The sun shone on the beautiful conservatory at Carrow House in Norwich for an extra special occasion on Saturday 29th March.  It was incredible to see over 30 magnificent and rare Victorian Shawls, the majority of them made in Norwich, worn again and paraded on the catwalk.  

This event was held as a tribute to C&TA co-founder Helen Hoyte MBE, 2023-2024.  Her family were able to attend and said 'She would have loved it!' And so did the audience.  We were thrilled and very grateful to be able to show so many shawls, all from private collections.  One member, who has traded in antique textiles for over 40 years, described some of the shawls, representing styles from the early to the late nineteenth century as 'breathtaking'. The quality of materials and workmanship highlighted the extraordinary wealth of textile skills of Norwich in the nineteenth century.​

​The Worstead Guild of Spinners and Weavers have been kind enough to open their doors to our members on not just one, but two afternoons this month.  They have a cosy workshop at Dilham, stuffed to the brim with wonderful fibre and equipment, and on a sunny afternoon last week a small group of us were given an immensely warm welcome by their Chair Lorraine Hunter and her band of Guild members.

​The day I visited, we were handed cups of tea and coffee as we entered – 5 star treatment right from the start – and after a brief introduction to their historic Guild from Lorraine, explaining the wide range of fibre skills that they cover and the incredible outreach work that they do, we were encouraged to get involved as quickly as possible.  There was fleece to card and spin, using a range of beautiful wheels; a large upright loom to try; smaller tabletop looms to experiment with; inkle band and tablet looms, and even tiny pin looms which could be used to make textured woven squares that could then be sewn together to make larger items.  Within minutes we were all happily involved in making, gently supported and encouraged by the guild members, and a joyful atmosphere of creativity fizzed through the sunny hall for the rest of the afternoon.  

​It was a joy to meet with like-minded fabric enthusiasts and the Worstead members could not have been more generous with their time, equipment and patience.  They had set up the equipment beforehand to ensure that we as beginners could access the making from the start, and had put out a wonderful display of their own beautiful work, sketchbooks, samples and equipment.  They were kind and experienced teachers, able to explain processes very simply and clearly but also full of detailed expert knowledge that they were eager to share. They showed us their extensive library, a stock of equipment which can be loaned to members to experiment with, and their treasured historic pieces, including the imposing Great Wheel, which was used to spin from a metal quill (in the style of the Sleeping Beauty wheel with its fatal spindle!) long before the treadle wheel was invented.

This was such a happy afternoon, with a real feeling of shared interests and community, and it took a lot of effort to tear ourselves away – several of us already planning our Google searches for looms for sale!  Our sincere thanks go to the Worstead Guild, who made us feel so welcome.  For anyone interested in learning more about spinning, weaving or dyeing, their warm community would be a wonderful place to start.  As well as frequent workshop sessions for members they also run a varied range of one-off courses during the year.  They have a super website here: Worstead Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, England
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​Or pop along to their Woolly Weekend in June to meet the members, see their work and perhaps have a go yourself!

The small but trusty band of members who joined our Crafty Chat on the 25th Feb were treated to some fascinating pictures of textile-related items from the recent Silk Road exhibition at the British Museum.  Caroline, our chair, had visited the exhibition in January and treated us to a wonderful whistle-stop tour of some of the gorgeous artefacts on display.  The exhibition covered the period from 500-1000AD, and sought to illustrate the incredible artistic links and influences that spread across the world from the Silk Road countries during this time.  Highlights included an enormous silk embroidery from China, stunning in its size and detail, and two beautiful gold and red enamel shoulder clasps from our own Sutton Hoo burial treasure.  It was so interesting to be reminded that such skill and artistry is part of our ancient history, and that for so long human beings have been connected and inspired by their love of beauty and craftsmanship.

​Discussion turned to the very modern craftsmanship of our own members, and Wendy showed us some beautiful embroidered ‘quilt as you go’ padded hexagons that she was making.  Details and examples can be found online, and she recommended a book called ‘Quilt As You Go’ by Carolyn Forster.  Anne-Marie showed us the latest in her collection of charming ‘Valentine’s Desk Quilts’ that she makes every year for her lucky husband, and Jane promised us that after being snowed under with paperwork, she would soon be returning to her experiments with Elizabethan ruffs!  As usual the conversation was lively and wide-ranging: we learnt about Caroline’s first forays into pottery, lingered over the design details of the Regency dresses in the recent BBC drama ‘Miss Austen’ (a series highly recommended for historical drama fans by our members!), and delved into the knotty technicalities of rag rug making – ‘hooky’, ‘proddy’ or ‘proggy’?  We were commenting on the social history literally woven into those rugs, and the fact that they documented family history through the textiles used to make them.  Deirdre told us about a display she had seen at Oxburgh Hall in Norfolk where fabrics from a C17th rats’ nest were shown with an explanation of the incredible insight that they had provided for costume historians about clothing and textiles at the time. Perhaps we do all need to look at our scraps and rags with more respect – they may well be invaluable documentary evidence for the historians of the future!

​In passing, Deirdre also mentioned that Hemingford Grey Manor near Huntingdon, is well worth a visit.  It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britain, and has some stunning gardens.  Some of us had come across Lucy M. Boston, who lived there and created the garden, as the author of the famous ‘Green Knowe’ series of books for children, based on her own house, but we also discovered that she was a prolific and influential quilter!  It gave us yet another creative rabbit hole down which to disappear one day!

​What a lovely way to pass an hour or two on a cold, wet afternoon, nattering to like-minded fashion, design and crafting fans.  There is always room in these chats for more, and they are relaxed, friendly and really inspiring.  Our next chat will take place on 1st April at 2pm – any Fools welcome!  Please do consider making yourself a cup of tea, grabbing a biscuit, and joining us.