#lancashire Archives - Page 2 of 4

28th March 202228th March 2022

Giant Cauliflower Harvest

Giant Cauliflower Harvest, is my latest piece of needlework created as a companion piece for the upcoming Fifty Bees 5 exhibition curated by Textile Artist Lydia Needle.

The exhibition concept is that Lydia hand stitches 50 British bees and each invited artist creates a companion piece for just one of the bees.

My little bee is the Long-Fringed Mini Mining Bee (Andrena niveata).

This little Mining bee is a solitary fellow foraging amongst crucifer-rich habitats along cliff tops and heathlands, excavating burrows as its home. As agriculture & erosion have slowly changed this beautiful landscape the bee numbers have declined and it has been listed as rare since 1987.
In 2008 it found a new home when it was spotted on an allotment, foraging amongst a vegetable patch full of crucifer vegetables such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower and sprouts.
This reminds me of some of my fondest memories including Dad’s allotment and the year he produced a bumper crop we named ‘The Giant Cauliflower Harvest’!

Size 21 x 21cm. Vintage Sylko thread, cotton cloth.

The exhibition is open at ACE Arts in Somerton, Somerset from the 8th April – 14th May 2022.

Giant Cauliflower Harvest - embroidered word, red thread about my father and his allotment — Giant Cauliflower Harvest

This piece forms part of a body of work about my Lancashire roots.

24th February 202224th February 2022

Summer 76

The Pigeon Post - red hand embroidery - words sharig memories of the drought of 1976

Summer 76 is my latest hand embroidery created about my childhood memories.

red hand embroidery - words sharing memories of Summer 76 — Summer 76

Who remembers the summer of 1976?

When I first started designing the piece my intentions were to share a vivid childhood memory from the hottest summer of the ‘70’s. By the time I was stitching it, I saw the work in a different way.

red hand embroidery - words sharig memories of the drought of 1976 — Detail

Looking back on it now the signs of Global Warming were there for all to see.

I was 7 years old at the time. To me it was a summer of sun, fun and standpipes. I was oblivious to the water crisis growing all around me resulting in the Drought Act on 6th August 1976 – creating emergency powers to reduce or turn off domestic and industrial water supplies.

Size 21 x 21cm. Hand embroidered, hand stitched. Vintage Sylko thread, cotton cloth.

This piece forms part of a body of work about my Lancashire roots.

7th September 20217th September 2021

Bound Part 1

Bound Part 1, is a new piece of work featuring pieces from my collection of vintage kitchen utensils.

For generations women have been bound to the home and a life of domesticity. This piece is a celebration of the tools of their trade.

Beautiful Skyline products manufactured in the Lancashire town of Burnley, well-worn wooden spoons and unusual utensils.

Each piece tells a story through the imperfections, scars and dents it has collected through use. Artwork is mounted onto a cotton tea-towel woven in Quarry Bank Mill .

Size 31 x 38 cm. Vintage kitchen utensils, hand bound with vintage crochet and Sylko threads.