Bagging at the gallery in Penzance

[beattieKeymaster]

“Redwing Gallery is a not-for-profit social enterprise which aims to represent art and artists excluded from the mainstream commercial art world. Redwing was founded by the artist Peter Fox and has been popping up in Penzance, Cornwall since 2011.”

It’s up a little alleyway off one of the main shopping streets, Market Jew Street.

Peter Fox, who started the gallery was there when we arrived, with a volunteer, Nancy, and they both helped us unload swiftly as double yellow lines patrolled by fast-reacting traffic wardens circle the area.

Peter had come prepared with a pocket he wanted to add to the bag he would make – what a great idea! Perhaps it was from a favourite shirt that had reached the end of its life?

There wasn’t wall space to set up our usual ‘washing line’ with the M-O-R-S-bags on it but we did managed to find a little gap to hang a short line with bags for customers to help themselves from.

Here is our first customer of the day – she had read about the workshop in the local paper and had come specially to make a bag.

She enjoyed making the first one so much, she made a second one for a friend, using a different sewing machine! 😀

I like the way the chough (rook-like bird with red legs, lives on cliff tops) in this photo is supervising the people sewing. 😀

I seem to have taken a lot of photos of people holding up bags that have flopped over into folds. This one was made from a kid’s duvet cover with Winnie the Pooh and friends on it – here’s a bag showing half a Piglet, held by its creator.

This gentleman came in and made himself at home on the sofa, watching what we were doing and chatting with Ros who works at the gallery.

He didn’t want to have a go, but just watched as I made up a bag from pieces that Masterclock had sewn together a few days ago. It was made of lots of surplus handles – you know how the “spare handles” box grows and multiplies…
So this bag was made of lots of strips and stripes of different materials. When it was finished I gave it to him (another floppy bag photo doesn’t do justice to M/C’s strips) and Ros commented it was like his paintings.

So I asked his name and looked him up via Google.

What do you think?

http://www.johnchambers-artist.com/index.html

Midway through the afternoon a Mum with two lovely girls came in. I’m so glad we relaxed our general rule of “no under 12’s” on this occasion. We were less busy by then, so could help and supervise adequately, and they proved to be very good seamstresses, but also unusually sensible.

No, they’re not twins!! There’s 14 months between them in age.

We made 17 bags during the day and had a lovely time in this beautiful space. Thank you for inviting us Ros, and for allowing us to come and sew Peter! 😀

• This reply was modified 10 years, 3 months ago by  beattie.

[sazzieParticipant]

What a lovely space Beattie and ideal for morsbagging in. Thank you for your report it all looks rather lovely x

[Author]

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