oversaw the making and construction of the Millennium Embroidery and was its Chief Embroiderer. ` The Millennium Embroidery is the gallery’s own permanent exhibition of the Millennium Embroidery of Sunbury-on-Thames which is a very special project. See their website at https://www.sunburygallery.org/
Sunbury Garden Gallery has become a special place for us to visit as a group. It is not that far from us and the exhibitions have really been stunning this year….Karen Nicol, The Covid Chronicles and Pam Judd. They also have a cafe where we can relax with a light lunch and afterwards enjoy the magnificent gardens as well.
Overlord Embroidery, 11 July 2022, D-Day Museum, Portsmouth
Our outings organiser, obtained a mini-bus and took us to a day out in Portsmouth !
We were really lucky with the weather on our trip down to Portsmouth and so some of us were even able to paddle in the sea before we went into the D-Day Museum to see the
Overlord Embroidery and exhibition. The exhibition was excellent and provoked some good discussions amongst us as we pondered how the ladies at the RSN actually created the 34 panels of the huge embroidery from the designs that they were given.
The embroidery itself was truly amazing and was authentic in its representation of the military, with genuine material from the uniforms of the time used in the appliqué work. The long and short stitching which was employed to shade the faces on the panels was highly effective as was the use of cords couched down to create outlines and give depth to the scenes.
The rest of the museum was fascinating; the highlight being able to explore one of the landing craft used.
All in all, an inspiring visit rounded off with a delicious ice cream!
– Nicola
Summer Picnic, Bushy Park, (near Hampton Court), 8 August 2022
What a relaxing time – It was a very good turnout for a summer event – (several more of us not pictured here). We thoroughly enjoyed seeing each other in a relaxed environment, chatting about our current stitch projects and just generally chatting !
Pheasantry Cafe – Bushy Park – The Royal Parks
Kingston Stitchers 