April's Crafty Chat - Stunning Schiaparelli

It was wonderful to welcome a few new faces to the Crafty Chat this month, and we really hope that the word is spreading about how interesting and friendly these informal online get-togethers can be.  We cover such a wide variety of topics and it is a great opportunity for members to discuss their interests and share information and thoughts on all kinds of topics!

Eunice Warren, our Treasurer, had been to the V&A to see the fantastic exhibition about Elsa Schiaparelli, the Italian fashion designer, and we were all glued to our screens by her photos of the amazing creations in the exhibition.  These ground-breaking and often very unconventional clothes were so elegantly cut, made from sumptuous fabric and crafted with exquisite skill.  Every detail of the outfits was considered and beautifully made: Eunice was particularly enamoured of the flattering, understated suits with oversized buttons, and of course there was plenty of Schiaparelli's trademark shocking pink on display!

A selection of some of the many wonderful outfits on display in the Schiaparelli exhibition at the V&A

Jane Snowdon, one of our members with great expertise in the making of historical costumes, reported on her progress with a recreation of a Norfolk marshwoman's outfit for display later this year at the Wind Energy Museum at Repps with Bastwick, near Martham.  She showed us the original photograph by Peter Emerson that had helped her to create an authentic pattern, which led to lengthy discussion of the practicalities of clothing for working women in the late C19th!  We are all very much looking forward to seeing her wonderful work on display when the museum opens later this summer.  

Regular Crafty Chatter Anne-Marie Tye from the Orkney Islands also introduced us all to Kawandi quilting, a method based on African techniques and developed by the Siddi community in Karnataka, India, to create stunningly colourful quilts from recycled scraps. She was preparing for a demonstration in this technique for the Quilters' Guild, and it is well-worth exploring if you are a quilter!
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