Smocking is a well known traditional embroidery technique, which gathers fabric together into tight pleats so that is can stretch and return to its gathered shape. It is often used as a form of decoration on a garment, as the gathering of the material and stitches can be formulated to create patterns.
“The act of mending, here and now, a series of small objects which I can hold in my hand, has been very helpful in terms
My 2015 exhibition Narrative Threads explored physical and emotional engagement with cloth, exploring tactility, memory and personal stories, mostly around old domestic textiles. I’m interested in
Over the last 12 months, Pinning the Past has explored a range of historical and contemporary textile stories from tapestry to trapunto, and this month
I would find it hard to choose my favourite fabric. Silk comes pretty high. Linen is lovely. But wool wins. Wool is a super-fibre: natural,
One of Summer 2014’s big London art exhibitions was Tate Britain’s British Folk Art show. Folk art is generally defined as things made by non-professional
Following on from my post about the Indian textiles at the Victoria & Albert Museum, I’d like to introduce you to the medieval galleries and
The Victoria & Albert Museum is world-renowned for its textiles and fashion collections, and rightly so, as they take care of thousands of truly spectacular
I was recently lucky enough to be near to the amazing Alain Rouveure Galleries in Gloucestershire and able to see the the Shamanic Art of
This month’s exploration of places to see historic textiles takes us to the Cotswold home of probably the most influential designer – maker of them
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
I first saw this house as a teenager. It was closed up, somewhat ruinous with overgrown gardens and unbearably romantic. The National Trust had just acquired it