Crafty Chatting - Costume Couture Exhibition and Other Textile Treasures

Yesterday the Crafty Chat was led by Pippa Lacey, our Vice-Chair, who has recently been to see the 'Costume Couture' exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey.  This celebrates 60 years of the famous costume house CosProp, and documents the foundation of the company by John Bright, as well as displaying an enormous number of famous costumes from films and TV.  We spent a lovely half hour trying to identify outfits from Great Expectations, A Room with a View, Out of Africa, Tess of the D'Urbevilles, Pride and Prejudice and Downton Abbey, amongst many others.  The clothes are sumptuous, and interestingly Pippa explained that with the advent of high-definition television, the detail and making of these costumes has now to be of a higher quality than ever before.  The exhibition is well-worth seeing, and is open until 8th March 2026.

For those interested in film and TV costumes, members also mentioned a good selection at the Bankfield Collection in Halifax, where you can find 'Gentleman Jack' Anne Lister's clothing as well as the famous shirt worn by Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice!

Members shared details of their own recent makes such as Christine's beautiful red cardigan, a lovely purple jumper knitted by Deirdre, and Anne-Marie's contribution to a stitched map of her local landscape in the Orkney Islands.  Jane Snowdon had also taken part in the staging of an Elizabethan masque at the National Centre for Folk Arts at Halsway Manor near Taunton, and told us all about this project.  This sent several of us straight to Halsway Manor's website, and the variety and number of courses offered there is astounding. 

These online sessions are open to all members and are informal and great fun.  Please do consider joining one to meet other members and share costume and textile conversation.

Just a selection of some of the beautiful collection of kneelers that can be seen in Ingham Chruch, Norfolk, as mentioned by one of our chatters on Tuesday.