Quiet stitching day

Today we had two classes with a lot of free time in between. Some people walked into Pitlochry for lunch and/or shopping, others did washing in the hotel's guests' laundry. I had lunch in the hotel with a newfound friend and re-packed my suitcase. The weather has warmed up so I managed to get my coat and my two embroidery projects (including threads) into my suitcase. I still haven't used the expander, but may need to do so when I get to Nottingham. By then it won't matter, as I won't have to manoeuvre the bag on public transport.

My morning class was the crewel work project. We learned a new (to me) technique of French knots. It's about the placement of both hands and the technique of holding the wool and pulling it through.i felt pretty confident about it by the end. We also worked the bud, with a process for building thickness and raising the stitches.

Tomorrow we see the original of this designat Glamis. It is on the inside of the bed hangings.

In the afternoon I did a last class with Meredith on the Phoebe Anna piece. I worked on finishing the bird. I didn't get it finished, but I made an impression on it. I am itching to finish this - but have quite a way to go. I have handed back my sitting frame that I borrowed from Phillipa - so won't be able to do much of it until I get home.

Meredith kindly sent me a copy of a photo she took yesterday. Thanks Meredith, it was really kind.

After dinner- for me, a really good entre of haggis in a pastry puff, followed by poached salmon- Phillipa gave an illustrated talk on the history of British embroiderery through pieces in private collections. It was very helpful. 

Tomorrow is our last day and should be great.

Rosslyn Chapel and stitching Phoebe Anna Traquair piece.

Today began at 9.45am with a slight change of plan. Because of traffic congestion due to Royal visits, we stayed out all day instead of returning to the hotel for a period in the middle of the day.

The Rosslyn Chapel is 7 miles south of Edinburgh. It was founded in 1446 as the Collegiate Church of St Matthew by Sir William St Clair, who intended to build a large church with an 80 foot tower. He died before it could be completed. The choir was substantially completed by his second son, who added the extraordinary barrel-vaulted ceiling. It is on our itinerary, not for any embroidery connection, but because the last time Philippa brought a group to Edinburgh, participants were very disappointed at driving past Rosslyn to get to another venue. It certainly provides much inspiration for potential embroidery projects.

During the Reformation the Clair family resisted orders to remove the altar and cease Masses but eventually closed the chapel and moved away. It was closed for 240 years, during which time Cromwell stabled horses there, William and Dorothy Wordsworth sheltered there, and  it was subject to some (although not substantial) vandalism. In 1842 Queen Victoria saw it and recognised its value. The organ loft, baptistery and stained glass were all added in the 19th century. The remainder of the church was never built.

The interior cannot be photographed - which is a shame as it is so beautiful. The outside stonework, however, gives the idea. One of the methods used to preserve the inside sandstone was to use a cement wash over the top. As a result the inside has largely lost the colour variations, especially the pinks, of the outside. It is, however, less weathered.

There is much speculation about the Masonic significance of the stonework, and whether it survived because Masons protected it. There are, however a proliferation of Biblical figures, crusaders, Tudor roses and Green Men. Our guide was in no doubt about miracles. In her view Divine Intervention took the form of The Da Vinci Code, taking the number of visitors from 37 000 a year to 157 000. It is certainly worth seeing and preserving.

From the Rosslyn Chapel we went to The Glasite Meeting House, at 33 Barony St., Edinburgh, an 1835 History trust property,  (the building with green shutters) where we were to stitch for the afternoon. The building was a former place of worship of the Glasites, a small Scottish religious sect. 

This was our first class with Meredith. We were supplied with sitting hoops, shown how to set them up and provided with the printed fabric, threads and needles. An original clock ticked away and chimed the hours as we stitched.

Great trouble has been taken to secure a fabric close to that used by Phoebe Anna Traquair. It is a vintage fabric, contemporary with her work, quite heavy.  The thread is 12 strand silk. 

We lay the foundation for the leaf in our piece. My first segment, should, I think, have been stitched at a greater angle, but this technique is quick and adjustable. Our homework before our next class with Meredith is to finish the foundation for the whole of the leaf.

We went out to a French Restaurant for dinner. Most of us came back by taxi in order to keep stitching. We have an 8.15 start tomorrow.  Time to stop writing and continue stitching!

Phoebe Anna Traquair and Embroidery Tour begins

At breakfast this morning I met Philippa Turnbull (www.crewelwork.com), the leader of our embroidery tour as well as Lisa, a fellow Australian participant. The tour began at 2 pm, and in the morning we were asked to visit the Scottish National Gallery to view 4 embroidered panels by Phoebe Anne Traquair (1852-1930). A section of one of these forms the basis of one of the projects we will be working on over the next 10 days with Meredith Willett (mbellishment.com) our tutor from Virginia.

I got a taxi to the gallery and enjoyed the lengthy discussion with the young driver as we were stuck in traffic. 

The Scottish section of the gallery had some great pieces - especially those reflecting the Arts and Crafts Movement, like David Gauld's St Agnes 

And William Bell Scott's Una and the Lion 

The panels I had come to look at, however, were literally breathtaking. 

Phoebe Anna Traquair was born, and educated, Phoebe Anna Moss in Dublin. She met her husband, Scottish Paleontologist, Dr Ramsay Heatley Traquair, Professor of Zoology at the Royal College of Science in Dublin when he was looking for an illustrator for his scientific papers, a task she performed for the next thirty years. They married in 1873 and moved to Edinburgh in 1874 when he was appointed to what is now the Royal Museum. She was a prolific, respected and much sought-after artist, working in murals, embroidery, painting, jewellery and bookbinding. 

The embroidered panels represent the Progress of a Soul in four stages, The Entrance (above) , The Stress,

Despair 

and the Victory.

They are each about 2 metres high, densely embroidered and rich in symbolism.

The detail and technique is wonderful.

We are going to work on a piece based on the branch of birds at the top left of 'The Despair'.

I met up with three others from the tour at the Gallery and we had a coffee together.

At out 2pm meeting we met everyone - 13 students as well as Phillipa, Meredith. and Richard who will be with us part of the time, managing hotel bookings and IT. We had an overview of the places we are visiting and a clarifying of etiquette and rules associated with access to private homes and collections -all pleasant and useful.

We also collected our goodie bags, including midge-repellant, scissors (and a bag to keep them in), notebook, pencil and rubber, a needle book made by one of the students and a bag for carrying our purse and phone into the castles to minimise risk to the embroideries,from bulky bags.

It began to feel real!

In the evening we had a talk on Scottish Textiles by Rebecca Quinton, Curator of European Textiles and Costume at the Glasgow Museum, followed by dinner. I learned a great deal, took a lot of notes and enjoyed the company and food. 

Tomorrow we begin with a trip to the Roslyn Chapel.

It is my intention to keep this blog, over the next 10 days, focused on my own learning with some background about places, collections and general observations. For privacy and Intellectual Property reasons I intend to steer clear of details about other participants and of private collections where there are restrictions. I hope to sustain a narrative of interest without encroaching on private territory.

I may also be more limited in the time I have to spend blogging!