April 2024: Ten day Exhibition celebrating the 35th (Coral) Anniversary of the C&TA at The Forum, Norwich.

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This summer we are very proud to have celebrated the publication of two new C&TA books - each  very different but both outstanding examples of their genre. 

Our authors were signing copies at the Worstead Festival at the end of July.

Dr Michael Nix has produced the first exhaustive history of the Norwich textile industry, a must-have book for academics and enthusiasts alike, whilst Stephen Worth's stunning colouring book brings to life the fashion for Norwich shawls in the nineteenth century in a delightful book full of lovely images and fascinating facts that will appeal to all ages.

They were joined by Helen Hoyte CBE whose beautiful illustrations and expert knowledge of Norwich Shawls and the Strangers - textile workers in Elizabethan times - are celebrated in her two books. 

It was a great day celebrating Norfolk's textile heritage in the grand medieval church in Worstead built from the proceeds of the medieval wool and weaving trade and in the good company of the Worstead Weavers, spinners and dyers who are keeping those ancient skills alive.

The York Re-visited Trip April 28th-30th 2023 - report from Barbara Coe

Those members who are regular supporters of the C&TA weekends away will remember that we last visited York in 2016.The year that witnessed  high spring tides which brought flooding to the centre of York and forced the hasty reorganisation of C&TA activities on that visit, with the York Minster Broiderers and Fairfax House coming to our rescue.
As was the case in 2016, ‘Wheatlands Lodge Hotel’ was our base for this year’s visit. It is a friendly, family run hotel with comfortable rooms, excellent meals and is within easy walking distance of the city centre. We arrived late afternoon on Friday and after dinner several members enjoyed a walk around the medieval city walls or into the city centre in the spring evening sunlight.

Saturday morning we were off to the National Quilting Museum where we were treated to a private viewing of key items in the collection. These involved not only wonderful eighteenth and nineteenth century quilts made by both aristocrat ladies and working women sewing to make a living but also a bikini and evening jacket!

Sunday morning marked a return visit to Fairfax House – built in the eighteenth century by a wealthy, local merchant as a town house for the York ‘social season’. We were given a guided tour before the house was opened up to the public at noon. The tour outlined the history of the house and the family who built it with special reference to garments and soft furnishings. Then after an al fresco lunch it was off back to Norwich with some happy memories of our second visit to York.

Collectively they revealed not only the beauty, renown and craftsmanship of Indian fabrics but also their political, social and cultural significance as a commodity connected to complex narratives of colonial history. 

A second room featured related objects from the museum's collections, many of which were incorporated into the artworks.  Films by the artists, as well as smaller drawings, paintings and archival material offered insights into the Twins’ creative thinking and processes.

Inspired by Eastern and Western art forms, the Singh Twins use artistic language from centuries ago to address a range of modern, social and political themes through a combination of hand-painted and digital techniques. At the heart of their work lies the desire to challenge narrow perceptions of heritage, culture and identity and show a more balanced representation and understanding of the past which can influence how we relate to the present. The result was a beautiful, scholarly, and thought provoking exhibition.  

A commission inspired by victorian puzzles and picture books in the NMS collections will now go on permanent display at the Castle Museum.

As Christmas rings in once more this year, it is a good time to reflect on the successes and achievements the year has brought.  This lovely felt ornament was made at Joy's Christmas Workshop where members sat and sewed together - a treat that has been missed by many over the last couple of years.  But restrictions have been the mother of invention and the C&TA has seen great expansion in its online presentations and talks, adding to its popular programme of Norwich based events to welcome fellow textile and costume enthusiasts from around the world.  Some of our zoom lectures have been recorded, so there may be a chance to catch them if you missed the first airing. 
Please let us know if there were any you particularly enjoyed.

Next year we are looking forward to more of the same, new books being published, an exciting programme of lectures and talks, trips, sharing knowledge and friendship. Keep an eye on the website, social media, and do sign up for our newsletter if you haven't already done so.Email Newsletter  -  Happy New Year - see you in 2023!​

This month, Members had two fascinating insights into dressing for the Coronation of HM Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.  On Zoom, Costume Historian Jane Hattrick gave us a privileged look at the extraordinary private archive of couture designer Norman Hartnell.  He designed both the Queen's wedding and coronation dresses as well as a glamorous wardrobe of garments that redefined the royal 'look' during the first part of her reign until his death in 1979.

Hartnell designed hundreds of ensembles for numerous Royal tours and State events, creating a Royal style and working wardrobes for Her Majesty that still resonate in terms of the Royal ‘look’ today.  His Royal designing also inspired his fashion collections.  Dr Jane Hattrick who has curated  this private collection explored stories of fashion and Royal dressing through a study of original sketched designs, Royal correspondence and paperwork, photographs, garments and interviews with Hartnell’s staff.  
 
This was followed, later in the month, by a presentation from Meredith Towne, who also took us to the coronation, but concentrated more on the wardrobe of the ordinary woman in the street. She modelled Coronation pinafores, petticoats, designer  and home-made outfits and re-enacted street parties on post war rations.  The original  Coronation Programme which Meredith brought along testified to the extraordinary expense and spectacle of the event. How fascinating it will be to compare with the coronation of 2023.

​The advent of Zoom Lectures has enriched many of our lives - what a privilege it is to be able to listen and talk to leading experts around the world from the comfort of our own armchair.
That was certainly the case at this month's C&TA zoom lecture  with Textile Archaeologist Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director of the Textile and Research Centre at Leiden in The Netherlands about her lifetime of research and painstaking recreation of the garments found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. 

The tomb contained a large and varied collection of textiles in varying states of preservation that are now being studied in detail, and are revealing surprising new insights into the life of the young King. These include 145 precision-folded loincloths, 12 tunics, 24 shawls, 28 pairs of gloves, 25 head coverings and 15 sashes, along with 47 pairs of shoes and 4 pairs of socks plus 2 leopard skins and 2 aprons.  The clothes were of the finest materials and include the ceremonial robes worn at his Coronation when Tutankhamen was still a young boy.

It was fascinating to examine the clever design, fine embroidery, symbolism and colours used, and see the care that had been laboured on these royal garments and personal items - as much status symbols as the glittering golden masks and accoutrements more often associated with Howard Carter's discovery, and no less fabulous.  A glimpse into his wardrobe enables a more revealing and intimate reconstruction of the life of a Pharaoh and these extraordinary objects still have more to tell us.