Embroidery on show
Some exquisite embroidery examples need to be seen to be believed. Here are just a few of the many places in Britain where you can see textiles enhanced by skilful stitching. ✣ 150 Years of the Royal School of Needlework: Crown to Catwalk, Fashion & Textile Museum, London, 1 April to 4 September.
Get up close to some of The Royal School of Needlework’s commissions for the British
royal family as they celebrate their fascinating history with a new exhibition showcasing pieces from a 5,000-piece archive. You can listen to online talks and learn about life at the RSN and the embroidery techniques they are famed for at royal-needlework.org.uk
✣ The V&A, or Victoria & Albert Museum, is the London home to a wide range of embroidered textiles from across the world. Highlights include embroidery designs by British textile designer William Morris and an incredible example of English 17th-century embroidery on a large casket, completed by 11-year-old Martha Edlin.
✣ The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, has a textile collection that includes over 400 samplers, spanning several centuries and displaying a wide range of needle techniques. ✣ Blooming Marvellous: Flowers in Fashion, 1700s-2000s, Chertsey Museum, Surrey, until 3 September.
Flowers and fashion have long gone hand in hand.
The exhibition showcases examples of clothing beautifully enhanced with flowers through embroidery and other techniques.