B is for Butterfield

Monogram sample work by Kirsty Mason

Continuing our exploration of the background to some of the Thread Running Through exhibits, Kirsty Mason explains her choice of monograms and lace.

I have based my piece of work on the tower and entrance to Cliffe Castle - an imposing reminder of the Butterfield family.

When we visited the textile archives here at Cliffe Castle I was fascinated with a set of exquisite, delicate, lace festooned handkerchiefs which were folded and layered up in a box.  I knew I wanted to use handkerchiefs as a base for my work in a nod to those I had seen.  The 5 sections of the tower are represented by 5 vintage handkerchiefs all of which were very plain, cotton squares with minimal flounces and frills.  These were dyed with tea - which was another connection to the Butterfields, as I imagine many a cup of tea was delicately sipped in the castle in its heyday.  I have layered these handkerchiefs with lots of machine embroidery over snippets of fabric to create texture and then enhanced each square with hand embroidery and lace applique.  Some of the lace I have used has been shop bought, some has been created by machine embroidering on a tulle base, there are some circles of Tenerife lace applied and some vintage and new tatting.

The Butterfield's textile collection was ablaze with monograms and so I have incorporated "Bs" throughout the pieces mostly from organza as a ghostly stamp of the Butterfield name.  The shuttle that my piece of work hangs from has the mark "Jowett Bros, Shipley" on the reverse which is a lovely local link with this project.  A single strand of the blue thread runs through the length of the piece of work - a Thread Runs Through.

The flowers sitting on the shuttle and cascading down the tower along with the butterfly are my interpretation of the fact that Cliffe Castle was a show house and everything was co-ordinated to be at its absolute best for the 3 months of the year that it was used by the Butterfields.  The gardens followed this and were managed so they too were at their absolute best and in full bloom when the guests would be present.

During the making of this piece I have become fascinated with the process of lacemaking and have begun looking at different ways in which lace can be created.  I also have been very interested in the use of the soldering iron on sheer organza fabric to cut out uniform shapes, which is how I made the flowers and monograms.  I began playing and experimenting, trying to cut out more delicate shapes and lace like patterns.  My organza handkerchiefs are constructed of fused and cut out organzas layered up.  They are of course directly influenced by the box of folded handkerchiefs that caught my eye and imagination.