Fragments at Charleston Farmhouse, Sussex * 11 September - 1 November 2009*

Home to Virginia Woolf, her sister Vanessa Bell, their family and passing friends, a visit to Charleston Farmhouse is a must for anyone who loves colour and textiles. Anyone who is inspired to design will take heart from wandering around the rooms where many of the objects of decoration are home-made. The lesson is simply: Begin Now!
I spent yesterday walking on the downs above Charleston. Yes, I know it is perverse that English Downs are ups. It took a friend in the Netherlands to point out that perhaps Downs is linked to the Dutch duins - linked to dunes. Just to walk in this area is an inspiration itself - expanses of dazzling chalk drifted into white siftings over grey brown newly tilled earth - stubble of collected harvest glowed golden - green, almost turquoise stands of corn tufted other patchwork squares, and buttoned in between were chartreuse-lichened roof-tops. A palette to dream on.
The cupboards at Charleston were full of textiles designed by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell and now there is to be an exhibition of this reserve collection. On 15th September there will be a talk given by Charleston's curator, Dr Wendy Hitchmough, between 6pm and 8.30pm on the Bloomsbury textiles, glass of wine and open-house visit included. If you have the day to spare you can enjoy a vintage rag-rug cushion session from 10am - 4pm with Debbie Siniska. Fee is £58 and includes artisan lunch. Call 01323 811626 for bookings.

Like London Buses...

There used to be a saying that if you waited for a London bus, you would wait for a long time and then three would come along together....this, of course, is no longer the case, buses arrive at the appointed second and they are a wonderful way to travel now the congestion in the city has been reduced. Much more pleasant than diving down the underground - and - what some visitors to the capital haven't been told is that if you have a travel card for the underground you can also use it on the buses.
I'm sorry I digress, we were talking about three London buses arriving together - and here we have three French Mary Wigham finishes altogether - what beauties!
First above is AnneLeeLou's
Next below is Paule's

Last, but not least is Veronique's
Congratulations to you all!

A Stitched Plea from the Bastille 1700

There was an unfortunate tendency in the past to class stitched items which can easily be framed (and gainfully sold) as samplers. Some important and poignant items are in this way glimpsed with the preconception that they are a trivial exercise of some sort; not the prolongation of the silent scream they once were. The Elizabeth Parker so called sampler in the V&A is one of this class. There is also a sampler in a private collection stitched by someone describing their symptoms of schizophrenia. Another example is in Carrow House in Norwich which can best be described as a stitched blog by a woman in prison who, whenever she ran out of fabric upon which to stitch her daily misery and complaints, would beg and patch more fabric until she had a roll that was 13 feet long, or more (an additional fragment which had been used as a pot holder turned up in a junk shop!). While admiring a wonderful French blog - of which more tomorrow, I came across this example from the Bibliotheque National in Paris (Mss. fr. 8123, f. 126) and I obtained permission from the BNF to share it with you. It was stitched in 1700 by Maillefer, the Prior of Valsecret, using silk unpicked from his black scarf. Imprisoned in a tower in the Bastille in Paris, where he has been taken suddenly and by surprise, he is desperately trying to get his protest of innocence and whereabouts known to officials who he believes can save him. He stands accused by a fellow priest of trying to poison the king and of sodomy. Accompanying this item in the archives is a letter reporting the confiscation of this 'never-seen way of writing on cloth'. So, Maillefer's protest never made it out of prison. My thanks to Paule Motton for aid with the translations. First the stitched cloth:

There are ten gold Louis for whomever makes it known to Monseigneur Du Vaux auditor of accounts (note: cases were tried in the Parisian Court of Finances) who lives in the rue de la Tuandrie that the Prior of Valsecret Maillefer is imprisoned in a tower of the Bastille without access to Mass and Sacraments and in a very sorry state he is innocent and he must ask the Commissioner or make plea to the Monseigneur the Chancellor who knows about the affair or even to the Marshall D'Argenson who is in charge the Prevost de la Coste arrested him and he fears it was all made by surprise. The order (of imprisonment) was dated January 13th and signed by Phelippeau. Keep the secret. May 24th.

And here is the text of the report:
Monseigneur, when we visited the prisoners, we found (in the cell of) the priest of the 'prémontré' (name of a catholic monastic order) the present never-seen new way of writing on cloth. He used the silk of a black scarf he had brought with him. As I find him a bit too inventive in finding ways of making known he is here, I hope you'll not find it bad if I...

A box of linen and silks goes to Beit Sahour

Beit Sahour is reputed to be close to the place where, according to the New Testament, an angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. According to tradition, St Helena built a convent at the site, which is today known as the shepherd's cave.
Set in undoubtedly one of the most beautiful parts of Palestine, the historic city of Beit Sahour lies to the east of Bethlehem and south-east of Jerusalem. The origins of the name Beit Sahour (the house of vigilance) stems from the Canaanite words Beit meaning place, and Sahour meaning night watch, which reflected the importance of the area for shepherds. The land provided their flocks with good grazing during the day and safety in the numerous caves at night.
Beit Sahour is a model of cooperation and brotherhood between Christians and Muslims. Throughout a troubled and turbulent past, the people of Beit Sahour have always stood firm as a united community. Today, Beit Sahour is home to some 14,500 residents, 80% Christian and 20% Muslim. There is a strong tradition in Beit Sahour of non-violent resistance and the Palestinian centre for Rapprochement between Peoples is located there under the direction of George Rishmawi - our link with the stitchers of Beit Sahour.
To give you an example of the will and commitment of the people of Beit Sahour to support a just peace, when Israeli Prime Minister Izahack Rabin announced a policy to 'break the bones of Palestinians,' the people of Beit Sahour welcomed Jewish Israelis into their homes in an act of friendship called 'Break Bread, Not Bones.'

The people of Beit Sahour have developed high quality artisan craftsmanship, mainly in mother-of-pearl, olive wood, and embroidery. The tradition of handcrafting items has been passed down from generations, and the same methods are being used today as they have been for centuries. The vast majority of the items produced were bought by pilgrims and tourists. The work of local craftsmen can be found in homes all over the world. Sadly, the current situation in Palestine has severely damaged the trade in handicrafts. In Beit Sahour there are four large souvenir shops stocking the work of local craftsmen, along with over 130 family base workshops. Currently, all of them have virtually no trade. In an effort to overcome this problem, local craftsmen are looking overseas to find a viable market. Handicraft exhibitions, where local artists have shown their work, have been held throughout Europe, America and Canada. These exhibitions have helped to alleviate somewhat the financial difficulties they are facing.
The times are hard for the women of Beit Sahour, the incidence of heart attacks among unemployed men is extrememly high and because there are no emergency facilities their side of the checkpoints on the wall, the prognosis for anyone suffering is very bleak. The women come together to stitch, and for mutual support. Their items are bought by visitors from churches out of charity and taken home to sell in church halls and elsewhere. However, they had no good linen or threads and were obliged to stitch on Aida. That is why we have collected together unwanted linen and silk to send out to them. Last week at Maidenhead two good friends unloaded a very large box of stash from their car boot for me, and so I am delighted to say that a full box is now on its way to Beit Sahour today - Needleprint are paying for the courier and will pay all duties and tax on the box.
Designers and Teachers - do you need custom-made mother of pearl threadwinders or carved wooden objects to go with your designs? Please contact The Holy Land Handicraft Cooperative Society

The images on this post are courtesy of the Palestinian Heritage Foundation click here to see more lovely examples of embroidery.