The Cornish Hedge Project
April 7 @ 10:00 - 12:00
The Cornish Hedge Project – A Community Textile Project with Vicks Harrison.
This project will produce 4 x panels 1.5 metres long(ish) representing the 4 seasons. Each panel will be made in 4 horizontal strips representing the wall, the area above and behind the wall, the ditch or area below the wall and a narrow strip with the creatures that exist in the soil, The project will be made step by step starting with Autumn in January 2026.
A diverse range of skills will be taught and used from simple expressive embroidery stitches to a variety of fabric manipulation. The emphasis will be on hand stitch skills. There will be teaching workshops for expressive embroidery stitches, padded applique, flat hand applique, 3d elements, like birds, padded worms, making a variety of cords and fabric manipulation.
The project is designed to help participants learn more about the importance of Cornish hedges and develop a wide range of design and hand stitch skills.
The project will take its inspiration from Cornish hedges so will involve an element of research for the participants. For those that are able I will be encouraging participants to go out and take photographs or draw. There may be some organised field trips.
Each panel will be given a seasonal feel by reflecting the actual flora and fauna present in that season in and around a Cornish hedge. There may be stuffed birds flying overhead.
Programme Start – Morrab Library all 10am – 12 unless indicated otherwise
27th January – Launch of project – Taster paper collage workshop looking at things like lichens and mosses that grow on the wall . Participants will be given pieces of the wall to begin embroidering
10th February – Taster How to turn stitches into expressive stitches. Textured stitches for mosses and lichens and a look at the kinds of unusual threads we can use.
24th February – Session working on the pieces we have begun
10th March – Making the dimensional ivy leaves. This will be an introduction to how we will make the ivy leaves. There will be many leaves and both flowers and berries moving across the panel and onto the start of the second panel.
24th March – Session working on the pieces we have begun
7th April – Collage workshop – paper collage birds – learning to design with paper collage. We will also begin to look at the creatures we will make for the ivy.