Author: Jane

What a treat, at our last meeting, to hear Jane Law speaking about her work on costume design for film and stage. Jane brought some wonderful pieces of embroidery which were samples for some of the designs that went on to become costumes in well-loved films and shows. The detail is exquisite, even in the preliminary samples. Jane also had albums on display showing photographs of finished costumes, many of which were instantly recognisable.

Jane started with a course in design at Northbrook college, and then worked for a provincial theatre. Starting her family meant that she wanted to change her working patterns so she could work from home, so setting up a workroom at home was the start of a wonderful and varied career. Part of her success is the flexibility that she can offer – she can design a whole costume from scratch, or she can work to the requirements of another designer. Some of the work she showed us was from her own imagination, and some was from a collaboration with another designer, for example Oscar-winner Jenny Beavan OBE.

Jane showed us some wonderful images of costumes that she has worked on, including Phantom of the Opera, Hamlet, The madness of King George, Shakespeare in love, The man in the iron mask, The Black Dahlia, King Arthur, The Other Boleyn Girl and many more. Sadly photos of the projected slides didn’t come out at all well, so if you’d like to see them you’ll need to look on Google. Some of the detailed information was interesting – for example that many of the costumes in The Other Boleyn Girl were furnishing fabrics, because that gives the bold, heavy detail that was needed. Another interesting detail was a description of the mathematical precision needed to organise 200 panels of silk dupion for a dress for Susan Hampshire.

As well as the finished costumes and the embroidery details, another fascinating aspect of Jane’s talk was detail about the process. For example, travelling all over the world for fittings with famous actors, along with many suitcases of supplies (13 cases on one occasion). Another interesting detail was when Jane had 18 people working in her studio for a particular production, and the whole house was taken over as an extension of the studio. What a fascinating talk.

There’s an embroidery and textile art exhibition coming up at Denmans Garden in Fontwell, from 23rd to 25th April. It’s an exhibition by members of Esther Collins textile courses, where they have been creating all sorts of masterpieces on the theme of ‘The Tree of Life’. Several SCS members will be taking part in this. We’ve had a sneak preview of some of the work, and it looks great. It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a cafe on site.

It’s great news that the family at Ramster Hall have continued the tradition of biennial textile art and embroidery exhibitions. It was started by Miranda Gunn many years ago and now her daughter Rosie has continued the tradition, with Miranda still involved. Stewarding there is always a pleasure, as people are so interested and inquisitive. We were happy to see that so many SCS members were able to take part this year. The photos below are all pieces by our members that were accepted for the exhibition. If I’ve missed any, please let me know if you have a photo of the missing piece and I’ll add it (I  have missed one of Liz Ganney’s pieces so it would be good to add that).

At our March meeting, the committee continued with the tradition of showcasing the work of an individual member. This time we were treated to a pop-up exhibition of embroidery and quilting done by Linda Hoddy over the years. Linda showed us embroideries and quilts that illustrate how her work has changed and developed over time. Two needlepoint pictures were presents when Linda was a child, and they gave her a real taste for making stitched art. They below here, as well as a little needlepoint picture of a dog that she also completed as a child. Another early example is the pink and white hexagon quilt, which was Linda’s first attempt at English paper piecing. Her father challenged whether it would ever be finished, which just gave her more motivation to carry on. Later on, a very formative influence on Linda’s work was doing two City and Guilds quilting courses, both of which she miraculously managed to complete while bringing up young children. The two big hanging quilts pictured below are from the courses, and showcase a different patchwork style in each square. Linda runs the Thursday Workshop group, where she encourages members to try out new techniques and learn new skills, so she is passing on the benefit of the courses and workshop she has been on over the years. She also runs the embroidery bric-a-brac stall at our monthly meetings, and exhibits regularly with the Curious Threads group, as well as going to a regular gathering in Fareham with friends who she did her City and  Guilds courses with. She is a great example of ‘If you want something done, give it to a busy person’. Thank you Linda for showing us your inspiring work, and for everything you do for the group. Please scroll down and enjoy Linda’s textile journey (with apologies for the photo quality – the reflected light from the glass was the problem).

Arun Creative Stitchers are holding an exhibition from Sat 28th March to Thurs 23rd April, at Arundel Museum. SCS members Jan and June are members of Arun Creative Stitchers, and are taking part. Details in the attached poster.

This quilt, entitled ‘Everything I ever did’ by Bryony Shearmur was on show at Colonnade House last week. Bryony said I could share it here, as I thought it was amazing. When you study the details, it’s lots of tiny (and huge) things that make up a lifetime of memories. People often ask ‘What do you do’, and the reply is usually what you do for work, as if that’s the main thing that defines you. This quilt captures other things – big things, little fleeting memories, moments in time, inconsequential things, significant things…all the things that buzz around in our heads but don’t often get said. I found it very moving.

Here’s a link to Bryony’s website https://bryonyshearmur.com/

Here’s a lovely video about the Jubilee Cope that was designed by Beryl Dean in 1977, for St Paul’s Cathedral. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1212490267041141

Here are some recollections of 2025 in a rather random collection of photos. Lots of camaraderie, and happy stitching. If your work is featured and you’d like me to add your name, let me know. Happy New Year.