All Stitched Up
ERICA SMITH encourages readers to visit the Hastings in Stitches quilt at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Denise Franklin of Carbon picture framing with the community embroidery laid out
The Hastings in Stitches community embroidery is currently being pieced together in time for the grand reveal at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery as part of Coastal Currents arts festival.
The project, led by Arts on Prescription, has commissioned 28 local women designers to create embroidered squares which celebrate the voluntary organisations working across our town. For the last six months, textile workers have been busy designing and stitching contemporary embroideries which pay tribute to the charities and volunteers that make a huge difference to life in Hastings.
The completed squares are currently being pieced together and framed by Denise Franklin of Carbon picture framing. The 67 local groups which are represented cover a wide range of organisations from Hastings: Jack in the Green, embroidered by Claire Buckley, through to Frock up Friday, represented by a rainbow-coloured flower embroidered by one of the founders, Bev Francis.
The unique approaches of the needlewomen mean it is almost impossible to pick a favourite square – there are styles to suit all tastes, from the pearl-necklace bling of The Posh Club through to the delicate detail of the St Michael’s Hospice square, which includes needlework by members of the Hospice’s Monday Art Club. The women who have created the embroideries bring their own narratives and styles to the sewing table, such as the squares created by Julia Maddison that use her signature chain-stitched lettering.
The Hospice, and some other organisations – including the Hastings Ladies Miniature Golf Club – were included on the original Hastings in Stitches ‘quilt’ created in 1995. Other organisations like Afri-Co-Lab, Eggtooth, Playing the Race Card, Women’s Voice and the Wonky Women’s WI group are new to the town over the last three decades and have added diversity to the community. It has been a priority for James Matthew Thomas, the coordinator of the project, that women-led organisations are included in the community groups that are represented.
Hastings in Stitches 2025 will be on display at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery from Thursday 27 August to Sunday 7 September as part of Coastal Currents. Come along and spot some of your favourite groups and artists.
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