Stitching Ashbourne: A Celebration of Place, People & Stories

Stitching Ashbourne is a vibrant, community-led textile art project bringing the people of Ashbourne together to create a large-scale appliqué and embroidered artwork celebrating everything that makes our town special.

Developed in response to a challenging period for the town, the project offers a positive, creative way for people to reconnect with Ashbourne, with one another, and with the stories that shape this place.

The project has been made possible by funding from Ashbourne Methodist Church, St Oswalds Church, The Town Council, Ashbourne Arts and Ashbourne Rotary club alongside the support of a dedicated team of volunteers. The project invites people of all ages and abilities to stitch, share and celebrate the stories that make Ashbourne unique.

What is Stitching Ashbourne?

At its heart, Stitching Ashbourne is about community, creativity and connection Together, we are creating a large-scale appliqué and embroidered artwork celebrating Ashbourne’s most recognisable landmarks and everyday places. These have been chosen by the community and include St Oswald’s Church, Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, the Gingerbread Café and the newly refurbished Market Square.

Surrounding the central panel are more than 160 individually hand-stitched squares, created by local residents, schools and community groups. Each square tells a personal story, memory or celebration connected to Ashbourne, capturing the town as it is experienced by the people who live here.

Where is the project up to now?

Over 20 free public workshops have taken place across Ashbourne
Approximately 200 people have participated so far
160 stitched squares have been completed and returned

The project is currently moving from the creative workshop phase into the construction and assembly stage. As the creative phase concludes, all stitched squares are being carefully gathered and prepared for the next stage. The Central Panel Sewing Circle are beavering away on detailed elements of the central artwork, attaching the buildings, adding details and even some fun ‘secret’ elements to find!

In February, a series of construction workshops will take place at Betty’s Sewing Box, where members of the wider community will once again be invited to take part, this time stitching the artwork together and contributing directly to its final form.

The completed artwork is scheduled to be unveiled in spring, to coincide with the reopening of the newly refurbished Ashbourne Methodist Church.

Community collaboration at its heart

Stitching Ashbourne has been supported by an extraordinary network of volunteers, partners and venues, without whom the project simply would not have been possible.

Clare Sales and Jaquie March from Ashbourne Methodist Church have been instrumental in helping with planning, coordination and ongoing support. Alice Duckworth (University of Derby placement student) and Catherine Hart provided invaluable workshop support, helping to ensure sessions ran smoothly and that participants felt welcomed and encouraged.

Local cafés, pubs, churches and community spaces generously opened their doors, hosting workshops free of charge, creating warm, accessible spaces for people to gather, stitch and talk. This generosity and collaboration sit at the heart of the project and reflect the community values the artwork represents.

What happens next?

December–January: Detailed work on the central panel
February: Community construction workshops at Betty’s Sewing Box
Spring: Public unveiling at Ashbourne Methodist Church
Following the unveiling: A town-wide tour, with planned displays at:
- St Oswald’s Church
- Ashbourne Library
- Ashbourne Heritage Centre
- House of Beer
- Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School
- St Oswald’s Primary School

Interest from additional venues, businesses and community organisations is warmly welcomed to help the artwork reach as many people as possible.

A living tapestry of Ashbourne

As the squares, stories and stitches come together, the true essence of Stitching Ashbourne becomes clear. This project is not about producing a single finished object, but about the process of making something together.

Through stitching, conversation and shared time, people have connected across generations, shared memories and discovered new confidence in their creative abilities. What began as a simple idea has grown into a collective artwork shaped by hundreds of hands, a reflection of Ashbourne’s resilience, generosity and strong sense of community.