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Sunshine, Music & Making: Our First Drop-In Sessions at Erewash Museum

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We’re off to a flying start! The first two drop-in sessions for our community bunting project at Erewash Museum were a huge success, filled with sunshine, music, and plenty of creativity.

Visitors were treated to lively entertainment from Imagination in Motion and uplifting brass music from the Beeston Big Bands, setting the perfect atmosphere for making and sharing together.

And what a start we’ve made 10 meters of bunting are already complete towards our ambitious 50-meter target! From tying colourful rag ribbons to carefully stitching embroidered flags, participants of all ages joined in, sharing their ideas of what makes a brilliant party. Suggestions ranged from the sweet and simple, lollipops, party dresses, and cake, to thoughtful reflections on family memories and community spirit.

But we’ve still got a long way to go… and we need your help! You can get involved by:

  • Adding your own ribbon to our growing rag bunting.
  • Joining one of our creative workshops to design an embroidered or appliqué flag, inspired by memories of VE and VJ Day as well as what celebration means to us today.

This project is all about bringing people together to collaboratively create a 50-meter-long community bunting installation, ready to be unveiled at the Erewash Museum’s War Time Variety Show on Friday, 29th August.

Drop-in workshops will be held throughout August, where visitors of all ages and abilities can take part. Whether it’s a quick ribbon tie or a carefully stitched memory, every contribution helps us reflect on the past while celebrating the present.

Embracing the “make do and mend” ethos of the 1940s, all bunting is made from reclaimed red, white, and blue fabrics, connecting us to history while creating something new together. A section of this collaborative creation will also feature in the upcoming exhibition “From Gas Masks to Garden Parties”, opening in September, and the bunting will continue to bring joy at future museum events.

So why not join in? Pick up a ribbon, share a memory, or sit down for a stitch, together we can create something truly special.

The Art of Holding Space: A Day for Those Who Hold Others

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In community and wellbeing spaces across Derby, artists, educators and facilitators hold space for others every day offering room for creativity, connection, and healing. But who holds space for the practitioners?

That’s the question that brought us together on Sunday 20th July at Brailsford Methodist Church for The Art of Holding Space, a half-day workshop created especially for those working in community and creative practice. It was a gentle, powerful space for rest, reflection, and reconnection, offering creative tools and trauma-informed approaches for those who spend so much of their time supporting others.

The day opened with grounding rhythms from Chris Sylla, whose drumming circle invited us to settle into our bodies and the space. Some participants had never drummed before and left surprised at how deeply it helped calm their nervous systems and shift anxiety into rhythm.

Marie Hegarty from Scraggy Moo then introduced the principles of trauma-informed care, sharing practical and thoughtful ways we can shape safer, more responsive spaces for others — and for ourselves. One participant noted a key learning moment around using boundaries not as barriers, but as tools for care: a reminder that supporting others also means protecting the group from harm.

We closed with a slow stitching workshop I led, creating space to explore gentle creativity with hands and heart. Threads moved quietly through fabric as people reflected, shared, and simply breathed together in stillness — a chance to make something, slowly and softly, just for themselves.

The feedback from the day left me full of gratitude, not just for what was learned, but for what was felt and shared:

  • “Today created space for healing and a sense of togetherness.”
  • “I feel empowered. I’ve connected with others running similar work and feel more confident about trauma-informed practice.”
  • “It reminded me that we are an incredible resource — full of compassion and skills. We need to connect more.”
  • “I was able to reflect on my own needs, my boundaries, and my self-care as a facilitator.”
  • “It was warm, supportive, and full of ideas. I’m taking this energy with me.”

Moving forward… Holding space for others is beautiful work, but it can also be heavy, complex, and isolating. Days like this are a reminder that we need each other just as much as our communities need us. We need space to reflect, to reconnect with ourselves, and to be in the company of others who understand the unspoken weight of this work.

I’m deeply grateful to everyone who showed up with open hearts and open hands. And I hope this is just the beginning, of more conversations, more collaborations, and more care for the carers.

If you were part of the day, thank you. If you weren’t, I hope we meet next time. Because the art of holding space isn’t something we do alone, it’s something we learn, share, and strengthen together.

Workshop Dates Announced! Come stitch with me this August at Erewash Museum

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I’m thrilled to share the confirmed workshop dates for our BUNTING FOR PEACE: FROM MAKE DO AND MEND TO STREET PARTIES project! This August 2025, join me at Erewash Museum for a series of drop-in bunting-making sessions as we work together to create 50 meters of commemorative bunting in honour of VE and VJ Day.

Whether you’re joining us for a quick rag bunting session or diving into embroidered details, there’s a place at the table for you. Bring your stories, your creativity, and your curiosity; let’s stitch peace, joy, and community spirit into every flag.

Here’s when you can take part:

Workshop Dates & Times
Erewash Museum, 11am – 3pm unless otherwise stated

  • Friday 15th August – 11am – 3pm
    (Plus: Pick up sew-at-home packs will be available at the evening Beacon Lighting event!)
  • Saturday 16th August – 11am – 3pm
  • Thursday 21st August – 11am – 3pm
  • Friday 22nd August – 11am – 3pm
  • Thursday 28th August – 11am –3 pm
  • Friday 29th August – 11am – 2pm It’s Party Time! Join us for a joyful day of stitching, singing, and celebrating as the bunting makes its debut at the Wartime Variety Show.

Workshops are free and drop-in friendly, no booking needed. Come for ten minutes or stay the whole session. All materials are provided, and donations of red, white, or blue cottons and linens are still very welcome.

Let’s honour the past, celebrate the present, and stitch hope for the future. I can’t wait to see what we’ll create together!

Bunting for Peace: From Make Do and Mend to Street Parties

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Stitching Wartime Resilience into Peace Celebrations

I’m super excited to share that this summer, I’ll be in residence at Erewash Museum, leading an ambitious community project to create 50 meters of bunting to commemorate VE and VJ Day.

Throughout August 2025, I’ll be based at the museum, inviting local residents and visitors to join me at drop-in workshops to make bunting inspired by the spirit of wartime celebrations. Rooted in the 1940s ethos of “make do and mend,” we’ll be working with reclaimed, vintage, and recycled fabrics in red, white, and blue. As always I’m on the lookout for fabrics so please contact me if you have cotton fabrics you’d like to donate.)

During the workshops, we’ll reflect on how we mark peace, joy, and community, then and now, asking questions like:

  • What does celebration mean to you?
  • How did past generations mark the end of war?
  • How do we celebrate peace today?

Whether you’re a confident stitcher or have never picked up a needle, there’s something for everyone:

  • Rag Bunting – A no-sew activity that’s perfect for children, families, or anyone looking for a quick and creative way to contribute.
  • Embroidered Bunting – A slower, more detailed experience using hand embroidery and appliqué. These guided, drop-in sessions welcome participants of all abilities.

The completed bunting will make its debut at the War Time Variety Show on Friday, 29th August 2025, with a section featured in the upcoming “From Gas Masks to Garden Parties” exhibition opening in September.

Designed to be reused and re-shared, you can expect to see the bunting appear at various museum events for years to come — a lasting symbol of community, creativity, and sustainable making.

To get the ball rolling, I’ve stitched the very first meter of bunting — just 49 to go! I hope you’ll join me in this ambitious creative adventure. Every flag added is a piece of our shared story, stitched with memory, imagination, and hope.

Workshop dates and times will be announced soon, so watch this space!

Sharing stories

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The 80 Candles Quilt has been out on the road since the unveiling at the end of January. From the Multi Faith Centre and Derby Cathedral to No 28 Belper, Swadlincote’s Tourist Information Gallery and then to Ashbourne; the response from visitors has been truly incredible.

Light in the Darkness, Monday 27th January – Illumination of The Multi Faith Centre, with images and film of The 80 Candles Quilt.

At every exhibition, pop up and showing the quilt has provoked deeply felt and often visible emotions of compassion, horror and sadness. People are drawn in by the quilt inspecting the details and curious about the stories each square tells. They ask questions and discuss with fellow viewers, keen to know more and seemingly determined to share and remember what they have learnt.

South Derbyshire District Councilors visiting the pop-up exhibition at Swadlincote Tourist Information gallery.

There has been much talk of how the quilt can be used as an educational resource, especially with children, and it’s wonderful that photographs are being shared at schools in Nottingham with pupils being asked to draw their own square in response. A small pamphlet has been published with an overview of the quilt project, including the names of all the people honored and the names of those who created the squares, these are being sold alongside a postcard at £2 each. All funds are going towards the quilt project, supporting continued sharing of the quilt at exhibitions and talks and funding the publication of a book to share the research carried out by participants. This is currently in progress, with participants supporting the process. So, watch this space!

Over the coming months the quilt will continue its travels including a Pop-up Exhibition and Fundraiser on Saturday 29th March 2pm – 4pm at Brailsford Methodist Church, Brailsford. Participants and I will be on hand to talk visitors through the project and some of the stories held within the quilt and they’ll be tea, coffee and cakes for sale alongside postcards and pamphlets. I do hope you will join us!

No 28 Belper
No 28 Belper
Young participants share a poem by Sonja Jaslowitz, honored within the quilt at the HMD Interfaith Event.
HMD Interfaith Event at the Multi Faith Centre
HMD Interfaith Event at the Multi Faith Centre
Derby Cathedral
Cornerstone Cafe, Ashbourne
Cornerstone Cafe, Ashbourne

Visitor Feedback…

An incredible piece that serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of ignorant, extremist rhetoric. G. Sharp, Church Greesley.

So emotional, such a beautiful thing to memorialise those who should always be remembered. Michelle, Swadlincote.

Thought provoking, inspirational art work. We should never forget. N Tilley, South Derbyshire District Council

Very moving, every stitch filled with memory. Memory keeps the departed alive, the Nazi’s didn’t murder their names. L. Pass, Overseal.

A wonderful project highlighting the hidden stories and connecting lives together both past and present. J. Dowding, Swadlincote.

So emotional and thought provoking! A beautiful piece that needs to be seen. Julie, Swadlincote.

Truly beautiful and feels eternally important – especially now. Thank you for humanising the numbers and telling these stories. Cameron and Sally, London.

Stunning and truly amazing. Telling incredible stories. B. Shenton, Ashbourne.