Sepia Saturday - 181

The theme for this week is adornments. I didn't really have anything that sprung to mind. Then I thought I might think a bit outside the box this week.

If you read my blog, you will know that earlier in the week I visited the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. It was during this visit that I spotted this exhibit.

The title of the piece is called Genealogy and was produced by the New Zealand & Samoa born artist Rosanna Raymond in 2007 as a commissioned piece from the Museum.

The actual artistry is a pair of denim jeans adorned with stitched pieces of decorated barkcloth. Here is a photograph of the information plate.

Each piece of barkcloth reflects the importance of Polynesian qualities which as the plate above states "female creativity and the artist's own identity"

I stood for ages looking at the detail and stitching. Pondering on just what had inspired the artist to create such a piece and the name she gave it. 

Taking part in Sepia Saturday

Creative Stitches & Crafts - Part Three

The poetry in stitches exhibition was remarkable and hosted by the National Needlework Archive.

All the material is of course copyrighted to those who made the amazing pieces on display. I was very taken with several pieces and my only purchase of the day was the book that accompanied the exhibition.

The book can be purchased from National Needlework Archive and this third volume has the ISBN of 978 - 0 - 9550790 -3 - 0.

The following photos are snapshots taken by me to show which embroiders were my real favourites and what inspired me to buy the book.

The skill of the people who made these works of art is remarkable. The pieces, once they have finished touring the various craft exhibitions and shows are offered to hospitals and waiting rooms for the benefit of patients on loan and some are returned to their owners or perhaps donated to the archive themselves. Each embroidery was inspired by a particular poem and there is also a small write up as perhaps to why the creator found the poem inspirational or perhaps details as to how it was made.

Creative Stitches & Crafts - Part Two

This impressive collection of postcards were embroidered by the West County Embroiderers Group. 

Creative Stitches & Crafts - Part One

The Creative Stitches & Hobby Fair has been on in Exeter since Thursday. We visited yesterday, against my better judgement. Work commitments prevented me going on Thursday and Friday. It was, as I predicted packed and getting photos of general views tricky, but we managed it!

The stall holders sold all sorts - wonderful buttons in varying shapes and colours, embroidery and cross stitch pattens, scrap booking material, patchwork, fabrics and much much more. There were also some exhibitions of Lace Making, Embroidery. 

The lace making exhibition was remarkable. There was a map indication the various pattens relating to various areas of the UK, so each area was renowned for a particular stitch, which was something I had not realised. I have an ancestor who was reported on the 1841 Census for the Surrey village of Elstead as a lace maker. She would have used bobbins and created pattens, and was paid by piece work.  It is very fine work and there was a volunteer on hand to answer questions and show exactly the process.

There was also a display of clothes which have featured in the UK drama Downton Abbey.

There were also embroideries from the Poetry in Stitches exhibition and the West Country Embroiders Postcard exhibition, but more on those later.