About The Community Jubilee Collage 

Stitch! Crafts and Classes in Palmers Green, north London, were  awarded a £9650 grant from the Arts Council ‘Lets Create’ fund to produce a Community Jubilee Collage.

The Community Jubilee Collage

Our collage us currently being displayed at St.Andrews Church, Chase Side, N14 5PP. Thank you to all those that visit and the fabulous comments.

Stitch! Crafts and Classes were very excited in April 2022 to be awarded £9650 from the Arts Council’s Let’s Create Jubilee Fund by the London Community Foundation– ensuring that creativity played an important role in local community celebrations for Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 

The Let’s Create Jubilee Fund has ensured that thousands of people from communities all across England had the opportunity to take part in exciting creative events – all in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee. From puppetry and story creation, through to making crowns, carnival and art trails.

“We were so pleased to be working with local people to create this Platinum Jubilee commemorative piece. To be part of this creative project at an important moment in this country’s history was really exciting.” says Suzanne Kelly, Manager of Stitch! Crafts and Classes.

Stitch! a community interest company based in Palmers Green (that provides sewing and crafting workshops as well as retail)  worked with embroidery artist Jill Kipnis from inspirationalembroidery.co.uk to create a historical mixed-media textile collage piece or pieces.

Jill Kipnis is a North London based textile artist fascinated by the power of stitch and textile mediums. She put together the Heroes’ Quilt Project during the first year of the pandemic and is looking forward to helping guide people to create an artistic collage of imagery to celebrate the Queens Jubilee year, creating a historical document through stitch. 

Jill Kipnis said “It was a privilege to be asked by Suzanne at Stitch N13 to put the Jubilee Collage together. I feel passionate that everyone should have some craft in their life, not only for mindfulness but also for the joy it brings in creating something individual and unique.

The project for me was inspiring in that it bought several communities together. I worked with children on free school meals, dementia patients to people who regularly create, and young people who had never picked up a needle and thread before.

My embroidery teaching is all about inspiring and bringing together; this collage certainly achieved this. Somewhere I hope I sowed a seed in the younger generation to go on and create as they are the future of textiles and craft. That is very much what I am about, to inspire in any way I can to get people to embroider to find inner peace and be creative through textiles."

During this project we worked  with several different groups from the local community including:- West Grove Primary School, Broomfield Secondary School, St. Johns Evangelist Church and Azalea Court Care Home as well as members of the local stitching community. The final piece is  being displayed during the Jubilee month of June and July in Enfield and Palmers Green.

Jill Kipnis, Helen Westbury, Emma Westbury, Janette Paster, Jodie Paster, Anna Gulderen, Jill Samuels, Paula Bradbury, Marta Hodding, Rami Shah, Manju Shah, Wendy Crichley, Jill Carter, Liz Fish, Amelie Fish, Patricia McDonnell, Vanessa Cockman, Amelie-Rose Phillips, Pam Staunton, Adrian Heppenstal, Jean Jobson, Daphne Gunn, Jazzy Lesner, Katy Lesner, Suzy Vincent, Ruth Fernands, Maria Ruocco, Becky Eastick, Teddy Eastick, Sally Goddard.

Azalea Court Care Home

Sheila Barry, Mick Stevens, Eric Lawrence, Rene, Anna Downs, Marlene Mitchell

Year 6 students, West Grove Primary School

Arianne, Emily, Nathan, Alex P, Lavin, Farida, Anabella, Zofia, Ella, Elliot, Max, Sinead, Phaedra, O’Shiarna, Yani, Julian, Betul, Freya, Ada, Clio, Elgin

Year 7, 8, 9 students, Broomfield School

Mevre, Diana, Marina, Alexandra, Azel, Elifnaz, Megan, Alfonso, Amy, Miracle

Southgate 6th Palmers Green Guides

Lucy, Karolina, Kaitlyn, Poppy, Rosie, Matilda, Saoirse, Florence, Naomi, Rosie, Chloe, Emilia

Patricia McDonnell

I wanted to create a small piece of embroidery to mark the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, and also to be part of creating a Community Collage. It was lovely to work with other like-minded people, to exchange ideas and designs, have some fun but create something unique for the Enfield Community. Many thanks to Stitch for hosting the workshops and Jill Kipniss for inspiring us with her ideas, designs and assistance.

Suzy Godfrey

The seven decades of Queen Elizabeth’s reign coincide with the 70 years of my life as I was born in 1952. I celebrated her Silver Jubilee with a youth club party in Winchmore Hill and the Golden Jubilee with families at a street party in Palmers Green. My mum dressed up as the queen and sat on a “throne”, receiving good wishes from “her subjects”. She delivered the Queen’s message to us all. 

I helped organise the Diamond Jubilee celebrations at the Trinity Bowes Methodist Church and Community Centre. This year I will be at several special events for the Platinum Jubilee, a concert in Winchmore Hill, a street party in Enfield Town and a lunch in Palmers Green. The Borough of Enfield continues to celebrate as we join the nation in saying “God save the Queen”.

Jill Samuels

I live in North London and enjoy all sorts of crafts, particularly collage and stitching. I chose to make a collage of Buckingham Palace as it is one of the most recognisable buildings in London and the place where the public can see the Queen. Who doesn’t love seeing the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and the Red Arrows fly past?

Marta Hodding

I am delighted to be part of the Jubilee Collage as I am a huge admirer of Queen Elizabeth.

Pamela Staunton

My last embroidery project was around 45 years ago so I was apprehensive about making a square for the Jubilee collage but with the encouragement of Jill, our excellent tutor, and the other contributors and staff at Stitch! Palmers Green, I very much enjoyed the process. There was something very relaxing and mindful about the feel of the material in my fingers and the soft sound of the thread going through the fabric. The design I chose was the Jubilee emblem on the Union Jack as I liked the juxtaposition of colours and the symbolism. A Platinum Jubilee is unlikely to ever happen again so it’s only right that we celebrate it. So much has changed in the last 70 years but the Queen has been a constant and like many others I feel that she deserves all the good wishes coming her way.

Jean Jobson

Even though my nation of birth kicked them out in the revolution of 1776 I personally admire the Queen and fear we will all be lost without her.

Vanessa Cockman-Phillips

We were asked to think of the Queen and also the local borough during her reign. I chose to focus on the London Olympics as Enfield was awarded a Golden Post box to commemorate Charlotte Dujardin who won our first Gold medal for dressage – horses are also very special to the Queen. The Corgi is her favourite dog so had to feature and who could forget the Queen parachuting into the Opening Ceremony for the Olympics.

Amelie-Rose Phillips (Hazelwood School)

I wanted to say thank you to the Queen by making a square for the banner. I chose a crown to represent the Queen and the 70 for how long she has been Queen. I wanted Platinum buttons but we didn’t have any. Then I did the Union Jack flag to show she is Queen of the United Kingdom.

Ruth Fernands

I wanted to take part in this project because the Queen is a such a strong and hard-working person and a role model to the whole nation.

Paula Bradbury

My grandfather and father were avid philatelists, so I was brought up to value British stamps. Then from an early age I began collecting stamps and my sons have also shown an interest in stamp collecting. My piece in the Enfield Jubilee project features the Queen’s head as on all the English stamps in my collection. This image has been a big part of my life in the letters and post cards I have received and sent.

Anna Gulderen

To our Majesty the Queen - congratulations on your 70-year reign!

Maria Ruocco

Forty Hall has been where my children spent joyful years of their lives playing and running around. We all loved the museum where we learned that Camilla's ex-husband brigadier Andrew Parker Bowles spent years of his childhood between Middleton house and Forty Hall. Forty Hall was also the site of a Tudor Elsyng Palace. Forty Hall is our local link to the monarchy thinking about it. We simply love it.

Liz Fish

My piece for the Platinum Jubilee collage is done in memory of my Dad, Robin Paul Halward who passed away in 2007. He was awarded a CB (Companion of the Order of the Bath) by the Queen for his work as a Civil Servant, predominantly in the Prison Service.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is an order of knighthood awarded by the sovereign of the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth realms. It is granted by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister and recognises military service and civilian merit: it is typically awarded to senior military officers and a number of the most senior civil servants.

For my panel I used a hankie that belonged to my Dad as the background for the design. I have topped this with an embroidered depiction of his CB medal. The blue stitches that run like waves across the whole piece are made from the dots and dashes of morse code spelling out HMPS (Her Majesty’s Prison Service) signifying his dedication to his work. He was not a career ladder climber but was genuinely dedicated to his work and to all those who he worked with including the inmates in his care.

The cream stitching that fans from his initials (again in morse code) says FAMILY and LOVE. He was a devoted family man who loved nothing more than spending time with my Mum, Brother and me. The pride that we feel that his work was recognised by this award from the Queen is a wonderful piece of our memories for him.

Amelie Robin Fish

I chose to do this piece as when I was about 10 years old I sent a birthday letter to the Queen and received one back from her Lady in Waiting. In the letter she mentioned the corgis and how the Queen loved to ride horses, as I had said I loved animals. Later my mum took me to the Royal Mews to see all of the Queens horses.  Since then I have always felt most connected to the Queen through her animals. I added Morse Code to the piece as my Mum had done this in her piece and I wanted something to connect our two pieces together. Her piece was centred around my Grandfather who got a CB honour from the Queen. I inscribed the words “if you love something, let it go” in Morse Code. I think this statement applies to all situations in life which cause you pain or grief. This project helps people say what they love most about the Queen and learn a new skill. I think it really brings people together.

Sally Goddard

Being part of the 'Stitch' community and helping to celebrate the Queen's momentous Platinum Jubilee has been very rewarding and fun. May the Jubilee Collage creation bring joy to all who see it.

Becky Eastick

I was inspired to have a go at making the Forty Hall beavers. It’s the first time beavers have been in London for 400 years.

Teddy Eastick (age 8)

I was inspired to make a crown because the Queen wears one. I read that her favourite colour is blue.

Adrian Heppenstall

Dear Mam,

We meet again, since the 1977 Silver Jubilee. You visited Harlow Wood hospital, as one of the staff we were front row therefore able to see clearly you and your husband Prince Phillip. You gave all of the staff a great ‘buzz’ and lift-up for months after your visit. Thank you. The next time you made a visit and a lunch or dinner at the British Pharmaceutical Society, Lambeth. I was the second chef in charge of the kitchen.

My next encounter was at the North London Hospice at the ‘official’ opening. I was the second ‘hands on’ staff member you were introduced to. I was the ‘very tall’ gentleman that you met. I remember the look and expression on your face at ‘how tall’ and how/why does a man do this kind of work? That look, in my mind it said a thousand things?!

I wish to thank you for your help and consistency throughout the years, good and bad. I always felt that things will be a bed of roses even in the worst of times. However, COVID was no joke! But you are stoic, you’re great.

Long may you reign in good health.

Your subject and admirer

Adrian Heppenstall

Jill Carter

I enjoy embroidery, I find I can get involved with the process of stitching - after a while losing myself in the intricacies of the work which helps my mental health - however it can be difficult to motivate myself (even when I have a kit which makes design and colour decisions easy!).

When I spotted this project I wasn’t sure, because I am not much of a royalist, however reading the brief I realised I had previously done a class with the tutor which was excellent, and I thought that it would be lovely to work in a personal story.

My parents were married on June 28th 1952, meaning all their significant anniversaries have coincided with those of the Queens reign. My sister organised for them to get a congratulatory card from the Queen for their diamond anniversary, so this was 60 years in her 60th year.

Because this year celebrates a record breaking achievement, I decided representing a real record would be ideal for my piece. This is also a nod to the fact that for more than half my life records - and record shops - have been incredibly important to me. I deliberately chose small wonder as the record label, they were a small influential independent shop and record label based in Walthamstow (in north east London), their cultural significance has recently been recognised by a blue plaque outside the premises where they were based. I have added a semi precious Topaz to the diamond section, they have been mistaken for diamonds, and are traditional gifts for earlier wedding anniversaries. Topaz also signifies friendship and is a crystal for creativity. Stitching the record label was fun (though I decided not to faithfully copy their logo), but I enjoyed hand stitching the 70 in brick stitch most of all. 

My second piece was inspired by two other artists work, and some fabulous fabric our sponsor and project organiser stitch! had bought in stock especially for the jubilee. There are 7 Suffolk puffs each one representing a decade of the Queens reign. 

Katy Lesner

I was inspired by a girl guide badge that we are giving to all our girl guides for the Queens platinum Jubilee. I use the bunting idea from the badge and used silver thread to make the girl guide logo. 

Jazzy Lesner

I googled lots of different ideas and came up with the criss-cross effect with the buttons at the joins. This was intended to look like the pillow that the crown is placed on. I was very happy with how my design turned out. 

Janette Paster

The Queen has been around my whole life, obviously! 

My favourite thing about the Royal Family are the diamonds and the crown jewels so that's what I wanted to represent. 

As Marilyn Monroe told us, Diamonds are a girl's best friend! Love the monarchy and everything about the royal family and watching the family grow over the decades.

Jodie Paster

The Queen and the royal family are such a big inspiration to me, and I love being able to watch them grow and expand over the years. Great Britain is very lucky to still have a thriving monarchy, and that is something I wanted to represent. Queen Elizabeth II is the longest living British monarch, so I chose to create a portrait of her when she was first crowned, to represent all that she has done for us. I hope the monarchy continues for centuries to come.

Rami Shah and Manju Shah

Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee With Mum.

I wanted to be involved with the Community Jubilee Collage to tell a story about my connection to the Queen through my embroidery. I am British, my heritage is Indian, I was born in Kenya and have been living in England from child to adulthood. My family’s history is inextricably linked with the British monarchy, dating back to the 1850s when my great grandparents were living under the British Raj in Gujarat, India. In the early 1900s, enticed by work opportunities, my grandparents travelled by steam powered ships to Kenya in East Africa, another British colony. This is where my parents would be born, during the second world war when Kenya was still under British rule.

In 1952, Princess Elizabeth was on a visit to Kenya with her husband Prince Philip. They were staying at the iconic Treetops Safari Lodge when they received the news that King George VI had died in London and Princess Elizabeth had become Queen Elizabeth II of United Kingdom and Head of the Commonwealth. I have heard stories of this time, including one from my late mother-in-law, Kasturben, about how she as a young girl, alongside other school children, lined the streets of Sagana, standing for hours under the heat of the African sun. She always said, for her it was well worth the wait, as she got to shake hands with the Queen. Decades later, I too would experience the anticipation for the arrival of the Queen, when she visited Capel Manor College in Enfield in June 2010, where I was studying horticulture and garden design.

When my mum, Manjuben, heard about the Jubilee collage, she wanted to be involved in celebrating this historical event as she has always loved and admired the Queen’s resilience and constant presence. Despite arthritis in her hands, making it difficult to hold and thread a needle, mum has used her embroidery, bead and sequin work skills to embroider 4 small squares, each one celebrating the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.

We are proud to announce that our final piece will be displayed to be viewed during the Jubilee month of June in Enfield and Palmers Green.

THE WORKSHOPS

If you would like to be involved and to creatively contribute to the collage Jill and Stitch! would love to hear from you. We will be running free workshops with all materials accessible for the project at Stitch! 364 Green Lanes, Palmers Green, N13 5XL on:-

You must pre-book these sessions

Wednesday 20th April- 11-1pm

Saturday 23rd April- 2-4pm

Wednesday 27th April- 11-1pm

Wednesday 4th May- 1-2.30pm

Sunday 8th May- 2-4pm

Wednesday 11th May- 1-2.30pm

Jill will teach you the skills needed to guide and execute your ideas to create a square for this wonderful collage of stories. No previous skills or experience are necessary (but of course experienced sewers are very welcome too) We are looking for people with an interest and passion for the subject matter. Please email Suzanne at hello@stitch.org.uk if you would like to attend any of these workshop dates If you can’t make the dates but would still like to be involved then please get in touch too.

This grant is made possible thanks to National Lottery players and administered by UK Community Foundations on behalf of the Arts Council, the Let’s Create Jubilee Fund will support a huge range of projects throughout England. 44 community foundations have been awarding grants across the country.

Notes to editors

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Let’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented £1.96 billion Culture Recovery Funds. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.

UK Community Foundations is the membership organisation for the national network of 47 accredited community foundations across the UK. UKCF members inspire local philanthropy, bring communities together and fund great ideas. We have a deep understanding of need in our communities and the challenges and hopes that face them. 

UKCF supports community foundations by providing advice, learning and resources, by championing philanthropy at a national level and by developing national programmes that invest in local communities. www.ukcommunityfoundations.org