A NEEDLECRAFT exhibition promises to turn the art form on its head at The Mill Arts Centre.

The Textiles Showcase was launched last week at a private view in which sketchbooks — with stitching as part of the intrinsic designs and original ideas —provided insight into the genesis of the many works on display.

The exhibition is part of a collection created by students of textiles expert and tutor Sue Green, who runs several classes for people of all abilities at the Spiceball Park arts and education venue.

“The pieces in the exhibition are all by students of my four craft classes at The Mill – about 45 students in total,” said Ms Green.

“They all work on shared projects but some follow individual ideas which I assist them with. “It is a two-way thing because as much as they want professional guidance, I also learn from them as they experiment.”

The show at The Mill includes three-dimensional work and unusual materials such as plastic bags and strips of net curtaining.

The walls of the foyer gallery are adorned by many attractive, eye-catching pieces of textile work. Among the displays on the walls are mixed-media samples, incorporating printing with stitching, examples of machine stitching at its best and a number of hand-sewn pieces.

“I consider hand stitching to be an elementary skill which I like my students to master in order to be able to go on to achieve the most exciting and fulfilling work they are capable of,” said Ms Green.

As well as her regular weekly textiles classes, Ms Green runs seasonal day workshops on some of the more specialist aspects of textiles and their use in art.

She was one of the central tutors in last summer’s community project Ride a Cock Horse, in which individuals with experience of mental health problems worked with artists and craftspeople to create a large, textile banner decorated on the theme of the Banburyshire nursery rhyme, and still exhibited in local venues.

The scheme was a successful collaboration between The Mill, The Elms and MIND.

The Textiles Showcase can be seen at The Mill until September 8. Pop in or call 01295 252050.