In Stitch Magazine Issue 134, on page 44, you’ll discover a brilliant article by editor Kat McDonnell featuring the winning artworks in the Embroiderers’ Guild Members’ Challenge 2021 – ‘Exquisite Containers’ – including my little Matchbox Challenge piece..
Here’s a sneak peek inside.
Matchbox ChallengeExquisite Containers Article
Let the new issue of Stitch brighten your days with beautiful embroidery. Enjoy all sorts of different takes and exciting makes to kick-start your stitching mojo over the winter months. Get your copy here: bit.ly/stitchissues
Stitch Magazine Issue 134
When this embroidery was completed in early 2021, Lockdown was in place, and the Guild had put any thoughts of exhibiting the artworks on the back burner. Since then, the collection of ‘Exquisite Container’ artworks has been on public display at the London and Harrogate, Knitting and Stitching Shows.
In Contact Magazine July 2021 you’ll discover an article sharing the story behind the name ‘Arnold’s Attic’. This digital magazine is the latest publication by the UK Embroiderers’ Guild. If fancy a quick peek, I’ve added a snippet below for you to read.
Snapshot of the Contact Magazine article
“Catherine’s use of the name ‘Arnolds Attic’ came about after a chance opportunity to acquire a large collection of vintage haberdashery, cloth and ephemera from a friend of her aunt who was clearing out his house. The family had worked in the Lancashire textile mills for generations and as his mother had been an avid collector of fabrics her entire life, the collection was varied and substantial. To honour the memory of this kind gift which moved Catherine from being a keen hobbyist to a passionate explorer and experimenter, she called it after the man and where the collection had been stored – Arnold’s Attic. “
“The collection has inspired and appears in many of the works produced over the years and continues to provide a rich kaleidoscope of ideas, source materials and challenges when coupled with Catherine’s memories and heritage of growing up in Lancashire. Catherine began to focus on pieces with this common thread and exhibitions to showcase these to educate and inform about the many aspects of this important era and her childhood growing up in the now declining industries. In more recent years, Catherine has sought to perfect a style of ‘handwriting’ stitching in her signature red thread (a lot sourced from the collection) and use this to narrate stories to conjure images and emotions and fire the imagination.“
Contact /magazine July 2021
The Guild contacted me earlier this year asking me to take part in the series ‘A-Z of Artists’. It’s an honour to share my work alongside some amazing textile artists. The artworks appearing in the article are Matchbox Challenge and Time for Tea, which I created under the name of Catherine Hill Textile Artist.
Completed work includes very special vintage finds
Matchbox: 5 x 3.5 x 1.5 cm. Hand embroidered, silk thread, cotton cloth. Embroidered Panel: 20 x 12.5 cm. Vintage Sylko Thread and cotton cloth. Vintage finds from my childhood. Displayed in a vintage cigar box.
