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Finding out about embroidery

A-Z How to Find Information > Crafts

Online

  • Embroidery sampleEmbroidery is '...the art of enriching a background fabric with a wide variety of stitches in order to decorate it and create something beautiful' (From 'Cross stitch and sampler book by Jan Eaton and Liz Mundle)
  • You can search the Local Information Database for local crafting groups
  • For wonderful examples of embroidery and textiles visit the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Search under embroidery on their website and dont miss the Shamiana section which includes work by two Bedford groups
  • Other collections worth noting are the Embroiderers Guild Collection held at Bucks County Museu; the Fashion Museum in Bath and the Gallery of Costume at Manchester Art Gallery (for embroidered fabrics used in tailoring and dressmaking)
  • Closer to home, The Higgins has a costume collection of over 2,500 items from the 18th century to the 1970s and also houses the Thomas Lester Lace Collection.

Embroidery samples

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In the Library

  • Library catalogue. Bedfordshire libraries have a good selection of embroidery books

With thanks...

  • The embroidery samples images and the information on which the embroidery pages are based were provided by Fran Wortley.  Please contact the Bedford Branch of The Embroiderers' Guild if you would like to learn more.

Page last updated: 1st December 2020