A Fascinating Showcase of the UK's Finest Textile Arts

Quilting Adventures with Pat Archibald

Pat Archibald is one of the UK's leading Quilt Artists and teachers. Her work over the last ten years has been mainly inspired by her travels and adventures worldwide.

In this stunning collection, Pat pulls together pieces inspired by Africa, Hong Kong, India, the Middle East and her home country of Scotland.

Elizabethan Stitches with Jacqui Carey

Jacqui is best known for her work with braidmaking, notably the Japanese technique of Kumihimo. However, in recent years she has turned her mind to researching early English braids and other textile techniques from this era. Her detailed studies of surviving artefacts has revealed the truth about stitch structure and how early work differs from the stitches in use today. Some of her findings have been published in two books: Sweet Bags and Elizabethan Stitches. These detail some of her academic and practical research, all backed up with case studies of actual objects providing the visual evidence. Here is a unique opportunity to meet Jacqui, learn about old techniques and see some early embroidery (by kind permission of the Embroiderers’ Guild).

Cité international de la dentelle et de la mode

The Museum of Lacemaking and Fashion in Calais, is a true gem. Opened in 2009 in an old 19th century lace factory, with a futuristic glass and steel extension. It presents the social history and manufacturing secrets of Calais lace, along with a showcase for lace in today’s fashion and design. However, this place is so much more than just a museum, with its many interactive features, a range of events all year, temporary exhibitions, shows, and workshops in lacemaking techniques, plus contemporary fashion and design for all ages, it truly is a fabulous journey into the world of lace.

The museum has travelled especially to Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch to excite you with a taste of what they have back home. Including garments from their inaugural fashion parade; a specially commissioned feature called 'Anx marins célestes' – Celestial Sailors, by Françoise André and a ‘Lace Gallery’ representing the present and future of lace, using lace as the inspiration for creating contemporary objects. Plus there will be short creative workshops and a chance to shop in their lace boutique. In creating this small corner of France they hope to persuade you to stop off in Calais the next time you pass through! Be assured the Cité international de la dentelle et de la mode de Calais is simply a must for all lace and textile enthusiasts!

Workshops and talks with Françoise André:

Friday and Saturday
10.30 How to make fabric and lace bows
11.45 Create a three-dimension skull head in lace
13.00 How to make fabric and lace bows
14.15 Customising your mobile phone with lace, pearls…
15.30 How to create a collection, Françoise discusses how she designed and implemented Aux Marins Célestes exhibition.

Sunday
10.30 How to make fabric and lace bows
11.45 Customising your mobile phone with lace, pearls…

FREE Prize Draw

The City of Calais Tourist Board are offering visitors a fabulous daily prize-draw to win up to four weekends away in Calais for two people, including the ferry crossing, two nights accommodation in 3 and 4 star hotels, a meal in a gastronomic restaurant and a city pass allowing free entry to the Cité Dentelle, Fine Art Museum, War Museum and the Belfry.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Madeira UK, Flair magazine and Husqvarna have teamed up with ICHF Events to bring you The Madeira Competition 2013 - Glimpses of Summer, with a brand new category for Computerised Machine Embroidery.

Summer 2012 will certainly go down as one of the wettest summers on record, so we asked you to raise our spirits and embroider your very own bit of sunshine with our ‘Glimpses of Summer’ competition, to remind us of what summer should be all about.

All entries will be on display, with judging taking place on the first day of the show, with many prizes up for grabs including the coveted Madeira Rose Bowl, and a fabulous Husqvarna Sapphire sewing machine (RRP £999).

For details of the Competitions Winners, click here.

Madeira is proud to be a supporter of the Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch show, plus the sponsor of the Madeira Competition ‘Glimpses of Summer’.  

Market leading supplier of embroidery threads, Madeira offers one of the largest selections of threads and indispensable ancillaries for hand and machine embroidery and decorative sewing, with shiny and sparkling, sumptuous woollen, rayon, polyester, cotton and silk, plus a complete range of stabilizers including cold and hot water solubles to choose from.  

Talented textile artist Karen Casper, will be demonstrating her special machine embroidery techniques on the Madeira UK stand, along with Royal School of Needlework trained hand-embroiderers Jen Goodwin and Helen McCooke.   

Madeira Sponsored Students

J28 Lisa Marie Evans
Madeira UK’s sponsorship was invaluable to Lisa’s work, which contains strong narratives, as Lisa enjoys story telling through the medium of stitch. Fragments of her daily journey to study in Swansea Metropolitan and the colourful conversations overheard in the Welsh city, inspired Lisa to transfer the memories of the past three years of her life into stitch.

J30 Pauline Easby
Pauline combines historical and contemporary narratives to create expressive hand embroidered designs. Her graduate project ‘love and restraint’, is a conceptual, embroidered reference to the loss of female innocence and inhibitions when they fall in love for the first time or love the wrong person; and how as women they restrain and hide their emotional and often physical pain behind beautiful adornments, masks and clothing.

K09 Janet Wilde
In her final year at university Janet was fortunate to be awarded sponsorship by Madeira UK. Janet expresses her designs mainly through costume and wearable art and many of the pieces on display were produced for her final exhibition, inspired by Shakespeare's play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' and Elizabethan costume and embroidery. Techniques used include devoré, screen printing, as well as hand and free machine embroidery.

K10 Anita Farahani
Her 2012 graduate project ‘love and restraint’ (showing at Birmingham 21-24 March 2013) is a conceptual, embroidered reference to the loss of female innocence and inhibitions when they fall in love for the first time or love the wrong person; and how as women they restrain and hide their emotional and often physical pain behind beautiful adornments, masks and clothing.

British Romantic Landscapes with Michala Gyetvai

Michala is an amazing artist who paints and sculpts with threads, stitching and layering her images in a variety of materials and employing hand and machine embroidery, to give a three-dimensional quality to the layers.

At Fashion Embroidery & Stitch Michala will be showcasing a stunning collection of large textile pieces.

The Embroiderer’s Guild ‘Olympic Postcards'

As a welcome to athletes from around the world to the 2012 Olympic games, members of the Embroiderers' Guild produced a spectacular tribute in stitch by creating nearly 3,000 embroidered postcard sized images depicting the life and times of over 200 sporting nations – all members of the Olympic movement. Here’s your chance to see the Postcards displayed in full.

The Crysalis Project

The Crysalis Project is a textile project that provides opportunities to combine knowledge and tradition with technology; collaboration with innovation and big names with textile start-ups. Part-funded through the INTERREG IV A2 Seas Programme.

The Crysalis Project is a collaboration of the University of the Creative Arts in Rochester with T103 Textiles Open Innovation Centre in Ronse, the International City of Lace and Fashion at Calais and Plymouth College of Art.

Whether you're an academic, student, practitioner, manufacturer, professional, entrepreneur or all of these, come and discover our varied programme and find out more about activities, which engage with new technologies; explore traditional craft techniques, how to work and exhibit internationally, and how to connect with textile business in the UK, France and Belgium.

Creativity on the Catwalk

Brenda Killigrew and students of IDC Academy Fashion & Textiles, will host our exciting fashion show, giving talented students and exhibitors the chance to show off their garments on the catwalk.

The shows will take place at the following times:

• Thursday: A at 11.00, B at 13.00 and A 15.00
• Friday: B at 11.00, A at 13.00 and B at 15.00
• Saturday: A at 11.00, B at 13.00 and A 15.00
• Sunday: B at 11.00, A at 13.00 and B at 15.00

Catwalk A

Garments Supplied by:
Inkberrow Design Centre – Fashion (Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand N19)
Warwickshire College ­(Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand N10)
South and City College Birmingham (Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand N20)
Sew Today magazine (Sewing for Pleasure stand E05)
Fabrics Galore (Sewing for Pleasure stand F12)
Let’s Knit and Sew magazines (Sewing for Pleasure stand R07)
Alison Smith (Sewing for Pleasure stand C12)
Sally’s Jewellery (Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand K07)
Abakhan Fabrics Hobby & Home (Sewing for Pleasure stand D09)
Ruth Brown (Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand J18)

Catwalk B

Garments Supplied by:
Inkberrow Design Centre – Millinery (Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch stand N19)
Warwickshire College ­(Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand N10)
Walsall College ­(Fashion Embroidery & Stitch stand N15)
Simplicity Ltd (Sewing for Pleasure stand C06)
Coats Craft UK (Sewing for Pleasure stand A18)
Cloth magazine (Sewing for Pleasure stand E30)
Karen Delahunty (Sewing for Pleasure stand B16)
Freudenberg/Vilene (Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch stand L22)
Ruth & Belinda (Sewing for Pleasure stand F20)
Movie Time – Ewa Kuniczak (Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch stand J26)

Jane Austen - Fashion & Films

In recent years both TV and film period drama has become increasing popular, with some of the best being adapted from Jane Austen’s novels.

This exhibition brings together a collection of star-studded garments, from BBC’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, starring Colin Firth; the Oscar winning film ‘Sense and Sensibility’, featuring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet; plus the wonderful ‘Emma’, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

Pieced Patterns

The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles show how piecing – stitching small patches of fabric together – can be both traditional and contemporary.

'Pieced Patterns' is a snapshot of some of the stunning work being made by Quilters' Guild members showing long-established patchwork designs with a modern twist on the traditional pieced quilt.

Smocking Treasures of the WI

This exciting collection is on loan from the NFWI Textile Archives, housed at Denman College, and has never been exhibited before in its entirety. The written history on how and why they have these smocks is very scant, but they do know that some of them belong to the Alice Arms Collection, and that others have been donated over the years. Alice Arms was a craft Advisor for the NFWI from 1923-1939 and among some of the books that she wrote were 'Plain Sewing' and 'English Smocks'.

The word Smock is of Anglo-Saxon derivation meaning "Shift" or "Chemise", and it is from these days that the smock of rural England dates. Smocking is a traditional English craft of peasant origin, which was used for many centuries to decorate garments.

Textile Groups

Textile Artists

Individual exhibitions and demonstrations by:

Fashion and Textile Education

• University of Cumbria
• Warwickshire College
• StitchBusiness
• Leicestershire Adult Learning Longslade
• Walsall College
• Eastleigh College
• South & City College Birmingham
• Inkberrow Design Centre
• Rumney High School.

Schools Fashion Design Competition – Design an Outfit for a 50’s Icon

Back in 2011 at the Design + Technology Education Show, ICHF Events, supported by the Inkberrow Design Centre, launched its first Fashion Design Competition for students aged between 13-24. This year’s competition entitled 'Design for a 1950's Icon', has been a resounding success, with entries from a staggering 32 schools/colleges, along with nine individuals.

The entries from each student will be displayed in the catwalk area of the show, with the finalists having the opportunity to showcase their stylish creations on the Catwalk on Friday 22nd March 2013, with the winner receiving an Innov-is 1250 Sewing Machine courtesy of Brother Sewing Machines, plus a one week work placement opportunity at the I.D.C Academy for Fashion and Textiles! Plus there are beautiful Madeira UK threads for the runners up; books from Search Press and Vouchers for schools to spend with Colourcraft.

Schools and colleges include:
The Catholic High School- Chester; William Howard School; Newent Community College; Baylis Court School; Chesterfield High School; Haybridge 6th Form; Newland School For Girls; Westholme School; Stratford upon Avon High School; Dixons City Academy; St Marys School; Royal Grammar School Worcester; Townley Grammar School For Girls; Norwich School; Invicta Grammar School; Ballakermeen High School   Isle Of Man; Ashcroft Technology Academy; Royal Wootton Bassett Academy; Blue Coat School; Bradford College; Altringham Grammar School for Girls; Wolverhampton Girls High School; Trinity Catholic College; Summerhill School; Pershore High School Worcestershire; Heysham High School; Wigmore High School; Parrs Wood High School; The Warriner School; Hawarden High School

Individual students:
Molly Jones, Worcester; Katie McCann, Worcester; Harriet Dorr, Thetford; Beatriz Honrads, London; Zara Charles; Jordon Norrington; Lah Dixon, West Midlands; Rebecca Francis Playfor and Emma Smith, Cheshire.

For details of the Competitions Winners, click here.

Jo Penton

Jo is the creator of JParmoire Productions/Events & Costume Design, who has had a colourful background in theatre and stage. Travelling worldwide with her art and performing at the most prestigious Le Bal du Moulin Rouge, Paris, where she was captain and Can-Can Soloist. Jo now turns her talent to corsetry and costume design, creating elaborate bespoke creations for whatever her client desire.

On Stand Workshops

J10 Paper, Fabric, Print and Stitch with Chris Gray from Mabon Arts
In this workshop make some collage tags that can be framed as they are or put onto a greeting card. The theme is French, with lovely lavender shades in hand-dyed papers, fabrics and lace.
Chris will be running two workshops per day at the following times: 11.30-12.30 and 14.30-15.30, for a maximum of 6 people. Book place on stand: first come first served.

K18 Screen Printing Master Classes with Dionne Swift 
Watch and learn from Dionne as she demonstrates Silk Screen Printing onto cloth and join one of her regular mini workshops throughout the show: Please visit her stand to book on a first come, first served basis!

Exhibitors List

NEC, Birmingham   22-25 March 2012

K28 21st Century Yarns
ZG20 A Night at the Opera
R09 Aarti J`s Beads & Trim
J34 Aid for Burma - KSDP Charity
J35 Aid for Burma - KSDP Charity
ZH02 Sue Allan
K12 Art Van Go
J12 Barnyarns & Superior Threads
J01 The Bead Merchant
K01 Bead Spider
ZL18 Margaret Beal
J25 Bombay Stores
ZN08 Richard Box
H09 Cancer Research UK
ZL24 Castanea Creative Courses /IDC
ZK33 Susan Chapman
H38 Coleshill Accessories
J38 Colourcraft C & A Ltd
ZH07 Helen Cowans
H26 Crazy Wire Company
K05 Dandelion Designs
ZL04 Helen Deighan
Y18 Dressed for Downton
ZK26 Eclectica
ZM01 Embroiderers Guild
K21 Emphasize
J04 Empress Mills
G17 Felt Head to Toe
ZM09 Fibrefusion
Y01 Freudenberg Vilene Workshop
ZL42 Fulcrum
J15 Goldwork Kits by Carolyn
ZM12 Grasby Embroiderers
ZP25 The Guild of Silk Painters
ZG15 Jane E Hall
ZL20 Isobel Hall
J27 Sue Hawkins
ZL14 Amanda Hislop
R15 Janna Hodgson
Y16 In the Spotlight
ZP22 International Feltmakers Association - Midlan
ZL10 Jeudis
ZH01 The Lace Guild
ZM07 Jenny Langley
ZN15 Leicestershire Adult Learning Longslade
K18 Lili Design Ltd
J10 Mabon Arts
Y06 Madeira Competition
ZH30 Madeira (UK) Ltd
ZJ30 Madeira Spons Student -Amanda Jane Law
ZK10 Madeira Spons Student -Lucy Serino Erwig
ZK09 Madeira Spons Student -Stacie Charlton
ZJ28 Madeira Sponsored Student-Tracy Bidwell
Y02 Madeira Workshop
ZL03 Dee - Anne McCoull
ZH11 Meniscus Textile Artists
ZH17 Lynda Monk
ZP28 Claire Muir
K07 Needle Needs
H36 New Forest Mohair
ZN10 NFWI/Denman College Craft School
ZH19 NNA / Newbury Coat
ZM05 NNA / Poetry in Stitches 3
K38 Nordic Needlecraft of Inverness
K35 Pearsalls Embroidery
K17 Phase Patch Craft
ZL01 Katie Pirson
ZN16 Portsmouth College
ZG22 QGBI - Contemporary Quilt Group
ZL44 Quatrefoil
ZN04 The Quilters Guild of the British Isles
ZH05 Sue Rangeley
J06 Riverbank Woodcrafts
ZB10 Ziggy Rytka
ZP32 Kathleen Laurel Sage
ZL12 Second Turning Textile Group
J22 Sew n Sew Nottingham
H15 The Silk Route
Y03 Silk Workshop
P30 silkcraft.co.uk
H12 Simple Way - The Leather Kit People
H30 Simply Spray Fabric Paints
H21 Slow Loris Textiles
H22 Slow Loris Textiles Display
ZL06 Maggie Smith
ZM10 South West Textiles Group
H27 Stef Francis
ZN21 Stitchbusiness
ZL02 Maggie Swain
ZL15 Dionne Swift
ZN05 Tangent Textiles
Y04 The Art of Lace
H08 Thermofax Screens
ZK25 Kim Thittichai
R11 Trudy Anne Designs
ZN18 University of Cumbria
ZN19 University of Wolverhampton
ZH06 Visions Textile Group
ZL22 Walsall College
ZN20 Warwickshire College
ZL25 West Country Embroiderers
J26 WonderFil Speciality Threads -Embroidery
J11 WonderFil Speciality Threads -Quilting
H25 Wooden Heart Co
ZL29 Karen Woods

Exhibitors List

NEC, Birmingham   21-24 March 2013

K28 21st Century Yarns
H27 Ace International Direct
J34 Aid for Burma - KSDP Charity
H21 All Things Crafty
K12 Art Van Go
J12 Barnyarns & Superior Threads
J01 The Bead Merchant
K01 Bead Spider
J25 Bombay Stores
K03 Cancer Research UK
J06 Caroline Bell
R12 Chipmunk Crafts
H38 Coleshill Accessories
J38 Colourcraft C & A Ltd
H26 Colouricious Ltd
R11 Doodle by Stitch
J04 Empress Mills
J26 Felt Head to Toe
J15 Goldwork Kits by Carolyn
J27 Sue Hawkins
H24 Helen Wheeler Vintage
R15 Janna Hodgson Enamels
J10 Mabon Arts
H29 Madeleine Millington
P40 Mobile Massage Events Ltd
H30 Molten Designs
H36 New Forest Mohair
K17 Phase Patch Craft
K07 Sally`s Jewellery
J22 Sew n Sew Nottingham
H15 The Silk Route
K25 silkcraft.co.uk
H12 Simple Way - The Leather Kit People
H37 Springwood House Designs
H08 Thermofax Screens
H01 Trudy Anne Designs

Past Shows Exhibitors Lists

Click on a show below to view the exhibitors list:

• Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch @ NEC, Birmingham
  22-25 March 2012

• Fashion Embroidery & Stitch @ NEC, Birmingham
  21-24 March 2013