This is what happened at the Clothes Show Live 2011! · WeLoveCraft · Storify.

Looking through photos so far from the Clothes Show. Brilliant image of our artist Emrys on our flickr group taken by Collective member Joey. Have a look at the group for more great images…

http://www.flickr.com/groups/craftspacecollective/pool/

photo from day 1

Brilliant photos by Joey on our flickr group.

Emma Shercliff worked with us today. We’ve talked to loads of people and well over one hundred of them had a go at embroidery by hand or on our machines. Lots of people had their first ever go on a sewing machine. The space is filling with all the work that people have been doing. If you’ve been and taken any pics, please add them to our flickr group too. http://www.flickr.com/groups/craftspacecollective/pool/

Tomorrow Celia Pym is teaching darning and mending so if you’re visiting bring along your most loved holey socks and jumpers to mend.

We will be teaching machine and had sewing techniques. Creating a giant guerilla art intervention and picking up hints and tips for our new book.

On Friday Emrys Plant starts things off using old clothes to create a web structure. Emrys is working in collaboration with Laura McCafferty who is working at the end of the show.

Emrys Plant says…
‘On day one we aim to create a physical web within the Craftspace stand that will give the opportunity to other artists, makers and the public to respond to interconnected issues under the socially responsible umbrella as well as being a visually poetic installation. Using part deconstructed garments e.g. knitwear that has been pulled back to its constituent parts, the odd sleeve, collar, label or cuff will be left as a reminder of what was once a sum of its parts. The webbed strands will create tunnels and walls for other artists to work within.’

On Saturday Emma Shercliff will be responding to what has been created the day before and thinking about ideas of contagion and customization.

Emma Shercliff says…
‘I am curious about how making processes reflect our interactions with other people and the things around us. For the Clothes Show event, I will draw inspiration from the idea of contagion as a motivation to customize clothes or other possessions, using hand embroidery skills, resulting in a continuous stream of infectious ideas and stitches that contaminate the space and the visitors as they drop by and move on.’

On Sunday Celia Pym encourages everyone mend our most loved worn out clothes.

Celia Pym says…
‘Darning is great. It’s especially good when you are not exactly sure what to do with your day, “hmm” you can say to yourself ” What shall I do today, I will fix the holes in my socks, or that little spot in my pocket, or the frayed cuffs of my favourite beloved sweater, or that snag in the dress that used to belong to someone else and was given to you because it suited you so well. Darning helps you think about things you love and people you love and before you know it your holes are mended and your damaged garments cared for. It’s nice to look after things you love.’

On Monday Emma Shercliff returns to respond to Celia’s work from Sunday and continue her ‘infectious’ stitches.

Laura McCafferty ends the show on Tuesday and Wednesday following on from Emrys Plant and adding to the web of fabric and stiches.

Laura McCafferty says…
‘This idea can be applied to not feeling that you entirely belong anywhere, feelings of dislocation, from the environment that you are in. Perhaps, lost in the web. Through this intervention, Id like to follow on that sense of connection and community, which I believe is becoming more and more relevant. A free exchange of ideas thoughts, passing on what you know or what you have experienced.’

Graduate artists Nousheen and Laura will be with us Sunday (both), Monday (Nousheen) and Wednesday (Laura), creating jewellery on the spot from offcuts and loose threads and using distressing and embellishing techniques.

Laura Edmunds says…
“Here for a moment, there is no permanence of a person or any stamp or imprint that can be forever maintained in our memory. The souvenir, a lock of hair, a well-used pillowcase, heavy with physicality; these items encapsulate a fragment of a person and a memory but can never fully recover an exact event in time. Eventually, we disappear. I will be working with techniques to distress and embellish fabric that will hold a fragment of time, a fleeting touch within it’s warp and weft.”

Nousheen Leila Saboonpaz
‘On day 1 I will be Upcycling. Collecting the unwanted offcuts of the Clothes Show to create pieces of jewellery. On Day 2 I will be exploring an artists relationship with fabric. Transforming my pen-drawings of threads of found sea-weeds, into prints for fabrics, and capturing these fabric swatches in a metal casing to be worn.’

Emrys Plant www.blockcolour.com

Emma Shercliff www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=502412

Celia Pym www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=501014&CategoryID=36646

Nousheen Lelia Saboonpaz www.nousheen.tumblr.com

Laura Edmunds www.lauraedmunds.com

Laura McCafferty www.lauramccafferty.com

For our next intervention at The Clothes Show Live we will be using sewing machines from VSM Husqvarna VIKING. So last week we went down to their offices in Redditch for training. Jamie Warren from VSM showed us lots of new techniques from threading the sewing machines to adding buttons and making button holes. We were also Joined by artist Laura McCafferty. It was so exciting working  with her and she has really inspired us. Now we can’t wait to get started at the Clothes Show and pass on to others our new skills!

Cat.

Jamie Warren with Sumra, Cat, Sarah and Lisa

Laura McCafferty Showing us her work

Volunteer Sumra emelishing one of the Craftspace Collective T-shirts

More photos have been posted on Flickr from the week of events that we did in Pigeon Park, Birmingham in August. This one shows recently graduated Nousheen Leila Saboonpaz  with one of the trees that she embellished with brass nuggets into the natural crevices of the bark. Nousheen was also joined by Hayley Dix and Laura Edmund as part of our graduate day where they were invited to create interventions within the space of the cathedral grounds. Go to Flickr to see more from that day and the rest of the week. 

So now that you’ve seen the photos, next time your in Pigeon Park remember to take a closer look at the trees. Let us know what you think.

Cat

Learn how to make speed pom poms, chat to our Creative Apprentice about alternative pathways and learn more about what’s involved in doing an Arts Award. Tea and cake provided.

On Day 7 we were weaving!