Author: everystitchastory

Hello I'm Laura a public historian, textiles practitioner and community arts facilitator and I run Every Stitch A Story. My work champions the power of textiles to help individuals and communities uncover, explore and document past and present narratives by creating and preserving tangible textile objects.

An unforgettable start for Stitching Ashbourne

everystitchastory

What a fantastic launch workshop! The Stitching Ashbourne launch yesterday was everything we hoped it would be and more, lively, welcoming, and full of creativity. More than fifty people joined us, with a real buzz of excitement and queues out the door! It was heart-warming to see so many people come together, chatting, stitching, and sharing ideas about what makes Ashbourne such a special place to live, visit, work and go to school.

Right from the start, everyone got stuck in, filling the space with conversation and colour. Early designs began to celebrate the town’s beautiful surroundings, the rolling countryside, trees, fields and open skies that make Ashbourne such a joy to walk, cycle and explore. The much-loved Tissington Trail came up again and again, with its mix of walkers, cyclists, dog owners, parents and grandparents enjoying time outdoors. And it’s clear Ashbourne is a town that loves its animals too, with The Ark Rescue Centre finding its place in designs alongside wildlife and much-loved pets.

As the afternoon went on, themes of friendship and community connection began to shine through. Local gathering spots like Smith’s Tavern, a familiar meeting place for many, and the Cornerstone Café at the Methodist Church featured prominently, places that hold so many shared memories. The newly refurbished church, with its bright red doors, also made an appearance, symbolising warmth and welcome. Cultural favourites such as Shrovetide Football, the Lantern Parade and the Christmas Tractor Lights brought smiles all round, reminders of the events that bring everyone together year after year.

Food made its way into the mix too! Ashbourne Gingerbread popped up in early sketches, and we’re already wondering what other local treats will find their way into stitches over the coming weeks. Plenty of people also took home packs to work on, including students from local schools, we can’t wait to see the range of ideas that come back from makers of all ages.

We were also absolutely delighted to welcome Helena, our official project photographer to the event. Originally from Ukraine, Katerina brings a wealth of experience and a wonderful creative eye. Her involvement has been made possible thanks to generous support from Ashbourne Arts, who have provided £500 in funding to help document the project. This support means we’ll have a beautiful visual record of Stitching Ashbourne as it grows, something lasting to accompany the finished textile artwork.

If everyone who came along brings back their stitched square, we’ll already be halfway to our goal of 100, what an amazing start! There are still plenty of opportunities to get involved. Upcoming workshop dates are listed on the workshop page, with 16 workshops to choose from hopefully you’ll find one that suits you. If you can’t make it to a workshop but would still like to take part, just email Laura for a postal pack. Finished squares (with feedback forms) can be returned at sessions or posted directly to Stitching Ashbourne.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along and helped make the launch so special. Your enthusiasm, creativity and warmth are at the heart of Stitching Ashbourne — this really is a project shaped by our community, for our community.

Stitching Ashbourne: Workshop Dates Announced!

everystitchastory

I’m super excited to announce that 17 Stitching Ashbourne workshops will be taking place over the next two months at venues all across town!

From cafés to tap rooms, community spaces to church halls, Ashbourne is opening its doors, and its heart, to this creative new project. A huge thank you to House of Beer, Sticky Fingers, Cornerstone Café, Ashbourne Methodist Church’s Craft & Chat Group, and Ashbourne Town Hall for so generously hosting and supporting us.

We’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm from businesses and groups across Ashbourne. Offers of workshop space, funding, and practical help have shown us just how much this town loves to come together.

How You Can Get Involved

There are still plenty of ways to join in and help shape this vibrant community artwork:

Shape the design
What places in Ashbourne matter most to you? Which buildings should be celebrated in our textile artwork? Share your thoughts in our short survey here: Take the survey →

Attend a workshop
Drop in to one of our free, friendly sessions and try your hand at creating an embroidered appliqué square. No sewing experience needed, just bring your ideas and creativity. Workshop details here

Support the project financially
Thanks to a generous seed grant of £564 from Ashbourne Methodist Church, we’ve made a great start, but we’re now seeking additional funding to complete the project. If you’re a local business, funder, or individual who’d like to get involved, we’d love to collaborate. You can also support us directly via our crowdfunding page →.

Donate refreshments
Help us keep the tea and creativity flowing! We’re looking for supplies of tea, coffee, biscuits, long-life milk, sugar, and paper cups for our workshops.

Donate fabric
Got fabric scraps in terracotta, stone, rust, blues, or sage greens? Every piece, big or small, will find its place in our textile story.

To donate refreshments, fabric, or to discuss funding support, please contact Laura at laura_Burrill@outlook.com.

This is more than just a project, it’s a celebration of Ashbourne’s people, places, and spirit. Whether you stitch, support, or simply share your stories, we’d love you to be part of it. Together, we’ll stitch Ashbourne’s story into something truly special.

Stitching Ashbourne: A Palette of Our Place

everystitchastory

As Stitching Ashbourne begins to take shape, I’m supper excited to share the colour palette that will guide our stitching.

The inspiration comes directly from the town itself – its buildings, landmarks, and surroundings. Think of the warm terracotta brickwork, the soft greys and stone tones of our streets and buildings, the rust and copper of ironwork and rooftops, the cool blues of sky and water, and the gentle sage greens from the trees and rolling hills.

Together, these colours reflect Ashbourne’s character – earthy, historic, welcoming, and full of life.

Why fabrics matter

Every piece of fabric we use will carry a story, and I’d love for those stories to be rooted in Ashbourne too. That’s why we’re looking for donations of cotton fabrics that fit our colour palette.

Even better if your fabric has a local connection, or comes with history – a favourite old shirt, a worn set of pillowcases, a pair of curtains that once hung in your home. We especially value reclaimed, vintage, and recycled fabrics from clothes, bedding, and household linens. These add richness and depth to the storytelling, as every square will not only reflect Ashbourne’s landmarks but also carry fragments of the lives lived here.

Can you help?

If you have fabrics in terracotta, stone, rust, blues, or sage greens that you’d be happy to donate, please get in touch. Every scrap, big or small, will find its place in the larger story we’re stitching together. Drop me an email at laura_Burrill@outlook.com

Stitching Ashbourne: A Celebration of Place, People & Stories

everystitchastory

Last week I launched a brand-new creative adventure: Stitching Ashbourne!

Stitching Ashbourne is a community-led textile art project that invites people of all ages across Ashbourne to come together and help create a large-scale appliqué and embroidered artwork. At its heart, it’s about more than fabric and thread – it’s about celebrating what makes Ashbourne special, together.

Thanks to the support of Ashbourne Methodist Church and a wonderful team of volunteers, the project is already brimming with energy and enthusiasm. My hope is that everyone in Ashbourne will feel able to get involved, from experienced stitchers to those who have never sewn a single button, everyone is invited to be part of this creative journey.

The vision:

Over the next few months, we’ll be working towards creating a 2-metre-square artwork featuring some of Ashbourne’s most loved landmarks – from St Oswald’s Church to Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, via the Gingerbread Café and the beautifully refurbished Market Square.

Surrounding a centerpiece will be over 100 individually stitched squares, each created by local residents, schools, and community groups. Every square will tell its own story – a memory, a personal connection, or a celebration of what Ashbourne means to them.

Why Stitching Ashbourne matters:

Stitching Ashbourne is about more than the finished artwork. It’s about:

  • Celebrating our local heritage and what makes Ashbourne unique.
  • Bringing people together through creative workshops and shared stories.
  • Encouraging creativity and showing that anyone can take part, no sewing skills required.
  • Reigniting local pride in the place we call home.

The first steps:

I’ve been blown away by the enthusiasm, kindness, and creativity pouring in already. Here are some of the exciting things underway:

  • Workshops are already booking up! Year 6 students from St Oswald’s Primary School will be stitching their story with a workshop being held in October. QEGS, House of Beer, and U3A are also on board, with Ashbourne Creative Stitchers and the Craft & Chat group keen to join too. The Methodist Church will also be hosting drop-in workshops – details to follow.
  • Media buzz! I was interviewed on BBC Radio Derby last week, which aired over the weekend. The project has been warmly received on social media too, and press releases have been shared with the local papers.
  • Venues & display plans – Ashbourne Town Hall have already asked to host the artwork once it’s complete, which is so exciting!
  • Community support – Donations have started coming in through our crowdfunding page, and local business Curtains Up have kindly offered fabrics. I’m also thrilled to have a local amateur historian joining the planning team.

Word is spreading fast and the project is gathering real momentum. What began as a simple idea is quickly growing into something bigger, shaped by the enthusiasm and creativity of those already involved. It’s wonderful to see it capture people’s imagination – and I know many more will want to join as we go.

How you can join in

There are so many ways you can be part of Stitching Ashbourne:

Come along to a workshop – all materials are provided, and no experience is needed. Dates will be released soon. In the meantime, email me to have your name added to the workshop mailing list.
Schools and groups – if you’d like to host a session, I’d love to chat.
Venues – if you have a café, pub, or community space that could host a creative session, please get in touch.
Shape the design – tell us which landmarks feel special to you by filling in this short survey.
Support financially – every little helps us make this vision a reality. Donations can be made via our crowdfunding page.

Be part of the story!! This project is already inspiring people across Ashbourne and I’d love you to be part of it too. Whether you stitch, host, or support, every contribution matters. To get involved drop me a message at laura_burrill@outlook.com

Bunting for Peace: Stitching Memories and Celebrations Together

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My time at Erewash Museum has come to an end, and what a journey it has been. While we didn’t quite reach our ambitious goal of 50 meters, we created over 40 meters of bunting, each flag stitched with laughter, memories, and stories of what celebration looks like today.

The aim of Bunting for Peace was to bring people together in commemoration and celebration of peace, just as communities did in 1945. During the war, stitching fabric was a necessity. Today, we’ve used it as a tool of joy, a way to connect people through shared experiences, memories, and dreams of festivity.

Over the course of August, more than 120 people, aged 5 to 71, joined me to cut, stitch, knot, and embroider. As we worked, I asked participants to reflect: What does a celebration look like to you? What belongs at every good party?

The answers were wonderfully varied, there was lots of tea and cake, of course, but also pizza, jelly, bunting, friends (including cats!), and games. These conversations stitched humour, memory, and imagination into the fabric, showing that what truly defines a celebration is tradition, community, joy, and the pleasure of indulgence. Each flag carries a fragment of someone’s voice, marking a moment in time, and together the flags form a kind of time capsule of contemporary celebration.

For some, this was their first ever attempt at stitching. For others, it was a reconnection with skills passed down through generations. What mattered most was not perfection, but participation, the act of making together across ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Children worked alongside parents, grandparents, and friends, creating special moments of intergenerational learning.

The bunting fluttered for the first time at the War Time Variety Show, and a section will shortly be included From Gas Masks to Garden Parties exhibition. But its story doesn’t end here. This bunting was designed to last, to travel, and to keep carrying our collective voices of love, joy, and hope into future celebrations.

For me, this project is proof of what craft can do: it creates space for conversation, nurtures creativity, and transforms scraps into symbols of togetherness. Just like the street parties of 1945, it reminds us that peace is worth celebrating, and that making, mending, and remembering together are powerful acts.