Tag: History
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Making Meaning Podcast Episode 33 with Barbara Burman
I’m joined today by historian and writer Barbara Burman who has just published a wonderful new book called The Point of The Needle, Why Sewing Matters which celebrates and explores the cultural and social importance of plain stitching, using historical sources and also the voices of people sewing today. I was asked to read a…
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Lines and Places
Landscape history and artist practice After a hedge-hiatus early this year for my Blossom & Thorn project, I’m back to my previous landscape project. I’m slowly walking all of the paths in a 10 square mile-ish area near my home and looking for interesting things like old boundaries, ancient woodlands, good hedges, ridge and furrow…
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Stitches That Speak Symposium
On 20th April I’m giving a talk for a symposium at De Montfort University, Leicester. The programme is full of fascinating talks and presentations about biographies through objects. My presentation description is below. The event is free and all are welcome. Emotional Repair: personal stories in cloth and stitch My artist practice is entirely tied…
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English Smocking
It’s been fascinating recently seeing smocking pop up in my Instagram feed. It feels like there’s been a flurry of new interest in this old technique recently. Traditional English smocking has a very fine history from farming smocks of the mid-19th century to to Aesthetic Liberty gowns of the late 19th century as well as…
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Criminal Quilts Case Study – Fanny and Ada Riddle
Criminal Quilts is my an exhibition, research project and book. The textiles I have created are inspired by the stories of women who were photographed on release from Stafford Prison between 1877 and 1916. I was fascinated when I first saw the photographs from the 1870s where the women have their hands on their chests.…
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Trapunto Quilting Research
My love of corded and stuffed quilting runs very deep. I first taught myself the technique about 15 years ago after seeing it used in 1930s couture garments at the V&A when I worked there. I later discovered the Tristan Quilt, a 14th century trapunto quilt, which is in the V&A but it wasn’t on…
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Selvedge blog post
Selvedge have included my museum sales news in their blog this month. It was a lovely surprise to read this in their newsletter while I was on holiday last week! Read the full post here.
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Museum Purchase
Two of my recent artworks have been purchased by museums this year. I started my professional career working in museums, after doing a Masters Degree in Museum Studies. Museums are still my favourite places to spend time, particularly in textile and social history collections. I left my museum career aged 30 in 2005 to pursue…
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Criminal Quilts new exhibition
Criminal Quilts exhibition returns to Staffordshire from 25th May – 7th July at The Brampton Museum and Art Gallery, Newcastle-under-Lyme. The museum is free entry and is open Monday to Saturday – 10am to 5.30pm, Sunday – 2pm to 5.30pm, Bank Holidays 2pm – 5.30pm. I will be giving a talk and tour at the museum on Wednesday…
Ruth Singer 