I am delighted to be working with Gawthorpe Textiles Collection to create a Textiles In Lockdown commission.
We are living through a significant moment in history which has seen a huge resurgence in craft activity with groups and individuals coming together to support the creation of PPE for the health and care services. Others have taken the opportunity to learn new skills or rediscover old ones, to pass the time in lockdown, to support home schooling, to make do and mend while shops have been closed and to support personal wellbeing.
As a museum of textiles, Gawthorpe Textiles Collection feel that it is important to capture and record the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on textile craft at this important time and explore what legacy there may be.
As part of a grant received from the Arts Council England Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund Ruth will gather stories to create a digital archive of activity as well as create a digital publication and podcast.
We will be seeking out stories from Lancashire and the North West as well as a broader perspective from the wider UK and the world. More details will be released over the coming days of how you can get involved in sharing your story.
Find out more here
Ruth Singer 
Hi Ruth
I am interested in your work at Gawthorpe Hall. I was a fortunate visitor in the early Fifties and met Lady Rachael whilst looking at her stitched Jacobean firescreen. At 12 years old I had just finished the same design for my mother, but in anchor threads….not the wools Penelope recommended . I was always a stitching rebel. There used to be a sewing shop to the left of the Calder Bridge in Padiham, and they ordered the designs from the printed catalogue which I still have somewhere!
she was quite an inspiration to me and it’s good to know her home continues to inspire stitchers