Although we have only just come down from the excitement of the Scottish Highlands Tour, we are already looking forward to our next one! Beginning in just a few weeks the All England Tour, Part II will take us from York to Windsor exploring needlework treasures in the East of England. We can't wait!
We are particularly looking forward to meeting needlework historian Dr Lynn Hulse, who will lecture on Embroidered Garments and Accessories of the Tudor and Jacobean Periods during the tour.
Lynn is co-founder of Ornamental Embroidery, a trustee of the Brangwyn Gift at the William Morris Gallery and a fellow of both the Society of Antiquaries of London and the Royal Historical Society.
Lynn is firmly of the view that the teaching of hand embroidery should be placed within its historical context. To this end, she is not only a practitioner with an intimate knowledge of stitch but also an interdisciplinary scholar, allowing her to bring real historical insight and original research to the study of embroidered textiles. Her particular areas of interest are 16th and 17th Century English needlework, and art embroidery of the later Victorian and Edwardian periods, including the work of Morris & Co. and the Royal School of Art Needlework (RSAN).
Among Lynn’s recent publications are the essay collection May Morris: Art & Life, longlisted for the 2018 William MB Berger prize for British art history; and The Needles Excellency, a volume of papers exploring 17th Century raised work and its revival together with an exhibition catalogue of contemporary caskets made by students of Ornamental Embroidery.
For those interested in May Morris you might want to take a look at this beauty coming up for sale at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh this Autumn.
‘Fruit Garden’ is an embroidered hanging or portiere designed circa 1890 by the prolific Arts & Crafts embroiderer. The stitches featured are stem stitch, darning stitch, stain stitch, herringbone stitch, buttonhole stitch and pistil stitch. The estimate is £10-15,000 and the piece will be auctioned on 23rd October at Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh in their in their sale of Decorative Arts: Design since 1860.
Lynn is currently working on two books. The first is a series of 14 exciting stitch projects introducing embroiderers to the variety of decorative styles found in the home during the nineteenth century, from Berlin work to the Glasgow School of Art. Her second book investigates the contribution made by the RSAN to the development of art embroidery in the 1870s and early 1880s through the lens of its founder, Lady Victoria Welby.
Lynn is very much looking forward to meeting Phillipa, Meredith and Alison and our group of embroiderers. We can't wait to meet you too Lynn!
