The Just Sew Stories Exhibition at The Rooftop Arts Centre April 2019

This was a lovely opportunity for people to see each others completed work, read their stories and to share the work with the wider community.

Poster and previous photos by Warren Shaw - The Rooftop Arts centre

A premature birth with a happy ending

Sharing a love of books with her Grandchildeen

The 13 sequins represent 13 children

Inspired to read by J K Rowling and sharing this love of reading and all things harry Potter with children learning to read in a local school

This maker was The Cat Who Walked by herself at school.

"The Dog was wild, and the Horse was wild, and the Cow was wild, and the Sheep was wild, and the Pig was wild—as wild as wild could be—and they walked in the Wet Wild Woods by their wild lones. But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cat. He walked by himself, and all places were alike to him."

“This, O my Best Beloved is a story – a new and wonderful story – a story quite different from the other stories”― Rudyard Kipling, Just So Stories

This story was dedicated to Gertrude Jekyll

Remembering the strong women in her 

family and life in Jarrow and Corby

The tale od three sisters - Evacuees from Birmingham

Sharing the space, enjoying the show.

This project was devised and delivered by The Eloquent Fold, artists Carole Miles and Phiona Richards with funding from Northamptonshire Community Foundation - The Constance Travis Endowment Fund. Many thanks to Swan Gardens for welcoming the group into their warm and inviting social spaces and to all the wonderful people at The Rooftop Arts centre who who helped to hang and publicise the show.

The Eloquent Fold - The Just Sew Stories - The Workshops

After the success of our work making a banner to take part in PROCESSIONS with a group of lively local women in Corby, The Eloquent Fold were keen to develop a project which had textiles and tales at its heart. I had been given another stash of vintage fabric and both Phiona Richards and I had plenty of our own to add to the project, which meant we were able to work on a larger scale than might normally be possible. 

This project was inspired by Frida Kahlo - Making Herself Up, an exhibition of her personal possessions at the V & A in 2018. We were able to download the huipil pattern, which, I felt would make an ideal double sided hanging and could act as a support for textile tales. We invited the group to think of an inspirational person, place or event to use as the starting point for their stories. Over the course of eight evening sessions the group tried new techniques, made new friends, had time to share a reviving cuppa and healthy snacks in the social spaces at swan gardens in Corby. 

Phiona devised a neat pin cushion kit

and helped people choose their 

fabric and cut out their patterns

I introduced the group to the delights of Batik

Phiona encouraged participants to 

stamp or draw their ideas on fabric.

 

I loved Jayne's representation of pollen

as this is how large it feels during hay fever season which 
is pretty much a permanent state of affairs for me!

Some people had done little or no sewing either by hand or 

on a machine so those with more experience helped where needed.

Phiona brought in a wonderful array of embroidery sample to inspire

I worked on a sample huipil

both at home

and during sessions

if I needed to demonstrate a suggestion

The room was always full of 

activity and conversation

and was an absolute delight

We hadn't originally planned on 

exhibiting the work

but were able to organise a showing

at The Rooftop Arts Centre at short notice.

Everyone sewed just that little bit faster knowing

that there was to be and exhibition!

This project was devised and delivered by The Eloquent Fold, artists Carole Miles and Phiona Richards with funding from Northamptonshire Community Foundation - The Constance Travis Endowment Fund.