NEEDLEWORK HISTORIANS
Lectures and Workshops
Bring History to You
One of the things we love the best is bringing our experiences, knowledge, and photos to you! Through lectures and workshops, we want to take you into the archives were we work and introduce you to the details of historical needlework.
Please contact us to book us for your events.
We are available for distance lectures. Watch our introductory video to get a taste for what we do.
In the Collections at the Huntington Library
1-Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Huntington Library is a fascinating hidden gem tucked away in San Marino, California. As a part of the extensive complex which includes lush gardens and a museum, the library has an undigitized collection of sixteenth and seventeenth century embroidered book bindings. These embroideries range from the exquisite silk and metal thread and textural raised worked techniques to the humble but fascinating canvaswork so typical of that era.
This lecture brings you into a collection that few people know about and fewer people get to see.
In the Collection at the British Library
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The British Library has one of the world’s leading collections of historic embroidered book bindings. From lavishly embroidered red velvet presentation Bibles owned by kings, to the tiny, palm-sized gems worked in silk and metal thread, these bindings are gorgeous examples of a wide variety of needlework techniques.
In this lecture we will share a selection of these remarkable and gorgeous embroideries, getting up close and detailed with a variety of materials and techniques.
The Benefits of Wear: Examining the Support Structures of Embroidery
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
Elizabethan and Jacobean embroidery is renowned for its opulence and that is due in part to the unique dimensionality of early modern needlework. The real hero of this type of embroidery is the supporting structures: wool stuffing, padding, twine, wire. These critical elements were never meant to be seen once the embroidery was completed and so remain mysterious. With the passage of time, the breakdown of silk and other materials, and natural (or unnatural) wear and degradation, this curious architecture becomes visible and invites us into the inner workings of early modern embroiderers.
In this presentation, we will lift the curtain of rich and beautiful dimensional embroidery and peek at the underpinnings and odd structures used to support these classic designs.
Queen Elizabeth's Books
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
Queen Elizabeth was a renown scholar and quite proud of her education and intellectual prowess. In fact, she is shown in several portraits holding books as a testament to her learning. But Queen Elizabeth’s books not only speak to her skill as an intellectual but they also communicate a wider account of her relationships with her family and courtiers, her piety and philosophy, and the impact on the world around her, even centuries later. In this lecture we will look at Queen Elizabeth’s knowledge, skill, and impact through her books that have embroidered bindings including several she made, several that were gifted to her, and some whose provenance is questionable but important nonetheless. By examining these books in detail, their text as well as their needlework, we will discuss her image as a legitimate member of the Tudor heritage, a head of state and Prince the equal (or better) than those in Europe, and a leader of the church.
The Legend of the Tudor Rose
1-Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
Roses show up in embroidery all the time, and many will recognize a double-petalled rose as a “Tudor Rose.” But what is a Tudor Rose and where did it come from? How are they depicted in needlework and how to are they different from a regular rose. This lecture will explore the sometimes violent history that was the origin of this flower, and the importance of this image in English iconography and embroidery.
Also available as a 2-hour Workshop with separate kit
This lecture can be extended to a 2-hour work for $300 (online).
The kit, sold separately, is a recreation of a Tudor Rose applique canvas-work artifact from the 17th century. The original is 2 ½” by 2 ½” was worked in a variety of flat polychrome silks. Though the front of the original is faded and soiled, we are able to view the back of the piece to match colors to the original brightness. As was done in period, this is not a charted piece -- it comes with step-by-step instructions on how to stitch the original design.
The kit contains linen groundcloth, needle, Au Ver A Soie flat silks in 9 colors, a pattern to transfer to the cloth, and detailed instructions.
Gloriana's Gifts and the Power of the Needle
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
In the Elizabethan court, gifts were not only highly valued, they were an important vehicle to create relationships, cement mutual obligations, and open up financial opportunities. In this era, when needlework was considered art, embroidered items elevated gift giving to a new level. Bess of Hardwick used embroidered gifts to secure placements at court. Princess Elizabeth used her needlework to secure favor with her mercurial father and new stepmother. Mary, Queen of Scots, used her needlework to court a prospective husband and send a message of mutual treason. All these gifts results in marriages secured, lineages established, and heads rolling.
In our presentation, we will examine the impact of embroidery in the Elizabethan court. By looking at Elizabeth I’s relationship to embroidery and gifts, and how the people of her court gave and received items, we will show how embroidery was both art and economic commodity.
In this lecture, we will examine the impact of embroidery in the Elizabethan court. By looking at Elizabeth I’s relationship to embroidery and gifts, and how the people of her court gave and received items, we will show how embroidery was both art and economic commodity.
Embroidered Beasts
1-Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
Animals were a favorite motif in Elizabethan and Jacobean needlework -- from leopards and lions, to bears, bunnies and monkeys, to unicorns, camels and elephants. We will celebrate this theme by examining a wide variety of 16th and 17th century needlework in close up detail, looking at materials used, colors, and techniques.
Who Wore What
1-Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
In the Elizabethan era, embroidery was important to everyone -- not just the wealthy, but the middle class and even rural laborers. And it wasn't just hobby but a way to show status as well as extend the life of clothes.
This lecture, an expansion on the paper we presented to the "Centuries of Cloth" conference at University of Cambridge, is an exploration of needlework created, worn, or owned at different socio-economic levels: in other words, who created or owned what kind of needlework in the laboring, middling, gentry, and noble classes in early modern England.
We will look at the rich and detailed material culture of this time period through portraits, illustrations, letters, and close-ups of extent pieces of needlework.
In the Archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has a vast and incomparable collection of over 75,000 textiles, many of which are gorgeous and historically important embroideries.
Join us as we look at a few of their amazing items, including Elizabethan and Jacobean coifs, caps, and book bindings.
In the Collection of the Rare Books Library at Harvard
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Houghton Rare Books Library at Harvard University houses some remarkable examples of embroidered book bindings.
Come with us into the stacks to explore this collection, view a few rare items, and find a surprising treasure! We'll discuss who embroidered these books and why, and what they meant.
In the Collection at the Bodleian Library at Oxford University
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and home to a collection of over 12 million items -- including some unique, beautiful, and remarkable embroidered book bindings.
We'd love to share with your our experience at the Bodleian, including taking the medieval oath administered to visitors not to start a fire in the stacks! We'll explore some gorgeous needlework and discuss the historical significance of these books, including their connection to the Tudors.
In the Archives of the Embroiderers' Guild UK
1 Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Embroiderers' Guild in the UK has an extensively intriguing collection, full of surprises and delights. We had the opportunity to see some fantastic items and would love to share them with you.
We will examine gorgeous whitework, silk and metal thread, and crewel items, including a wide range of pieces that encompass domestic to professional, embroidery to beadwork. Join us to see these textiles that are rarely put on display.
The Necessity of the Needle
1-Hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture lecture
Join us to discuss needlework from early modern England in the 16th and 17th centuries. We'll use this time to examine extant embroideries, as well the patterns, pattern books, and other inspiration for amateur and professional needleworkers. This visually rich lecture will include a wide variety of images to explore the importance of textiles to women and society as whole.
In the Archives at the Daughters of the American Revolution
1 hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
The Daughters of the American Revolution is America’s foremost lineage society. Their national headquarters in Washington, DC not only holds their vast research archives but also hosts a world-class museum with artifacts related to their members and history.
From their website: “The DAR Museum supports the NSDAR’s goals of historic preservation, education and patriotism by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting the material culture and social history of pre-industrial America.”
We’re excited to be able to bring you up close to history through an examination of some of their remarkable textiles. Through our detailed photos of samplers and needlepaint art, we’ll examine the impact of needlework on lineage research and how historians utilize clues from embroideries as a tool in their work.
In the Archives at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
1 hour Lecture
$180 in person lecture
$155 online lecture
Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the world but there is so much more to the collection than the village! In this lecture, we will take you into the study room at the Bruton Heights Education center to view rarely seen treasures and learn about what they mean in a historical context.
The foundation that supports both the village and the two museums possesses a vast collection of over 70,000 items. The textile and embroideries in the collection represent all types of needlework including whitework, blackwork, silk and metal thread, crewel and spans over four centuries and several continents. Unfortunately, most of these pieces will never be seen on display.
However, Relics in Situ was able to conduct research both in the study lab and in the archives where we were able to examine and photograph these amazing treasures up close. We’re happy to bring some of our research and photos to you! You’ll go with us into the archives to discover embroidered pieces that are either too delicate, worn, or large for museum display. See what discoveries up-close examination can yield including the messy underside and the pinpricks left behind when the silk has worn away.
Prices do not include kit fees (when appropriate) or travel expenses which will depend on lecture location, please contact us for more details.