Yorkshire | Mr X Stitch

For the next few months, Pinning the Past will be focussing on museums with marvellous textiles to see. Bankfield Museum in Halifax, Yorkshire is one of those old fashioned museum treasures. I worked somewhere similar when I first graduated and have a real fondness for a proper Victorian small town museum. Because of the history of textile production in the area, Bankfield has a specialism in textiles which make it an ideal place for the fabric geek to stop off. It isn't huge, but can occupy the textile-lover for an hour or two and is ideally-placed as part of a textile-heritage tour of West Yorkshire. Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 01 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 01 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 01 As with most museums, Bankfield has a far larger collection than can possibly be shown, so researchers will want to make an appointment to see specific items in the collections. The museum's first curator, in the 19th century, amassed an impressive collection of textile production tools from around the world including spinning & weaving equipment, knitting machinery and lacemaking tools, some of which are on display. Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 13 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 13 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 13 According to an old book, they have textiles and tools from across the world and throughout history from mummy wrappings to Japanese kimono silk. There are good, general displays of world textile techniques and, when I visited, some stunning embroidered Middle Eastern clothing. The costume gallery was closed for refurbishment when I visited, but I am sure it will be full of delights. Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 03 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 13 Bankfield Museum (photos by Ruth Singer) – 03 The museum is open 10am-4pm Tues to Sat and is free. Photography is also allowed! ----- Ruth Singer Books - Get yours from our Amazon store! [column grid="3" span="1"] Fabric Manipulation: 150 Creative Sewing Techniques [/column] [column grid="3" span="1"] Sew Eco: Sewing Sustainable and Re-Used Materials [/column] [column grid="3" span="1"] Sew It Up: A Modern Manual of Practical and Decorative Sewing [/column]