There is currently a super exhibition at Sheffield Central Library of the work of Eco-stitchers, a Sheffield group of textile artists who work in an environmentally conscious and sustainable way.
My favourite piece was a textile version of the Climate Stripes, which shows how the planet is heating over time. This week, during the heatwave, the constant noise from climate deniers saying that it was just as bad in 1976 has really annoyed me! Such people need to look at the science, which doesn’t just show that the Earth is heating up, but it also shows that the rate at which it is heating is increasing.
We can see this clearly in the way records have been broken this week, not by a small amount, but in massive jumps. Records were broken 3 days in a row. The previous hottest day in June was 35.6°C, which was reached on 28 June 1976. This has now been smashed by 1.7C. 1976 shows as a red stripe, but you can see those temperatures have now become normal.
26th June 2026 was the 6th hottest day ever recorded in the UK (37.3C), and all the hotter ones have been since 2003, with the hottest 19th July 2022 (40.3C) and the second hottest 25th July 2019. The June record was broken 3 times last week, and we had 3 days in a row of temperatures above 35C including 2 red extreme heat warnings.
The climate stripes image was created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in 2018. It shows how the world’s average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries.
How does the image work?
The image shows world temperatures from 1850 to 2018. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the period as a whole.
The blue colours indicate cooler-than-average years, while red shows years that were hotter than average. The red stripes on the right side of the image show the rapid heating of our planet in recent years.
You can see temperature changes for more than 200 countries, states and cities (available to download for free) from the showyourstripes.info website. People in every country can see how their local climate is heating. You can share the image and help start conversations about climate change.
The Ecostitchers made a version in thread, inviting people to take part and fill one or more stripes, or part of a stripe, with thread using any type of stitch they chose, and this was the result.
Ecostitchers
Ecostitchers are made up of Allison James, Maria Newman, Jan Novitzky, Jude Shore and Liza Smeeton.
Their work to date has focused on themes such as climate change in marine environments, trees, no rain — no flowers, and changing landscapes.
This piece takes its inspiration from the landscape of our city. Each panel is designed separately by one of the members, drawing on their particular skills and their feelings about the landscape.
Ecostitchers adopt the principles outlined by the movement for action against climate change. In their work:
- Where possible, they resist buying new fabrics to work with.
- They repurpose, reuse and recycle materials — old clothes, old bed linens, old curtains, fabric off-cuts, fabric scraps, paper, card, etc.
- They rehome materials and fabrics unwanted by other people.
This exhibition includes a selection of pieces across the different themes, made using techniques and materials such as handmade art felt, applique, silk paper making, hand and machine embroidery, and quilting.
If you want to find out more about them, or about a specific piece of work on display, you can contact them via: allisonjamestextiles@gmail.
Do pop in to Central Library to see this when you are in town.
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