Covid19 is not a subject to joke upon.  Every one, everywhere, is hoping that it is history but we still cannot be sure that this is correct. There are still many people infected and we wish them a recovery that is free of complications.

I hope you have all survived the last two years.  I live in an Independent Seniors Residence and we had a number of shut downs which were tedious but worked.  We had no resident with a serious illness but staff experienced a lot of time off work because of testing positive.  My husband died in early March of this year but he had Parkinson’s and neither of us had Covid19.  This, and Covid19 explains my two year silence on this Blog.

The stitching world is becoming active again.  Here is some information you should know about.  Virtual courses are now a reality. Even if you are unable to travel, you might like to explore an on-line course.

This is the year that The Royal School of Needlework celebrates their 150th Anniversary. It is a hugely busy year for them.  Here is their information copied for you,

Royal School of Needlework is at Fashion and Textile Museum.

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‘In celebration of the RSN’s 150th Anniversary and our exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum London, we have created a series of films which share captivating insights into our acclaimed collection of contemporary and archival objects.⁠

In this film, Chief Executive & Exhibition Curator, Dr Susan Kay-Williams talks about the story behind the design for HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Robe of Estate in 1953.

A selection of our archival lingerie collection is on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London. In our exhibition, ‘150 years of the Royal School of Needlework:  Crown to Catwalk’. Follow the link to book your tickets: https://bit.ly/38eGdd1 The exhibition is now open and will run until 4 September. * * #RSN150 Fashion and Textile Museum #royalschoolofneedlework #royalneedlework #crowntocatwalk #bridaltrousseau #trousseau #1930s #1930sfashion #1930slingerie #dresshistory #textilehistory #embroidery #handembroidery #embroiderydesign #embroiderydesigner #historicaltextiles #fashionandtextilemuseum #embroiderersoffacebook #bordado #broderie

The Royal School of Needlework is located in Hampton Court Palace which is upstream from London on the River Thames.  Their skills and knowledge are remarkable and you will be privileged if you are able to attend in person. There will be Summer School as usual.

They will also be having courses On Line and if you are unable to get to London this summer.   This is your chance to participate in the celebrations. The courses look really tempting.

I hope that this information is correct. There is a lot of reading and pictures of gorgeous embroideries for you to enjoy.  Do not miss the section introducing the Members of the Board of RSN.

I will also be sharing information on other courses that are happening this summer somewhere in the wonderful planet we all live on.  If you have, or know of a source for Courses on Embroidery, please let me know and I will include them in this Blog.

Apologies that there are no pictures this time but you will find plenty when you go browsing.

Jan 25, 2018 Nikola Budanovic Reprinted from The Vintage News – Jan 26, 2018

First, an answer to a question. Magna Carta Panels; “Get out and get under” photo. Yes, it is unusual to have to do this. It is sometimes necessary when repairing old textiles that cannot be rolled onto the wooden frame bars. In the case of the panels, my guess is that there was something not quite right about some stitching in the central area that needed some attention.

For the first time in 950 years, the famous Bayeux Tapestry will leave its home in France and head for England. The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the artistic wonders of the Middle Ages, depicting the Norman invasion of Britain, the Battle of Hastings, and the subsequent rule of William the Conqueror.

Notice the wind in the sails and the horses marveling at sailing on the sea. Also, that everything, in all these pictures, is proportionally correct and balanced. Then, go and take another look at the battle scenes. The picture below does not show the proportion distortions.

The 224-foot-long panorama, which serves as a priceless piece of history, is currently located in Bayeux, a town in Normandy. A recent announcement by French President Emmanuel Macron that the delicate artifact will be loaned to England has created much excitement and debate on both sides of the English Channel.

The tapestry was originally woven in Kent, in southeast England, somewhere around 1070, by the order of Bishop Odo, William’s half-brother, who intended to use it solely for its narrative potential―after William I made a foothold in England, he claimed the English throne. The tapestry was meant to justify his attempt as legitimate, as he was the victor at Hastings.

A segment of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, (with his bludgeoning mace) rallying Duke William’s troops during the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The Battle of Hastings was one of the turning points in British history; the defeat suffered by the Saxon King Harold marked the beginning of the Norman period in Britain. The landowning elite were completely replaced by Norman royalty, and so was the culture and the language―Old English was all but lost as a literary language throughout the 11th and 12th century.

William the Conqueror established his rule, but it was plagued by decades of rebellions, uprisings, and civil wars. Even though he crowned in 1066, it was not until 1072 that William’s grip on the country was firm.

The craftsmen who produced the work almost 1,000 years ago remain unknown, but their work is anything but. The tapestry is considered to have exquisite artistic value, as well as historic. The depictions of the horrors of war, which include headless soldiers, King Harold being shot in the eye with an arrow, dead horses, and Normans burning and pillaging villages might be the first ever to challenge the chivalrous image of the period.

It still uncertain which museum will take responsibility for housing the relic. The British Museum in London was cited as the initial host, while the English Heritage Museum, which owns Battle Abbey, built by William himself to commemorate the Battle of Hastings in 1066, claims that the tapestry should, at least temporarily, be displayed at the place where the historical battle actually took place.

The loan is scheduled for the year 2022, when restoration of the Bayeux museum in France will take place. So the tapestry would be sent for safekeeping, but the transport itself is a tricky issue. The millennium-old embroidered cloth is very fragile and the risk of damaging it during transport looms over Macron’s decision.

The current curator of the tapestry, Pierre Bouet, stated for the Guardian that, at first, he considered the news was a hoax, but when it proved to be true, his skepticism increased: “If you were to ask my advice, despite the regard I have for my English colleagues who I have worked with for many years, I would say no.”

On the other hand, both the Heritage Museum and the British Museum are thrilled with the prospect of the return of the medieval masterpiece to England. Rowena Willard-Wright, a senior curator at English Heritage, implied in her interview for the Guardian that the tapestry should be located outside London:

“The problem for the British Museum is what you might call the Tutankhamun effect: people end up queuing all the way into Russell Square. If people have to queue, where better than the Sussex countryside?”

The staff of the British Museum consider the 70-meter-long panorama too fragile to be moved from one place to another, and that it would be safest to keep it in one place. Michael Lewis, a curator, claims that conservation and practical difficulties would make the tapestry impossible to tour.

Related story from us: Off to the ‘holy places’: pilgrimages during the Middle Ages

However, the British Museum in London considers the artwork pivotal and would like to make it accessible to as many people as possible. The decisions on where it will be housed, and even if safe transportation will be possible, are yet to be made. Until then, the tapestry remains exhibited in the Bayeux city museum, in the picturesque countryside of Lower Normandy’s department of Calvados.

This is all very exciting and not even contemplated publicly when I started writing this sequential account of Embroideries that Record History. I will be taking a further look at the resurgence of Large Embroideries in future postings.

This is all very exciting and not even contemplated publicly when I started writing this sequential account of Embroideries that Record History. I will be taking a further look at the resurgence of Large Embroideries in future postings.

It is time for me to return to stitching which has been neglected lately. I hope that you have enjoyed reading and seeing these photos and videos. I have tried hard to be accurate but have undoubtedly made errors all of which were unintentional.

Comments are welcome, bye for now, Ann B.