Visiting the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection

Ahead of our planned visit to the Gawthorne Textiles Collection I did some 'homework' about the place! Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth was a lifelong collector of textiles as well as a prolific lace maker and embroiderer.  Born into an aristocratic and wealthy family in 1886, she was a philanthropist who devoted her life to improving the social welfare of people near to her ancestral home Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham near Burnley.  During her lifetime she opened her home as a "Craft House" and schools, colleges and craft groups visited to see her collection and learn from her.   I was intrigued to find that Wikipedia listed her 'Occupations' as 'Embroiderer, Textile Collector, Girl Guide leader'.  The textile collection started around 1912 when Rachel started gathering items to help with her teaching and it grew through donations from family and friends to some 11,000 items.  At present this numbers over 30,000 items and it is one of the most diverse textile collections in the UK.  

On Saturday 25th April twenty three YES members boarded a bus in Haxby to visit the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection which is housed in part of a converted mill building in Brierfield, Lancashire.  After some tea and cake, the friendly and knowledgeable curator Rachel gave us a presentation on 'The Collection Showcase: Embroidery'.  This included images (and close ups) of a dozen surface embroidery techniques from around the world and across several centuries; including minutely stitched Elizabethan embroidery, lustrous Chinese silk work and goldwork from Persia.   The work shown was very varied and beautifully done so we really appreciated the skill of the designers and embroiderers of the garments and textiles.  It is a pity so little is known about these people as individuals and can only hope they were recognised (and rewarded) as exceptional in their own time.  Rachel spoke about the stitches/techniques used and in some cases the symbolism in the pieces.  We appreciated the research effort that had gone into providing more context for the wonderful work.

 

A panel of zardozi goldwork embroidery from a bodice or waistcoat, late 18th century Indo-Persian.  An ornate pattern of stylised floral motifs with curving stems and leaves using at least four different types of metal purl thread, embellished with beaten metal strips and tiny knots of silk threads to give the impression of small pearls and gemstones.

Detail of embroidered skirt for a Manchu lady.  19th Century, bought by Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth at Liberty in London.  An example of leno weave with silk embroidery featuring Peking knots and gold metal couching.

We were also allowed to see items from the archive.  Rachel had prepared some drawers for us to see 'unpacked' and patiently answered our questions about textile preservation, conservation issues, curation policies and practices.  She was really knowledgeable about the beautiful items in the collection and very enthusiastic about sharing them.  

Items displayed (but in the archival storage area)

Archival storage materials

We were well looked after by Rachel, her mum (volunteer and dispenser of refreshments) and Usmaa (British Textile Biennial partner).  Overall it was a really interesting place to visit and we had to restrain ourselves from touching anything and peeping inside the intriguing boxes!  The collection also contains patchwork, printed textiles, arts & crafts textiles, bags & purses, lace, needlework tools, samplers, whitework, and costume/clothing so we felt that we barely scratched the surface.  

The organisation's comprehensive website is gawthorpetextiles.org.uk  where you can find information about the collection, exhibitions and when the archive is open to the public for behind the scenes tours and study visits. There are also five dedicated display rooms at nearby National Trust property Gawthorpe Hall where selected pieces from the exhibition are exhibited should members who weren't able to come on this trip fancy a day out!  

Our April Meeting

It was another good turnout in Haxby and we were pleased to welcome visitors who were interested to see what members were doing.  In the hall many members worked on their own projects whilst others joined a stitch club.  

Marina started a group off with 'Crazy Patchwork'.  This is a creative style of patchwork that uses irregularly shaped pieces of fabric and is often heavily embellished with decorative embroidery.  Marina had brought in some beautifully worked samples and instructions for foundation piecing as well as fabric scraps and a lightbox.  The morning passed quickly as members got to grips with the technique.

Marina's samples for crazy patchwork

The second stitch club option was run by Barbara who was demonstrating lettering using Reverse Appliqué.  There are several techniques which she will teach over the three sessions but first was 'raw edge' appliqué.  Participants tacked two pieces of fabric together and traced around simple letter templates before starting to embroider with two or three strands of embroidery floss.  Once the layers were stabilised they could then carefully cut the top layer to reveal the coloured letter beneath.  

Barbara's reverse appliqué sample  

Chris' work in progress

Previous stitch club.  Helen asked members who had joined her colour and design stitch club in January to March to bring in 'finished' work.  It was fascinating to see the great variety of outcomes from simple paint and collage starting points.  Members had greatly enjoyed the low stress process and her gentle encouragement.  

Worked samples made in Helen's 'colour' stitch club

Competition time!  The Spring competition brief was for a commercial design from a kit, book or magazine in any stitched media.  As is usual the entries were very varied and it was lovely to see such a wide variety of items.  We enjoyed and admired them all.  Voting was very tight but our eventual winner was .... Denise. 

Competition entries

Winning entry - Diane.   An embroidered hoop worked from an Ann Brooke panel

2nd place - Liz - Bayeux Tapestry panel in Bayeux stitch

3rd place - Denise - Hardanger sampler from pattern by Yvette Stanton

The brief for the next competition is to create a piece inspired by an artist or painting.  Members are encouraged to use unconventional or unusual techniques.  Please bring entries to the June meeting.

The afternoon session was taken up with a sewing activity prepared by Nicky.  She brought in a range of supplies so that we could make pairs of 'comfort' hearts for York Hospital.  The idea is that small, palm-sized hearts, created with love and care by volunteers are gifted to the hospital.  Staff then pass these on to patients (and their family members) who are in life-limiting or stressful situations.  Because the hearts are matched pairs they are a way for people to feel connected even when physically separated.  We were happy to contribute our time and share our stitched hearts and hope they will provide some comfort in difficult times.  

Our next meeting will be 2nd May in Haxby Memorial Hall near York.  We will be there 10.30-3.30 and are always happy for visitors to drop by and see what we do!  Further information about the programme and contact information is on the tabs beneath the banner.  

Our March Meeting

Another busy day in Haxby for the embroiderers and stitchers.  The final session for the stitch clubs evidenced progress in two very different techniques and we are really appreciative of our lovely members who share their skills with us.  We are always on the look out for new ideas so please consider volunteering to facilitate a stitch club for us or let Nicky/Chair know if you have a suggestion for a technique you would be interested in trying.   

Helen's group were ready to move on from experimenting with paint and collage to translating some ideas into textiles.  Helen had brought in a huge tub of fabric scraps left over from her own work which she generously invited us to dig into.  It was fascinating to see what had inspired different members and Helen encouraged stitch club members to bring 'completed' pieces back next month.  Christine's starting point was a painted colour play experiment while Michele was drawn to a section of a torn paper collage.

Christine's fabric collage in progress

      

Michele choosing and assembling fabric scraps to reflect her torn paper collage

Celia and Jose were working with their Goldwork group, all of whom had made good progress with this meticulous technique.  Linda had introduced a subtle coloured element into the various samples (blocks, corners, curves) and was adding sparkle to applique.  

Linda's goldwork sampler in progress

York Minster Broderers are nationally renowned for their specialist embroidery skills.  Jose and Celia are long standing members and have brought in many samples of their work for the group to see.  As is often the case the photographs don't do justice to the fabulously detailed embroidery. 

Celia and Jose's eclesiatical work as members of the York Minster Broderers

Alter frontal in York Minster

As is usual with our meetings most members in the hall work on their own pieces.  There was a great variety of different stitch and embroidery techniques on display and members are generally happy to stop and chat about what they are doing.  Laura was inspired by a recent visit to a quilt show where she particularly liked some collage/boro stitching work.  Using a pastel palette she was working quite intuitively and enjoying the process sewing with mainly linen threads.  She was trying a layering technique, cutting holes in fabrics and using lace to see what worked for her - early days but looking very interesting so far. 

Laura's collage in progress

Elnaz Yazdani 'Rethinking Embroidery'

Our afternoon speaker was a young woman who is a Yorkshire based artist and educator.  Elnaz graduated from Manchester School of Art with BA 1st Class Honours 'Textiles in Practice'  She was an embroidery scholar under the Embroiderers Guild and worked as a lecturer in Embroidery/Textiles at both the Manchester School of Art and as a technician at the University of Huddersfield.  She had very recently been awarded an MA by Research in Embroidery: Connecting Communities Through Embroidery from the University of Huddersfield.  It is hard to categorise her work which is very sculptural  and contemporary, using recycled and industrial materials alongside traditional hand stitching.  Her work encompasses fashion, jewellery and installation. 

More recently Elnaz has moved into community based work as well as continuing her own art.  We were very heartened to see how her enthusiasm for connection and transformation was being put to productive use in diverse communities and with different age groups.  She clearly thinks anyone can (and should) pick up a needle and thread, a view  which we definitely endorse.   It was interesting to discover that traditional Goldwork remains her great love, which was a serendipitous connection to the morning stitch club!

A selection of Elnaz Yazdani's work

More information about Elnaz's practice can be seen on the 'Portfolio' section of her website elnazyazdani.com  Her own embroidery and the work produced by the communities she facilitates is also on her Instagram account elnazyazdani 

Our next meeting will be on 4th April.  Visitors and New Members are always welcome.  We meet at 10.30am in Haxby Memorial Hall.   To see the current YES Programme for 2026 scroll up to the tab at the top of this webpage.  Bring some stitching and spend the morning with like minded people.  In the afternoon we will be making pairs of memory hearts for York General Hospital.  All the necessary materials will be provided so why not join us?  

 

Our February Meeting

It was wonderful to see that so many stitchers and embroiderers had braved the cold and wet weather to come along this month.  We put out extra tables and chairs and there was soon a hum of activity in the hall.  

Josie and Celia continued working with a group who wanted to learn or improve their goldwork.  This month they focused on finishing techniques (tricky given the thickness of the applied gold and coloured threads) and moved on to creating corners/angles.  Participants were enjoying the challenging nature of the technique and making good progress with their samples.  

                            

Monica's goldwork sample 

Goldwork is a very technical style of embroidery which requires specialist materials and we really appreciate Josie and Celia's knowledge and skills.  They brought along samples which showcased traditional and modern goldwork and were absolutely wonderful.

                          

Victorian ecclesiastical goldwork embroidery (stole end and burse)

Celia's modern goldwork - works/samples showing how different weight gold threads and cords are affected by the application of different coloured threads.

The second stitch club group continued exploring colour and design.  Helen had brought along her sketchbooks and plenty of papers/magazine pages for the group to use to create colour collages.  She demonstrated how simple and playful processes could be developed into surfaces that could be cropped and curated to form designs.  Next month these will be re-imagined and recreated in fabric and threads.  

Paper, paint and collage

Helen's samples showing colour, collage and pencil sketching as ways of developing design ideas.

Stitch clubs occupy some members but most work away on their own projects.  These are hugely varied and it is inspirational to simply walk around the room and talk to people about what they are doing!  This month Jane's embroidered postcard caught my eye.  The postcard (one of several) was found among her grandmother's effects and had been sent from France by her grandmother's brother.  I found it very touching that a treasured item was being incorporated into pages for a fabric book. Jane was also using some of her grandmothers threads, lace and other textiles.  It struck me that many things we inherit languish in boxes unseen and underappreciated and this seemed a very meaningful way to remember someone' s life.

Margaret Beech 'Paper Magic'

Our afternoon speaker was a local artist who specialises in calligraphy and bookmaking (mostly out of paper but some out of fabric).  In 2025 she was invited to exhibit as part of York Open Studios.  Margaret had brought along a large collection of different books made over a number of years.  Margaret's work is very varied and quite difficult to categorise as the books have a sculptural quality.  She is part of an International community of artists that swap ideas and books that they have made.  Because of her interest in calligraphy and words she incorporates poetry and phrases into her art/books, many of which contain manipulated and three dimensional elements.  Over the course of the afternoon we saw flag books, fanbooks, flickbooks, concertina books, scroll books, Jacob's ladder books, explosion pages and surprise elements.  We very much enjoyed her spirited 'show and tell' and admired her creativity.  

  

A selection of Margaret Beeches paper books

Our next meeting will be on Saturday March 7th.  If your New Years' Resolution was to try something new or just get on with finishing a project, why not join us in Haxby Memorial Hall at 10.30?  Bring some stitching and your lunch if you'd like to stay all day and listen to our afternoon speaker.  Or, just drop in and see what we're doing - visitors are always welcome.  The program and contact information is in the tab above.  

Our January Meeting

On a cold Yorkshire morning we were happy to meet up and wish each other a "Happy New Year".  In the morning two stitch clubs started.  We aim to offer contrasting clubs so that a 'technical' option is counterbalanced by a more experimental one.  Typically these are run for three sessions so that members have time to get to grips with the techniques.  Some members love to join a stitch club whilst others prefer to work on their own projects. 

The first was Goldwork led by two of our very skilfull and experienced members. Celia and Josie produce exquisite and technically accomplished pieces so we were very pleased that they were willing to help novices get to grips with some of the basic techniques. 

Technical samples created by Celia and Josie

Members made a good start on Goldwork by trying the 'brick' technique to make straight lines.  Apparently it was quite hard to do (the hall's lighting isn't great for fine stitching) but everyone made progress couching pairs of gold wire.  The next stage was to add a coloured metal line to create a striped effect.  Over the next months members will be guided to achieve angles and curves.  This is a lovely form of embroidery that requires much artistry and precision.  

Jackie making a start on the 'brick' couching technique

The other stitch club option was Colour and Collage which was led by Helen.  Helen has an Art background and always produces vibrant and harmonious pieces so we were delighted to have her lead us through some experimental techniques to help us think about colour and design in new ways.  No 'right' or 'wrong' things for this group - just gentle encouragement and play.

Simple colour mixing

Stencilling onto paint colour samples

Picking out colours from a photograph - a demonstration of Helen's design process

Members in Helen's group enjoyed simple colour mixing exercises.  Whilst the swatches were drying members chose a photograph/magazine page picture that 'spoke' to them and tried to pick out and mix the colours.  It was an instructive exercise in finding harmonious colour combinations that was very much enjoyed by the group.  

At  most meetings we lay out a sales table.  This runs on a 'pay what you feel' basis and is a good way for members to pick up fabrics, books and threads (and sometimes small pieces of equipment) to use and experiment with.  We are very happy to receive donations from stitchers whose stashes have become too much (if that is even possible!).  Please contact the YES chair if you have items to donate.  We generally use the donations to provide materials for stitch clubs.  If items don't sell we take them to the Cone Exchange in Harrogate which repurposes them into valuable resources for local crafters as well as environmentally conscious materials for schools and playgroups.  

Sales Table

Batik, Wax and Wonder - Rebecca Mason

Our speaker in the afternoon was York Textile Artist Rebecca Mason.  Rebecca specialises in Batik - a dye resist technique using wax.  She makes silk scarves, framed pictures and wall hangings using  both traditional Indonesian and modern methods.  Rebecca gave a wide ranging talk about the processes involved in making Batik.  We learned a little of the history of resist dyeing and its development in Java where makers were particularly skilled.  Hand drawing with hot wax gave way to wooden block printing and the invention of copper stamps (tjaps) to apply the hot wax in a faster (and commercially cheaper) way.   Over time the techniques were disseminated across the globe, being particularly popular in 1890s Amsterdam and in Holland, Germany, France, Poland and the UK between 1918 and 1925.   In these countries it was used for interior decoration rather than its traditional use in clothing.  After this time it waned in popularity in the West before being revived in the 1960s by artists including Noel Dyrenforth in London who founded the Batik Guild.  

Originally batik making was a distinct cultural and economically important industry in Indonesia before being appropriated commercially by international traders.   It was also adapted by artists for use in different ways.   For example we were interested to learn that the women of the Utopian Aboriginal community in Central Australia developed a distinctive style of batik from the late 1970s which has become recognised internationally as a vibrant art movement.  

Batiks from Utopia - The Riddoch Collection.  theriddoch.com.au

Untitled.  

Samples of traditional and experimental batik from Rebecca's collection

As well as explaining the batik making process, Rebecca shared information about contemporary makers whose work she particularly admires, including Rosi Robinson who uses traditional implements such as kistkas, cantings, dye, wax and Indonesian cotton to  produce figurative batik paintings.  Rebecca, like many contemporary textile artists uses the 'crackle' effect of wax being penetrated by dye to create both abstract and figurative pieces.  She had brought along some of her varied work for us to admire.  

A selection of Rebecca's silk scarves

 Rebecca Mason's batik 'paintings' and cards

As well as producing items for sale Rebecca regularly exhibits her work and runs workshops.

Further information can be found on her website www.batik-art.co.uk .  

Rebecca has a studio in York at the South Bank Studios www.southbankstudiosyork.co.uk. 

Her work (with other York Textile Artists) can be seen on www.yorktextileartists.com

Our next meeting

This takes place on Saturday 7th February.  Meetings are held in Haxby Memorial Hall starting at 10.30.  Visitors are always welcome to come along to see what we do.  If you are an experienced embroiderer or if you would just like to try your hand at a new skill, do pop along and have a chat to us.  Why not start 2026 by bringing some stitching or a Christmas kit you haven't started yet and make some new friends?