Welcome to my new website!

Here we will explore another “unbroken thread” in the world of embroidery: samplers.

Years ago, I started writing about learning how to embroider, my time at the RSN, taking the City and Guilds course, and learning from many other outstanding teachers. This was a wonderful time in my life – learning something new and sharing my excitement with others.

Then my embroidery teaching career grew, and my site became a place where I wrote about the classes I offered and my experiences at all the wonderful events I was privileged to attend.

The next step was to slowly pull back from teaching and turn my attention to research. I completed both my Advanced Diploma in Research Theory and Practice at Cambridge and Introduction to Textile Conservation at the Center for Collections Care at Beloit College.

Now I’m going to follow the “unbroken thread” into the world of antique samplers. Here, we will look at the history of the girls who produced the samplers, both their personal history and the history of the time and place in which they lived. We will examine, with the use of detailed photos, the stitches they use and what we might learn about the sampler makers from the patterns and motifs they included or left out.

I hope for informative discussions including all of us on this new adventure!