I have created this blog to share my interest in all forms of stitching, quilting, sewing, knitting, medieval re-enactment and costume making – particularly my love of historical embroidery. I also love travelling,especially when it also involves any of my other interests.
This Lincoln Asylum event was, as Facebook helpfully reminded us, 7 years since we first attended, although due to the missing Covid years, it was the 5th time of being in Lincoln.
We loved the new activities such as the trinket swap and the 30 blue plaques to find, celebrating those who have contributed to the events.
As always we had an excellent time. We participated in the Fashion Show on the Friday night at the Assembly Rooms, which are a gorgeous reminder of Lincoln’s Georgian past.
I wore my Glories of Bombay jacket, and Ellen her House of Worth dress. She had a new tiara for the event which made her look very regal.
She also had a completely new outfit for the weekend, her Monster Hunter one, complete with Stitch in chains and Grogu in a net!
This is the same pattern she has used before and the bolero jacket and skirt look great with leggings and her Nu Rock boots. She embroidered the arm patch herself and bought the monster alert device and the hat cogs at a previous event. She even has Grogu earrings!
I wore the tablecloth jacket again on Saturday, but with the seamstress hat.
Sunday there was a Steam Trek meet up so I wore my Captain Jane way outfit and hat. Forgot to get any close up pictures though. There were some brilliant costumes at the meet up.
This trio were my favourite, so cool!
I will leave you with some of the other amazing outfits, as always such creativity. I am definitely tempted by a Slyvanian families one in the future!
There was definitely a bookworm theme going on and one lady had the, ‘What Katy Did ‘ books on her hat!
Love the Wonka family above, they always have amazing outfits.
I am currently staying on a site with no WiFi, so things may be a bit quiet here for a while.
I have lots of lovely more Trust property visits planned this week and next, and then am on to Suffolk for a week where I am looking forward to more pretty villages and coastline.
Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I like to plan some Trust properties or other sites of interest to break up my journeys so here are a few I have visited recently.
Ellen’s best friend from University, Becky, now manages the Droitwich Spa Heritage Centre, a lovely little museum about the salt industry. The town has lots of left over industrial heritage from those days and some beautiful Tudor buildings.
They had a special exhibition a while ago that I just had to go and see, Lisa- Jayne Smith, a retired theatre costume designer, had decided to make 85 Barbie costumes, representing fashion from 1066 to the 1980s.
Such beautiful details on all of the costumes and such a lot of work!
As you can imagine I was thrilled and the costumes are amazing. I must get on with the Tudor one for my dolls that I have been meaning to make since lockdown.
I managed to make a quick visit to Wollaton Hall in Nottingham the same day. If it looks familiar it is because it was designed by Smythson, who also designed Hardwick Hall. It is now the Natural History Museum so the interior is very different.
I also met my friend Lynne from Spain, at Gainsborough Old Hall, a beautiful building with a very unique kitchen complete with serving hatches.
Apologies for the abrupt ending to the last post, whatever I did I could not get it to save anything, so after a week just gave up. As always I hope you are all well and happy. Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
After the Slumber on the Humber festival I went to stay at Mablethorpe for 10 days. I had a really lovely relaxing time here on the coast and was joined for the weekend by my friend Sharon, from Marsden. She is thinking of buying a campervan so had rented one for the week to get an idea of what type she would like.
The weather was really good and I spent most of the time along the coast, and looking at the clouds. Lincolnshire is very flat and the campsite was next to fields, so apart from the windmills in the distance, all you could see was sky and there were some brilliant sunsets.
I went for a few walks to local beach nature reserves, there are lots of salt marsh reserves here and there were amazing clouds over the beaches.
I particularly love this last picture where it looks like there is a fight between the good and bad clouds with the evil.darkness about the envelop the fluffy white one.
We loved the patterns that the water made flowing through the sand and found shells that had worn away to form beautiful patterns of holes.
We did do a little bit of National Trust visiting, to Gunby Hall, which had the most gorgeous gardens and orchard.
The family that lived in the house in the Victorian era had lots of links with the famous writers artists and thinkers of the era. One of the daughters, Emily Massingberd founded The Pioneer Club in 1892 to support women’s suffrage.
Another daughter, Sybil, was friends with Gertrude Bell, the traveller and Middle Eastern specialist who I have blogged about before.
I really enjoy learning about links between all of these inspirational women. It sets all of their lives into context.
We had a lovely time and Sharon enjoyed her cute little campervan. Hopefully she can find one of her own and we can have more adventures together.
I am very much enjoying my time here in Norfolk, after a busy weekend at the Steampunk Festival in Lincoln after my stay in Mablethorpe and then a week at Ellen’s decorating.
Apologies for lack of posts, I have been trying to finish one and publish it for the last week but the app just won’t work properly, even though WiFi seems OK. I will return as soon as I can with more of this.
Until then, have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
As you may know I love old maps, I also love new ones but old ones are of particular fascination to me. I am in awe of the early sailors who tried to interpret what they saw in map form and love looking at them.
I have had the Mappa Mundi, at Hereford Cathedral, on my wish list for a very long time and so that had to be part of my recent Hereford explorations.
The Mappa Mundi is very different to other maps, being a representation of the earth as an example of what are known as TO maps. They are circular, often with heaven at the top, and the world at the bottom. The O is the whole map, and the T inside it divides the world into three sections.
Most of these maps have Jerusalem at the centre as they represent the Christian world. The Mappa Mundi has the East at the top and has Europe in the lower left section. The maps have drawings of real and imaginary beasts and buildings.
This map is one of the largest in the world, at about 5 by 4 feet, and is made of a single piece of calf skin. It dates from about 1300. It is an amazing thing to see, and the interpretation explains it really well.
The cathedral also contains the world’s largest chained library, as books were very precious. The library has a range of volumes from different centuries and scholars would be allowed to come and look at the books by resting them on the shelves below. So different to our public libraries now.
The needlework in the cathedral was also particularly impressive. The choir stalls had beautiful needlepoint cushions, many with heraldry on. There was so much stitching here, a real treasure trove of church needlework.
There was also a wonderful two panel applique telling the story of St Thomas, whose tomb has been restored to how it would have originally looked in the medieval period.
This is such a brilliant way to interpret the tomb and the piece was beautifully executed. There was no information about who made it but congratulations to the stitching team for such a wonderful piece.
I will definitely have to go back to the Hereford area, and the bordering counties as there was so much to see. I still have many Trust properties to visit in the area and due to bad weather didn’t get to do the black and white houses village trail. This area has such a wealth of medieval and Tudor history, having been the site of many border conflicts with Wales.
My next post will be about my time in Lincolnshire, an area I had never really been to before this year. That is part of what my plan was for this summer, in-between the festivals, to really explore very different parts of the UK.
I will see you all hopefully again soon, until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I had a lovely time a few weeks back when I was staying at the Hereford Caravan and Camping Club site.
There are lots of Trust properties in that area so I was pleased that I managed to visit two as well as Leominster for the embroidery exhibition.
The first of two that I went to in one day was Croft Castle. Like Dunster, in Somerset, this started life as a castle and was then modified into a family home.
The family had close links with the court of Elizabeth 1st, so there were some wonderful portraits in the entrance hall.
One of the exhibits was a, ‘Croft Cloth’, that was made in 2018 to celebrate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act, which gave more people the vote.
The cloth has oak leaves with the names of staff, volunteers and visitors, this being the symbol of the Trust. I love collaborative projects like these, reminiscent of the signature quilts from Victorian era fundraisers.
There was also some interesting embroidery in the form of a collage featuring the castle done in 1960 by Frances Kay.
There were some stunning ceiling and wall decorations that I will add to my possible future designs for needlework, these would look amazing in white work.
The other visit was to Berrington Hall, a Georgian property with a surprise textile treasure.
A dress owned by one of the Georgian occupants of the house, Ann Bangham, was acquired at auction and there is a display of the dress and its construction.
The dress consists of many parts so the textile historians had to reconstruct it. It dates from the late 1700s.
As well as this very good interpretation there is a room devoted to a display by the needlework volunteers who each created their own version of the missing stomacher.
It is brilliant to see so much information about these wonderful people. Often there is no information and little credit given to the volunteers who also produce such high quality garments for visitors to dress in at the house.
The detail on the embroidered jacket here is wonderful, well done to all who contributed to this collection.
I shall be back as soon as I can as I have lots more to share with you. The app for mobile is very slow and as I have only limited WiFi as well posts take a long time to do. Meanwhile I hope that you have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I have just been to my very first vanlife festival, Slumber on the Humber. This is a new festival for this year, with a focus on mental health and raising money for Mind.
It has been an absolutely amazing experience, in every respect. The festival was only a small one, but brilliantly organised with music from local artists on two stages all weekend, a market and an excellent wellness tent, where I took part in a drumming session which was brilliant.
It was great to meet up with some of the women from my campervan Facebook groups, who I have previously met at Upton and App Fest. I also met so many other wonderful people.
I had applied to be in the show field as I wanted to let people know what you can do with a small van and an even smaller budget. I was a bit nervous when I turned up on Thursday, especially as there were some really amazing vans there.
There were only two microcampers there, myself and a Fiat Doblo, named the Blue Midget.
I was parked in between a jeep in camouflage and a very large overland truck so there couldn’t have been more of a contrast between the vans. I said to the owner of the jeep that it looked like he was Action Man and I was Barbie.
Some of the people were full time in their vans and many others weekend users. Like many van owners there were lots that had been people’s lockdown projects, in itself a great boost to their mental health during that time, to have a positive focus that they are now really enjoying.
I also met Martha and the Van Dwellers, who travel with their two dogs and a cat. They have a stunning zebra decorated van.
I was really excited to be near Florry The Lorry. I have been following Katherine and Chris for a while on Facebook and was so keen to see the lorry in real life. It is an incredible home, and even has a bath! Go and look at their pictures on Facebook.
They were so welcoming and invited me to join them around their campfire which was really nice, as I got to know them and my neighbour Paul, in the truck. He has a You Tube channel called Off Grid Nomad, which I’m looking forward to watching.
There were also a family, four girls and their parents who converted an old bus into a home and moved in last October. Their aim is to save on rent and eventually be able to buy some land for a tiny house build. I love that van life can enable people to do that. They have a Facebook and YouTube called, ‘Six in a bus’, if you want to follow them.
Everyone was so nice about Katy and I know that I have inspired a few other women to kit out their own vans as well. People were very complimentary about the needlework, and the use of space. It was so lovely to meet so many people who understand how I feel about having a van and being able to travel.
There were lots of large lorries there as well. One of my favourites was the one with a tailgate that turns into a garden with astro turf and table and chairs. The red van is being developed by a young couple into a home complete with a garage for a motorbike.
I know that vanlife won’t be the answer to everyone’s housing issues, or mental health concerns, but there is no doubt that it has given a lot of people somewhere to live, a way to retire early, something to work on, a way to travel and that can’t be a bad thing can it?
At my first music festival with Jacky about 6 years ago I was listening to a song by an artist called Doozer McDooze. It was called, ‘ I don’t wanna go home, I wanna stay like this forever ‘. It was about that feeling when you have been at a festival and are so happy, you really don’t want to have to pack up go home and go back to work on Monday.
The lovely thing is that I don’t, I just get to move on to another great location. I am now a few miles down the coast in Lincolnshire, at Mablethorpe. I am looking forward to some beach walks and possibly seeing some seals, in the local sanctuary as it is the wrong time of year for them to be here in the wild.
I am also very excited that my friend Sharon, from Marsden, is coming to join me for the weekend. She wants to buy a campervan so is testing out some to decide what she wants. She has rented one and will be arriving on Friday.
I will be back later in the week with updates on the Trust properties I visited in Herefordshire. Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I spent most of last week at a beautiful campsite near Hereford.
I had chosen this site as there were a lot of things that I didn’t get to see last year in this area, and one of those was an embroidered history of the town of Leominster that I had seen mentioned in a tourist brochure last year.
The embroidery is housed in a community centre which in itself is well worth a visit. Grange Court dates from the 1600s and was once located in the centre of the town where it was the market hall.
It was sold in 1855, dismantled and moved to its current site near the Priory. It was a family home and is now used for many different community purposes, including a cafe and wedding venue.
The embroidery panels were done by a local group of stitchers and were made over 4 years by 15 stitchers in time for the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012.
They feature a wide variety of techniques such as crewel work trapunto and applique. Some are themed, such as the history of the Priory, or WW2, others summarise the events of one century.
There was some amazing work in the panels, I think my favourite were the early history ones that featured wool work and applique.
I also loved the trapunto ones, featuring stonework from the Priory and the woodwork details of the market.
A really wonderful labour of love from the embroiderers and a very special way of portraying the local history.
We had a lovely weekend at the Evesham event, it was raining on the Saturday but nice and sunny in Sunday and we had the miracle of a dry pack down.
It was also brilliant to see all of the talented people who make all their own clothes for events. Dave, in the black below, also does leatherwork. You can find him at Buffy Leatherwork on Facebook and Instagram. He had made things for film and TV including the recent movie about Richard 3rd, The Lost King.
These boxes above were made by my other friend, also called Dave. He also made and painted the bed in their tent. They are absolutely stunning, museum quality.
I will leave you with one of my favourite pictures, of me and Kerry in her tent. She is wearing one of her beautiful gowns, which is a wonderful red and gold in real life. I do love the sepia version of the picture though.
I am off to another festival this weekend, where Katy is in the show field, so I am very excited about that. I will then be in Lincolnshire for nearly two weeks so hopefully will have lots of long beach walks and even see some seals.
Until next time have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I have just come back from my second music festival of the summer. I went to the Upton Blues Festival last weekend. I then had a couple of nights at a campsite near Malvern before joining my sister, and some other friends from one of my Facebook campervan groups, at App Fest near Tewkesbury.
The Upton Festival is a free one which takes place all around the town, similar to the Jazz Festival in Marsden. You just pay for camping and the field accommodates 7,000 campers. Katy is in there somewhere!
Both festivals were really good and there was much dancing. We were also pretty lucky with the weather as the summer has been very mixed here. I have also made new friends and seen lots more lovely vans.
Upton on Severn is a beautiful little town on the river. I visited Stourport on Severn in March and this is not far away.
There are the lovely black and white timbered buildings that this area is famous for and lots of Georgian splendour as well. The area developed through river trade and was an important trade centre in those days.There are still barges on the river today.
As it was a bit damp on Saturday I went and visited the small Tudor House Museum and I am so glad I did. This is a treasure trove of a museum, run by volunteers and has a very mixed collection, all donated by local people. It thus reflects the history of the town, but also their particular interests.
The most fascinating for me was a large lace collection, donated by a local collector. Nothing is know of its provenance but there was a wealth of machine made Stefi lace. This is made by machining on a background fabric, which is then chemically dissolved, as you would with some types of embroidery.
Such beautiful collars here. I had not heard of this type of lace before but it was very popular in the late 1800s.
There was also a recreation of a local tailor’s shop, this was full of the tools of the trade from its heyday. I love to see this type of social history preserved and it is all the more special for being of local origin.
There were some very creative displays of buttons and Haberdashery.
A wonderful museum and well with visiting if you are ever in this area. The volunteers who run it are so lovely as well and there are lots of other shops in Upton worth a visit as well.
I am on the way to the Evesham Re-enactment event, but wanted to come to Hereford to see some more Trust properties and visit more of the cute Tudor villages in the area. The forecast is mixed for the rest of the week so it may be mainly indoor visits, however I am sure I will find some lovely things to show you.
I hope you are not suffering from excessive heat, or too much rain, or any other extreme weather. It has been useful for me to try life on Katy in worse weather, as much of last year was a heat wave or very nice and sunny.
I am pleased to report that things are still working well. I will have been on the road for a month at the weekend. I still love it, on rainy days I just sit under the new lap quilt and read. I seem to have magically acquired a lot of new books, no idea how that happened 😳 🤔
I will return next week as I am cat sitting at Jacky’s. I also need to give Katy a good clean as she has been in a lot of muddy fields and she is going to be in the show field at the next festival in two weeks time.
Until then have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
I do tend to base many of my holidays around National Trust properties, and although this was primarily booked for the coast and moorland, I have been making good use of my membership again.
A couple of days ago I went to Dunster Castle which has a lovely little village below it, and a very interesting history, having originally been a fortified castle from the time of William the Conqueror and survived the Civil War to now be a very impressive former family home.
There was not a huge amount of textile loveliness but I did find this wonderful quilt, made of silks and satins, probably Victorian looking at the fabric.
As well as the interior, featuring Elizabeth and plaster ceilings, Jacobean carved staircases and all the lovely things you would expect to find in a house in almost continuous occupation for 1000 years, there was an amazing garden and Riverside walk, ending at a working watermill.
I love hydrangeas, the colours and shapes are so amazing, and there were so many of them.in the castle gardens.
I have become slightly obsessed with English cottage gardens as well. All this time amongst the bougainvillea and cactus has made me really appreciate the very delicate flowers that were growing in this memorial garden in Dunster Village.
The garden was in the grounds of the old priory, next to the Tithe Barn and a fascinating dovecote dating from the 13th century that had space for 500 pigeons, all bred for eating.
Yesterday I drove across the border into Devon again, to visit the Valley of the Rocks. The coastal path runs along here and the views are amazing.
The rock formations look like ruins of castles themselves.
There are wild goats that live here, one family of which was perched on a ledge so high above the sea.
To get there I had to put on my big girl pants and drive up Porlock Hill, 25% slopes and so many sharp bends!!! I also happened to be following the coastal bus.
Katy and I did really well but I did opt for the route back across Exmoor with slightly flatter roads, stunning views and only the odd sheep and cow in the road. Since I started learning to drive in Marsden that is something I am very used to.
I only have one more day here before I go to my first festival. A few days of meeting other van people and hopefully chilling listening to blues in a sunny field.
I will be back soon with a new location, spending a couple of days in between festivals at a childhood day out location pretending I am 12 again. Until then good bye from my sunny campsite.
Have fun, take care, stay safe and thanks for visiting.
Stitches of Time 