A stitch IN TIME

Three women share their passion for embroidery, crochet and knitting

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‘We all stitched squares and made books’

Heather Wright, 72, is co-chair of The Boston Stitchers, and lives in Boston, Lincolnshire, with her husband Tim, 75.

I've always loved fiddling around with bits of material. My first baby didn't sleep, so I ended up sewing, while he didn't sleep!

I completed a City & Guilds in Creative Embroidery and Textiles, and taught once he was at school.

I joined The Boston Stitchers – an independent stitching group, formerly part of the Embroiderers' Guild – 10 years ago, after moving to Lincolnshire, where I didn't know anyone. We work on decorative and functional projects, including Story in Stitch – a set of picture books, each 2ft tall, telling the story of Boston through community-made embroidered panels.

Boston had quite a bad reputation and won funding in 2018 to improve the community. The Boston Stitchers received money for a community arts project. ‘It’s OK saying to a room full of people who stitch, let’s make something, but to those who’ve never done it before, that’s a very different challenge,’ I told my husband.

We decided on two-inch squares, and made kits with leaflets, fabric, needles and thread. We sent them out during lockdown, but had no idea how we’d hang them together. I FaceTimed my young grandson during story time, and as he turned the pages, I realised we should make books telling Boston’s tale.

We used the squares stitched by schools, coffee groups and community organisations – all showing aspects of Boston’s history and heritage culture to today – and made them into books. They took thousands of hours to make. Each one is named a positive word, like Grow, Create, Listen, 2020.