40th Anniversary Celebrations

Afternoon Tea and Botanical Clay workshop

August 2022

Ribble Creative Stitchers celebrated their 40th anniversary in August 2022.

To mark this momentous occasion members came together to have afternoon tea, decorating the room and tables with a ruby red rose theme. Members also wore an item of red clothing to add to the ambience. A red rose hoop challenge had been set earlier in the year with the day of the celebration being judging day! Visiting tutor Bev Chappelow was asked to be the judge and after some difficult deliberation she selected Ruth H.’s rose as the winner. Everyone was as delighted as Ruth and Jane Holmes, chair of the group presented her with a prize of a patio rose to plant in her garden and remember the day.

Members then took part in a non textile based workshop with Bev, making botanical images with clay and casting powder. Everyone was delighted with the results of their work and enjoyed doing something completely different.

Here is a condensed history of the club as researched by long standing existing members and from old journals and press cuttings. Current chair Jane read this out to members and thanked all members past and present for their commitment to the group over the years.

The textile art group was established in 1982, as part of the Embroiderers Guild North West Region, who recognised the need for a group that met in the East of the County, at Whalley Adult Centre.
Over the years, the group has held their meetings at a number of different venues in the Ribble Valley. In 2001, they became an independent community group, renamed themselves as Ribble Creative Stitchers and relocated to Salesbury Memorial Hall, where they still meet on a monthly basis.
Members come from all around Lancashire and their backgrounds are as diverse as their skills and inspirations. Some have had formal training in art or craft subjects, others have been sewing all their lives, but some of the newest members have only taken up stitching recently. The youngest member is 20 and the oldest nearly 80. Everyone is welcome to join. The only entry requirement is a love of textiles.
Because Ribble Creative Stitchers is made up of people who are interested in many aspects of textile art, the workshop programme is designed to be very varied and includes activities which range from exploring stitch to dyeing and printing or working with recycled fabrics, papers and metals. 
In September and October 2022, Ribble Creative Stitchers will be holding an exhibition, jointly with Bolton Stitch & Textiles, at Astley Hall in Chorley. The title of the exhibition is the Colours, Textures & Heritage of Lancashire. Entry is free. A key exhibit will be Red Rose Hoops produced by Ribble Creative Stitcher members to commemorate the 40th anniversary of this thriving group of textile artists.