It was also the debut of our previous Chair, Margaret Waring, as speaker. And she held us spellbound with her topic “Hand-me-down Drawers”.
Margaret told us about four female relatives who are long-departed but whose embroideries and other personal belongings have accumulated in Margaret’s (and husband Peter’s) house. They are too full of memories to be discarded but are no longer fashionable or suited to today’s busy lifestyles. Fragments of delicate stitching, collars and cuffs, tablecloths, cushion covers, buttons, lace, a sewing box, a bonnet – the list of hand-me-down items goes on.
To represent the characteristics of her four subjects Margaret brought four pairs of drawers, ranging from serviceable cotton to embroidered lawn.
At the end of her talk she unveiled a piece of textile art – in the shape of a pair of drawers – that she has created using some of her heirlooms. She has added her own embroidery, including the names of family members and other key words.
Thanks to Hilary Fish for the text and photographs.
