Stitching together the stories of Sauchiehall Street!
What is Soft City all about?
Soft City is a community art project that explores history of the retail and social spaces of Sauchiehall Street, and the stories of the people who visit. Through a series of chat ‘n’ craft workshops, we have worked together to create a soft sculpture model of Sauchiehall Street, as well as collecting personal stories and memories related to this iconic area of Glasgow.
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Soft City aims to diversify the voices who have a say in the regeneration of Glasgow's City Centre. We want to engage communities in reclaiming their heritage and shared spaces, by exploring the many reincarnations of Sauchiehall Street. Using Feminist City thinking, together we imagined what a safer, more accessible city centre could look like for everyone. We’ve had some brilliant conversations about Sauchiehall Street - its past, present & future - and we have been blown away by the enthusiasm for the project and the beautiful work created!
With many different ways to contribute - from taking part in a workshop, to sharing a story online or working on a craft pack from home - we have had over 100 people share their memories, ideas and creations.
How did the project unfold?
Soft City started 6 months ago, in September 2024. First up was the research phase: we spent weeks digging through archives of photos and newspaper articles, and talking to local experts, to build up a picture of the retail and social history of Sauchiehall Street. You can see our research findings, plus links to all the heritage resources we discovered, in our printed zine and on the Soft City webpage: www.alicesillustrations.com/soft-city
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Next, it was time to get crafting! We hosted craft ’n’ chat workshops, some public and some with local community groups, where people could choose to explore various textile crafts, including: weaving, embroidery, appliqué, collage, crochet and fabric painting. The ‘slow stitching’ created a relaxed space, for chatting, playing, connecting and sharing personal reflections on Sauchiehall Street. These sessions were inspired by the pop-up ‘Make Do & Mend’ workshops held in social spaces on Sauchiehall Street during WW2.
Other ways to get involved in the project included sharing a story online or making a ‘Little Window’ patch from our take-home craft packs.
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All of these contributions have been used to create this huge soft sculpture. Over the course of 2 weeks we (Alice, Ellie and Neve) have stitched it all together - patch-working, quilting, crocheting and building the structure. From the offset, we have not had a prescribed idea of how it would all look, which has allowed space for the street to grow organically over the course of the project. It’s been amazing to see it all come together!
What have we been chatting about?
During the workshops, everyone shared personal experiences of Sauchiehall Street, with memories popping up and overlapping. Conversations jumped from past to present to future. Some key themes were: safety, inclusion and accessibility in the city centre; the changing high street; the importance of social and community spaces; crafts for mindfulness; and arts, events and cultural hubs around Sauchiehall Street.
The Soft City Street
Most of the materials used to make the Soft City sculpture were scrap or second hand, highlighting that beautiful things can be made from textile 'waste'.
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You can spot individually-made patches, collaboratively painted fabric, wonderful weavings, handwritten stories and many, many thoughtful stitches. Some of the patches are inspired by the street’s history, whilst some have a corresponding personal story on a tag- see if you can match any…
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Look closely, take your time, and please touch!
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Soft City Lead Artists:
Alice Brown & Ellie Mills
@Alicesillustrations / @Ellietype
A Bit About Us
Lead Artists for this project are Alice Brown and Ellie Mills, two Glasgow-based artists, interested in storytelling, crafting, sustainability and collaborative making. Together, we love to work on community-focused projects, creating playful, immersive worlds for people to explore.
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We’d like to say a huge thanks to Faye Hamblett-Jones (Project Development Producer) and Neve Pearce (Assistant Artist) for all their support throughout this project!
Soft City is a community art project that explores the history of Sauchiehall Street and the stories of the people who visit it. Through a series of chat ‘n’ craft workshops, we have worked together to create a soft sculpture model of Sauchiehall Street.
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Soft City aims to diversify the voices who have a say in the regeneration of Glasgow's City Centre. We want to engage communities in reclaiming their heritage and shared spaces, by exploring the many reincarnations of Sauchiehall Street.
Using Feminist City thinking, together we imagine what a safer, more accessible city centre could look like for everyone.
Patching the Past, Stitching the Future
A heartfelt thank you goes out to everyone who has participated in a Soft City workshop, shared a story or completed an at-home craft pack.
Together we have built a patchwork soft sculpture and an archive of personal stories, memories and wishes, all reflecting on the culture and heritage of Sauchiehall Street.
The conversations around Sauchiehall Street - its past, present, and future - have been inspiring, and the enthusiasm and creativity shown through the work produced has been truly incredible. Every contribution has added something special to this collaborative art project.
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The sculpture and collected stories will be exhibited at Edward House (15/03/25 - 20/03/25) and then at The Mitchell Library (26/03/25 - 15/04/25) - click here for full details.
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We are Ellie and Alice, two Glasgow-based artists, interested in storytelling, crafting, sustainability and collaborative making. Together, we love to work on community-focused projects, creating playful, immersive worlds for people to explore.
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Ellie
Alice
Your Voice Matters!
Read other people's stories of the street...
172 Sauchiehall St, 1938, courtesy of Mitchell Library (C6999)
199 Sauchiehall St, Edward House, 2024
185 Sauchiehall St, Vacant, 2024
304 Sauchiehall St, 1931, courtesy of Mitchell Library (C5048)
Photo from 1975, courtesy of Aileen Ahmed
Shelagh Mckay Jones
Story of the Barefoot Busker - 1990's
“I have fond memories of busking barefoot outside C&A back in the early '90s. It was The Sunny Boys' regular busking spot, but I didn’t know that at the time. They came along and were so nice about it. When I realised who they were, I thought they might be annoyed, but they were lovely.
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It was a hive of activity back then, and people seemed more interested in buskers than they do now. Most buskers were unplugged, which meant you could have a lot of them on one street. It was great.
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I was doing a lot of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Kate Wolf, John Denver, etc. Bit of a hippie back then. I'd just got back from doing voluntary work with Mother Teresa's organisation in Calcutta. I play guitar – it’s a bit big for me since I’m quite wee, haha. I had long brown hair back then and wore long hippie skirts and dresses, all in bright colours.
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That was 1991. I lived in a bedsit in Pollokshields for six months that year. The old guy from Shettleston was still around with his accordion, and there was also the fella who played two tin whistles in perfect harmony simultaneously."
Sauchiehall St, near Pitt St, 1958, courtesy of Mitchell Library (C2696)
"I believe stories matter. They frame how we perceive the past and the present, shape our capacity for empathy with others, and most critically, mould the range of potential outcomes that we both desire and imagine."
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Leslie Kern
Gentrification is Inevitable and Other Lies
News Article, 1975, The Sunday Post
Uncover the Stories & Social Heritage of Sauchiehall Street
Sauchiehall Street has worn many faces over the years. Once a country lane, it’s also been home to an ice rink, a circus, a shopping hub, a lively place to dance, a centre of learning, and a vibrant spot to enjoy a drink!
She's been through her fair share of highs & lows!
Looking east from Cambridge St, 1960,
courtesy of the Mitchell Library (C3601)
Charing Cross Mansions; shop fronts, 1930's, courtesy of the Mitchell Library (C7072)
An extract from a letter, describing the changes to the street, Agnes Toward writes to her friend Elsie, 1958
- Tenement House Collection
RESOURCE
LINKS
Here’s a wee list of our fav resources for you!
Fancy digging deeper into Sauchiehall Street’s heritage
& feminist city thinking?
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Sauchiehall St, 1958 courtesy of Mitchell Library C1823)
Book - Feminist City, Leslie Kern
In Feminist City, Kern examines how cities have been built to prioritise middle-class male, able-bodied needs and envisions transformative, inclusive spaces for a more equitable urban future.
Podcast - If Glasgow Walls Could Talk
By Glasgow City Heritage Trust, this podcast explores the relationship, stories and shared memories of Glasgow's historic buildings and the city's communities.
Newspaper - Remnants
Remnants - "How you build a city" is a free newspaper about Glasgow's Merchant City, commissioned by Panel in partnership with Voices of Experience for Civic Room’s programme ‘Of Lovely Tyrants and Invisible Women', 2019–20.
Library & Archives - Glasgow Women's Library
Celebrating and documenting the lives, work and achievements of women, GWL is an incredible resource. Did you know the original Women's Library was in Garnethill? The Library also has a walking tour of women's heritage in Garnethill, which you can download for free here.
Library & Archives - Mitchell Library
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A fantastic library! On level 5 you'll find the newspaper archives and loads of books about the history of Glasgow. They also have a large historical archive collection, as well as the 'Virtual Mitchell', an online resource of photographs of Glasgow from the archives.
Walking Tours - Kevin Morrison
Kevin Morrison wrote his PHD on wartime Glasgow. He is a wealth of knowledge! He has run walking tours of Sauchiehall Street as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival - keep an eye out for future tours!
Museum - Tenement House
Step back in time in this preserved historic tenement flat nestled at the motorway end of Garnethill, a really fascinating place to explore the life of an ordinary Glaswegian in the early 20th century.
Interactive Map - Scotland LGBT Historical Maps
A map to explore queer history in Scotland from 1885-1995, noting queer friendly bars and venues and places of significance to the gay community. There is also some really interesting information below the map about queer history in Glasgow - research and map by Jeff Meek.
Craft Links
Here are some helpful links to guide you in creating your little windows for your craft pack. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!
P.S. - A little tip: Don’t stress about making it perfect—just have fun with the process!
Sewing
A run through the basics of hand sewing
A beginners guide to embroidery
Some more intricate
stitch ideas!
A few techniques to fill an area using embroidery.
Fancy trying some elaborate stitching?
Appliqué
Get some tips on how to sew on fabrics to your window.
The blanket stitch can be used in appliqué!
Collage
Some tips and tricks to creating your felt collage
Some collage ideas for wee ones
Inspiration and ideas for collaging and layering
A small scale collage making tutorial
Add a wee character into your design
This commission is part of the exploration phase programme for Sauchiehall Street: Culture and Heritage District, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund Heritage Places, and in partnership with Glasgow City Council.
