OUTING TO HANDMADE OXFORD AT WATERPERRY GARDENS
SUNDAY 16TH JUNE 2023

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We truly had glorious summer weather for our trip to Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire to visit the Handmade Oxford craft show. It is always delightful to return to the beautiful surroundings of this garden, garden centre, country house and hang out under the big shady trees while eating ice cream or sipping cold drinks. This time there was the added pleasure of browsing over 150 stalls selling beautifully crafted items from metalwork to pottery, textiles to woodcarving and lots more. Although a minority craft at this event, plenty of inspiration and ideas for textiles and embroidery could be gained from the rest of the stalls too.

 

Textile highlights of the show included:

• The textured and colourful scarves of Wendy Edmonds. She showed her ruffled and pleated creations in a multitude of colour schemes.  http://www.wendyedmondstextiles.co.uk/

• Helen Chatterton's printed map scarves were very covetable, with leftovers used to cover notebooks for a textile scrapbook, or made into lavender bags and other small accessories.                https://helenchattertontextiles.co.uk/

• Jane Williams demonstrating silk painting while the heat made the water evaporate almost faster than she could apply it. Nevertheless, her silk creations were stunning. https://www.janewilliamssilks.co.uk/

• Oxford Yarn store had brought a lovely collection of woollen yarn to the show. Very tempting! Also showing a knitted blanket made from squares made by local knitters with an Oxford theme.  Great fun!  https://www.oxfordyarn.com/

• Ping and Lily – two lovely ladies who met in baby yoga and found out that they both had an interest in making things – had a lovely stand selling nature-inspired machine embroidered items for the home. https://pingandlily.co.uk/

• The Tentmakers of Cairo were showing their amazing hand-stitched appliqué – a riot of brightly coloured exotic birds and animals, each exquisitely embroidered by hand.                                               https://www.facebook.com/officialtentmakersofcairo/?locale=en_GB

 

After spending a good few hours going through the stalls, it was time for a restful break in the Waterperry garden. As we were still in early summer, the herbaceous borders were in their dreamy blue stage, with an abundance of white, blue and purple blooms.  A beautiful oasis for reflecting all the visions and ideas gathered from the show.

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Words © Pirkko Soundy/CETG 2023

Photos © Pirkko Soundy and Liz Wilmott/CETG 2023

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