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Saturday the 2 April saw the opening day of Threads of Hope at Gracefield Arts Centre in Dumfries.
It’s the hotly anticipated textiles exhibition presented every three years by guild members of the Dumfries and Galloway Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers, Solway Quilters and Textile & Embroidery Dumfries. This display has been delayed a year due to the lockdown.
A ‘must see’ for anyone interested in traditional and contemporary crafts, each group has a flourishing membership and meets at Gracefield and other venues in the region to enjoy practical days, lectures, talks and knowledge-sharing. Alongside the wide selection of textile work on display, group members will be available throughout the exhibition to give demonstrations or explain about the traditional and cutting-edge techniques used. Over 100 makers have contributed their work for display and sale from across the region
Hand-made crafts are appealing to a wide audience these days – TV programmes like BBC’s Sewing Bee demonstrate that everyone can have a go and skills such as embroidery and knitting and quilting appealing to all age-groups now. A spokesperson from the gallery says, “the enthusiasm from all the Guild members is infectious and inspiring and this year they have hands-on activities and quizzes for kids so it really is fun for all the family.”
The groups have sadly lost some very key members since the last exhibitions. Shirley McKeand founder member of the Embroiderers group, a fabulously gifted needlewoman, was especially fond of Goldwork and her skill in this technique can be seen in the exhibition with a dedicated room 5 display. Born in Yorkshire in 1935, Shirley became a trained tailoress and worked for House of Worth. She was a passionate advocate for needlework and excelled at teaching and enthusing others. Shirley died in 2020 and is greatly missed.
Solway Quilters exhibition is the work of 23 individual members including quilts, wall-hangings, bags and cushions made as a result of the challenges they built into the syllabus throughout the year in order to gain experience, learn new techniques and move out of the comfort zone! - often producing new and original pieces. They include 3 pieces of work as a tribute to 3 of their members who have sadly died since the last exhibition in 2018. Norma’s Quilt is made with friendship blocks by members and the final quilt was gifted to Norma when she moved into a care home in 2021. It depicts all things dear to Norma - her home and garden, cats, flowers and embroidery all in bright colours. Norma died in February this year - she was one of the founding members of Solway Quilters. For Morag and Callum all the blocks in this quilt were made by Maureen Christie for her granddaughter’s wedding present. Maureen died before she completed the quilt and members have put the blocks together and finished the quilt. Textured Calico is the work of Elma Cliff who sadly died in 2021 and this exquisite wall-hanging epitomises her talent and eye for detail.
The Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers showcase the work of over 40 members where alongside the visual impact, there is a wonderful smell from natural wools and dyes used in their weaving, knitting and felt work.
You can find out about the groups and their activities on their webpage or Facebook pages. Gracefield runs workshops for kids from age 18mths to teens including textiles, printmaking, painting and jewellery on Saturdays in term time and Wednesdays during the holidays. Visit the website www.dgculture.co.uk see us on Facebook or just give us a ring on 01387 262084. This Easter weekend there will be the annual Easter Hunt quiz trail running from Thursday 14 to Sat 16 April – a free fun activity for all ages with a Cadbury crème egg prize for everyone who has a go.
Admission to Gracefield is free and there is ample free parking, with extra on Edinburgh Road when it gets busy! If you are coming with a large group it’s worth pre-booking with café Refresh in advance – just ring our usual number. The Textiles exhibition continues until Saturday 7 May.
