| Mandate,
functions and sphere of activity |
The Needlework
Development Scheme was founded to revive the previous
Needlework Development in Scotland Scheme. Its aims
were the same: to improve the standard of embroidery
in Scotland and to provide domestic science and training
colleges, women's institutes, and schools, as well as
art schools with access to a collection of foreign and
British embroidery. The scheme built upon its predecessor
by extending its scope to gradually take in other art
schools and colleges throughout the United Kingdom where
embroidery was taught. Like its predecessor, the scheme
was anonymously funded by J & P Coats Ltd who by
encouraging embroidery also created a future market
for their threads.
The scheme continued to acquire contemporary embroideries
in a wide variety of styles. In the early years after
the war the best needlework examples within the collection
were foreign so in 1947 a leading British designer,
Mary Kessell, was commissioned to prepare designs to
provide a new challenge to embroidery designers in Great
Britain. Her designs were adopted by and interpreted
in stitchery by embroiderers from the Bromley College
of Art. London. The results became a travelling exhibition.
The 1950s saw the extension of the Scheme into England,
Wales and Northern Ireland. The collections continued
to grow and by the time of the Scheme's closure in 1961
had amassed over 3,500 embroideries. As well as the
collection housed at the central offices, further collections
were circulated arranged by country, type or technique,
and included plain sewing. The central office also
supplied a reference library, photographs of all the
Scheme's embroideries and coloured film slides connected
to the circulating collections.
The Scheme's expert was called upon to lecture around
the UK and lectures were given by other experts under
the auspices of the Scheme, including international
speakers.
Between 1950 and 1957 exhibitions of the Scheme's pieces
were held through the UK, including the Festival of
Britain in 1951.
The publications of the Scheme were central to the
Scheme's activities and aims. The two bulletins, And
So to Sew and And So to Embroider published
three times a year were issued free until 1958 until
demand led to a charge being levied for orders of over
24 copies. At its height in the 1950s, the scheme spent
the current equivalent (2003) of £1 million printing
the bulletin and distributing it primarily to school
girls as well as other interested parties.
The scheme came to an end in 1961 for several reasons.
Coats Patons Ltd , formerly J & P Coats Ltd , withdrew
funding for the Scheme but it was also recognised that
the Scheme had achieved its aims. Guidence had been
given to emboriders of all ages and standards on design
and technique and had been shown where to find inspiration.
The schemes collections were divided bettween museums
and organisations interested in embroidery. |
