In stitches..

Many years ago when I trained to teach FoodTech/Cookery my subsidiary subject was Textiles/Needlework. Our curriculum covered everything from making paper beads to tailoring, and all else in between. Teaching the subject was not always enjoyable with frequently broken sewing machines and the boys struggling to see the point – until I introduced sewing on shirt buttons and mending trouser hems. Whilst my mother had been a keen hand sewer I loved the speed of the sewing machine and made clothes for myself and our children until they reached an age where it was no longer “cool” to wear homemade shirts/dungarees/nighties. Eventually I too came to appreciate the exactness of hand sewing and this week enjoyed a tour of the Broderers workshop at Norwich Cathedral. Stabilising ancient banners and creating everything from altar frontals to chasubles and stoles, using rolls of damask costing thousands of pounds, the ladies worked quietly , each stitch carefully placed to maintain the integrity of the fabric. What a treat! If you get the chance, book a space – they happen at intervals throughout the summer. If we lived nearer I’d gladly volunteer to stitch.