Would anyone be able to recommend a person who is knowledgeable about Queen Elizabeth I and symbolism? Researching an object with a lot of funky motifs and I feel like I would be having an easier time if I knew more of the nuances around the queen's chosen iconography. Thank you!

I visited Chanakya, the atelier that's the focus of this article, in January and was absolutely amazed by the expertise of these embroiderers. It was a huge privilege to see them at work!

Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell@hottycouture.bsky.social · 2mo ago

www.wsj.com/style/fashio...

Making a rare appearance on here to ask for thoughts on an embroidery from 1668. Do you have any idea what Old Testament story/stories these panels represent? Previously labeled as Abraham and Isaac but I’m not convinced. I think they may be the same figures in both. Thank you for your ideas!

I’m thrilled to be giving this year’s Kelmscott Lecture, the annual lecture hosted by the William Morris Society. I’m excited to be dipping my toe into the world of the Arts and Crafts movement. Join us in person or online! Tickets are here: williammorrissociety.org/events/the-k...

I’m thrilled to be giving this year’s Kelmscott Lecture, the annual lecture hosted by the William Morris Society. I’m excited to be dipping my toe into the world of the Arts and Crafts movement. Join us in person or online! Tickets are here: williammorrissociety.org/events/the-k...

Autumn really brings the best views from my window at work. Here’s yesterday’s view and today’s 🌈

Popping in to say I’m writing a book! And St. Martin’s and @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social are publishing it! I’m very excited! Extra big thanks to Emma Bal at Madeleine Milburn!

Woohoo! Please join me!

The Society of Antiquaries of London@antiquaries.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Join us for our first lunchtime lecture of the season and hear all about early modern caskets and cabinets from @isabellarosner.bsky.social! Register your free place for this Friday at 1pm: www.sal.org.uk/event/embroi...

Best thing ever from the V&A stores today: on the front of Margret Mason’s 1660 sampler are clothed “boxer” figures (little men holding gifts, acorns here). Turn the sampler over and the men look much the same but are completely naked!

Last year I identified a third circa 1650-75 embroidered cabinet made at the Perwich school, one of 17th-century Hackney's major girls' schools. This example is owned by Doncaster Heritage and the others are in LACMA & the Fitzwilliam. My article about the find is in this issue of Hackney History!

The Royal School of Needlework is hosting its first conference and though in-person tickets are sold out you can still join us virtually! I’ve put an embarrassing amount of work into this so hopefully it’ll be a fun and informative conference for all! royal-needlework.org.uk/events-exhib...

Isabella Rosner@isabellarosner.bsky.social · last yr.

Bookings are now open for the Royal School of Needlework's first ever conference, “Stitched Together: Needlework Research and Making”! Join us at Hampton Court Palace on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 August, either in person or virtually. Find the conference schedule and tickets here: bit.ly/3FUc4kB

Bookings are now open for the Royal School of Needlework's first ever conference, “Stitched Together: Needlework Research and Making”! Join us at Hampton Court Palace on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 August, either in person or virtually. Find the conference schedule and tickets here: bit.ly/3FUc4kB

Early modern palaeography folks, please help! What does this death record from 1603 say? I see the name "Suzan Gabery" but cannot read the rest of it. Thank you in advance!

Thanks for the dress love! Got my wedding pics so have to share the other embroidered details we included! I had a token embroidered by my Royal School of Needlework coworkers, vintage embroidered tablecloths, a cake that looked embroidered, and embroidered name cards (I stitched all 90 of them!)

Isabella Rosner@isabellarosner.bsky.social · last yr.

Popping in briefly to say I got married yesterday and had the best day of my life and because of who I am I wore an entirely hand embroidered dress!

Having a real “pinch me” moment today! I’m in this week’s issue of The Observer, kindly recommended by brilliant novelist (and daughter of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann) Linn Ullmann. What a huge honour!

Popping in briefly to say I got married yesterday and had the best day of my life and because of who I am I wore an entirely hand embroidered dress!

There's a new ep of my podcast, Sew What?, about one of my favourite embroiderers of all time, Lorina Bulwer. Lorina spent the last 15 years of her life incarcerated in the Great Yarmouth Workhouse, where she embroidered huge, angry, biographical scrolls. Listen here: buzzsprout.com/1075825/epis...

It’s hard to find time to leave my desk during the workday but this weather has been hard to resist. The office looks so good in the sun!

New extremely good early modern book title dropped: 'A perfect School of Instructions for Officers of the Mouth'. Written by Giles Rose in 1682, this bad boy is all about teaching women how to host a banging dinner party

I turned 30 today! It was a lovely, sunny day and I spent it eating gluten free pastries and pizza, seeing some good textiles, and walking 30,000 steps all over London. I hope the rest of my year is this good!

There’s a delightful new sampler exhibition up at the Quaker Tapestry Museum, called “Sampled Styles.” Would definitely recommend checking it out if you’re in or near Kendal anytime soon!

Does anyone know what Bible story is being depicted here on this mid 17C needlework? Inclusion of camel in corner suggests Old Testament and sizes of figures and use of tent suggests a king and either a non-royal man or servant. The smaller man looks to have a sword or staff. Thanks for your help!

Very much enjoying @isabellarosner.bsky.social on 17th-century girls' education and needlework in Hackney! (I will not be learning rococo stitch anytime soon.)

I'm thrilled to be giving a talk at Hackney Museum about the needlework and other artworks made by girls at female academies in 17th-century Hackney. Please come along if you're in the area!

HOWL@howl2025.bsky.social · last yr.

This looks like a fascinating talk by @isabellarosner.bsky.social happening at Hackney Museum on 27 March!

Major A.T. Casdagli’s embroideries made during his time in four German POW camps in WWII are some of my favourite pieces of needlework of the 20th century. Now his entire wartime diary is available online as a free pdf. Check out my post about it here: www.instagram.com/p/DHVvcfRsWQ...

I'm thrilled to be giving a talk at Hackney Museum about the needlework and other artworks made by girls at female academies in 17th-century Hackney. Please come along if you're in the area!

HOWL@howl2025.bsky.social · last yr.

This looks like a fascinating talk by @isabellarosner.bsky.social happening at Hackney Museum on 27 March!

Happy #IWD! One of the joys of studying textiles is getting a glimpse into the world of countless girls and women. We can see those worlds here, in this coverlet made by Ann West in 1820, in the V&A. It's covered in scenes of everyday characters and occupations, a look into early 19th-century life

I had 26 hours in Edinburgh and it was jam packed with textiles. I spoke at Dovecot Studios and saw their tapestry studio and tapestries, spotted Phoebe Anna Traquair’s stunning embroidery at the National Gallery, and popped in to say hello to the fashion and textile gallery at the National Museum

Needlework portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, c1580, possibly originally applied to the front of a presentation purse containing sweetmeats or presents of money, the higher nobles and bishops having to present the Queen with gold coins enclosed within ornamental bags at the New Year.

In love with this book, Pemmy’s Alphabet Book, made in 1942-5 in the Japanese internment camp Brastagi in east Sumatra. Though handiwork & books were banned, Mies Aalbersberg & other women embroidered the book as a birthday gift to Mies’ daughter Pem Hagers. Pem donated it to the Rijksmuseum in 2018