Eleven stitchers came along today to join me in The Council Chamber at Leominster Information Centre. Ann had completed this gorgeous design for the Autumn Page of The Stitched Atlas, we were curious how she had achieved the raised effect (done with a little padding).
Ann is pursuing the story of Constance Pauncefoot of Much Cowarne. She also brought along a reprint of the book Old Meg of Herefordshire to show us (The Well-Met Press, 1982) The front cover drawing inspired Mary.
Meg is continuing with her stitching of the singers photographed in Ella Mary Leather’s Folk-lore of Herefordshire. Ella took up photography and had developed photos from plate glass negatives in a cupboard under the stairs in her house. It is likely she took these photos of the singers.
Chris described looking into orchards and their history. She is using a notebook to document her research. She was stitching an apple in the meeting.
Helen showed us results of her natural dye experiments with blackberries and nettles sourced from her investigation place of Bacho Hill. Ann helped her to wind some of the dyed yarn, it reminded me of the Cats Cradle game.
Maggie C laughingly said she hasn’t lifted a needle this week but has been back to the confluence of The Lugg and The Kenwater, important to the origin story of Leominster that she is investigating. She picked some oak leaves which she plans to press and incorporate. She is a poet; words are her craft and she says she has been thinking about how stories change and legends move. She has some written words in progress.
Mary is investigating the history of Morris Dancers and their music and how these relate to her chosen place of Hereford.
Caroline T is working on a Fly Agaric mushroom embroidery for the Autumn page.
Francesca has been walking in Dorstone in her research into Arthur’s Stone.
Liz says she is also not a stitcher but is interested in the story of the pig seen going up a hill backwards from a coach travelling between Burghill and Hereford.
Annie is investigating Leominster’s Alm’s Houses. Chris had brought along some information about the Bosbury Bell for Annie. Annie had also mentioned the Bell jingle rhymes in Ella’s book as something we might consider using in the atlas. I like this idea of them chiming through the atlas, or adding another rhythm to it as the pages are turned. A similar bell to the Bosbury Bell is The Marden Bell which is in Hereford Museum and links to the legend of The Mermaid of Marden.
Karen has been back to Kings Pyon and is inspired by the architecture of a gatehouse there, a Jubilee tree, and the story of the devil. She is also very interested in the story of the singer Esther Smith and has found recordings of her daughter May Bradley. Today Karen told us a lot about the history of these singers that she has discovered and played a recording of May singing. Hearing the singing in the room for the first time, for me brought with it a new and different feeling for the folk material; a little eerie but in a moving way.
The Stitched Atlas 