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FROM THE EDITOR Grayson Perry gives his seal of approval to Claire Mort’s Gloria, Gloria at the 2021 RA show ■ THE RA Summer Exhibition is an institution in its own right. The world’s largest open submission exhibition, it has been held ever y year without interr uption since 1769 – even during Covid lockdowns, when it had to be delayed but not cancelled. The publishing calendar is such that I sit writing this at the end of March, when social media has been peppered with news of rejection letter s from the RA, along with some happier posts. The will among ar tists to win an acceptance letter from the prestigious show is ver y keen and they take rejection hard. It must be a perplexing exhibition to put together, though. Works in a variety of media are eligible and with the RA’s open submission policy, emerging ar tists battle it out for a space on the wall with Royal Academicians. The exhibition is said to be hung with ‘motley abandon’, cramming in ar tworks that clash with those surrounding them, leaving the galler y-goer feeling a little feverish. The show takes on a different personality ever y year with each new coordinator. When Grayson Perr y took the helm in 2018 during the RA’s 250th anniver sar y, there was a par ticular ly good showing of textile works. And, in 2021,Yinka Shonibare RA curated a show that was considered ‘inclusive’, as well as ‘vibrant, magical and moving’. Grayson Perr y was snapped, as his alter ego Claire at the 2021 show, giving his seal of approval to Claire Mor t’s stitched ar twork, Gloria, Gloria (pictured above). Sculptor Ann Christopher RA takes over as coordinator in 2024 and has the taxing task of sifting submissions by both household names and emerging ar tists. It’s too ear ly to tell who and what from the textile ar t world will be included but for one ar tist there was a glimmer of hope. Alison Aye (featured on page 38) has made it through the fir st round of judging, although this doesn’t mean her work will be automatically included in the show. Alison has 30 year s’-wor th of rejection notices. Could this be her year? The RA Summer Exhibition 2024, 18 June–18 August, RA, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. royalacademy.org.uk Turning to this month’s issue, on page 12 we feature the beautiful book produced by Michelle Holmes focusing on her stitched character Betty. Michelle has been posting ‘Bettys’ on Facebook near ly ever y Friday for over 10 year s and finds the feedback enables her to keep in touch with her audience. If you’d like to own a copy of Michelle’s book, produced on lovely recycled cream paper, mention Embroider y magazine when ordering to receive a complimentar y Betty card. Claire Waring EDITOR Embroidery magazine 2842 12 24 38 embroidery Embroidery is published six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November by Embroiderers’ Guild Enterprises Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Embroiderers’ Guild. The magazine was first published in 1932 and is read today by textile professionals and enthusiasts around the world. The Embroiderers’ Guild is a registered charity (No. 234239), which organises an annual programme of events and awards. The Guild’s Museum Collection of embroidered items is held at Bucks County Museum. EMBROIDERYMAGAZINE.CO.UK EDITOR Claire Waring 07769 397790 embroideryeditorial@ warnersgroup.co.uk DESIGNER Melanie Smith embroidery.mag.design@gmail.com PUBLISHER The Embroiderers’ Guild Bucks County Museum Church St, Aylesbury HP20 2QP embroiderersguild.com SALES Media-Shed Limited, 1st Floor, West Wing, Beater House, Turkey Mill, Ashford Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 5PP 020 3137 8582 SUBSCRIPTIONS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS pocketmags.com/embroidery-magazine Single digital issue £6.99 Annual digital subscription £34.99 PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS mymagazinesub.co.uk/embroidery Six monthly Direct Debit £17.50 Annual Direct Debit £34.99 Credit/Debit card annual payments UK £37.99. EU/ROW £52.99 PRINT PLUS ARCHIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS https://bit.ly/embroiderypd Annual Direct Debit UK £49.99 Credit/Debit card annual payments UK £52.99. EU/ROW £67.99 For renewals, back issues, change of address,or single print copies +44 (0)1778 392 468 embroidery@warnersgroup.co.uk EMBROIDERY 4 May June 2024 DEADLINES ISSUE . . . . . . . . EDITORIAL . . .ADS Sep/Oct . . . . . . 12 Jun . . . . . . 2 Aug Nov/Dec . . . . . . 19 Aug. . . . . . 4 Oct Jan/Feb 25. . . . 14 Oct . . . . . . 29 Nov Embroidery magazine ISSN 1477-3724 is published by Embroiderers’ Guild Enterprises Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Embroiderers’ Guild. Registered office: Bucks County Museum, Church St, Aylesbury HP20 2QP. Printer & distributor: Warners Midlands, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Embroidery does not accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or images. The Editor reserves the right to edit all contributions. The views expressed in Embroidery are not necessarily those of the Editor or The Embroiderers’ Guild.
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10 28 20 44 front 07 EMBROIDERY LOVES Anne von Freyburg rethinks textiles within the tradition of painting 08 NEWS Some stories and events to take note of, including a Grayson Perry exhibition 15 MADEIRA PRIZE Catch up with the winners of the Madeira Embroidery Competition 16 BROTHER WINNERS UPDATE The winners of our Machine Made competition, in association with Brother [Sewing Machines], reveal their progress regulars 10 FRESH TALENT Katie Tubbing, 27, unveils her latest high fashion project, chokers with personality 12 OPEN BOOK Michelle Holmes relates the development of her stitch character Betty, a Facebook favourite and now the subject of a book 18 OFFBEAT ARTIST Yoon Ji Seon’s art can be shocking in a gallery setting, from her nightmarish Rag Faces to her masculine female nudes 20 THE SEWING ROOM After lockdown, Ekta Kaul left her London studio for the countryside 22 PREVIEW: THE RED DRESS For Kirstie Macleod, the Red Dress project has provided her with incredible highs but also some exceptional lows 40 FIRST PERSON Marian Jazmik travels widely, and seeks inspiration in coastal areas 50 MEET THE TAG GROUP TAG are inspired by Calderdale 56 PREVIEW: 10 YEARS OF LCW What’s on at London Craft Week features 24 A COLOURFUL LIFE Mexican artist Victoria Villasana yarnbombs black and white photographs and also the street, like a ‘Textile Banksy’ 28 REVELLING IN RUINS Delighting in decay, Sue Hotchkis’s art is furiously worked and often an exaggeration of the rack and ruin that inspires her 38 NORTH AND SOUTH Alison Aye is delighted to be one of the newest members of the 62 Group and works with stitched paper and textiles 44 SEWING SEEDS OF RECOVERY Creating vintage-inspired art dolls helped artist and therapist Sam Miller recover from 15 years of chronic fatigue syndrome 48 HISTORY: NEEDLE-PAINTERS Tate Britain’s exhibition about women artists in Britain, 1520–1920, includes two needlepainters, who were famous in their day 52 EDUCATION, EDUCATION The RSN is at the pinnacle of the embroidery world and keeps standards high through rigorous training programmes reviews 37 OUT AND ABOUT Create a British bee in stitch or visit one of several festivals themed around textiles 43 BETWEEN THE COVERS A new zine spotlights those who stitched while incarcerated, highlighting their anguish 55 EXHIBITIONS The BIBA Story, 1964–1975, at the Fashion and Textile Museum, by Hattie Gordon 58 WHAT’S ON A look at the months ahead c o n t e nt s M A Y J U N E 2 0 2 4 40 THE TEXTILE ART MAGAZINE embroidery E m b r o i d e r y V o l u m e 7 5 M A Y J U N E 2 0 2 4 62 Group Alison Aye MICHELLEHOLMES’FACEBOOK FAVE TREASURE ISLANDSMARIAN JAZMIK ON THE COVER: Silverback Gorilla by Sophie Standing, who has obser ved African wildlife at close quar ter s cover story .99 £6 UK 771477 372044 9 03 > MAY JUNE 2024 32 THE COLOUR PURPLE Sophie Standing recalls zebra eating her garden veg, as she explains how living with African wildlife fired her art practice Purple reign SOPHIE STANDING’S AFRICAN ART PreviewLONDON CRAFT WEEK Korean shock tactics Yoon Ji Seon FRAGMENTED REALITY SUE HOTCHKIS U K £ 6 . 9 9 May June 2024 EMBROIDERY 5 5

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FROM THE EDITOR

Grayson Perry gives his seal of approval to Claire Mort’s Gloria, Gloria at the 2021 RA show

■ THE RA Summer Exhibition is an institution in its own right. The world’s largest open submission exhibition, it has been held ever y year without interr uption since 1769 – even during Covid lockdowns, when it had to be delayed but not cancelled. The publishing calendar is such that I sit writing this at the end of March, when social media has been peppered with news of rejection letter s from the RA, along with some happier posts. The will among ar tists to win an acceptance letter from the prestigious show is ver y keen and they take rejection hard. It must be a perplexing exhibition to put together, though. Works in a variety of media are eligible and with the RA’s open submission policy, emerging ar tists battle it out for a space on the wall with Royal Academicians. The exhibition is said to be hung with ‘motley abandon’, cramming in ar tworks that clash with those surrounding them, leaving the galler y-goer feeling a little feverish. The show takes on a different personality ever y year with each new coordinator. When Grayson Perr y took the helm in 2018 during the RA’s 250th anniver sar y, there was a par ticular ly good showing of textile works. And, in 2021,Yinka Shonibare RA curated a show that was considered ‘inclusive’, as well as ‘vibrant, magical and moving’. Grayson Perr y was snapped, as his alter ego Claire at the 2021 show, giving his seal of approval to Claire Mor t’s stitched ar twork, Gloria, Gloria (pictured above). Sculptor Ann Christopher RA takes over as coordinator in 2024 and has the taxing task of sifting submissions by both household names and emerging ar tists. It’s too ear ly to tell who and what from the textile ar t world will be included but for one ar tist there was a glimmer of hope. Alison Aye (featured on page 38) has made it through the fir st round of judging, although this doesn’t mean her work will be automatically included in the show. Alison has 30 year s’-wor th of rejection notices. Could this be her year? The RA Summer Exhibition 2024, 18 June–18 August, RA, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London. royalacademy.org.uk Turning to this month’s issue, on page 12 we feature the beautiful book produced by Michelle Holmes focusing on her stitched character Betty. Michelle has been posting ‘Bettys’ on Facebook near ly ever y Friday for over 10 year s and finds the feedback enables her to keep in touch with her audience. If you’d like to own a copy of Michelle’s book, produced on lovely recycled cream paper, mention Embroider y magazine when ordering to receive a complimentar y Betty card. Claire Waring EDITOR Embroidery magazine

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embroidery

Embroidery is published six times a year in January, March, May, July, September and November by Embroiderers’ Guild Enterprises Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Embroiderers’ Guild. The magazine was first published in 1932 and is read today by textile professionals and enthusiasts around the world. The Embroiderers’ Guild is a registered charity (No. 234239), which organises an annual programme of events and awards. The Guild’s Museum Collection of embroidered items is held at Bucks County Museum.

EMBROIDERYMAGAZINE.CO.UK

EDITOR Claire Waring 07769 397790 embroideryeditorial@ warnersgroup.co.uk DESIGNER Melanie Smith embroidery.mag.design@gmail.com PUBLISHER The Embroiderers’ Guild Bucks County Museum Church St, Aylesbury HP20 2QP embroiderersguild.com SALES Media-Shed Limited, 1st Floor, West Wing, Beater House, Turkey Mill, Ashford Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 5PP 020 3137 8582

SUBSCRIPTIONS DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS pocketmags.com/embroidery-magazine Single digital issue £6.99 Annual digital subscription £34.99 PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS mymagazinesub.co.uk/embroidery Six monthly Direct Debit £17.50 Annual Direct Debit £34.99 Credit/Debit card annual payments UK £37.99. EU/ROW £52.99 PRINT PLUS ARCHIVE SUBSCRIPTIONS https://bit.ly/embroiderypd Annual Direct Debit UK £49.99 Credit/Debit card annual payments UK £52.99. EU/ROW £67.99 For renewals, back issues, change of address,or single print copies +44 (0)1778 392 468 embroidery@warnersgroup.co.uk

EMBROIDERY 4

May June 2024

DEADLINES ISSUE . . . . . . . . EDITORIAL . . .ADS Sep/Oct . . . . . . 12 Jun . . . . . . 2 Aug Nov/Dec . . . . . . 19 Aug. . . . . . 4 Oct Jan/Feb 25. . . . 14 Oct . . . . . . 29 Nov

Embroidery magazine ISSN 1477-3724 is published by Embroiderers’ Guild Enterprises Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Embroiderers’ Guild. Registered office: Bucks County Museum, Church St, Aylesbury HP20 2QP. Printer & distributor: Warners Midlands, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. Embroidery does not accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or images. The Editor reserves the right to edit all contributions. The views expressed in Embroidery are not necessarily those of the Editor or The Embroiderers’ Guild.

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