Eid party in Tooting

Restart 50+ invites me to their Eid party at the Furzedown Centre.

Later that same day

Embroidery spotted later in the evening in a bar in central Manchester... I don't have the nerve to ask for a photo but my friend does. Too good to miss.

And no one minded being photographed ....

A research visit to Manchester

The final touch to the show - the background on embroidery. And again, we are lucky. Through contacts at the V&A we have been put in touch with Anne Morrell, an expert on embroidery on the Asian subcontinent. At home in Manchester, she very kindly shows me her fabulous collection and talks through the background to the traditional embroidery, loaned by the women, that we are going to display. Indispensable background that really strengthens the project.

Design concept meeting in Shepherds Bush

The Opportunities Centre, Shepherds Bush. The first meeting on the design for the exhibition. All the embroidery will be displayed at the Knitting and Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, London in early October, a fantastic opportunity to take the project to a very wide, key, audience. A huge gesture of support from organiser Andrew Salmon of Twisted Thread, who has offered us space.
The challenge is how best to display very small, intricate pieces of embroidery in this arena.
David Cross, who works on lots of Bridging Arts projects, thinks of printing images on canvas banners. We decide to ask the University of East London, which printed the British Saris, to do this. Rabina Stratton, another Bridging Arts designer, thinks of mounting the swatches on foamboard, rather than framing, a brilliant idea - keeping them more immediate and accessible.
As always, a lot to do in a very tight time frame.