Embroidery History Sampler, Part 2

Summary of Embroidery History Sampler, Part 2

by iHeartPodcasts

34m•January 21, 2026
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Overview of Embroidery History Sampler, Part 2

This episode (Stuff You Missed in History Class) continues a broad survey of embroidery history, picking up after the Bayeux Tapestry and moving through late medieval and modern developments. Hosts Holly Frey and Tracy V. Wilson explain techniques, materials, important artifacts, institutions, and social contexts (including samplers as practical records and the modern revival of embroidery as craft and protest).

Key topics covered

  • Blackwork and the Holbein stitch (early English embroidery referenced in Chaucer)
  • Opus Anglicanum (medieval English ecclesiastical embroidery)
  • The development and purpose of needlework samplers (band vs. spot samplers)
  • Important named samplers: Jane Bostock (1598) and Laura Standish (c.1640s)
  • Rise of crewel, Hardanger, sashiko, ribbon, Berlin work, and beetlewing/elytra embroidery
  • Publication of pattern books in the 16th century and gridded patterns in 1804
  • Major organizations: Worshipful Company of Broderers, Royal School of Needlework, Embroiderers’ Guild (UK) and Embroiderers’ Guild of America
  • Modern revival: kits, online resources, and politically engaged/protest embroidery

Timeline & highlights (selected dates)

  • Pre-1387: Blackwork present in England (Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales allusion)
  • 13th–14th centuries: Opus Anglicanum coined; English workshops supply ecclesiastical garments across Europe
  • 14th century: Earliest Egyptian sampler in V&A collection (example of early sampler tradition)
  • 1523–24: German pattern books published by Johann Schonsberger (woodcut designs, no how-to)
  • 1558/1561: Worshipful Company of Broderers granted arms (1558) and charter (1561)
  • Late 1500s: Jane Bostock sampler (1598) — oldest dated British sampler
  • c.1640s: Laura Standish sampler (oldest known North American sample), Plymouth Colony
  • 1700s–1800s: Crewel work becomes popular; beetlewing embroidery thrives in India, later adopted in Europe
  • 1804: First gridded patterns published in Europe — beginning of Berlin work/canvas needlepoint
  • 1872: Royal School of Needlework (RSN) founded at Hampton Court Palace
  • 1906: Embroiderers’ Guild (UK) founded; 1958–1970s: U.S. branch forms the Embroiderers’ Guild of America

Techniques, materials & terms explained

  • Blackwork: Typically black silk on white linen/cotton; Holbein stitch (double running stitch) gives matched front/back lines.
  • Holbein stitch: A double-pass running stitch that produces continuous lines on both sides.
  • Opus Anglicanum: Luxurious English ecclesiastical embroidery in silk with gold/silver threads; highly prized across Europe.
  • Samplers:
    • Band samplers: Rows of repeatable border patterns (useful for linens/edges).
    • Spot samplers: Discrete motifs (animals, flowers, symbols) gathered on one piece.
    • Function: Reference documents for stitches, motifs, alphabets (for marking linens), and patterns.
  • Crewel (not “cruel”): A 2-ply worsted wool yarn used whole (not separated) to create raised, fluid, dimensional work.
  • Hardanger: Norwegian whitework using geometric patterns and often cutwork; originated in Hardanger region.
  • Ribbon embroidery: Silk ribbons used to build lush, dimensional floral motifs (popular in Rococo/late 18th c.).
  • Sashiko: Japanese running-stitch mending/decoration using white thread on indigo backgrounds; popular for denim mending today.
  • Berlin work: Canvas/tapestry-style embroidery using gridded patterns (began circa 1804).
  • Beetlewing (elytra) embroidery: Jewel beetle wing casings stitched into garments (India, perfected during Mughal era); became a European fad in 19th century with colonial entanglements.

Notable artifacts & examples

  • Bayeux Tapestry: Earlier episode frequent reference — often described with influences that predate later crewel trends (transcript typoed as “Bayou”).
  • Opus Anglicanum chasuble (Met): Chasuble with saints and biblical scenes; altered historically (heads removed to fit later style changes).
  • Toledo Cope: Created in England in the 1300s, sent to Spain; returned temporarily to England for the V&A’s 2016 exhibition.
  • Jane Bostock sampler (1598, V&A): Oldest dated British sampler; commemorates Alice Lee’s birth and mixes family heraldic motifs and geometric bands.
  • Laura Standish sampler (c.1640s): Long narrow American sampler with devotional verse; daughter of Mayflower pilgrims.
  • Beetlewing gowns: Noted wearers include actress Ellen Terry (Macbeth, 1888) and a John Singer Sargent portrait (Mary Barrett Wendell, 1888).

Institutions, publishing & craft infrastructure

  • Pattern books (16th c. Germany): Early printed design repositories (woodcuts) lacking step-by-step instructions — assumed needleworkers knew techniques.
  • DMC (Dolfus, Mieg & Cie): Founded mid-1700s in Mulhouse, France; became a leading supplier of floss and embroidery materials (rebranded to DMC ~1800).
  • Worshipful Company of Broderers: Medieval origins; chartered in Elizabethan era; archive partially lost in WWII bombing.
  • Royal School of Needlework (RSN): Founded 1872 at Hampton Court to revive and professionalize embroidery; continues education and high-profile commissions.
  • Embroiderers’ Guild (UK) & Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA): Education, archives, community projects; EGA now has 230+ chapters in North America.

Social & cultural context

  • Samplers reflect pedagogy: They recorded learned stitches, motifs, alphabets, and tracked stitchers’ skill progression (sometimes made by children learning the craft).
  • Status and fashion: Tudor courts popularized embroidery as a status marker; demand drove technical skill and wider adoption into non-elite clothing and household linens.
  • Colonial dynamics: European enthusiasm for techniques/materials from colonies (e.g., beetlewing) often led to appropriation and industrialization of local production.
  • Revivals & modern practice: Contemporary resurgence includes kits, historical reproductions (e.g., Laura Standish kits), community classes, museum collaborations, and politically oriented embroidery/protest art. Historical surges often coincide with social/political upheaval (post–Civil War, 1960s, and current revivals).

Notable insights & quotes (paraphrased)

  • Samplers began as practical “reference documents” long before they became decorative display pieces.
  • The Holbein stitch’s ability to “look alike within and without” explains Chaucer’s clothing detail and links literary description to specific technique.
  • Many historical pattern books offered designs but assumed existing technical knowledge—pattern provision and technical instruction were separate phenomena historically.

Resources & recommendations (where to learn or see examples)

  • Museums with collections online: Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met)
  • Organizations offering training and resources: Royal School of Needlework (RSN), Embroiderers’ Guild (UK), Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA)
  • Supplies and floss: DMC threads widely available in craft stores and online
  • Sampler kits: Reproductions of historic samplers (e.g., Laura Standish) available from specialty retailers and contemporary designers
  • Further reading: Look for books on Opus Anglicanum, crewel work, Hardanger, sashiko, and beetlewing embroidery for deeper technique and history

Main takeaways

  • Embroidery has served religious, social, economic, and personal functions across cultures and centuries.
  • Samplers are a key historical source for understanding how stitchers learned, recorded, and shared designs.
  • Techniques and materials (crewel, ribbon, beetlewing, Hardanger, sashiko, Berlin work) each have distinct origins and cultural stories—many live on in modern practice.
  • Institutions (RSN, Broderers, Embroiderers’ Guild) have played central roles in preserving skills, archives, and public interest, helping fuel the present-day revival.