Narrative Self

Join me?

Last week my friend Janie and I went to see the Kaffe Fassett exhibition at Trelowarren, a private estate near Helston in Cornwall. Imagine the excitement. We live in the sticks, the end of the earth, and stuff like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for those of us that don’t get to cross the Tamar on a regular basis. (For the uninitiated, the Tamar is a large river that divides Cornwall from it’s neighbouring county Devon, and therefore the rest of the country. It goes virtually all the way from north to south. But it’s not just a geographical border. No. It’s most definitely cultural. And there are some in these ‘ere parts that never cross the Tamar. Ever. And there are most definitely those from the other side that simply forget we exist. Especially those organising exhibitions.)

Cornwall itself might be seen as the back of beyond, but to find Trelowarren you travel out through tiny villages along winding lanes that seem to lead nowhere until you eventually find the leafy entrance. It’s a long carriage drive with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside (that the estate probably owns) that draws you in to the old stable block, where the exhibition is hosted by Cornwall Crafts Association.

We paid our £5 entrance fee and stepped through a white muslin curtain that cordoned off the jewels from the main gallery. And yes, it was like stepping in to a box of jewels. The white rough stone walls of the stable had been transformed with the singing colours of Fassett’s textile designs. Quilts, knitwear, rag rugs and needlepoint pieces were grouped according to colour; blues in one corner, reds in another… It was astonishing and mind boggling trying to figure out how many hours had gone into making the works on show. The knitwear was all hand made, many of the quilts were hand stitched and the amount of work in the needlepoint rugs and upholstery was incredible. But it wasn’t just the act of making something that was so fascinating, it was the detail in the design where the real creativity lay. Some things worked better than others, some were better made than others (Janie commented that he knitted with “very loose tension”!) and I couldn’t help peeking at the back of things to see just how they were put together and whether I felt my own work would stand up to it…

Catalogue colour

Fassett has said that he’s not overly interested in the way the way some people insist on perfect sewing or knitting technique and I agree. His work really isn’t about perfect craft, it’s about perfect colour and pattern and you definitely sense that when you see this exhibition. Even if the gallery attendant didn’t… Mr attendant wasn’t impressed and confided that if Mr Fassett had applied to be a member of the Crafts Association with his knitting, he wouldn’t have been accepted.  However, he did say that his quilts wouldn’t have been a problem, “because he has a studio of other people to make those”! Meowww!!! On that note Janie and I left the building!

Time for lunch. We went across the cobbled courtyard to the restaurant where we had the most delicious leek and roast garlic soup topped with creme fraiche and watercress. It’s making my mouth water just thinking about it. After that we had a wander round the yard and the woodland walks, where I spotted some wonderful colour for myself…

Love the way the dead orange tree and terracotta create a complimentary foil for the water pump

now that's colour!