1 WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Before the invention of the sewing machine and, later, the arrival of mass-produced textile goods, for hundreds of years in cultures the world over, needlework was an essential skill that needed to be learned for domestic life. It was used to create and mend everything from bedding and clothing, to all of the soft furnishings of a home, and was a means of denoting status, with the most elaborately decorated textiles belonging to the wealthiest homeowners.

The act of spinning – creating thread or yarn for needlework – was an important part of women’s daily work and is a common theme in folklore and fairy tales. The spinning wheel is a powerful symbol representing both possibility and loss in women’s lives. In Rumpelstiltskin, the king marries the miller’s daughter, believing she can spin straw into gold, while in Sleeping Beauty, the princess narrowly escapes death, falling into a deep sleep for a hundred years after pricking her finger on a spindle.