An interview with Textile 21 member Terri

Another chance for our readers to learn more about the designers who make up Textile 21.  This time, it is Terri who will be answering my questions...

Terri with her 'Fashioned in Silk' creation

So Terri, when did you join Textile 21?

I joined the group 10 years ago.  Time has passed so quickly!

Can you share a brief history of how you’ve got to where you are now?

I grew up in the post war era. Even if you had money (which we didn’t) there was nothing to buy. My father made everything. Nothing was thrown away. It was either mended or turned into something else. Not only did he create our furniture when we moved into a council house but made a child sized house for me at the bottom of our garden long before Wendy houses were even heard of. He used scrap wood and apple boxes. It was completely furnished with arm chairs, dining table and chairs and even a washing machine and ironing board, all made to scale by him. He could work with metal as well as wood. He also made many of our clothes and was probably my biggest influence. It was natural for me to ask for a piece of fabric to make my own dress. Fabric was cheap. Clothes were dear.

Terri's studio at home

A very sneaky peak at one of Terri's designs for 'Light Fantastic'

I created most of my own clothes for years until, during my first career as a Psychiatric Social Worker, I studied City and Guilds Fashion out of interest and a desire to create my own patterns. Probably a little bit of my father’s perfectionism and quest for quality was rubbing off as well. I didn’t start to use my skills to earn money until I had had my children. As the children grew I trained as a teacher and taught fashion in adult education for more than 20 years. While teaching, I took C&G Embroidery to extend my skills and after retiring began to exhibit with Textile 21.

Can you tell us a little bit about your work?

I come from a line of craftsmen and I have always been a maker. I don’t have a choice. I have a compulsion to make things and get itchy fingers if I am separated from my sewing machine for too long. Fabric, whether new, used or a remnant, remains a source of inspiration. I particularly enjoy working with natural fibres. The various elements of my background come together in the work.

Sketchbook for 'Light Fantastic'

Terri has been sewing with plastics for 'Light Fantastic'

Exhibiting with Textile 21 is helping me to develop another side to my creativity as I constantly fight with the restraints of practicality and struggle to give more weight to the “art” and less to the “wearable” in the wearable art that I create.

INVITE TO OUR PREVIEW

T

Created in Colour starts off with a preview on Saturday 24th October at 1pm at The Whitaker Museum and Art Gallery, Rawtenstall, BB4 6RE. 01706218858.www.thewhitaker.org

All welcome.

Cafe on site and the Museum is set in lovely gardens. The East Lancs Railway is close by.

The exhibition then continues until the 6th December.

Our exhibition is a duet that follows on from the successful installation Fashioned in Silk at Macclesfield Silk museum in 2014. The installation of ethereal silk dresses inspired us to develop the
themes used and Created in Colour was born. Come and see the dresses and then walk through into an explosion of colour.

Terri Jones' progress with experiments for 'CREATED IN COLOUR'

So much work gets rejected when you are creating a new piece of work for an exhibition. Come and see what makes it into Terri Jone's final piece when "Fashioned in Silk, Created in Colour", opens at the Whittaker Gallery, Rawtenstall on October 24th 2015

                                

Terri commented on her progress.

The first part of my piece is complete and I can't put off starting the second part any longer. for this section I will be working with paper and I must confess to being right outside my comfort zone. The photo shows my early experiments with pleating and folding. Not too difficult when you are working with small pieces, but a different matter when you come to scale it up.

                               

Terri has been experimenting with different types of paper and wondering how to utilise the various types of pleating she has been experimenting with. She has also been thinking about colour so that will be her next step before deciding on the final form for her exhibition piece for "Created in Colour" in the autumn. 

New Year , New Exhibitions

TEXTILE 21 would like to wish all our followers a HAPPY NEW YEAR.  The images above show some examples of our Secret Santa cards that we exchanged at our Christmas get together in December.

It going to be a busy one for us this year.
Two of our previous exhibitions go on tour.
Firstly "TechStyles" which was first exhibited at Quarry Bank Mill in 2013 will be at Nantwich Museum between the 14 th March and 13th June 2015.
If you missed TechStyles the first time around click the label links on the right hand side for posts on our individual journeys. Or visit our website www.textile21.co.uk

Then later in the autumn " Fashioned in Silk" will be once again be exhibited but this time as part of a larger exhibition at the Whitaker Art Gallery in Rawtenstall. 

" Fashioned in Silk, Created in Colour" 
Our silk organza toiles are the starting point for a series of developmental works that will be a riot of colour.  Each member has taken an element of their toile design and developed it to create additional pieces of textile art.
Images of the original exhibition are easy to find. Click on the label links on the right hand side or go to our website www.textile21.co.uk

If you wish to be put on our email list please follow us, button at the top of this blog or leave a message.

Preview Night Fashioned in Silk

The preview night of Fashioned in Silk at Macclesfiled Silk Museum was a great hit despite the bad weather. The subdued lighted added to the ethereal effect of the silk organza toiles.

Each toile is decorated by members in a style/design of their own choosing although there is a link to the silk heritage of Macclesfield in all.

The central toile in the image is the dramatic design in deep red by Armelle Hatch.

There is to be an interview with Margaret Steeden on Canalside Radio 102.8 FM on Thursday 6th March at approx 8.45 am.  Regarding the exhibition.

Sophie Ho considers her toile

Elsa Buch straightening the collar on her toile

Jan Grimes arranges the sleeve on her toile

Norma Hopkins, our Chair, fastens on her label

Margaret Steeden points out the free machine embroidery on the hem of her toile

Glenys Dyson checks her label.

Jackie Brough next to her silk toile

Teri Jones straightens her toile

Armelle's getting ready

Armelle Hatch is getting ready for our latest exhibition and these two sneak previews show her colour scheme and close-ups of her dress decoration. You can just see the silk organza toile in the background. 16 of these are going to look stunning.

 

We have a meeting tomorrow to finalise the exhibition and then its all systems go for the put up on Wednesday. Private View on Friday 14th February. What a great way to spend Valentines day!

Details on our website textile21.co.uk

Sneak look at Jackie Brough's exhibits for Fashioned in Silk

Jackie working in her studio on one of the silk organza toiles for the exhibition. Jackie uses a soldering iron which is a favourite tool of hers in her textile art creations.

Two close ups of 2 separate toiles that will be in the exhibition. To see more details of her work go to www.textile21.co.uk or www.jackiebrough.co.uk

Only three and a half weeks to go before the private view on the 14th February.



NEW YEAR NEW EXHIBITION

A New Year and a new exhibition. Following closely on from our well received exhibition at Quarry Bank Mill, Styal we are almost ready for the installation at Macclesfield Silk Museum, 15th Feb until the 19th April.

FASHIONED IN SILK

This exhibition references the rich heritage that Macclesfield has in the history of silk in this country. The stunning installation's main focus is a display of dress toiles that have been embellished and decorated with skills and techniques that reflect members' individual practice.

 

 

Here is a sneak preview of a section of Margaret Steeden's dress entitled 'Effervescence'. 

More to follow.

www.textile21.co.uk

 

 

 

This is the image being used for the local press where Margaret is putting the finishing touches to her toile.