Apology! This post was sent out to subscribers and appeared here with the bulk of the piece missing. Please find the corrected post below.
Next month Contemporary Textiles London – of which I am a member – are exhibiting at Morden Hall Park from Saturday 3 September to Saturday 26 September 2026.
Morden Hall Park is a beautiful green space owned by the National Trust. It was once a former deer park and it has a river running through it. It is a lovely place to visit. In the stable courtyard there is a display area where our exhibition will be held and where you can also find a fine second-hand bookshop and an excellent café. You can find out more on the Morden Hall website (link at the end of the post).
As a group, we exhibit every two years. This time our exhibition is closely linked to Morden Hall Park. Each member of the group has to make a textile piece directly inspired by something in the park. Among us there are quilters, embroiderers and 3D textile artists, so it will be a very varied and interesting exhibition. We have each taken a photograph of our ‘inspiration’ which will be displayed next to our textile piece, so you will be able to see how each of us has employed their own creative process to produce the final result in fabric.
As some of you will not be able to make it to London, here is my inspiration photo, which, truth to tell, is really two photos:
These are two millstones that can be seen lying on the grass in the Park. There was once a very profitable snuff mill at this location, which has been restored and can be visited. I was intrigued by the fact that the millstones had two different centres, one with a square hole and the other with a round hole. They made me think of the saying about ‘trying to put a square peg in a round hole’.
The title of the piece is: ‘A square peg in a round hole?’
This is my artist’s statement:
The two millstones lying on the grass at Morden Hall Park, one with its square aperture and the other with its round centre, put me in mind of the above idiom. Here, I have explored attributes and activities of individuals (including myself) who might or might not find themselves in an environment that suits them.
This is the piece, which measures 49 x 69cm:
In addition to our ‘Inspiration piece’, each member is also required to make a Challenge piece’. Each time, four specific colours from one particular producer are selected. This time, the colours were from Kona Solids by Robert Kaufman fabrics, a teal blue, an ivory, a maroon and a brown. Each person could use any or all of the four fabrics and the thread used for stitching could be any colour. I chose to celebrate the beautiful Georgian lighthouse that stands on the harbour arm in Ramsgate. The piece measures 50.8cm (20″) square, the same as the piece made by each person in the group. Each of us has produced a unique piece – there is a real variety!
Members of the group will be invigilating at the exhibition each day and there will be work for sale, also cards available to purchase. It is open each day from 10.00am – 4.00pm. I do hope you can come.
Modern Hall Park website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/morden-hall-park
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