Day 9: Blackwork and King John

Today's post is a bit short. This is because it is the first day of our second project, and my concentration was on my stitching until we finished at 4.15pm. Our evening meal was at 5pm so we could be at the Theatre for King John at 7.30.  This left little time for blogging.

Our room for this project is not as pleasant as Nicola's room but we have excellent lamps and plenty of room to move. It is a small, pleasant group and Kate Barlow is an attentive and well organised teacher.



The kit is lovely and the instruction booklet very clear, supplemented by a large, clear and detailed diagram.

We began on the Blackwork. The linen is 32 count which I don't usually work, but it was lovely to work with and fine with magnification and light.

There is much hilarity about the Australian toilet paper crisis. During this afternoon's session I received an email from the CEO of Woolworths explaining how hard Woolworths and their suppliers are working to replenish supplies of toilet paper. It seems it's a boom for a couple of rural towns, with the Kleenex factory in Millicent working 24 hours a day 7 days a week to meet demand. My fellow retreaters are offering to fill my suitcase with toilet paper to help out.

The world really seems to be off-kilter.

We had pre-theatre dinner at 5pm, I only 4 hours after our very substantial lunch - so we can be at the Theatre just after 7pm.  It's a 2 minute walk from our hotel. There was a lot of atmosphere and anticipation in the foyer.

We had very good seats. It was fairly full - though not a sellout house.

I thought it was an excellent production, directed by Eleanor Rhode, with King John played by Rosie Sheehy.

There is a food fight in the first half which takes most of interval time clean up.

I was not familiar with the play, but neither Shakespeare nor the production disappointed. I liked the modern costumes and sets carrying the words of Shakespeare, The stylisation of costume and use of dance movement carried the message of power, corruption and self-interest as universal. It left me, at least, feeling strengthened even in the face of such evil - a far cry from the impact of reading news reports every day and emails explaining shortages.

I'm very glad I went and grateful to Phillipa for thinking to organise it.

Our world seems less awry - or no more so than other times- after the play.

Day 8: Excursions

Today we split into groups for visits. A few stayed behind to stitch. I went with a group to the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

At the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Shakespeare Centre in Henley Street the textile curators had selected seven items for us to look at. There was a Bible with embroidered cover, a psalter, a man's cap, three coifs and a woman's court jacket, all dating between 1600 and 1630.  All were exquisite. While I have photos for my own study, they are not for publication.

We were fortunate to have with us Sarah Thursfield and Jessica Grimm, both with enormous expertise in textiles and clothing of this era. They commented on the pieces. Their interaction with the curators provided a rich and privileged experience for us. I will be happy to talk in more detail to interested members of the Embroiderers' Guild of SA.


The views from the windows of the Shakespeare Centre were in themselves worth going for. I love the landscapes of sky, cloud, brick and trees.











At this time of year the trees are sculptural skeletons. We didn't get to see this courtyard close-up but it looked interesting from above.




I find rooftops and chimneys in England irresistible.


These were all taken from the windows of the room in which we examined the embroideries.

































Next door to the Shakespeare Centre is the Moorcroft Centre with it's window that enticed quite a few of our group inside.

They were discouraged, however, by the reminder outside of human folly.





Taxis took us from here to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, where Spring is in the air.


















I didn't take the tour inside the cottage, preferring to explore the grounds and, of course, the shop.


The cottage is much as I remember it.  It was, I think, January 1985 that I was last here, but I  presume it has not much changed.























I don't, however remember this structure in the garden. It certainly didn't play recitals of the Sonnets as it does now.


We returned to our hotel for lunch, after which some went on to Shakespeare's New Place, which is a stone's throw from our hotel. I chose to do more work on my Midsummer Pillowe. I have some time next week to catch up on things I might have missed in Stratford.


I spent most of the afternoon stitching in the company of a few others - mostly also working on the Midsummer Pillowe.





I finished Oberon and made good progress on Titania. Tomorrow we start on our second project, and I will struggle to work on this much further.


Before dinner Laura made a presentation about the Appleby Festival and St Andrew's Retreat next year. Much excitement in the group and food for thought. I'm not sure what I want/will be able to do.


Two of our number have been called away because of deaths in their immediate families in the last 24 hours. Our sympathies are with them both. It was a sobering note on what was otherwise, for most of us, an interesting and thought-provoking day. A blog post does not capture the interactions and empathy that is generated in the company of like-minded people.

Day 7: Final Day of Midsummer Pillowe

This morning was Grey and overcast yet the light was quite good in our stitching room and the landscape outside very clearly defined.



The brickwork on the Theatre seemed particularly well defined.

Even through the lead-lighted windows in our stitching room it looked terrific.There are (what I assume to be) CCT cameras in the oddest places.





















We had a great day of stitching. Nicola's design is a pleasure to stitch. It uses varied techniques, interesting threads and you can complete small sections and see an immediate result. There were periods of silent concentration and times of talk. We have known each other now over several years and there is a level of trust.  We are privileged to have found people from all over the world who share our quite narrow interests.







We concentrated on the butterfly "Puck". I was able to finish - mine. That's one of the clever things about the design - it is possible to finish a complete element in a day.

Photos don't do justice to the three-dimensional impact of the finished piece, nor do they convey the sparkle.

I haven't finished Oberon - but it is well advanced. I have more than half of the major butterfly, Titania, to do and the small figure in  the top left hand corner. I'd love to keep working on it. I think it will be finished before I board a plane home.






The buffet lunch was excellent again, and the evening meal delicious. The chef seems to get  proportions right.


Tutors had set up shops this afternoon in the hotel reception area. I bought a Kate Barlow kit.



I also, with permission, offered some of the Guild's Ort Pot kits for sale. Last year I used one of my ort pots in class, and people asked for the pattern. I couldn't provide it, as it is copyright and a fund-raising activity of the Guild. So this year, Gay Sanderson made up some kits and some Ort pots for me to bring to sell. I was planning to offer these to anyone who asked about mine, but Laura suggested I could sell them on the market evening. Sales amounted to 56. The kits sold out completely, since one woman who has to run a workshop for her US Guild in making these pots, bought my entire stock to save having to make the kits herself!



After the market and before dinner Phillipa introduced  Sarah Thursfield, author of The Medieval Taylor's Assistant. on Dress in the Age of Shakespeare. Sarah used portraits to analyse the elements of both men and women's clothing. I knew quite a bit of this from the research project on Tudor clothing I helped Brigid do five years ago.


Sarah stayed for dinner. She was an interesting speaker and it was a privilege to be able to talk to her over dinner.

Tomorrow is our excursion day. It should be good.

Day 6: Solid stitching & Hall’s Croft

Today was a day of solid stitching. The weather was pretty pleasant.

I enjoy breakfast at the Arden. The meusli is good, there's plenty of fruit and a decent selection of hot food cooked to order.  I got there soon after 7.30. People drift in over the next hour and catch up. By 8.20 I was in our work room and stitching.

Our room gets good sunlight. By mid-afternoon there are shadows and I used a light. I also swapped my barrel clamp for a seat frame, which was an improvement. It means I can sit back and sit straight. Nevertheless, my body protested a bit today.  I needed to stretch my back and eyes several times.

I  progressed Titania and we moved on to Moonbeam the dragonfly.






That had numerous challenging components. We are all progressing at roughly the same pace. We get very personalised attention and the conversation is relaxed, considerate and reflective.  We have known each other for a while and there is a level of trust.


I made a few errors today, and undid small amounts. It is a really lovely design to work on - and I just want to keep on with it.








My body however, called a halt today after six and a half hours of stitching.

I began on Oberon - but didn't get very far. I was feeling very physically tired.

We were scheduled to have canapes at the Shakespeare Trust at 5.30, then dinner at Hall's Croft - some distance apart. I  begged off the canapes but planned to walk the 400 yards or so to Hall's Croft to join the group for dinner. I had not seen Hall's Croft in the daylight and walked past it in the dark.


When I retraced my steps I couldn't work out how to get inside. There may be a carpark entrance off another street, but I couldn't find it. Rather than hang around in the dark and hope some of the group were not already inside,






I walked back to the Arden, retrieved my embroidery from our workroom, sent Laura a text message explaining my absence,

ate the fruit in my room and progressed my Midsummer Pillowe while watching Poirot. I had, after all, had rather a lot to eat at both breakfast and lunch.









I have progressed Moonbeam - might finish it before I go to bed.

From my point of view, a very satisfactory day.

Day 5: Retreat Begins

I was awake at 4.30 am this morning, having forgotten to take my melatonin the night before. Still, 6 hours sleep overnight is in the right path. I got to breakfast by 7.40am, met up with some mates and was ready in the lobby for our 9am start.

There are 36 students and six tutors. I’m doing Nicola Jarvis’s beautiful insect pillow. We are set up in the guest lounge, overseen by the bard himself (peering over the board) as well as a few actors.

It was quite a sunny day and the light is good in our room (photo taken late in the day doesn’t do justice).

Our goody bags were waiting for us - new bag design this year.

I make good use of my Crewel Work Company bags. I was overjoyed to find a pair of decent scissors inside. My little aeroplane- friendly ones are fit-for-purpose but have their limits.

Our intimate group had a really lovely time.  Each insect in Nicola’s design is named for a Shakespearean character. The dominant one is Titania, the butterfly. The elements are tiny  (we all used magnification) but varied in both stitch and thread. The threads are lovely - silk, cotton and wool, sourced, as always, with care to achieve exactly the effect the design demands. We began on the carnation. I found the points tricky, but got a nice plumpness.

We had made a lot of progress by 5pm when eyes and backs called a halt.

Along the way we had long silences and great discussions. I have gained in confidence about the embroidery I’m considering for the Guild Exhibition later this year. Members of the group reinforced some of my thinking and gave me some great suggestions for elements I’d been puzzling over.  They just get it! 

Lunch was a buffet. The vegetarian lasagna was fabulous.

This year, with Laura's permission, I brought with me some of the Embroiderers’ Guild of SA's Ort Pot kits. I always have one with me and, in the past, retreaters have asked me for the pattern, which I can’t provide, as it is copyright.  Gay Sanderson, who prepares the kits for the Guild, gave me 20 kits to bring, and 20 finished pots. I sold my first - a finished pot- to Nicola!

Before dinner we had a presentation of the program from Phillipa. There are some very promising visits tomorrow evening and on Wednesday.

Dinner was abuzz with conversation and the food was good.

I’m itching to continue Titania!