Close-up with Mary Linwood in museum collections
Visiting museum stores to see historic textiles close up is my idea of textile heaven. During the development of Mary Linwood; Art, Stitch & Life exhibition, I got to visit Leicester Museum stores a few times, the Bowes Museum and the V&A Storehouse. I also saw a couple of pieces not in museum stores – one in a conservation studio and a couple in a private collection.
Seeing pieces close up is incredibly important in understanding Mary Linwood’s work and how she made it. With close study, I can see the kind of threads she used, the choices she made with her needle, the true colours (from the back) and how her pieces were stretched and framed.
Last July, I spent a couple of hours absorbing everything I could from the landscape embroidery in the V&A collection at their new Storehouse, an accessible collections store. I had made the appointment a few months ahead but it wasn’t until I arrived that they confirmed it was definitely available for me to see – another piece I had requested wasn’t and I had a panicked minute or two while they confirmed if the Linwood was actually available. I needn’t have worried, I had actually seen the Mary Linwood on the study tables from the viewing area above, but I didn’t completely believe that was it as it’s so much smaller than I expected!
Although the piece is small, it’s really interesting and there’s even a tear in the backing which made it possible to see a little of the reverse of the embroidery. I spent far too long counting colours and puzzling over some little quirks of this piece – can you spot one of them in the image above?
I’ve shared further reflections on this piece and more images in my new online course Embroidered Herstories: Mary Linwood Rediscovered.
Embroidered Herstories: Rediscovering Mary Linwood.
Online Course £45
I’ve decided to create a lasting legacy of all the research I’ve done for the Mary Linwood: Art, Stitch & Life exhibition and collate it all into a really in-depth exploration of her work.
The course is focussed around her making practice, with masses of images and study of her works. I have also created a detailed account of my research into her making process, the materials and methods, giving you the tools to understand her work better and also try the technique yourself if you wish.
There are essays, recorded talks and loads of additional resources like auction records, exhibition images, documents and her own scrapbook. I’ve put together a recorded talk on my own work inspired by her story too, so the whole course is like an expanded version of the exhibition. There’s also a live Q&A with me on 21st April 6pm BST.
The course is open now and you will have access for a year. You can start any time.
Ruth Singer 
Let me know what you think