Yorkshire


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="844" height="1151" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/NatalieWaltonHeadhshot.jpg" alt="Natalie Walton from WOVEN" class="wp-image-8128" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/NatalieWaltonHeadhshot.jpg 844w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/NatalieWaltonHeadhshot-220x300.jpg 220w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/NatalieWaltonHeadhshot-751x1024.jpg 751w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/NatalieWaltonHeadhshot-768x1047.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 844px) 100vw, 844px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-the-idea-of-the-woven-festival-come-about-in-the-first-place"><strong>How did the idea of the WOVEN Festival come about in the first place?</strong></h2>



<p>WOVEN was a commissioned project by Kirklees Council with the aim to reconnect people to the rich textile heritage of the area. It was also to raise awareness of the passion people here have for textiles as a hobby, as independent makers and artists, in the existing mills and industry and the advancements the University of Huddersfield is making in technical textiles.</p>



<p>The first festival took place in June 2019, coinciding with the university graduate showcase. In the first year we supported 110 events in nine days made up of commissions, behind-the-scenes tours of mills, workshops, talks and tours. The festival is now a highlight in the Kirklees calendar, with a month-long programme every other year. We also work with The Arcade in Dewsbury and Upcycle Fashion on a monthly clothes swap event that supports people to bring their pre-loved clothes and swap them for clothing that someone else has loved. This keeps clothes out of the bin and landfill and offers a social space to have a cuppa and have a go at a workshop while they’re there.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-makes-you-proudest-when-you-look-at-woven-now"><strong>What makes you proudest when you look at WOVEN now?</strong></h2>



<p>As the curator my aim has always been to be made redundant and &#8211; as you can see from how the community is taking over &#8211; this is happening more and more each year. My role is to bring projects to the area to inspire the community, things that they may not have seen before or to grow the reach of the festival into other areas of West Yorkshire, like we are doing with the Calico Dress.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-what-exactly-is-the-calico-dress-and-can-we-have-one"><strong>So, what exactly is the Calico Dress and can we have one?</strong></h2>



<p>The Calico Dress Project is a global project developed by Kirstie Mcleod, the artist of the Red Dress. WOVEN hosted the Red Dress in Oakwell Hall in June 2025 to huge success, with more than 3700 visitors over the month.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2560" height="1708" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-scaled.jpg" alt="Red Dress Oakwell Hall" class="wp-image-8129" style="aspect-ratio:1.499267935578331;object-fit:cover" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/The-Red-Dress-Install-10Bokehgo-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image: Studio Bokehgo</figcaption></figure>



<p>The Red Dress is Kirstie&#8217;s labour of love for more than 14 years &#8211; one dress embellished by 380 embroiderers from 51 countries. Each stitch in the dress tells a personal story of the maker, whether that’s from a group of women fleeing domestic violence, refugees, or someone showing their loving relationship.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Following the exhibition we knew we had to do something else, communities were asking to make their own Red Dress and some did. We knew Kirstie had the Calico Project already in place as a global project and we felt it was important that our communities should be part of a global stitch community. With two out of five districts in West Yorkshire interested we began our challenge to see if we could establish dress for all areas. And so we have engaged with community groups, textile organisations and museums to help us grow the project. In Leeds the Dress will be supported by Sunny Bank Mills Museum and Archive, Fabrication and Leeds Art Gallery. In Bradford the programme is supported by Interculture festival and the Museums education team and in Calderdale we will be working with Bankfield Museum and other community partners.</p>



<p>Each Calico Dress is a blank canvas for people from the local area to tell their stitch stories. We are asking that people from different communities stitch their identity into a patch that will be added onto each dress. We think each dress will hold at least 300 stories. All five dresses will be shown at part of the WOVEN festival in Kirklees in 2027 and then go on tour to each of the districts.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-1024x683.jpeg" alt="Calico Dress" class="wp-image-8130" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Calico-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-optimistic-are-you-about-the-future-of-textiles-in-yorkshire"><strong>How optimistic are you about the future of textiles in Yorkshire?</strong></h2>



<p>The textile industry employs over 10k workers, with a £32bn contribution to the economy. And we’ve seen resurgence in the visibility of textiles in the region in the last few years. Our own Mayor of West Yorkshire has always been a supporter of textile innovation and as West Yorkshire Combined Authority is backing businesses in the region. Yorkshire cloth, in particular Huddersfield cloth, is still a global sign of quality and with a growing segment of consumers is shifting toward buying fewer clothes but focusing on better quality, driven by desires for sustainability, durability and a rejection of fast-fashion trends.&nbsp;</p>



<p>In addition there has been a boom in textile hobbies such as knitting and crocheting and making your own clothes and mending items rather than throwing them away. WOVEN has tapped into this in a big way and has seen an increase in the demand for textile workshops, knit and natter groups, repair cafes and initiatives such as the Huddersfield-based Thread Republic. Textiles is more than fashion, mills and industry, textiles is a growing community in a time when our communities are divided.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-so-what-s-world-stitch-day-all-about"><strong>So what’s World Stitch Day all about?</strong></h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-1024x683.jpg" alt="World Stitch Day" class="wp-image-8132" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/yorkshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2026/05/Woven-Opening-Day-20-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>World Stitch Day, which takes place on <strong>Sun 7 June</strong>, is now an annual celebration at Oakwell Hall in Birstall. This year we’ll see stitch projects from our communities presented in the barn along with demonstrations and workshops, band weaving, traditional Japanese repair and family friendly stitch activities. In the marketplace there will be an exhibition of traditional costumes loaned to us from members of our community, in particular participants from a fantastic community arts organisation 6 Million+.<br><strong><br><a href="https://woveninkirklees.co.uk/world-stitch-day-is-back-for-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">World Stitch Day</a> takes place on Sun 7 Jun at Oakwell Hall, Birstall</strong></p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-in-the-mood-for-more">IN THE MOOD FOR MORE? </h2>



<p><a href="https://yorkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture/muddy-meets-martha-godber/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Muddy Meets: Martha Godber</a><br><a href="https://yorkshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/analogue-life-trends/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why we’re all mad for analogue hobbies</a></p>


Muddy Meets: WOVEN curator Natalie Walton

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