Every month we feature two blogs written by volunteers, one describes an object in the Palace and one a plant from the Garden. It is a great way for us all to learn more about the Palace. If you would like to contribute there is no set format so, please do send us your ideas!
This June we’re hearing about the Fulham Palace Sewing Bee, who are working on a new altar frontal for the Chapel. We will take the works of the sewing bee as this month’s object(s) in focus.
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We are the Sewing Bee and would like to introduce ourselves to you all. Our group was set up in the late 90s when we received lots of costumes from ILEA (Inner London Education Authority) which had been disbanded by Margaret Thatcher in the 80s and they distributed the collection between the London boroughs.
These old theatrical and historical costumes were stored in the top floor of a Victorian school in Camden Town. The powers that be decided to split this collection amongst the inner London boroughs. Hammersmith and Fulham Council asked Miranda Poliakoff (Curator) if she would be interested in having them at the Palace. So she, Jenny Kershaw (Education Officer) and Esther Dean (BAFTA award winning Costume Consultant) went to this school with some black bin liners and picked out lots of clothes that we could use for the school sessions.
Bishops Badges made by the Sewing Bee
As a result of this, the Sewing Bee was set up both to repair and alter these costumes. We also started to make new costumes and other projects.
Some of the items that have been made by the Sewing Bee are mob caps, tunics, Stone Age and Viking costumes, medieval clothes, occasionally for adults, but mostly for children when they visit the Palace with their schools.
Embroidery sessions were ultimately added which resulted in all 90 Bishops’ badges being embroidered; a project we undertook whilst the Palace was closed during the 2006 successful Lottery funded renovation.
The Sewing Bee with the Handmade Kneelers
Latterly the Sewing Bee have made the kneelers in the Chapel, with the advice and help of the Royal School of Needlework and NADFAS (now the Arts Society); the two golden ones are for weddings, so the bride and groom can kneel on them during the service. We embroidered the postcards for the 2017 Postcard Exhibition that celebrated postcards over the years. We made Stone Age foraging bags for the children who visit, as well as Roman costumes and various other things.
Aga, Learning Volunteer in costume at Tudor May Day, 26th May 2019
We are planning to embroider and make a new altar frontal for the Chapel, and if anyone enjoys embroidery and would like to join the Sewing Bee they are most welcome. Please contact Jean Shipton on education@fulhampalace.org
We as a group are conscious that there have been lots of different women at the Palace over the years who also sat around a table working on sewing and embroidering several different projects, and we very much enjoy carrying that tradition on for the future.
Claire Digby-Bell,
Sewing Bee Volunteer
Please send your ideas for Object / Specimen of the Month blogs to rachel.bagnall-bray@fulhampalace.org. If you would like some help, please let us know.