out and about

went back to gawthorpe house again, this time to visit the house and textile collection as i didn't get to see them on last year's study day

the best bit was, of course, the textile collection - only a small part of it is displayed, but there was a good selection of different styles, types and periods of stitching shown - for me the best part was the contemporary work

i was particularly drawn by the pieces by Bella May Leonard, more here too, one to watch i think

apologies to Bella and the collection for the illicit snap but i promise i won't be pretending this is my work






prompted by mo's comment i've given more thought to what appealed to me about bella's work: her use of perspex as a base allowed the stitches to float in the air, showing off their structure and giving them dimension which cannot be seen on fabric in the same way - some of the pieces displayed had a truly etheral quality, and the designs and stitches used reflected the influence of the collection she had drawn on for inspiration - i also thought that bella's use of coated wire and other materials as yarn added another textural dimension and while providing contrast to the fibre yarns, this spoke to me of of progress and the continuation of traditional methods using contemporary materials

and i admire the skills shown in the planning and execution of the perforations in the perspex as well as the quality and variety of stitching

................ that sounds like the "artspeak" i used to laugh at ..... probably because i didn't understand it ...