All done and dusted

Here are some of Matthew's lovely images.

...

.

Here we go...

So, the big installation day finally arrived last week. Here we all are, with spirit levels and screwdrivers aplenty. You can see the table in it's sections before the whole thing was joined into it's seamless whole.
I am really pleased with the lovely 18th century blue I chose for the gallery walls, which really helped to set the context for the work, and to transform the space into a banqueting room.

And here I am adding the finishing touches - paper tapers for all the glass candlesticks.

House work

I have been doing lots of hemming and lots of ironing in the last couple of days, finishing off the napkins. They are all sewn on old linen damasks, and I love the way that the damask patterns appear and disappear depending on the light. I have had two sets made - one with a grey ground and black stitching to sit on the table, and a second white set , stitched in silver grey which will hang in the gallery so that visitors can see the complete designs unfolded. Here are some of my favourites.

..

Alice Archer, who has embroidered them for me has done an amazing job!

I have also been working on the leaflet which will accompany the show, and will give a brief biography of my guests. Writing it all up, I have been really struck by quite how interconnected they all are - everyone has some direct link with at least one other person, and some of them, like Walpole and Pope link whole networks of characters.

Last Saturday there was a nice little article on me in the Guardian. It was about the studio, and weaving in particular, so not directly about this project, but there is a nice follow up slide show on the Guardian website at http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/audioslideshow/2010/jun/01/traditional-weaving