My first attempt at Needlelace was inspired by a kit called Siennese Illuminated Treasure by Alison Cole. It is a beautiful gold and stumpwork kit. There was a small amount of “Brussels stitch”, which has since become known to me as “detached buttonhole”. My version of this stitch was a disaster. Luckily, it is a very small section in this piece and is not too noticeable to someone who doesn’t know what it is supposed to look like. I hung the piece on my wall as a reminder of how, through practice, even something difficult can become easy. Today needlelace is one of my favorite techniques.

I began the Cabinet of Curiosities classes put on by Thistle Threads in 2016. In the beginning, I was only interested in the stumpwork to address my deficiencies in needlelace. That all changed when I saw my first 17th century casket at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Note that these caskets are better described as small jewelry boxes. I have since had the pleasure of seeing many of the caskets in the V&A’s collection.

Through Thistle Threads, I have purchased a detailed reproduction of a typical 17th-century casket base. The outside dimensions are 11.5″ x 8″ x 8″. It has hidden compartments and drawers and doors and a lid…and everything is covered in either embroidery, silk, or marbled paper. It is a project that I will be working on for many years, but I am happy to share my progress.

Grace, the embroidery shown here, is the right side panel of the cabinet.  My design utilizes motifs often seen in the historic pieces, but the arrangement and the use of only animals and fauna is not the style of the time. Each panel has at least one central animal representing a characteristic, which gives the panel its name.

The needlelace design incorporates a variety of silk and metal threads on linen. The original caskets were stitched by young girls – typically around 12 years old. Consequently, most had a rather whimsical nature to them. I have given mine the same feel with a variety of colors, stitches, and threads. In this way, my casket panels are perfect for trying out new ideas and threads. Such versatility makes it a joy to work on. For the viewer, there is also nearly always something new to discover.