The Hednesford Embroidery is unveiled at Pye Green Community Centre

An exquisite embroidery, painstakingly handcrafted over four and a half years by volunteers, has been unveiled at Pye Green Community Centre.

The 6’ by 4’ piece of art, created by 25 members of the Chadsmoor Tapestry Group, has pride of place in the entrance of the centre in Bradbury Lane.
An illustrated map of Cannock Chase in thread, it features the flora and fauna of the area, as well as local landmarks. Each flower and animal was worked on separately, taking between 50 and 100 hours to complete, while the assembly alone took 900 hours.
Unveiling the piece, Elizabeth Attfield, vice-chair of the Chadsmoor Tapestry Group said: “We began by embroidering the flowers, then we did the animals and the places. All of these items are the work of individuals but in all this our chair, Brenda Marshall, has guided us, helped and encouraged us and made us go beyond what was believed was possible.
“What struck me since we started to bring the elements together is how each individual piece has been enhanced by being part of the bigger project – the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I hope the people of Hednesford get as much pleasure looking at this embroidery as we did making it.”
Councillor Alan Pearson, chairman of Hednesford town council, said: “The dedication and attention to detail is remarkable. At the outset, we agreed the theme Hednesford – Gateway to the Chase, which we have as our official emblem, and they came up with this magnificent design. We are thrilled to have the embroidery on display for our visitors to enjoy for years to come.”
The embroidery, which includes silk shading thread painting, embellished transfer prints and embroidery on organza, was framed to museum standard by local NHR Joinery.