Day 11: Dove Cottage, Grasmere and Exhibition!

As I went down to breakfast this morning the local food deliveries were arriving - including Cumbrian wild game.

Less wild, but nevertheless game, we set off for Dove Cottage, where we gathered in what was the kitchen when William and Dorothy Wordsworth lived there. The window, though small, is larger than it was in their day.





















Hazel, the head guide, once again painted an evocative picture for us of the  daily lives of the Wordsworths.

I paid particular attention to the hooked rag rugs - very similar to the ones I grew up with as a child, made by my grandmother.

I liked the portrait of Mary Wordsworth as an older woman.  She was 32 when she had the first of their 5 children.

The best thing about the house is the glimpses of the garden from the windows.

The kitchen still holds their coffee grinder - coffee being a luxury that would have been eeked out.

We paid particular attention to the textiles that were the inspiration for Nicola's sampler, the knee rug knitted by Wordsworth's daughter, Dorothy's tartan cushion,

and the patchwork bedspread.
































I like this portrait of William Wordsworth - less flattering than younger, more posed ones, but remarkably modern.


It is sad - and telling-that this silouette is the only portrait of Dorothy.

We were treated to tea, coffee and delicious shortbread biscuits in the old kitchen. The shortbread is made in Grasmere to a secret recipe. I love both the taste and texture.





We had much discussion about where three adults, five children and guests managed to sleep in this house. This small bedroom, used mostly for the children, was papered by Dorothy in newspaper to save money.










Thanks to Carrie, I discovered a couple of new Lakes District authors whose books are held in the shop.

After a visit to the Museum and shop, we were driven to Grasmere for lunch and a wander. The weather, however, was cold and wet. I had just decided to spend my two hours in the cafe of the Heaton Cooper Gallery and had two scones & coffee served, when Phillipa arrived to say the bus would take some of us back early if we wished, so I got the cafe to pack up my scones and came back on the bus in the rain. The hotel, as usual, rose to the occasion and produced soup and a mountain of sandwiches for four of us.

The Exhibition
While we were enjoying ourselves in the morning, the Museum Curator, Jenny and Nicola were mounting the exhibition at The Wordsworth Museum.- a really professional job.

At 5.30 we headed off in two buses for the opening of the exhibition   Jeff Cowton, the Curator made a quite moving speech .











There were  local stitchers there who had also worked on Dorothy's mailbag.




The samplers were mounted as an entrance - a really interesting variation and contrast.

 There are really interesting examples from the collection.  I was particularly interested in the rag hooking component. My grandmother did a lot of this when I was a child.

There were sewing boxes and tools belonging to Dora & Dorothy Wordsworth, and samples of the work of their circle of friends, including Edith May Southey.

 Jenny's project was beautifully displayed, along with the original harp. It attracted a lot of interest.

 The postbag was perhaps the piece de resistance - so interesting to see the variety of interpretations.

Back at the hotel we had a celebratory prosecco and thanks all around.


Tomorrow we head for home - or continue our travel. It has been an amazingly successful and satisfying week.We are so privileged to have such a community of teachers and students - kindred spirits. No wonder we try very hard to maintain the connections.

Day 10: just a few more stitches

This morning began inauspiciously with my shower refusing to get hot. I washed my hair in the basin and reported the matter to reception. A couple of hours later, the receptionist found me to tell me it had been inspected and fixed - by clearing an airlock from the pipes. It was managed with promptness, consideration, and excellent communication. Really great service.

Today was an intense day of stitching - or maybe a day of intense stitching! We had all morning with our second project. After lunch we could choose which project (and tutor) we wanted to work with - or do anything else we wanted.

In the morning class we focused on the bird. By lunchtime we had done a little of each section of the bird.

The last thing we did was to practice embellishing the passionflower







I did a little bit more on the house as well.


















After lunch there was much moving of furniture so we could have two groups in the large common room. The larger group was with Jenny, as she walked through the steps to construct the harp.
I should have attended that group but by now I was on a roll with Nicola's sample and did not want to disrupt my flow. Jenny's instructions are excellent - so I'm trusting I can follow them slowly to construct my harp when I get home. It should be OK - but it does involve glue!

My fellow Australian and I were the only two who opted to work on the sampler. We had a productive and pleasant time.



The chef had promised Kathleen scones for afternoon tea and was true to his word. They were delicious and conversation inducing - we lingered a while with our coffee and tea .

We are all conscious that our time here is coming to an end. Next year's Spring Retreat is once again already booked out.




                     







Phillipa set up her 'merch' and there was a bit of a panic in case favourite kits sold out before people got to them.
















I plugged away at my bird, managing to outline most of the various sections. I am not happy with my blue head. The thread kept shredding and breaking and I think it's too dark. I think I will eventually undo it and change it.

As we were doing our final stitching, the tutors were packing up and getting ready to take our work to Dove Cottage tomorrow for their exhibition. There were phone calls back and forth about measurements and display boards.














Our postbag pieces were collected and labelled ready to go.


Phillipa also brought her redwork alter frontal - a wonderful reproduction of what is probably an early 18th Century frontal.














A number of us worked as long as we could to get a bit more done. I managed to get a lot of the bird finished and outlined - but time and tiredness eventually defeated me. I stopped for a drink, canapes, parsnip soup, hake and frangipane with home-made icecream. We had a birthday to celebrate and the hotel rose, as usual to the occasion.

I had plans to continue stitching after dinner, but the conversation, laughter and food won out. I tore myself away at 9.30, placed my frame in the box for the exhibition and retired to write my blog.

I am hoping that one day I can tell the story of some of these remarkable women - Phillipa, Nicola and Jenny in particular, extraordinary artists, business women and teachers who have not had smooth paths to earn their living, but while doing so have created a community of stitchers with an historical interest. It is  also the story of women who come to learn from them, and to learn, share and get strength from each other. It's a great story, a saga, or epic tale that links us to a long line of remarkable and mostly unsung women. I am privileged to be part of it.

Time to sing and pass on the song.