The Embroideress

Or, never trust an expert. A tapestry mis-identified in the early 1900's and purchased by the Crocker family has returned for sale in England having been identified as produced by the Sheldon workshop.

You never know when a Tudor masterpiece may turn up.

Thanks to SCAtoday.net for the link

Labels: Bayeux Tapestry, English History, Tudor needlework

Every once in a while someone comes out with a book about that monumental embroidery, the Bayeux Tapestry.

The battles go on concerning who stitched it, who commissioned it, how it ended, and all the other questions that plague us when we simply have no good answers about the history of a textile.

R. Howard Bloch has written a general overview of the history of the embroidery, the technique of the embroidery, the social and military history of the events depicted and adds a sprinkling of trivia. A Needle In The Right Hand of God (ISBN 1-4000-6549-6) Check around, there are discounted copies available.

For instance, do you know why the official keepers of the embroidery insist on continuing to use the term tapestry when we all know it is a work of embroidery?

Read the book and find out, but I do suggest you have at your elbow one of the other publications about the embroidery which has larger illustrations.

Labels: Bayeux Tapestry, Needlework history, R. Howard Bloch

One of my favorite textile arts is tapestry. Medieval, modern, traditional, shocking - whatever.

However, the medieval tapestries with their rich colors, big-screen costumes, gripping storylines set my textile antennae into a frenzy.

The Victoria and Albert Museum (my home away from home) has recently added a micro-site to their cyber world. It features some of the material from a 2003 Gothic exhibit which was extremely well mounted. I highly recommend the catalog of this exhibit.

This site is dedicted to tapestry weaving and is concise but also offers a bibliography and a links list that can take you further and further into the medieval world.

Check it out for a bit of information on tapestry weaving and to see a modern weaver's journey into early tapestry weaving techniques.

Labels: Bayeux Tapestry, Medieval textiles, Weaving history

Over on You Tube, a contributor has animated a section of the Bayeux Tapestry. The horses gallop, the arrows Fly, The houses burn, the heads come off, the blood flows, the boats sail, the comet soars overhead. You'll get the picture.

Many thanks to SCA Today for the link.

Labels: Bayeux Tapestry, Needlework history, SCA