NaviStitch and Sail Loft News

🌿 A small note before you visit…

From Monday 13 April (for two weeks) there will be a road closure at Wherry Corner on Manningtree High Street. But importantly, all shops (including NaviStitch) are still open as usual, and parking is still accessible from the station end of Manningtree.

If you’re driving in, just approach from the station side, rather than coming through from Mistley. (We know those “Road Closed Ahead” signs can be a little misleading - so just to reassure you, we are very much open!)

🌸 A change of pace in the Sail Loft

As the Spring Exhibition comes to a close this weekend, the Sail Loft is about to shift quite dramatically.

Over the past few weeks, the gallery has been full - around 50 artists, a huge mix of materials, colour and ideas, and a constant sense of movement as work has changed and evolved.

From next week, that all changes - we go wild!

🌍 Wild Sewing takes over the gallery

📅 15 April - 2 May

The next exhibition is something much more personal - my Wild Sewing Project.

Instead of a full gallery of different artists, this show focuses on one idea:

Taking embroidery out of the studio and into the world.

Each piece in the exhibition has been stitched somewhere unexpected - from cafés and restaurants to outdoor locations while travelling… and sometimes in places that really tested my fingers.

Every piece includes a QR code, linking to a short video showing exactly where it was made.

So rather than just seeing the finished work, you can step back into the moment it was created.

Watercolour artwork of a series of leaves with a stitched design embroidered onto the paper

Watercolour artwork of a series of leaves with a stitched design embroidered onto the paper.

✨ A first look (just for you)

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a completely new set of Wild Sewing pieces for this exhibition. Some of them have been created much closer to home - and a couple of locations might be familiar if you know the area well.

I haven’t shared these anywhere yet, but I’ll start revealing them once the exhibition opens.

🧵 What happens next in the Sail Loft

After Wild Sewing, the gallery shifts again:

🎨 Affordable Art Show

📅 6-30 MayA full exhibition where everything is under £100 - original work, prints and smaller pieces.

🌿 Reclaim: Reborn

📅 3-27 JunePart of the Manningtree Earth Festival - focused on work made from reclaimed and recycled materials.

Both of these are more curated, smaller exhibitions, shaped around the space and the artists I know work well within it.

🧵 Workshops - new additions

Alongside the exhibitions, workshops continue upstairs - and there are now a few new dates and formats coming in:

⛵ Sew a Boat (Taster) - 26 April, 17 May, 17 June

🌊 Coastal Collage - April 29

🌿 Botanical - 10 May

🌊 Coastal - 24 May

🌼 NEW: Flower Head Collage - 14 June

The taster sessions in particular are a nice way in if you’ve been curious but not quite ready to commit to a full day.

⛵ A new kit (and a new way to try it)

I’ve also just launched a Sailing Boat Paper Embroidery Kit.

It’s essentially a take-home version of the workshop - designed so you can try stitching onto paper in your own time. The kit includes:

⛵ everything you need to get started

🎥 an online video tutorial

➕ and there’s also an extension pack if you’d like to create another piece without buying a full kit again

It’s been really lovely to develop something that makes the process more accessible - whether you’re nearby or further afield.

💌 Thank You

Whether you’ve visited the exhibition, followed along online, commissioned a piece, had some artwork framed, found a gift or greeting card or joined a workshop - thank you.

There’s a lovely sense of momentum at the moment, and I’m really enjoying sharing it with you.

Calm waters and plain sailing,

Sam