Textile archive with more than 100,000 items to open

Braintree has a very rich past with fabrics and textiles which is why it’s fitting that every year the town celebrates with a thrilling textile fair.

 

And, to complement this fantastic event, Braintree District Museum will be hosting two textile exhibitions and will also be running seven textile workshops and talks.

 

The annual fair brings together a diverse group of textile specialists, designers and crafts people all eager to share their knowledge.

 

There will be tours, demonstrations, talks, fabric stalls and activities across three historic venues in Braintree - the Warner Textile Archive, Braintree District Museum and Braintree Town Hall.

 

Katie Martin, one of the organisers of the event from the Warner Textile Archive, said: “This is a really great event and we’ve got things for everyone, not just people who have an interest in textiles.

 

“It takes a lot of planning so we start booking the independent stall holders as soon as the previous years event finishes.

 

“It’s our main event of the year and brings quite a lot of people to the district so it’s very significant for us.”

 

An archive which is usually closed to the public and which contains roughly 100,000 paper and fabric pieces will also be open for people to enjoy at the textile archive.

 

The textile fair will take place on Sunday, May 13 from 10am until 4pm and tickets will be ?7 in advance or ?10 on the day.

 

See www.warnertextilearchive.co.uk for full details of the textile fair.

 

The district will also see other textile exhibitions, workshops and talks come to Braintree District Museum.

 

The first textile exhibition will be a collaboration with Anglia Textile Works which is called Inspired By.

 

Members of the group have created works that were inspired by the museum collections from the Victorian classroom to Crittall Windows and the Bardfield Artists.

 

Their works will be exhibited at the museum from April 28 until June 2.

 

Anglia Textile Works will also be hosting four intriguing workshops at the museum for visitors to enjoy during the spring and summer.