The Stitch Safari Podcast

  The romantic and exquisitely wrought designs of the Japanese aesthetic featured on numerous Kimono, inspired many through their elegance and exoticism.  From the understated, to the overt, from wartime propaganda kimonos of the 1930’s and 40’s to some of the most beautiful depictions of blossoms and geometric patterning ever seen, the Kimono seduces and captivates, still.

Rank Badges or Mandarin Squares as they’re also known, are a true representation of the elegance and diversity of East Asian embroidery – there’s absolutely nothing not-to-like here, combining design and embroidery skill of an extremely high level – an experience that should not be overlooked in the annals of research or design styles.

Dragon Robes conjure exotic, mythical images of a colourful past concept of the mysterious Far East, drawing deeply on ancient Chinese culture and symbols, creating exquisitely embroidered garments of magnificent elegance and technical prowess.

East Asian Silk Embroidery - an exquisite and stunningly beautiful art form emerging from China, the ancient masters of silk, migrating to Korea and Japan – forming the remarkable and unmistakable, East Asian embroidery aesthetic. 

  Embroidery was front and centre, of Elizabeth I's wardrobe, playing its role in enriching surfaces, referencing the symbology of colour – a tool highly used in Elizabethan times, and the means by which she could communicate through the sometimes disparate elements of the designs used.  

  Bess of Hardwick is probably best known for the immense value of the inventories she had made sometime during 1601, itemising all the furnishings and embroidered textiles from her three properties – many of which were examples of her own craftsmanship and that of Mary Queen of Scots. 

There was one event during 1520 that was quite possibly the costliest, most excessive, most elaborate, dazzling display of overt and blatant showiness and wealth the world had ever seen.  It was, of course, the man-made chivalric court festival known as The Field of The Cloth of Gold.

The Tudor’s were the great image-makers of their time, glorified by some of the world’s most magnificent paintings and extant textiles and embroideries, displaying both their majesty and their rituals.

Dimension and height in the needle arts create visual excitement and form,  and the Elizabethan’s propelled this form of embroidery to a whole new level in their Raised or Embossed work. 

This delicate, counted thread technique, traditionally worked in black thread on a white or off white even-weave fabric such as cotton or linen, has a long lineage, harking back to its North African and Moroccan roots as the true birthplace for this style of embroidery.  

Derived from the Latin word ‘exemplum’ or Old French term ‘essamplaire’ meaning example, Samplers were a way to reference various designs, types of stitches and their textures, becoming a personal authority or aide-mémoire to record and trial multiple complex stitching techniques, featuring moralising texts, pictorial motifs as well as alphabets, numerals and personal information.  

With the Elizabethan age, came high adventure and travel, bringing new design inspiration, and fostering that much-needed re-birth or re-flowering of the art of embroidery, especially for secular use.

In this episode, I explore Opus Anglicanum and its effect on fashion and embroidery in the 20th and 21st centuries.  The simple fact is, that in the 20th and 21st centuries, there has been an upturn in the creative arts – especially embroidery and textiles.  We’ve again fallen in love with accomplishments from our past.

Opus Anglicanum was the Haute Couture of its time, whether, for secular or religious garments, coverings, purses, seal bags or even horse trappers, these items were made to be part of an experience – they were made to be seen, to stand out and to display the object or wearer as someone or something of status and was central to an art form displaying the rich material culture of the medieval elite.

Opus Anglicanum refers to the body of unsurpassed English embroidery, spanning a period from 1100 – 1450.  It took the medieval world by storm and was viewed as an art form in its own right, on a par with architecture, sculpture and stained glass work. 

The focus for this episode is on a medieval garment – over 600 years old, worn by Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince.

This episode will end our exceptional journey with inspired satire, as well as its marketing appeal, uniquely reinforcing the Bayeux Tapestry’s long-lasting appeal.  

  One of the most fascinating aspects of the Bayeux Tapestry is its indisputable power as an influencer, both Napoleon and Hitler saw power in the medieval embroidery’s appeal, but what about its power in the modern era and across a diversity of media?

Enter Matilda.  A secret operation, called Special Project Brittany, codenamed ‘Matilda’ was brought into play where The Bayeux Tapestry was to be taken from Chateau Sourches to Berlin in two stages, to make it less obvious that it was being taken out of France.

  The Bayeux Tapestry - a fragile strip of medieval linen covered in embroidery telling the story of the Battle of Hastings, wrangled over by so many during the second world war – French and German and transported no less than five times on open roads with little protection from Allied bombing.  

  Moving forward to World War II - The Bayeux Tapestry was now a survivor for almost 880 years, so what exactly was it about this monumental embroidery that attracted those looking to walk in the self-same footsteps as William the Conqueror?  They wanted what William achieved.  A defeat over England certainly, but even more than that, they wanted to use William’s powerful and emotive story, carefu...

This episode explores the three French plays inspired by The Bayeux Tapestry along with its return to Bayeux, where it was easily accessible for a time by the public at large.  And we also look at the work done by Charles Stothard in capturing the Tapestry to help prove its English heritage.

The longevity of the Bayeux Tapestry displays the footprint of its past, both artistically and historically, and most importantly, as an embroidery telling a visual story anyone can relate to.  It's unique and unlike any other surviving artefact from this period.  Its survival is one of almost implausible endurance.     

In this episode, we'll be taking a quick look at the types of stitches used throughout this time as well as to re-cap on just how far we’ve come in this fascinating journey into stitch and the art of the needle. 

 Looking at, and researching surviving work produced during the Middle Ages, has made me want to explore the tools Medieval embroiderers used.  Would they recognise any of ours?  Would I recognise any of theirs?  Quite a few, surprisingly, so let’s explore just what they had secreted away in their Medieval sewing baskets.