The centre of the mural is very busy.  I imagine that it is a weekday afternoon and the ladies of the Women’s Institute are gathered in the Church Hall where they will enjoy each others company, catch up on the  news, discuss topics of interest while all the time, keeping their hands busy and being productive.  I do not see any signs of tea but it will happen at the right time.

The lady on the left wearing the brown hat is knitting. Moving to the right, the next lady is tatting.  This was a popular activity around 1950.  Everyone was doing it including myself and I still have a shuttle in my tool box.  I do not think that I remember how to make the double knot stitches.  The lady with the fly-away hair is making leather gloves which was not as popular as tatting but more useful.  The next lady is making slippers or shoes which was something else many women knew how to do.

In the centre of the table is a smart pink blouse.  This was made by Mary  Quant who was  a student at Goldsmiths College at the time.  She went on to fame and fortune as the designer and founder of Mini-Skirts.

I do not know what the lady in the dark red top is working on. Maybe it is she who is making the shoes.  The next lady appears to be doing some dressmaking and the last lady at the table is crocheting.

The two ladies on the right might be making curtains. Despite 60 years passing by, there are people who continue to use the skills featured in this mural.  In fact, there has been a resurgence of many traditional skills.  I am thinking of hedge laying.  Churches and historical buildings have needed repairs and restoration and the old skills and trades have been resurrected because they have been needed.  The richness of talent out there is wonderful.  The skills are also being used in new and innovative ways.

The figures on the right hand side of the mural add more skills that were usual in country life.  The little girl, and my younger sister, has her hair in bunches which was fashionable for that time.   She is operating a marionette.  The lady in the front is making lace.  I find that the maid to be unusual for that time but maybe she is not a maid.

The next and final chapter will feature the foreground.  The children and the pets can be seen in more detail as they are smaller and easier to photograph.

The central area of the Country Wife Mural appears to be inside a Church Hall judging by the shape of the windows.  It is well lit and the ladies of the Women’s Institute are occupied with the skills that were normal activities for them.

Restoration of the mural is progressing.  The picture below gives us a better idea of the size of the figures and how they are 3 dimensional.  After 60 years, the mural needs cleaning and repairing.  This is being undertaken at the Old Chapel Textile Centre, Main Street, Greenham Business Park in Newbury. Professional Conservators are involved but experienced needlework volunteers are welcome to  participate.  This is a great chance to involved in an important project.  Their website is below.

www.nationalneedleworkarchive.org.uk/country-wife-mural.html

The red dress above is also in the forefront of the restoration picture and gives an idea of the size of the figures.  Although the mural was designed by Constance Howard and constructed by her and her students at Goldsmiths College, the Women’s Institute members provided  examples of the activities in which they were skilled.   Here, you can see embroidery in a hoop and canvas work being stitched loose in the hand.  The lady in the blue and green check dress has a tape measure round her neck.  The mural is full of details that one can miss unless one looks at it closely.

Included is a better view of the lady in the red dress.  Apologies again for the quality of the photos which are screen shots of screen shots.

P.S. Constance Howard taught at Embroiderer’s Association of Canada Seminar in St Johns, Newfoundland in 1984. I think it was that year.  Did a reader of this blog attend Seminar that year? I was not in her class but I have some vivid memories of that week. It was May and it snowed. The University opened up the underground tunnels for us to go from one building to another as we had not come prepared for snow. We had a magnificent lobster dinner one night. A few of us took a side trip to St Pierre and Miquelon Islands. The weather was still un-seasonal and we could not get back to St Johns by boat so we flew out on a 9 seater plane. I got to sit in the co-pilots chair and the co-pilot got left behind on the island. It was days later before it occurred to me that could have been a very responsible chair to sit in. Constance went on to teach in London, Ontario.

The ladies choir is in full voice.  Look at their faces, their expressions, their hats and their clothes.  Fabric was in short supply in those post war years so that it is possible that the different fabrics came from available stashes.  Make do and mend was still prevalent at the time.  Note the shoes and the different leg shapes.  The lady in the pink dress is wearing stockings that are not her skin colour.  I do not know how tall these ladies in the mural are.  I have a lot more questions than I have answers.

The group of ladies on the right hand side of the mural are different to the choir ladies.  They seem to be a little younger and are dressed differently.  The conductor? is a man but do not know what this group are doing.  The two younger ladies are not wearing hats.

Another cameo from the left hand side of the mural.  This appears to be a scene from a kitchen with Grandma and a young child.  But I am not sure what the young lady is doing.  There is a fish (Dover Sole or Plaice?) in this area of the mural that was attached to the background with Velcro.  During the Festival, the fish disappeared several times and had to be replaced.  Judging by her facial expression, the young lady is absorbed in her activity.  We will meet the cat again later.

The central area in the Church or Village Hall is well lit and much easier to see details.  This is the next blog entry and is where the action is.

Please send me comments and memories of Constance Howard.  She was very influential in the textile world and her design style was unique.  Note the shape and structure of the faces in this mural.  The facial expressions of the ladies are both graphic and full of character.  The mural is undergoing restoration at this time so it is not possible to go somewhere and see it.  It is possible to become involved either as a stitcher or a financial donor, or both.  There will be more information on this in another posting.

Starting at the top left hand corner of the Country Wife, the area is dark but, not empty.  It would seem to show women working in the garden.  It is unusual in my mind to have a dark area at the top of a piece of work but it works well here in that it does not detract from the central and well lit areas.  To the right of the garden is the village with the church, gravestones, and a barn in weathered wood.  The houses look large and grand.  The large tent would appear to feature a flower show.

The top right area is equally dark.  The church spire is included again for continuity.  There are more houses in the village plus farm animals and a horse jumping.  Maybe it is an orchard and the fruit is being gathered.   Although these areas contain a lot of detail they are still background for the main areas below.  I do not know what activity is happening in the second tent.  I look forward to a reply telling what is happening in this tent.

Included is another picture of the total mural so that you can place these sections in context.

The rest of the detail of the mural is much easier to see.

These photos are all screen shots, of screen shots, which affects the quality and the clarity of the pictures.  My apologies for this but it is the best option available to me.

There is a lot more to see in this huge mural.
Postscript: What I am always hoping for, has actually happened.  A reader has sent me extra information to share with you. Constance Howard visited with Peggy and Bernard Kimble at their home on Vancouver Island in 1989. This is a photo taken during that visit. Peggy is on the right and Constance, on the left. (You are not imagining it, Constance really did have green hair. It was that colour long before hair colouring became popular.)

Those of you who read the Inspirations weekly Newsletter, will be familiar with the wonderful embroidery that Peggy has stitched. Visiting her home in Thornbury, Ontario, is a visit to a sumptuous textile gallery.  Peggy has also visited Constance in England and remembers The Country Wife well.

“It was impressive.”  Peggy says.

Constance Howard visited Canada many times. She taught at Embroiderer’s Association of Canada Seminar and at the Canadian Embroiderer’s Guild, London, Ontario.  I hope that further details/anecdotes will be sent to me so that they can be included here. These six segments about The Country Wife Mural are really a tribute to her.  Researching for information about her career, pictures of the textiles she designed, and her life brought up very little information.  This would be a good research project for a thesis.

The Festival of Britain happened in the summer of 1951.  It was initiated  by the Labour government to showcase Britain’s industries, arts and science.  It featured the inventiveness and genius of British scientists and technologists.  Another goal was to boost the morale of the British people and to give a message of recovery to those living in the depressing post WW ll years.  Food was still scarce and it was cold.  We had some extreme weather winters in those post war years.  Many cities staged their own Festivals that summer creating jobs, entertainment and excitement.  Many overseas visitors came.  It was an opportunity to enjoy life again.  The Festival was a big success.

It was held on the south bank of the River Thames in an area that had suffered bomb damage and was slated for clearance and redevelopment.  The architecture and the layout were contemporary.  Today. the only remaining building is the Royal Festival Hall.  It was also the centenary of the the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Movies of the event show men wearing suits and ties and, women in dresses and hats touring the exhibits.  Nostalgia aside, it also looks formal and uncomfortable.  Those were the days when one dressed up to travel.  There  are several videos of the event on Google.  I found them interesting to watch as each one is quite different.

Historical background is now completed.

Constance Howard, the textile artist was teaching at Goldsmith’s College. She and her students were asked to create a mural that would extol the traditional skills of women.  They created a 3 Dimensional panel sized 4.5 metres x 5 metres (15 feet x 16.5 feet) approximately. It was so large that it was made in sections which were assembled on site.  It is also chock full of items and details that deserve a closer look.

I am including it now as it is my contention is that Constance Howard initiated the whole current movement of Embroideries that Record History with this textile mural.  That is, excluding the Bayeux Tapestry which preceded it by many hundreds of years.   Looking at dates, everything else that has been included in this series of blogs has been stitched later than The Country Wife.  It is not available for viewing at the moment as it is undergoing extensive restoration.  Thanks to computer technology, we can take an “up close” tour of mural.  I have not had the opportunity to see many of the historical embroideries that have been created in the ensuing years but in its concept and the techniques used, I think that this one is unique.

I would be delighted to hear from readers who have any knowledge of the mural and its restoration.   Maybe, we will hear from a stitcher who was part of its creation.  Perhaps a member of your family worked on it and you have heard all about its creation.  It would be wonderful to hear from you and be able to share more information than is available online.

Summer must be fading for you with the late summer flowers and harvesting in progress.  To be seasonal for you, I am sending you the instructions for Purple Coneflowers from Hand Stitch Recognizable Summer Flowers.  The book contains many different flowers and plants as well as different ideas for backgrounds.  When you ‘take a peek’ inside the book (to be included on this site very soon), you will see how many and what a variety there are.  Dandelions are included in both Spring and Summer Flowers as they are universal.

I think they are fun but not everyone agrees.

Purple Coneflower

The Purple Coneflower grows in clumps and reaches a height between 2′ and 4′. It blooms from mid summer into the autumn. Each flower opens with pink/purple petals and a flat centre similar to a Shasta Daisy. As the flower ages and the seeds in the centre ripen, the petals droop down to become vertical and the centre becomes larger and domed, eventually becoming cone shaped. One plant can have flowers in different stages of development. The birds and bees love this plant.

It is important to use the correct DMC thread colours to achieve a plant and flowers that are obviously Purple Coneflowers. Clarks or Finca threads can be substituted.  Refer to a Thread Conversion Chart to identify the correct thread numbers. Remember to strand your threads; it makes a huge and improved difference to the appearance of your stitching.

Stalks: Green 987(6).

Leaves: Green 702 (2) + 988 (1) + 987 (1) = 4.

Petals: Pink 3609 (2), 3608 (3), 3607 (1). Explained in Petal directions.

Centres: Brown 433 (1) + 938 (1) = 2. Orange 721 (1 doubled in the needle) = 2.

Stalks: Using long Straight stitch for some stalks.  Indicate the  centres of each of the flowers with a small Cross stitch in either of the two brown threads.

Petals: Stitch a few Straight stitch petals in each bloom using 3609 (2). Add more petals using 3608 (3).

Note that the petals are uneven in length and that they are darker towards the centre of the flower. Overstitch the base of the petals with one thread of 3607.

Centres: 433 (1) + 938 (1) + 721 (1) = 3. Overstitch a few horizontal Straight stitches across the central brown Cross stitch. Using 721 (1) doubled in the needle = 2, overstitch a few French Knots on the centres using a fine needle for this such as a Crewel 9 or 10.

Stitched size is 2″ wide x 2 1/4″ high.

Leaves: 702 (2) + 987 (1) + 988 (1) = 4. Detached Chain stitch with the catch stitch towards the stalks of the plant. The upper leaves are stitched with 702 (2) + 988 (1) = 3. The foliage on this plant is fairly dense with the leaves being an oval with a point at the tip of the leaf. The angles of the leaves vary considerably.

Briarwood Garden, stitched by Janet Sunderani

(original is 6 1/2″ x 5 1/2)

Wishing you happy stitching and a very Happy Easter.