Learn from where you can

Me (third from left) meeting with and learning from some Norwegian stitchers at Husfliden in Skien, Norway, 2016.

Many years ago, I considered training at the Royal School of Needlework. In the end, my life took a different path. With the passing of time and the benefit of hindsight, I am so very glad that I did not train there. If I had, I am pretty sure I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing. I wouldn’t have carved out the particular career that I have carved out for myself.

In my work, I focus very much on historical styles of needlework, often that others have not yet shone a light on. I research them in depth, looking at many historical examples, and drawing my information from primary historical sources where possible. I work on expanding our records of how to do techniques that might otherwise be lost. This is MY focus, and I believe that what I do adds value to the needlework world and to the cultural record.

There are many ways to learn what you want to learn. It might be through a school such as the Royal School of Needlework, the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design, or the Japanese Embroidery Center. It might be from individual tutors such as Margaret Lee for Chinese embroidery, or me for various forms of whitework, or Jacqui Carey for Elizabethan, just to name a few. It might be from studying the historical items in museums or local collections. It might be from the cultural custodians of historical embroidery, who are sometimes the few remaining who do the work. It might be from books. It might be from friends, or it might even be from your grandmother.

What I want is for needlework skills to be retained and not lost, and the learning for that to happen can come from many different places. The best place to learn is from the people who have the knowledge and the skills to teach you. It can be formal or informal. It’s just really important that it happens!