The Arbroath Tapestry - talk by Linda Walker

'It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours, that we are fighting, but for freedom, for that alone which no honest man gives up but with life itself'.

2020 mark the 700 year anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, of which the stirring words above are a part. Celebrations and re-enactments are planned to mark the event, and after the success of the Great Tapestry of Scotland, some of the ladies who helped make this came up with a plan in 2014 to make a tapestry to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath.

What is the Declaration of Arbroath? It is a manuscript associated with the Abbey of Arbroath, which cried for freedom from the English oppression of Edward I, and the right of Scotland to govern itself independently. This document was sealed with seals of the barons and various dignitaries, and was sent to the Pope, John 22nd, in Avignon for his approval. It was probably penned by the Abbot Bernard.

The idea of the tapestry grew, and attracted various able people who were placed to offer practical help. Andrew Crummy, who designed the Great Tapestry of Scotland, created the first draft, and following amendments by people steeped in the history of Arbroath, a design of a Triptych was eventually finalised. Christine Riley, a graduate of the Royal School of Needlework and with an interest in medieval needlework, was able to help the ladies with tuition and threads.  A carpenter and woodcarver are going to make a frame for the work, which it is hoped will hang in the Abbey, but because it is portable will be able to shown in other venues.

The ladies practised their sewing skills on panels, four of which are below, using wool and gold threads. They depict the Oslin Apple, which the original monks brought with them from their mother house in France.  The apples will form part of the Triptych, with the large panel in the centre, and the folding panels on the outside.

There is a lot of hard work to be done in a short space of time, so noses are at the grindstone to complete this intricate, demanding piece of stitching. If the apple panels are anything to go by it will be a work to be wondered at.

The King and the Abbot with the Declaration of Arbroath

Facsimile of the Declaration, with the seals of the barons

The final design of the centre panel

Around the edge are the seals of the barons The top points to Heaven.

The Abbot in front of the Abbey, holding the Declaration

The strata of society from the top down, the abbot, the nobles and monks, to the peasants at the bottom

The 'Practice' panels with the Oslin apples

For those interested in history below is a more comprehensive note about the Declaration, and a translation of the document.

'An Embarrassment of Riches' - talk by Louise Collins

A dull afternoon was certainly enriched by Louise Collins's display of textiles. Louise had been a dentist by profession, until fulfilling her heart's desire to study art, gaining a BA in Design and Creativity in 2014. The scope of the projects she had brought along was huge and varied. Keen to recycle, the things she had made from items that would be thrown away was amazing. Old blankets were dyed and distressed and made into jackets, gorgeous bags and clothes. The original pieces of cloth were usually completely unrecognisable in the end result. She made dye from walnut crystals, as seen in the first photo, which looked like an animal print. Old garments had been given a new lease of life, as in the old boxer shorts cut up and dyed and made into a scarf, and the beautiful baby quilt in pastel colours. Old cashmere sweaters from charity shops had been shrunk and made into beautifully soft items. Old curtains were made into a luxurious evening bag. Louise's use of the embellisher machine transformed the items into something special. I loved the knitted wall hanging done from extra thick wool on knitting needles made from cricket stumps! Her sketchbooks were works of art in themselves, a pleasure to thumb through.

The scope of this lady's imagination and skill is breathtaking, there isn't enough room to show all the photos of the diverse things she had made. Louise has a gallery in Kinnaird, by Pitlochry, called Mariposa, which would be well worth a visit. She can be contacted at mariposatextiledesign@gmail.com.

Louise will be holding a day school in April, and this talk has really enthused the ladies who will be attending - what possibilities!

Blanket dyed with walnut crystals

Scarf made from boxer shorts

quilt from recycled fabrics

Knitting on cricket stumps!

Jute wall hanging

recycled fabrics

Evening bag from old curtains and items from shrunk cashmere jumpers

digital print

close up of the jute wall hanging

'Photo Magic' with Jean Boath, Day School

A day school held on March 15th, where the ladies could stitch onto photos printed on fabric.  Jean had brought along a large selection of photos she had printed on to fabric for each person to choose. Using a Trapunto style, the fabric was laid onto a piece of cotton wadding, and the focal points were outlined in machine stitch. Then the back was cut open and more wadding added to raise the surface. Then the ladies could free machine to their heart's content to embellish and decorate their picture. The results looks look amazing!

Talk on Wednesday 7th March Postponed

Unfortunately we have had to postpone Louise Collins' talk, 'An embarrassment of Riches', which was schedule for 7th March. Due to the awful snowy weather the car park at Guthrie Hall is a complete morass, and vehicle will only churn up the earth or even worse, get stuck in the mud.

The talk has been rescheduled for  Wednesday 21st March, and will replace the Stitch and Chat.

Hope everyone has got through the awful weather safely - a good excuse to sit by the fire and stitch!

'Roses and Posies' - Day School with Maggie Moffat

The days of big hats are sadly gone - I long to wear big Edwardian confections of feathers, frills and furbelows, but they wouldn't really go with jeans and fleeces! Members had a chance to create their own fantasy hats on this day school. Maggie had brought everything required, including a basic crown to get started, and from this crown members fashioned their own straw hats before adapting them to their taste. From a huge selection of silks, ribbons, feathers and lace, a millinery confection was whipped up, each as individual as our members are. A fun day was had by all. Ascot, anyone?

Hat in the Cat Studio - A talk by Jeanette Sendler

Many of us have sat waiting at the traffic lights at the Old Bridge in Perth, and been intrigued by the shopfront called Cat in the Hat Studio. Jeanette Sendler, the founder of the studio and of Big Cat Textiles, gave us an interesting talk and slideshow which was quite outside the comfort zone we are used to in our club.

Born in East Germany, Jeanette trained as a ladies tailor, but was keen to take her skills further. After coming to Scotland in the 1990s she completed a Masters in Performance Costume at Edinburgh College of Art, and has since worked on many opera, ballet and theatre productions around the world. Influenced by the textiles and social history of Scotland she then became involved in many educational and community ventures, helping to revive some forgotten skills. Settling in Newburgh, Fife in 2007, she concentrated on costume, millinery and tailoring, and opened a studio with partner Alison Mountain, which soon outgrew its space and opened in Perth as the Hat in the Cat. From this studio she continues to research, revive and rework old skills which she uses in contemporary practice as well as passing on to others through workshops and mentoring schemes.

In a converted church in Newburgh Jeanette holds varied workshops taught by respected textile artists from around the world, under the name Big Cat Textiles. As well as her own pattern cutting and sewing, subjects include handmade cloth dolls, creative hand stitching, corset making, fabric origami, indigo dyeing, millinery and multi media textile art. A full programme is available on their website www.textilecentre.co.uk 

Some examples of Jeanette's work and of her tutors are shown below. It was certainly a subject that is outside the experience of many of us, and opened out eyes to the rich and varied avenues of textiles out there.

Experiments of the theme of pockets

Costume designed for an opera

The intricacies of buttons!

 Below are items from some of the tutors of the Big Cat Textile workshops

fabric manipulation

Cloth Dolls (Woodland Creatures)

Sketchbooks

The V&A Museum of Design - Talk by Julie Muir

An enthusiastic talk along with slides was given by Julie Muir, who is the Young People & Families Producer with the Museum of Design in Dundee, just 15 miles from Arbroath.

The story took us through the concept behind the idea of bringing the iconic Victoria and Albert Museum in London to Scotland, recognising the vast contribution this small country has made to design in the U.K. and the world.  We saw the original rough sketch by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, reminding us of the cliff stacks found along our coastline, and followed the progress of the building to the magnificent conclusion, like a great ship with its prow thrusting over the Tay. We saw how the grounds were prepared, and the stages of the building construction, ending in a virtual tour of the interior, a spacious and dynamic space to show and explore design and creativity in Scotland. Outside  is a community garden, planted to have a positive impact on wellbeing.

Forget dusty old museums where you shuffle round looking at static exhibits - this will have many visiting exhibitions to fill the largest temporary exhibition space in the UK, as well as the permanent exhibition space showcasing Scottish design history.  The museum has involved the community with its Schools Design Challenge, and the Living Room for the City project. The museum will be a hub of activities for both the local and the worldwide community, reflected in the many funders from Scottish businesses and individuals adding to the government's contributions.

The museum will be opening very soon, and we are all looking forward to visiting this unique building, it is truly something for Scotland to be proud of.

To see more about the museum visit their website at www.vandadundee.org which has so much more information than can be written here.