HOME | NNA | OCTC | COUNTRY WIFE | EXHIBITIONS | WORKSHOPS & COURSES | ACTIVITY SATURDAYS | DIRECTIONS | CONTACT
National Needlework Archive
For day to day, special, and up to date information, such as closures due to bad weather etc., please click here to go onto our Facebook page.
The Old Chapel Textile Centre in Newbury, home of the National Needlework Archive, offer courses, workshops and exhibitions in sewing, haberdashery, needlecraft, textiles, embroidery, cross stitch, quilting and textile art. Our shop carries an extensive range of all needlework and sewing products including fabric, threads, wool, zips and patterns. We have an archive of historic textiles and patterns and are home to The Country Wife mural.
Exhibitions at The Old Chapel Textile Centre
EXHIBITIONS 2025
Entrance to the exhibitions is £5.00 per person.
An additional fee is payable for visits to The Country Wife textile mural.
Group discounts are available for ten or more persons.
Opening times: Tuesdays, Thursdays & 1st Saturday of month from 10am to 4pm.
Saturday 1st March to Thursday 22nd May 2025
Stitching Botanicals -
A collection of textile based pieces on the theme of Sowing, Growing and Harvest, made for The National Botanic Garden of Wales. These include beautifully stitched seed packets
Tuesday 3rd June to Thursday 21st August
Cross Stitching: Historical & Modern Exhibition.
A look at the history and development of cross stitch with vintage and contemporary examples.
We are very happy to be hosting this collaborative exhibition featuring textiles & books from the National Needlework Archive displayed alongside, antique samplers and beautiful cross stitched items loaned by Caroline Seldon of HAYSTACK STITCHING. Learn more about the history & development of cross stitch from both vintage & contemporary examples.
Thursday 1st May to Thursday 29th May
Artists in the Café
To complement Newbury’s Open Studios event we are featuring three textile artists who reuse & repurpose. They each recycle fabrics off cuts and threads to create new textile items. Liz Spencer at Happy Hedgehog stitches gorgeous childrens wear and other textile items by mixing quality fabrics and fun motifs. Hilary Jenkins incorporates handmade paper and hand dyed threads to make cards and beautiful embroidered pictures inspired by nature. From the Sewing Basket we will have a range of items including needle-
Tuesday 2nd September to Thursday 20th November
‘By Design’ Exhibition -
These contemporary quilts are inspired by members’ favourite photographs. The photos range across many subjects from Victorian railway stations to Greek flower meadows, from geometric shapes and
Moroccan gardens. The quilts are displayed in pairs, one made by the originator alone & the other worked on by others.
Saturday 29th November, Tuesday 2nd, Wednesday 3rd, Thursday 4th, Friday 5th & Saturday 6th December.
End of year Sale
