Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn: Seeing Double

The title of this particular exhibition reflects their interest in favourite places visited during the last few years. Both Jan and Jean focus on different aspects resulting in intriguing interpretations, which for each artist capture the essence of the place evoking special feelings and memories.
The shared Close to Home theme celebrates the transient light and seasonal changes of two fields near Jans home and Jeans preoccupation with layers of history as evidenced in pathways local to her.
The Greek islands of Samos and Lesbos continually attract and contribute to a second theme. The landscape, the sea, historical resonances and light qualities absorb both artists.
Australia is a third area of work and another trip to this fascinating country is planned during 2008 and should further fuel their creative juices.
Sometimes a brief visit such as that to the Chinese Garden in Vancouver can inspire a mini theme.
Both Jan and Jean are passionate about their work and share the same philosophy.
However, their love for colour, texture and pattern partnered with deeply held emotional responses will result in an exciting, varied and thoughtful show reflecting very different approaches from each textile artist.  

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

John Allen: The Forbidden Kingdom

My new exhibition of carpets for the wall and mixed media pictures is called The Forbidden Kingdom. All the work has been inspired by Nepalese culture and landscape. I have travelled to Nepal for many years trekking in the high Himalayas and exploring old cultural sites. The exhibition is my creative response to my experiences and Nepalese visits. The work starts with figurative pieces which are slowly abstracted, with elements of decorative pattern and flowers being introduced. This work leads the way to the final section, which is totally decorative or abstract. This later work has been influenced by the strange mix so often observed in Nepal of the sophisticated being juxtaposed with the naive. Into this heady mix I have introduced my own western creative style and ideas. The mixture of religious cultures and architectural styles experienced in Nepal are not only fascinating, but visually stimulating and sometimes disturbing. Alien elements are often introduced in to traditional themes and used together, producing exciting sometimes disturbing, but always interesting, visual effects.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Ruth Issett: Connected with Colour

Energizing use of colour provokes a response, from the heat of red to the placid coolness of pale aquatic greens.
For Ruth colour is a life blood through which she communicates and expresses her instinctive response to personal environment and experiences.
Her connections with colour have been focused principally on paper and fabric using print, dyes, stitch and drawn additions. These have variously been explored in her working life by communicating the experience of colour through teaching, writing and her own work. None of these have been done in isolation, connecting teaching to personal practice has provoked a response to colour that inspires and excites.
This opportunity to exhibit will see Ruth engaging with colour on a larger scale. By using powerful combinations and the flow of liquid light, she will explore avenues of colour creating movement and excitement which will give an opportunity to share her enthusiasm with others.
Come and wallow in pool of glorious colour, refresh the senses, indulge the eye and connect with colour with Ruth.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Carol Naylor: Borderlines

 I continue to create machine embroideries by stitching directly onto painter's canvas using a wide range of rayon, metallic, woollen and cotton threads.
Intensive stitching changes the base fabric from a flat surface to one that moves and undulates with its own unique quality.
This technique allows me to draw in a very direct way. The sewing machine needle provides the marks a pencil would make, and the richly coloured threads offer me a sumptuous and exciting palette. Rather like opening a box of deliciously forbidden chocolates, I am spoilt for choice!
Qualities of light and colour observed on land and over water provide the starting points for the embroideries that I will be exhibiting at the Knitting and Stitch shows 2008. As I manipulate and change the surface of my base fabric by stitching, the earth's surface provides me with visual stimuli that I seek not to emulate, but to investigate. Drawing and observing are both essential parts of the creative process, with photography and notes providing back up when needed.
I observe, I record, I select, I develop.
Starting points include coastlines and landscapes from England, France, Italy and Spain. Some works are image based, whilst others have a more abstract quality.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Westhope Group: Divergence

This is the Westhope Group's fifth touring exhibition. The work, based on the theme of Divergence, is grounded in centuries-old techniques, but challenges the traditional view of lace.
Westhope Group members bring together artistic abilities and lace making skills to produce an amazing body of two- and three-dimensional work in a wide variety of materials and sizes.  A unique feature of the Group's exhibitions, of particular interest to serious students, is to illustrate the evolution of finished work with working samples and  sketch books.
The group was founded in 1989 to bring together lacemakers wishing to take forward traditional lace skills into modern textile art. Members come together once a year (at Westhope College in Shropshire) to share knowledge and expertise, obtain an objective assessment of their work and ideas and discuss matters relating to general and specific lacemaking problems.
Over the years the annual meeting has provided a considerable stimulus to group members, who share a fascination with the diversity of lace and related textiles and are keen to preserve traditional techniques, while developing lace as a recognised contemporary art form for the 21st Century.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• Harrogate International Centre

Ray Slater

Renowned cloth doll maker Ray Slater will be promoting her new book in Birmingham, London and Harrogate entitled "Cloth Dolls For Textile Artists".

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• Harrogate International Centre

Diane Bates

Diane's life has always been unusual. Her childhood was spent living in a double-decker bus in Yorkshire, and at 15 her talent for drawing was recognised by a teacher and she was encouraged to go to art school. However, this was only the beginning of her studies; she went on to obtain an honours degree in Embroidery from Goldsmiths College, University of London, in the 1960s. Diane then went on to gain a Masters in Industrial Design from the University of Central England.
Diane's collections evolve using diverse materials and disciplines ranging from drawing, sculpture, textiles and embroidery. She will be celebrating a retrospective at The Knitting and Stitching Shows from her Painted Lady Collection, which spans many years but focuses on the female form, recent challenges in the exploration of androgeny, elaborate head pieces and a return to her first love life drawing.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Barbara and Roy Hirst: Stumpwork

Inspired by the raised and padded embroideries of the seventeenth century, Barbara and Roy Hirst set out to increase awareness of this fascinating textile form amongst a twentieth century audience. Their research into the subject informed a series of exquisite, detailed contemporary raised works handstitched by Barbara over many years. It also provided the basis for two publications and a series of education initiatives through which they sought to share their passion with a wide public.
This years Knitting and Stitching Show features a retrospective exhibition that celebrates the contribution made by Barbara and Roy Hirst to the revival of interest in raised work. Representing the different phases of Barbara's work, including the intricate Millenium Casket, the exhibition will also feature historic pieces and contemporary education samples that demonstrate the process of making.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Susan Chapman and Terrie Hitchcock: Bodies of Evidence

Susan and Terrie are working together on an exciting new project, exploring what happens when embroiderer meets quilter.
Called 'Bodies of Evidence' this project is inspired by our shared interest in the human form. We are looking at the pattern of gesture that arises from dance and sporting activities, capturing those moments in time that define the discipline.
As teachers we are constantly seeing students struggling with design that we would be eager to progress and work on ourselves. This poses the question. Can we use others' designs? Are we so involved in our own ideas that we can't see the solution objectively? So the challenge is to try it ourselves in spite of our differences in approach and practice. We are very excited by this concept and intend to exhibit the details of our collaboration along with our individual response to the theme. We think that the viewer will find this meeting of two disciplines to be both stimulating and fun?.

• Alexandra Palace, London

Bosnian Quilt Exhibition

The Bosna Quilt Workshop was founded and carried out in the Caritas Refugee Home Galina, Vorarlberg, Austria in 1993. The quilts, which were designed by the Austrian painter Lucia Feinig-Giesinger, are thin bed covers imaginatively stitched and seamed by talented Bosnian women.  During the period of their exile from their homeland the work in the Quilt Workshop was not only a welcome source of income but also a type of occupational therapy to help them cope with the traumas of war and a refugee existence. Since 1998 the Bosna Quilt Workshop has been re-located to the Bosnian enclave of Gorazde on the Drina River, which was closed off from the outside world for many years during the war and today suffers from high unemployment. Twelve women contribute to earning livelihoods for their families with their work on these quilts.

• Alexandra Palace, London

Artists in Action

For the first time this year, we introduce Artists in Action - a space built especially to allow the public to watch and learn, as top textile artists get to work in a studio space. Different artists will work across a range of disciplines throughout the day from Friday to Sunday.

Ruth Issett will take the first masterclass in the Artists in Action Studio which is sponsored by ART VAN GO. Make sure you subscribe to our email newsletter and be one of the first to hear the details of Ruth's class. Spaces will be limited.

Once the masterclass has finished the studio will be opened up to a whole rosta of different textile artists demonstrating their craft. 

• NEC, Birmingham

Mechanical Drawing: The Schiffli Project

The School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University houses the last working schiffli embroidery machine in the UK. Fifteen artists have created work utilising this unique machine.

This exhibition shows how the machine has been used to push the boundaries of what is considered to be drawing. It reveals how links have been made between contemporary practice, historic traditions and industrial production. A vast range of different specialist machines have been utilised over the last 180 years to create embroidered embellishment on clothing and household textiles and the Schiffli machine is indeed one of the most important.

We are delighted to be able to show the amazing work of these fifteen artists here at The Knitting and Stitching Show. The artists involved are:

Rowena Ardern, Jill Boyes, Nigel Cheney, Isabel Dibden Wright, Stephen Dixon, Nina Edge, Kate Egan, Rozanne Hawksley, Alice Kettle, Jane McKeating, Melanie Miller, Sally Morfill, Susan Platt, Lynn Setterington, Alison Welsh.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• Harrogate International Centre

New Embroidery Group

The New Embroidery Group is delighted to be celebrating its 40th anniversary at the Knitting and Stitching Show. The main feature of our display  is a series of banners.
Members of the NEG are professional or keen amateurs excited by textiles of all kinds. We are always delighted to welcome new members to the group. Our aims are to promote a high standard of design and to encourage our members to enjoy self expression through the medium of embroidery. Our appreciation of the great tradition of stitched textiles is helped by visits to museums and having stimulating lecturers at our meetings. Pictures of some members and their work can be seen on our web site: www.newembroiderygroup.net
 

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• Harrogate International Centre

Japanese Embroidery: Takako Sako

Ms Takako Sako is a well-known bead-weaving designer in Japan.  She became fascinated by some antique beadwork she discovered in 1973 during a visit to New York. She began studying the craft with Dr. Esthel Popham at Columbia University. Soon she was creating her own designs. Currently, she teaches and is engaged in research on bead weaving techniques, producing innovative contemporary designs for the current age.

Ms Sako uses very small beads with 200,000 to 1,000,000 beads being used for each piece of work. Many famous Japanese pictures, dolls and tapestries are included in her range of beadwork.

This will be Ms Sako's first exhibition in Europe and she is keen to promote Japanese culture to a wide international audience.

• Alexandra Palace, London

Art:Cloth 4+4

Artcloth is cloth that has been intentionally made as art; as opposed to creating it for commercial reproduction or for cutting up for some other use.

These fabulous pieces are created using dyes, colour removing agents, fabric paints, laminated paper and metal leaf, combined through processes that include screen printing, stamping, painting and other surface design techniques.  The artists work to layer imagery - both abstract and representational - with sheer applications of colour, texture and imagery.  The key word is "layer" .  Most of the pieces on exhibition will have received an average of 6 to 8 processes, with careful thought and consideration being given to composition at each step.  The end result can be highly complex or very subtle and ethereal.

This stunning exhibition features work from some of the key practitioners in the field:

Jeanne Beck (USA)
Laura Beehler (USA)
Claire Benn (UK)
Jane Dunnewold (USA)
Claudia Helmer (Germany)
Lisa Kerpoe (USA
Linda Maynard (UK)
Leslie Morgan (UK)

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• Harrogate International Centre

Raymond Honeyman: A Passion for Painting Pattern

This year we are delighted to show the work of Raymond Honeyman. Many of you will know his work from all the wonderful designs he has done for Ehrman Tapestry. Raymond was born and brought up in Perth Scotland and grew up dreaming of becoming an artist. He spent his days drawing and painting and he went to Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee with the idea of pursuing a degree in painting. Once there however, he found himself torn between illustration and printed textile design. Raymond says that he has always been drawn to things that are rich in pattern.

His love of painting, colour and pattern led to a career in designing textiles and for the last ten years he has designed mostly for Ehrman Tapestry. Raymond also lectures in printed textile design and was a senior lecturer at the Scottish College of Textiles. He is currently a senior lecturer at the University of Cumbria.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Brother 50th Anniversary Patchwork competition

The Gallery of winning entries to the Brother 50th Anniversary Patchwork competition will be on display at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Dublin.
Interested in entering? You could win a Brother Innovis NV4000D Sewing/Quilting & Embroidery Machine, a trip for Two People to Festival of Quilts or a selection of fabrics!!!
Brother International are celebrating their 50th year in Ireland and in Europe in 2008.
They'd like all Patchwork & Quilting enthusiasts to help them celebrate by entering this terrific competition. All you have to do is complete an A3 piece which has the theme of Brother-50 years in Europe. You can do whatever you like, we just want to see your creativity. Rules and entry details are below, so get going and we're already looking forward to seeing your pieces. Click here for more information and an entry form.

• RDS, Dublin

Ballyfermot College

Come and see some cutting edge and inspirational work from the students of Ballyfermot College!

• RDS, Dublin

Michael Swaine: Door to Door Darning

The Free Mending Library is an on-going project in San Francisco, run by artist Michael Swaine. He mends holes, alters garments and trades skills for free, using his mobile sewing unit, which resembles an ice-cream cart. This sturdy device has a beautiful old treadle-operated sewing machine mounted in the middle, an umbrella for shade, drawers stocked with an assortment of threads, needles and specially designed patches, and is emblazoned with a neon sign that flashes the word SEW.
This October we have invited Michael Swaine over from his home in San Francisco. Sadly he can't fit the cart into his luggage, but nothing deters him and  he will be travelling the neighbourhoods of London, knocking on doors and offering to repair the holes in people's socks. While he is fixing socks he will ask the owners about how they move about the city and how they deal with holes. "When I encounter people who darn themselves, I will ask to take some photos of socks they have darned, and perhaps ask them to sit and darn with me - even teaching me how their grandmother taught them."
Continuing in this way, Michael plans to weave along from neighbour to neighbour collecting interesting interactions, culminating in an exhibition and demonstrations of his performance darning techniques at The Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace 9-12 October.
We are grateful to Arts Council England and Michael's many London hosts for their support for this project.

• Alexandra Palace, London

Alfreda McHale - Seeking Pearls

In this installation Alfreda has deployed hundreds and thousands of buttons, many of which came from collections themselves: wonderful old tin and wooden boxes of precious buttons kept, like family jewels, and hoarded in families over generations, by the women who saved and used them. In this age of obsolescence and throwaway clothes these buttons were abandoned, perhaps after the death of a grandmother, mother or an aunt, to then moulder in junk or charity shops waiting to be reclaimed and revitalized.

These button, together with spools of thread and skeins of silks were then 'bottled' and preserved in dozens of glass jars, preserving pots and sweet jars and stacked onto wooden shelves.

It is a story of the home, evoking all the traditional female roles within the domestic sphere. We know you will be amazed by this truly unusual and interesting collection and to hear more from Alfreda herself about her inspiration for this work.

• Alexandra Palace, London
• NEC, Birmingham
• RDS, Dublin
• Harrogate International Centre

Embroiderers Guild Scholars - Linda Marie Young and Caren Garfen

Linda Marie Young:
Linda creates beautiful boxes by layering fabrics and papers with intricate embroidery, incorporating texture and detail via heat manipulation, layering, print and delicate cutwork by hand. The Innovative techniques and designs won Linda the Embroiderers Guild £1000 Scholarship Award 2008-09 in the 18-30 category. Linda will be exhibiting with the Guild at all four of The Knitting and Stitching Shows. Further information about Linda can be found at www.LindaMarie.co.uk
Caren Garfen:
Caren has created new works since being selected as one of the Embroiderers' Guild's Scholars for 2008/09.  She is currently working on domestic pieces relating to gender stereotyping in television and magazine advertising.  She continues to do intensive research into her subject before translating it into her distinctive silkscreen printing and meticulous hand stitched motifs and labels.  Caren says, with a smile on her face, that she 'researches her subject and then embroiders the truth!'
Caren Garfen is definitely going from strength to strength and is establishing herself as a textile artist to be reckoned with. www.carengarfen.com

Irish Patchwork Exhibition - Links

At The Knitting and Stitching Show RDS we are delighted to be showing the Irish Patchwork Exhibition LINKS. The Exhibition consists of 43 exhibits ranging from small wall hangings to large bed quilts using traditional or contemporary textile art forms. The pieces have been made by members of the Society including several local quilters.
Make sure you come along to The RDS to see this beautiful exhibition.

Aranya Project

Nestled deep in the Kanan Devan Hills in South India the Aranya Natural Dye Project is a marvel of the human spirit. The project has the support of Tata Tea Ltd, which is today, the largest integrated tea company in the world.
Behind the success of Aranya are physically challenged young adults, from the families of Tata Tea's own workers. These young people are educated and rehabilitated at a Vocational Training Centre managed by the women of Munnar.
At The Knitting and Stitching Show Alexandra Palace Aranya Project will be reaching out to school groups and invite teachers to bring their pupils along to discover what can be done with tea waste and other natural materials.
If you are interested in bringing your class please email anna@twistedthread.com to reserve your place.

Colaiste Ide College of Further Education

Colaiste Ide College of Further Education will exhibit for it?s second year at the Knitting and Stitching Fair. Showing a range of drawing, design, embroidery and Garment construction from its Fashion and Textiles Portfolio Preparation Course. This is a one-year introductory course in fashion and textiles from which student?s progress to colleges all over Ireland and the UK. The exhibition features the work of the class of 07/08 including garments designed by Sean McGirr which won this years Griffith College FETAC Fashion Designer of the Year award.
The exhibition is co-ordinated and staffed by current students as part of their work-experience module.

• RDS, Dublin

Fashion Shows in Harrogate

Don't miss our four daily FREE catwalk shows taking place in the newly refurbished Royal Halls! Choose from any of the following fashion shows daily:

11.00am -  Northern colleges
12.00am -  World Shibori Network (students from the Paris Symposium)
1.00pm -  Hand & Lock Embroidery prize
2.00pm - Northern colleges

On Sunday 23rd November, the 2.00pm show will be replaced by the Embroiderers' Guild Auction - LIVE! Your chance to bid on the most beautiful and prestigious textile pieces created by members of the Embroiderers' Guild over the years.

• Harrogate International Centre