On Sunday, August 13, 2023 1PM Eastern, Ellen Phelps will be joining us for a virtual lecture on Linen: The Journey From Seed to Cloth.
Registration for this live lecture closes on August 11, 2023 1PM Eastern. This registration period is only to attend the live virtual lecture on August 13, 2023 1PM Eastern. Registration to see the recording will be available at a later date.
What do you really know about the linen cloth you stitch on or linen thread that you stitch with? In order to gain an appreciation of the linen thread that we use in our weaving, the Frances Irwin Handweavers Guild set out on a 2-year journey to learn about linen. From preparing the garden and growing, reaping, and preparing flax to be spun into linen thread and woven into cloth, guild members experienced these processes literally from the ground up! Come along with us on this journey as we share our experiences with you so that you, too, can learn more about the linen you hold in your hands.
Click here to register!
We recently announced changes to our Virtual Lecture Series process, which among other things includes an exciting update allowing up to 500 members to participate and access to some recordings of our virtual lectures!
Virtual lectures Coming Soon
Coming Soon: The Plymouth Tapestry with Donna Curtin — Museum Director Donna Curtin describes how the Plymouth Tapestry project came to be, how the Tapestry is being made, and shares images and film clips of this remarkable masterwork-in-the-making, including the ten six-ft. long embroidered panels completed to date. Live Lecture Date: Sunday, September 10, 2023 1PM Eastern Live Lecture Registration: August 14 – September 8, 2023 1PM Eastern Get a reminder!
Coming Soon: ‘Este dechado’: Mastering Needlework in Mid-19th Century Mexico with Dr. Lynne Anderson and Dr. Mayela Flores Enriquez — Drs. Lynne Anderson and Mayela Flores will introduce the world of Mexican sampler making, showcasing the unique features of Mexican “dechados” and discussing the important role of needlework in Mexican female education, including how this changed over time due to historical, cultural, and religious influences. Live Lecture Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023 1PM Eastern Live Lecture Registration: September 18 – October 12, 2023 1PM Eastern Get a reminder!
Coming Soon: Reviving the art of embroidery: Lady Victoria Welby and the founding of the Royal School of Needlework, 1872-1881 with Lynn Hulse — Lynn Hulse explores the early history of the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) through the lens of its founder, Lady Victoria Welby (1837-1912). Welby is better known today as a philosopher of language, but during her lifetime she was credited with reviving the art of embroidery, brought into disrepute by the ‘uselessness and ugliness’ of Berlin work, the most popular type of fancy work in the early Victorian period. Founded in 1872, the RSN, or School of Art Needlework as it was originally named, set about restoring embroidery for house decoration to the level of the other decorative arts, and through its revival, provided suitable employment for distressed gentlewomen in reduced circumstances. Live Lecture Date: Sunday, December 17, 2023 1PM Eastern Live Lecture Registration: November 13 – December 15, 2023 1PM Eastern Get a reminder!
Virtual Lecture Recordings Available
Recording Now Available: Making My Bed: Creating imaginative worlds with 3D embroidery with Salley Mavor — Artist Salley Mavor will talk about her 40+ year career creating imaginative worlds with 3-dimensional embroidery. The presentation will cover a wide range of artistic adventures, from illustration to doll-making to stop-motion animation, all done in her signature hand-stitched style. This is an opportunity to take a behind the scenes peek at Ms. Mavor’s innovative process, which incorporates embroidery, fabric, and found objects. Get access to the recording!
Recording Now Available: Elizabethan Embroidery And The Trevelyon Miscellany Of 1608 with Kathy Andrews — Thomas Trevelyon, a London craftsman of whom little is known, created his miscellany in 1608 when he was about 60 years old. Join Kathy Andrews for a brief overview of the concept of a miscellany. We will see a facsimile of the Miscellany and explore the embroidery designs within. Participants will see both period and current examples of embroidered pieces whose designs are inspired/taken from the Miscellan. Get access to the recording!
Recording Now Available: A Journey into Tibet’s Sacred Textile Art with Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo — A California woman traveled to the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India to manage an economic development fund. In a twist of fate, she ended up sewing pictures of buddhas instead. She ultimately learned that a path is made by walking it, and some of the best paths are made by walking off course. Get access to the recording!
Recording now Available: How to Research an Antique Sampler with Cindy Steinhoff — An antique sampler reveals some of its physical characteristics and often some information about the girl who stitched it, but what else can it tell us? Cynthia Shank Steinhoff will discuss how she learns more about the samplers she collects and researches. The result is a full documentation of a sampler’s appearance and history. Many of the characteristics that she identifies for older samplers can be used to provide a full description of a needlework piece made today. Get access to the recording!
