L'Aiguille en Fete: Les Ecoles du Fil - The English Graduate Showcase

Amanda Schenk

This intriguing textile art from Amanda Schenk was the subject of many queries – quite difficult to deal with when you speak so little French! Three separate pieces, all quite different. Amanda’s current focus is embroidered cracks (centre) protruding from a clear blank canvas. The delicate, embroidered crack is really quite beautiful. I see it as creating beauty from something so often associated with disrepair. The three-dimensional forms (right) are an older project by Amanda. Sculpted from latex these formations were the subject of many a question. The scrunched effect reminded me of brains, whilst the overall forms were very shell-like in structure. Perhaps coral would be a better association than brains – more beautiful and less gruesome! Finally, the latex-covered canvas (left)  is an older work of Amanda’s  from her first degree. This piece looks at the theme of scars and healing with the line of stitch across the middle. I found it fascinating that over the ten years since this piece was first made, it has aged creating blemishes and a blotchy effect in places – very appropriate considering the theme. I’d be intrigued to compare it now to its original state.

Lucy Gilmour

Lucy is a graduate of the BA(Hons) Embroidery course at Manchester Metropolitan. Surprisingly though, Lucy’s work is not embroidered, it’s knitted. Lucy’s degree show collection shown below features bright, bold, jolly colours and is “about exploring the possibilities through the use of knit, hopefully with an outcome that creates delight and interest to people who see it.” Lucy has machine knitted these brightly coloured coverings for everyday objects. Lucy’s work got a massive amount of attention with a number of French magazines and website featuring her collection. Well done Lucy!

Find out more about Lucy at her blog

Holly Levell

My fellow Textile Crafter, the very talented Holly Levell exhibited her ‘Supermarket Stitch’ degree show collection. Her soft-sculpture supermarket essentials appeal to everyone with highly recognisable brands such as Heinz, Kellogs and Cadbury. Such iconic brands meant there was no issue of cultural differences with Holly’s collection. Everyone recognises these brands and there is an instant appeal. Such a popular collection and so beautifully worked. Well done, Holly!

Check out Holly’s fab blog.

Jillian Hurst

Jillian is a Textile Design graduate from Birmingham City University: “My particular interest and passion is the area of embroidery, particularly hand and machine stitching which provides an opportunity to express my own individual flair and originality.” These interesting forms can be used as accessories for interiors. Jillian designs and produces her own products and could be showing at a fair near you. Check out her blog for more information and updates on where she will be next.

Lucy Ruth Crowder

Lucy’s weighted collar sculpture has an interesting story behind it. Find out more on her blog.

“Using textiles, drawing and sound, my practice explores juxtapositions between comfort and discomfort. Creating interactive tactile sculptures, that at first may seem playful and harmless, but as time wears on become a tiresome burden designed of discomfort.”

Amanda Michelle Newall

Amanda’s design is about finding beauty in the mundane which others often overlook. Take a look at her portfolio element to her website where you will find some truly beautiful photographs or these pieces in more detail, focusing on the beauty which can easily be overlooked. www.amandamichellenewall.com

Anna Krystyna Casey

Loughborough graduate, Anna uses traditional crafts such as crochet and knit using a combination of traditional and no-traditional materials (wool vs wire) and encases them in glass and other unusual media. Find out more at her website www.anna-krystyna-casey.com

Julia Jowett

Julia imaginatively combines drawing print and stitch with wire to create her beautiful framed art works. Julia is a graduate of Staffordshire University where she studied BA(Hons) Surface Pattern Design. Take a look at her blog where you can see a portfolio of Julia's work.

Janet Cairney

Janet’s figurative illustrations use appliqued cotton organdie to build up her images.

This final piece was un-named and the artist did not attend the exhibition (you were not required to). However, there was no label with this work so if anyone recognises it, please let me know so I can add a name and contact them. Thanks.

L'Aiguille en Fete

L’Aiguille en Fete or the Festival of Needles as it translates in English, is very much like the Kniting and Stitching show which we have here in the UK (Harrogate, London and Dublin). Talking with the other UK graduates we all felt that L’Aiguille en Fete seemed a bit more refined than Knit & Stitch. It was smaller, with fewer retail stalls (which in my opinion is good as there’s just lots and lots of the same at Knit & Stitch) but there was more space to exhibits.

 

La Grande Halle de la Villette was this years' venue, situated just outside the Porte de Pantin metro. The Parc de la Villette features La Grande Halle, a theatre, bars, restaurants and gardens. It was a fantastic location which I felt was a lovely size for the event.

Please excuse the mitten fluff in the corner! I discovered mittens are not that great when trying to take photos...it was too cold to go bare though!

La Grande Halle by night

Each year at L’Aiguille en Fete, now in its ninth year, they have a different theme for exhibits. This year, it was English textile graduates. Amongst us there was myself and Holly Levell from Huddersfield, Amanda Schenk and Janet Cairney from Windsor, and Lucy Gilmour and Lucy Ruth Crowder from Manchester Metropolitan University amongst others (see images below).

Set-up day

Set-up day went well although it was very very cold, what with all the doors open so people could unload and the arctic temperatures outside (-5 degrees). I went prepeared though with my thermals! Still cold though…

So I displayed my fabrics, it was not the best display but with the little space I had and no option of suspending my fabrics it was the best I could do. I managed to find a table to display my newer products, cushions, mugs and notebooks .

The response was overwhelmingly positive! I couldn’t believe it! The French were very complimentary. Even with my horrendous French I could make out what were compliments, any more than that and I was lost completely. I think I need to learn French…Add that to the ‘to-do list’.

 

Some lovely comments left for me to translate when I got home!

Next years show will be at a larger location…

 

Bonjour!

So day two of L’Aiguille en Fete has been and gone, half way through now!

Such a fantastic opportunity to exhibit in Paris. The French are so complimentary – they seem bewildered by the un-traditional techniques and concepts behind English design. It’s rather nice to hear and see their reactions – even if I don’t always understand! There’s lots of ‘super’, ‘tres jollie’ and ‘c’est bon’ so at least I know these are good things :)

I expected a larger group of English work than there is seeing as how myself and two others from my course were selected. However, there are just 13 of us in total. Not everyone has come to the exhibition either, we didn’t have to, but myself and Lucy Gilmour are both here for the whole week.

Three of the girls and Holly who was on my course have been around so far. Its good to meet other graduates, I’m glad there are some English people around to speak as well. It’s exhausting failing miserably with my pigeon French! – Let’s add ‘learn French’ to my to-do list… It’s also good to know that everyone else is struggling to get design jobs too!

I’ll try and pop some photographs up tomorrow.

Bon soire!