Medieval Craftsmen: Embroiderers

by Kay Staniland

A study of the many techniques employed by medieval embroiderers, and the materials they used, illustrated to show various examples of their work. A further title from the MEDIEVAL CRAFTSMEN series.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, Art, Crafts, Research

Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful background book for an embroiderer, with chapters on Early Embroiderers, Guilds, Designers, Production, Techniques, Patrons and the Later Embroiderers. It has a good glossary and is indexed. The photographs are a mixed bag; some are detailed and clear, a fe are not large or clear enough to show the embroidery in the detail necessary to see the stitches.

It is a significant achievement to write a book so succinct and well-organised. It provides an excellent context for contemporary English Embroidery and many of the stitches and techniques in common use.

[ClareT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely short book covering the embroiderers of the Middle Ages. Covers some of the techniques (although much too briefly), some of the higher ranking embroiderers, the designs, patrons and materials.
Some lovely examples and illustrations as well.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm doing a final paper on material culture in Westeros as my final for my Game of Thrones class, which has been surprisingly intense, and I bought this off of Amazon for a penny in an effort to find a solid beginning point for research on tapestries and embroidered clothing. This really did serve as a good starting point, and something I'll be happy to have on my bookshelf. It's very short, but filled with beautiful photographs of medieval embroidery, stitch diagrams for craft nerds like myself who might want to try it themselves, and concise, well-researched prose that was generally informative and gave me a massive good start on my paper.

This is a text on medieval embroidery, so it doesn't offer any gripping prose or wild plot tension, but it's so cheap used that I'd recommend it strongly to anyone looking for a good introductory text on the subject. It's not the most extensive book available for crafters, but for researchers or students, it's plenty useful.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice, readable, and short. Short largely because very little is known about the Medieval embroiderers or their craft organization. Somewhat more is known of the craftsmen and women who worked in royal and ecclesiastical workshops. Author does a good job of extrapolating from the few documents and artifacts available. Nice section on technique and on the fate of most of the objects created for an elite market.

[Hannah G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a large part of a research project on the materials, making, and meaning of medieval embroidery. Staniland is a wealth of knowledge, and keeps the topic of textile art in the middle ages interesting. Great resource and overall quite interesting for those who collect random tidbits of knowledge.

[Chas Bayfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this while eating my cornflakes over a number of weeks in 1991. It is a fascinatingly detailed account of the earliest known embroideries and the people who wove them. The book reflects the enormous power and influence the church held over the art form.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding overview of the art of medieval embroidery.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly the first book I acquired as a result of my recreational medievalism phase. Certainly one of the first.