About!
Welcome to Threads of a City!
This is an inclusive collaborative design and stitch project for members of Manchester's community as well as students at Manchester Metropolitan University.
We will be combining different aspects of Manchester's history and culture, bringing all these elements together to design a monumental embroidered textiles piece of 28 one-metre-square hexagonal panels which will be displayed at the reopening of Manchester Town Hall!
The project is taking place in multiple stages:
Research & Design:
This stage is beginning on Wednesday 4th February 2026. The research and design process will involve participants joining Research & Design Groups of around 10 people, who will turn their research from within Manchester Central Library into theme-driven panels with emphasis on well-known and lesser-known stories. This will be a really exciting opportunity for members of the public, community groups and students to meet, communicate, learn about Manchester and build networks.
Refinement:
This stage will begin in May 2026. A smaller team of designers with strong drawing skills will be formed and will design the final versions of the panels ready for stitching. This design team will use all the research, planning and designing of the Research and Design Groups to create cohesive panels.
Stitching:
We are currently seeking stitching groups who are interested in contributing to the stitching of the panels, beginning in September 2026. Each group or individual will receive a panel (or two), as well as the yarn needed to complete the panel, either at home in their own time, or as part of stitching workshops which will be held at Manchester Central Library and Whitworth Art Gallery (TBC).
Exhibition!
The final panels are going to be assembled and displayed at Manchester Town Hall at its reopening in September 2027. We will be extremely excited to share the work with the public and for anybody involved to be able to see their hard work on display.
The first workshop, which is the first of a series of workshops focusing on the research and design process, is taking place on Wednesday 4th February at Manchester Metropolitan University. You can find a list of upcoming events on our blog page (link here).
Please see our contact page to find out how to get involved!