Cambridge Market

A project of Cambridgeshire Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild

Textiles in Focus 2010

This piece was one of a set made by members of the Cambridge Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild for their display at Textiles in Focus 2010. Textiles in Focus is an annual embroidery event held at Cottenham Village College, which is also the place where Fen Edge Textiles meets. The Cambridge branch of the Guild had nearly folded, but celebrated its recovery by staging an exhibition there for the first time in many years. The theme was Cambridge Market. This is an open-air market held in the square in front of the Guildhall every weekday, and it is carefully managed so that it does not become simply a tourist trap. As can be seen, the overall theme covers a variety of possible subjects for design and technique. The only restriction was that each piece had to be mounted on a stretched canvas eight inches square, covered with calico, so that they could be exhibite together on two quite compact display boards.

A larger view of my own contribution. I chose to represent a greengrocer's stall with three dimensional vegetables laid out on artificial grass. Top row: asparagus, purple onions and aubergines. Bottom row: cauliflowers and carrots. The grass is a piece of loosely woven green fabric frayed at the edges. I had great fun finding the right fabrics for the vegetables (slightly mottled rather than totally plain, for the most part) and cutting and stuffing the tiny shapes. The leaves and cauliflower heads are made in varieties of button hole stitch.

This is the way up I intended!