I had a really enjoyable day yesterday at the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate. It's really inspiring to see the work of other textile designers 'in the flesh' as it were. There was some really beautiful work on display and it was a wonderful opportunity to speak to the designers themselves. I was surprised at the difference in attitudes though! Some (not all) of the more established textile artists were quite dismissive of questions, whereas others were very enthusiastic about their work and more than happy to talk about techniques and their ideas.
Anyway, here are some of the photographs I took. Trying to juggle with camera phone, bags and notebook meant I wasn't able to attribute the work of the embroiderers.
In the knitting section there was work which I could really connect with. I loved the texture, colours, and shapes used.
Clara Malonda
Beckie Parker
Yang Zhao
One of the interior designer/makers I really found inspiring was Nicola Flint. I loved her concept of taking 3D shapes and incorporating these into beautiful objects. I really envy her obvious eye for colour, the combinations and proportions used were stunning.
This below is work of Helen Smith, whose simplicity of line and colour appealed to me. I love the idea of objects trapped within her textiles and how the lines of stitch reflect the striations on the pebbles.
I really enjoyed the Embroiderers Guild display based on coal seams. The stitching and quality of the work was outstanding and the vibrancy achieved was really phenomenal considering the colours were mainly dark to reflect the theme.
The upgrading project to make a garment out of recycled fabrics was really interesting and I loved the coat made by the winner of the competition (stupidly I was so intent on closely looking at the garment that I forgot to take photos!). It's amazing what can be done with items which would normally be discarded and sadly go to landfill, so lots of food for thought there.
Even stopping for a cup of coffee, it was good to talk to other visitors to the show and exchange ideas. My thanks go to the lady who gave me a simple but good idea for making buttons (no, I'm not sharing!)
There was so much to see and take in at the show; the smaller groups and associations such as those involved in weaving or felt making were really happy to give advice and the presence of college and university creative arts departments gave me the opportunity to talk about possible future honours degree courses. I do have to admit I was like the proverbial kid in a sweet shop when it came to the vast array of yarns, fabrics, beads and equipment available to buy. I ended up with two big bags of stuff, mainly books, yarn and fibres, and a depleted bank balance. Now all I have to do is to start to put it all to good use!
