What do you call them in your neck of the woods then? Plimsolls, gym shoes, daps, pumps, tennis shoes, rubbers, sandshoes, sneakers, trainers, tackies... A lightweight canvas sports shoe with a rubber sole
My first plimsolls were black, with an elasticated gusset, so we could easily slip them on for PE at school [having first removed outer clothes, and were just in our vest and pants] In the mid 19th C they were called sandshoes, but the coloured horizontal band joining the sole to the upper got them the nickname "Plimsoll" after the Load Line round a ship which had just been introduced
If you got water above that line on your shoes, your feet would get wet!
At secondary school we had to have white plimsolls for tennis. Mine came from a bloke on Romford Market I think. Other people [with more money!] had 'proper' Dunlop Green Flash shoes. Worn at Wimbledon since 1929 [Fred Perry, three times champion wore them and won, three years in a row, 1934-1936] The ad on the left is 25 years old!
White plimsolls were back in fashion in 2021, and I treated myself to a pair from Muji. How bright and white they were when I got them. I have worn them a lot during the last three summers, with jeans, and with skirts. They are cool and comfortable.
But now it is almost October, and they'll go away with my summer clothes till next Easter. They looked so grey and grubby last week. I have scrubbed them well with a mixture of Washing Powder and Vanish, and soaked the laces in more of the WP&V solution.
I rinsed them and pegged them on the airer to dry. I did not risk putting them through the washing machine in case they disintegrated! Clothes and shoes put into winter storage should be put away clean. Though I doubt these will ever regain their virgin purity!
Perhaps I should treat myself to a bottle of Cherry Blossom Sports Whitener. I remember Grandad watching some cricketers and muttering about their dirty shoes. In his day, every man kept his sports footwear [and parts of his army uniform too] pristine white with an application of Blanco...
How times have changed! My grandchildren wear shoes with velcro straps, and trainers you can run under the tap or put through the washing machine!!
Today Bob is leading the Harvest Thanksgving Service at the local Congregational Chapel. He has asked me to read this prayer, which comes from The Farming Community Network
Lord, we praise you for the harvest of the fields around
For fields of wheat and barley; for oil-seed rape and maize,
for healthy herds, for sheep and pigs, We give thanks.
We praise you for the harvest of local hedgerows,
for the straggling bramble; for black showers of elderberry,
for mushrooms nestling in the dewy grass We give thanks.
We praise you for the harvest of gardens and allotments;
For earthy roots and crackling cabbage,
for hanging beans and striped courgette We give thanks.
Lord we praise you for the harvest of talents in your church;
for buildings well maintained, for flower arrangements and music,
for responsible stewardship, for charities supported. We give thanks.
We praise you for the harvest of fellowship here, for friends made and support
given.
For people with whom to laugh and with whom to weep. We give thanks.
Lord we praise you for the harvest of prayer in this place.
For commitment deepened; for discipleship taken up,
for the cross carried and the burdens borne We give thanks. Lord we dedicate this festival of harvest thanksgiving to you.
Bless us, strengthen us, unite us in your love. Amen
After years of being blogfriends, and over 2½years of being 'collaborative stitchers', Kirsten and I finally got to meet in person. It was so lovely. Our OHs got on well too, and had much in common - and we sat having lunch in the courtyard at Oxburgh Hall and chatting and chatting... We also swapped our September stitching, and a few other heavier gifts [which would otherwise have been rather expensive to post] A while back, I picked up a piece of fabric in a CS printed with labels. When I got home, I found that although some were just outlines, many had a Downton Abbey theme. Furthermore, it proved to be a double sheet, I had two of everything. So I sent half to Kirsten as one of the flat gifts. She used it on her September stitching, in a very clever way.
So here is her patch - the base rectangle is a lovely soft piece of tweed [actually a fabric sample from a chair company!] and then she stitched the label on top. But I was intrigued that it overlapped the edge of the patch. "It's a pocket" she told me - and her charming husband said I had to guess what was in it, as that was my flat gift. I felt the shape, a long thin rectangle.
"It's too big to be a collar stiffener, and too thin to be a covid test strip" I declared, then realised there was a ridge down the centre and a point at the end. It's a pen! A very clever flat ballpoint pen - the tube of ink is concealed in a cardboard packet bearing a picture of a lovely fountain pen. K explained she thought the notebook cover would be more useful if a pen could be stored neatly in a pocket on the front. Genius! Although there is not much contrast visible stitching, I can assure you there are hundreds of tiny buttonhole stitched keeping all those edges in place!
The inspiration for my piece came on the beach on Bank Holiday Monday. Our great family outing to the beach [followed by Bob's catastrophic tumble] As the littl'uns were doing other things, I grabbed a bucket and started collecting stones, to make a circular pattern. The sort of thing that Kezzie frequently does at the beach. Unfortunately the grandchildren then decided they were going to build sandcastles and needed mu stones for their edifices. I quickly took a picture before the artwork was too disturbed. The stones were greys, black, white, cream - and some had a blueish tinge whilst others were golden brown. Lovely random shapes
I found some sandy yellow cotton in my stash and did some slow stitching, interpreting the pebbles' shapes and colours. A reminder of a [99%] wonderful day!
Catriona suggested my mice should have a little tag stating they were hand made. Bob offered to make me some with his laser cutter. He went out to the workshop and a short time later cane back with a handful of twelve wooden tags. They are so cute- less than 50mm x 25mm, 2mm thick and I can write the mouse name on the back. Much smarter than just a bit of cardboard or a sticky label. [Thanks Bob] Each mouse also has a storycard. It's all coming together very nicely at my 31:13 shop
I've loved crafting all my life - sewing, knitting,
papercrafts, embroidery and more.I admit to being a hoarder-
collecting scraps that other people discard and turning them into beautiful
and useful things. Now I'm retired, and living in a beautiful part of the
country, I have more time to sit and stitch, and I want to share my creativity
with others, at an affordable price.
My grandmother taught me crafting skills when I was a child,
and she was a woman of faith. My shop is called 31:13 because there is a verse
in the bible (Proverbs chapter 31 verse 13) , about a woman who "finds
wool and fine linen and works with eager hands"
My shop's logo is a play on those numbers - the butterfly
reflects the idea of metamorphosis into a new, beautiful life.
Oops! The site is not proving user friendly to some people accessing on phones. I shall work on that over the weekend. But for now, it may help to click on the menu box [white square, 3 horizontal lines] and select SHOP from the drop down list of options. Or if on a laptop hold down Control key and press minus at same time, to zoom out.
That was Perry Como's philosophy anyway. The weather has certainly changed around here. We are 'battening down the hatches' in the back garden. The covers have gone onto the garden bench and the BBQ. Chairs have been placed neatly in the summerhouse.
Last spring I attempted to repair the folding chairs by putting fresh covers over the original black ones which were splitting at the seams. Sadly the striped fabric is now giving way along the seams too. I removed it.
The umbrella which slots through the hole in the centre of the patio table has been removed and dismantled for storage.
Bob realised the 'vent' section has developed a lot of holes. I decided to use the striped cloth to replace the damaged section
I hope this repair lasts longer than the 2023 chair repair!
Back in the eighties,there was a truly atrocious TV show called Triangle. It featured a ferry sailing from Felixstowe across to the continent. The producers thought it would be cheap to film as everything was on the ferry - just one film set which travelled to different locations. The opening titles featured actress Kate O Mara sunbathing topless on the top deck. They'd forgotten just how cold and windy it can get out in the North Sea! The weather,and the plots were awful. It was a running joke on Terry Wogan's radio show. The BBC was embarrassed. The series got cancelled.
Today there are far better triangles around. We received this very stylish anniversary card last month.
Looking at it I realised it had been made from a regular square greeting card blank. I decided to try and recreate one myself.
It was easier than I thought!
You need a square card and some pretty paper
First take your card and measure the sides. Mine was 14.4 cm.
Mark the midpoint of one side, and carefully cut from that point to the ends of the crease. This will give you a card with a triangular flap, and two identical right angle triangles.
Now using your paper, cut a square 1cm smaller (eg 13.4 cm) , and a second one 1cm smaller than that.(12.4cm) Measure the midpoint of the edge of the smaller square and cut that piece into three.
Now stick the large square on the inside leaving a border all round. Repeat with the triangles on the other pieces.
Now this is the fiddly bit... You need to stick those two right angled triangles in place. The right angles must touch the outer edges, the thinnest points be in line with the top, the bottom corners in line with the bottom of the card and the point on the flap. NOT going outside the edges of the square
I couldn't work out where to put the glue.
Then I realised that if I lined up the triangles upside down, I could mark the edges. Then I put glue just on the top piece of each triangle, turned it over and stuck it down firmly on the opposite side (hard to explain,but it makes sense when you try it)
I didn't have a lovely golden butterfly, but I used my Big Shot diecutter to produce words in contrasting card. I hope the recipients will feel blessed when they receive them! This really turns a simple blank card into something stylish.
My father introduced me to the words and wit of Oscar Wilde when I was still in primary school. Beginning with The Importance Of Being Earnest [A Handbag?!? and To lose one parent... etc] and moving on through The Happy Prince and the Selfish Giant [which I find so moving] and The Ideal Husband. And as I got older, I read the "darker" stuff like Dorian Gray and The Ballad of Reading Gaol. Dad felt Wilde was a gifted writer who had been cruelly treated - his treatment in prison contributing to his early death.
In 2006 on our motorbike holiday in Ireland, I sat and chatted to him in Galway.
There are are couple of other famous memorial statues to Wilde. The first was unveiled in Dublin in 1997 and financed by the Guinness Company, and created by English sculptor Danny Osborne.
It is amazingly colourful, marble alone was deemed inadequate- it also contains green nephrite [Canada] blue pearl granite and pink thulite [both from Norway] and black charnockite [India] It is located near his childhood home
There were mixed reactions - many felt it made too much of Wilde's homosexuality. In 1998, Maggi Hambling's "Conversation with Oscar Wilde" was unveiled in Westminster, London.. It is made of green granite and shows Wilde's head and torso emerging from a coffin, a cigarette in his hand. The artist based it on the anecdote that just prior to his demise, Wilde told a friend
"I dreamed I was at dinner, dining and chatting with the dead" So here you can sit on his coffin and chat with him! [I have to say I prefer Galway's bench - and Dublin's chap does remind me of a slimmer Stephen Fry ]
Mervyn Holland, Wilde's grandson is happy with all these three representations.
BUT there's a new one about to be revealed in Chelsea, and this has definitely divided opinions already. Eduard Paolozzi's design also made the final shortlist for the 1998 statue. EP died in 2005, and this year is the centenary of his birth. Paolozzi lived and worked in Chelsea for over 40 years, and Wilde also lived in the borough. The Paolozzi Foundation have decided to mark this by having the 1998 Wilde design made up and installed on Dovehouse Green.
There was an initial objection that you cannot put a statue of a gay man on what was formerly a burial ground, and is still 'consecrated land' [even though it is now a public park]. The Church Consistory Court overruled this ['he was not that good an author' 'the council does not spend money wisely''Wilde was gay' were all considered invalid objections] More to the point, Mervyn Holland says it is 'absolutely hideous' failing to convey his wit and brilliance - 'anyone contemplating it will more likely think of Wilde's tragic end than the joy of his writing'.
It is a vast bronze head, segmented, lying on its side. "A man who was decapitated by society" Personally I think it is ghastly, and I can see why Dame Judi Dench and the rest of the committee rejected this back in the nineties" What do you think of it?
In the preface to Dorian Gray, Wilde says this - was he right?
👜 September 11-20 was a lot more haphazard. I began with a bag and then, whilst hunting for something in the Futility Room, found a couple of drawers which needed sorting. And my 55 'items' are a bit random. I think I have cheated - but I have achieved something...
ONE a cotton tote bag for the Charity Shop
TWO disposable paper face masks in the back of the drawer since 2020!
FIVE dead plants in pots hidden behind my herb trough. To compost 🥀
SIX copies of Private Eye. Recycled
SEVEN plastic bottles from bathroom, each with a small amount in. Liquid soap, shower gel and shampoo all put together in one bottle as a general purpose handwash. Empties recycled
EIGHT stained, stiff and unpleasant dishcloths from FR drawers [see** below] Binned
NINE loo roll tubes. I have plenty for planting and crafting. Recycled.
TEN mailing lists 'unsubscribed' - reducing the clutter in my in-box.
**In January I bought a pack of 10 'wettex' dishcloths. I have three currently in circulation. They get used, then dropped in the regular laundry and are still as strong and absorbent as Day 1. Bob did use one for some serious workshop related cleaning task, and threw it away afterwards [he didn't know it could be composted] but I think my pack will last me for some years yet. So I am not keeping the old fabric ones which I have no use for.
Thank you everyone for your concern regarding Bob's back problems. Having expected to wait till November 2025, before he would even see an orthopaedic surgeon, he was able to get a cancellation and we went off to the hospital yesterday morning for a consultation.
It proved to be a very helpful session. It seems that surgery is not a good idea in his case. Outcome - 50% chance of improvement, or 50% chance of the op actually making the situation worse.
The consultant explained everything very clearly. Better pain management is the next step, and Bob's been referred to that department. Some exercise has also been recommended - specifically Pilates and Swimming. [Bob has been quite nervous about exercise since the diagnosis in May, in case he did things which might exacerbate the condition]
So we are both feeling a lot more positive about things. Once again grateful for the NHS free at the point of need - and so pleased this appointment came through much quicker than we'd thought.
It is so much easier to cope with health issues when you have a fuller understanding of them isn't it?
Following on from yesterday's post about ads and influencers, a post about John Lewis. In 1925, they launched their slogan "never knowingly undersold", explaining that "If you can buy more cheaply elsewhere anything you have just bought from us, we will refund the difference." Last year they decided to drop this slogan - they felt it meant nothing to today's customers. But now they are bringing it back with a new ad
Buying once is an act of REBELLION buy timeless pieces that last from JL
CONFIDENCE is your best accessory JL offers free fashion advice, with no obligation to buy
Sleep isn't for the lazy, it's for the WISE JL sells quality beds, and bedlinens
Use the good dishes EVERY day Get homeware that stands the test of time - from JL
KINDNESS is never wasted - JL cashmere is from the 100% Sustainable Fibre Alliance.
Spend money on beds and shoes, if you aren't in one, you're IN THE OTHER [ and JL sells both!]
Nothing should be taken more seriously than JOY JL's tech is top-rated with a market leading guarantee
Parenting is like folding a bedsheet, no-one REALLY KNOWS how [JL sells car seats and school shoes]
FEEL GOOD about the price you pay. JL price matches the most coveted brands
You are your BEST INVESTMENT. JL sells top 25 favourite beauty brands
I can go along with some of these... though I don't immediately connect #5 with cashmere, and would quibble with #8 [have they never watched Martha Stewart's instructional videos on folding laundry?] and #7 , my joy is definitely not based on having expensive technology!
Part of 'living knowingly' [in my book anyway] is looking after my purchases once I have spent my money on them - and that includes mending and repairing when I can rather than discarding and replacing. So please, John Lewis, bring back your wonderful, well stocked haberdashery department!
Do other people shout at their radios? I'm sure it is not just me. I cannot bear it when people murder the language on the air. I was standing in the kitchen making a ham sandwich, and Bob stuck his head in and said "do you mind if I close this door, its a bit loud in here...?" I was yelling at a woman being interviewed on Radio 4. I ignored the fact that every sentence started with "So..." [a habit which really winds me up] But when asked why her company, which started in 2017, had succeeded she said it was because it was "really organic and really raw and really real". Really, really ?!? I listened a little longer, and she explained that back in 2017 she became an influencer. And that was new back then, nobody had heard of influencers before 2017, she was one of the first. She continued to mangle her words and spout cliches. I doubt that this granny will buy any"raw, organic, real clothing" from her company. I switched over to Classic FM. Later on in the day I did a bit of research. In fact the term influencer started to take off in around 2014, and spiked in 2016, entering the dictionary in 2017. But that was in the 'marketing' sense. [one who influences people's decisions about goods or services]
It has been in the dictionaries much, much longer than that. The original definition simply refers to 'one who influences', and first appeared in print in 1660 in a theological treatise by philosopher Henry More**, who referred to the king as 'head and influencer of the church'. [**not to be confused with Henry Moore, 20C sculptor, or Thomas More, Tudor statesman]
I do find it alarming that so many people follow 'influencers' on Instagram and TikTok and wherever. Are they making their decisions just by looking what these 'celebs' do and say? I looked at the UGov Poll of the 50 most famous influencers in the UK. I must be getting old - I recognised very few of the names. I knew Joe Wicks [#2] and Mrs Hinch [#6] and Marie Kondo [way down at #22] but the majority of the names meant nothing - many seemed to be Celebrities who wanted to get out, or Loose Women. I don't watch either of those shows. They clearly do not influence mypurchasing decisions.
Back in the 70s, I remember there was some fuss about Gordon Jackson the actor, appearing in a TV ad for the TSB [Trustee Savings Bank] At the time, he played "Mr Hudson" the impeccably moral, unbelievably wise and trustworthy butler 'Mr Hudson' in the series Upstairs Downstairs [the precursor of Downton Abbey] Many felt that people would be influenced to bank with TSB 'because that nice Mr Hudson does, and we trust him' Nowadays anybody and everybody advertises products on TV - some I know, others I couldn't name. Surely Angela Rippon and Judi Dench can enjoy a comfortable retirement without telling us to get smart meters or use MoneySupermarket ? I get the impression that 'influencers' promote products because they get rich doing so. At least Gary Lineker grew up in Leicester, eating locally made Walkers Crisps for many years before fame and fortune came along. These influencers boast of how many followers they have. I'm not one of them - I prefer to follow the man from Galilee, who first said 'follow me' to some fishermen 2000 years ago. The one who said "anyone who hears my words and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on a rock".
Sunday evening - watched Grace on TV. I do like that police series, as I am especially fond of Brighton, Monday morning; first I went to the Foodbank Warehouse with over 100kg of donations. The staff were especially grateful that things were sorted into categories[thanks to the helpful girls from Sunday Club who sorted out tins, pasta , toiletries etc into separate bags after the morning service.] Then onto craft group - eight of us had brought back our mosaic tiles - don't they look good? In the evening after the Quizzy bits, we caught up with NightSleeper. I may not travel on a train for a while... Tuesday I did my volunteer visitor stint at the Hospital then came home for lunch. Bob had been attempting to get somewhere with his orthopaedic consultation. Progress - after initially being told November 2025, he now has a cancellation appointment on Saturday Morning. Hallelujah! Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement. I will keep you posted on that one. In the evening I sewed mouse dresses and mob caps.
Wednesday I went to Tall Orders for tea and scones with my oldest friend Christine, as it is her birthday this week. It was very good to sit and chat. I cant believe we've been friends over half a century. Or that this year I was so disorganised that I delivered her birthday gift on August 20th instead of September! In the afternoon I had an email from someone having trouble placing an order with my shop. Having got the other issues sorted, it transpired that there was a further problem with the online payment system. Bob was brilliant and together we got it sorted. All seems to working well now, I just need to get all the new stock in place. I had a lovely card from the recipient of the gonk. And in between all those things, I have been plugging away at decluttering, and making marmalade [with Mamade Tins, not from scratch!] and getting the garden tidied for winter. Monty Don's tomato tip works! I put a load of green cherry tomatoes in a brown paper bag with a banana - and they are ripening beautifully. As I removed all the bean stuff, I found some dry pods from the little French beans - and have harvested a load of bean seeds for next year. Also saved some seeds from the yellow cherry toms that Jess loves so much. I have completely lost a box of squares of paper which I'd prepared for Kusudama Flowers. It is quite small [about 4" square and 3" high] So I dived into a CS on my way back to the carpark yesterday. I bought a paperback with over 900 pages for £1. That represents nearly 100 flowers for the workshop I am running in October!
And I could not resist this one. Over ninety activiy ideas for indoors and out,through the four seasons on sunny days and rainy days. I love the MMM stories, and read them to the girls, and now to Rosie and Jess. This will definitely be in use over half term. Most of the ideas are things I have done before - but the instructions are clear, and beautifully illustrated using pictures from the original books. Today I have set aside for sewing, and Friday afternoon we are visiting friends. So all is good [and our afternoon cups of tea have been accompanied by a small slice of anniversary cake] Someone pointed out it is 99 days till Christmas. I am not going to worry about that, I am enjoying September. I was sorry it was so cloudy on Tuesday night though- I did want to see the Supermoon! Did you see it?
I never knew my Mum's mother. But my paternal grandmother was a force to be reckoned with. She was strong in her faith, adored her husband, loved her children, and did all she could to make the world a better place. But she had two particular habits which honestly terrified me as a child. I was convinced these dangerous practices would lead to her untimely demise. I thought about her on Sunday as I took my bread knife to church for the Harvest lunch [I needed to be sure there was one sharp enough for slicing French bread and fruit cake*]
Nana was often to be found in the church kitchen helping with catering. Like all the other ladies, after the service she would take off her coat, and put on her apron [but her Sunday hat remained firmly on her head]
If she was on Sandwich duty, she would clutch the loaf to her bosom, and grasp the knife, slicing the bread horizontally towards her chest!
I was convinced she'd go too far and blood would come spurting out of her heart all over the black and white tiles. I'd hide my eyes
behind my hands and pray hard she would survive.
It was Nana who first taught me to sew. But she would insist on keeping the pins in her mouth. And still carry on chatting. I just knew she was going to swallow a pin or seven, and they'd perforate her insides and she'd writhe in agony and probably exsanguinate. I loved her dearly and could not bear the thought of losing her - I wondered if she got a perverse thrill out of living dangerously like this. Needless to say she survived unscathed into her late 70s.
I hope she would be pleased with the way her family has turned out.
*the fruit cake was because we wanted to celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary with our church family.
The little flowers were produced very quickly and easily with this little gadget from Lakeland. I was going to do 45 daisies, but somehow ended up with 52. Because, as Nana taught me "a wedding is one day, but marriage is a week-in-week-out commitment"
Apologies to those who were put off their lunch by thoughts of mouse body parts on my coffee table!
I have completed six mice, and sewn all their limbs in place. Now to get them dressed and ready to go into the shop. I'm thinking of doing three like Jethro the farmworker, in his Norfolk Smock, and three like Bonnie in a mob cap and floral dress. I am not sure how much to charge for them though. They take a fair bit of work, and the good felt, and beady eyes are add significantly to the materials costs. What would you pay?
*murine is the adjective for mice- like bovine/cows, equine/horses etc
I wrote a post all about gonks last November. The original 1960s ones were designed by Richard Benson. In the 80s those little sticky message bugs used for advertising were often called gonks. And now people frequently refer to the Scandi gnomes/tomte/nisse as gonks.
I had an email from a lady in Norfolk, called Christine, saying she was having a "senior reflection moment" - and wanted to make gonks for her grandchildren for Christmas [proper vintage 1960s ones, that is] Did I have a pattern?
Well, short answer was No. So I dived down various internet rabbit holes. Yes the patterns are out there, but some people are charging a lot of money for them. Christine wanted something akin to the PlaySchool Humpty. I found lots of pictures. Some were round, some squat, some flat, some very egg shaped and some just plain weird. I wanted one that was straightforward to produce, with not too much curved stitching. And very important, with a flattish base so the little chap would go onto the shelf or bed and not fall over or roll away too easily.
So I played about with some paper and made patterns - then created the basic gonk in some spare fabric, stuffed it, and pinned on paper features. Once I was satisfied with that, I made up a proper little chap with Stash stuff, and sent the gonk,the pattern, and the instructions off in the post.
Now Christine can see how big he will be and make her own modifications [eg adding a collar, or smile, or buttons etc] and create lots for her family. I am calling him Al.
And if he is a success, that will be an Al-Gonk-Win [apologies to any Dorothy Parker fans]
Today is Harvest Thanksgiving at church. Here in Norfolk, we have watched the combines out in the fields, and are perhaps more aware of the seasons than some city dwellers. We will be thanking God for his goodness, and all his love. After the service we are having a special lunch. And we are collecting tins, packets and toiletries for the local foodbank, and monetary donations for work in poverty stricken parts of Bangladesh, where floods have destroyed crops, and life is very difficult.
On September 6th, I was really excited to have obtained a ticket for a special HODS event at Norwich Cathedral. Along with a dozen others we gathered at 10am and were taken upstairs to "The Pryor's Hall" where the Broderers' Guild meets to do their amazing repair and restoration work on ecclesiastical textiles. Helen Johnson, who lead the Guild gave us a wonderful talk, showing examples of their work. The group has been going for about 25 years, and as well as hangings, altarpieces and robes [for clergy and choir] at the Cathedral, they do renovations for churches across the diocese, and right across the country.
This amazing chasuble comes from a church in central London and is a century old. The embroidery is almost Art Deco in style. There is a somewhat sad story behind it -
There was a 'society' wedding, all very glamorous -the bride wore a stunning ivory silk gown, and many gemstone. Then tragically, the bride was killed in a car accident, on her honeymoon. Her family donated the gown and the gems to the church, asking that some sort of priestly robes be made in her memory. Hence this chasuble.
But 100 years on, the silk has started to disintegrate. The team have relined the garment with especially dyed cotton fabric, and sandwiched the silk between that and monofilament conservation net. There are hours of work necessary to stitch round the motifs, thus holding the three layers safely together and making the garment wearable again.
If you look carefully at the bottom left you can see an area under the sun rays where the silk has almost disappeared. The net, once in place, is virtually invisible.
This is an amazing church hanging, from Victorian times, but being restored to its former glory.
I was in awe of their tiny stitches, their meticulous attention to details, and the wonderful, peaceful atmosphere of the sewing room.
The ladies work with highest quality fabrics and threads - conservation next costs around £50 a metre! Asked about costs, Helen told us "We give an estimate for the work, based on a figure per square inch"
Bearing in mind that they sit round a table 8 foot by 4 foot, which holds an average altar cloth quite nicely - that's over 4500 sq. in.!!!
When I did my Advent stitching last year, the hardest part was working with the silver thread. Helen said her team do not find the gold and silver threads easy either! For the regular colours, she says they find Gutermann the most reliable.
My pictures did not come out too well, so I was really pleased to find this YouTube clip all about the Guild. It shows things far better than I can
I so wished all my sewing friends could have been with me for the HODS event - especially Kirsten - it was a mindblowing experience! Being a nonconformist Rev, Bob's never really had any amzing ecclesiastical garments. Unless you count his Noah's Ark Waistcoat which I made him years ago for a Family Service...
Preacher, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, craftswoman. Married to wonderful Pastor Bob since 1979, now happily retired to Norfolk, but still busy. I am blessed with two brilliant grown-up daughters and four wonderful grand children
