Lockdown embroidery- an awareness gained from Design Online

I usually avoid writing about things that involve my family. Sharing what I do is one thing, involving others quite another.  I've chosen to write about the process of this project because it demonstrates clearly what I learned from Barbara Mullan's  Design Online Course with the Guild last year, and others may benefit from that. 

Part of my family was recently in Covid lockdown for 14 days when one family member contracted Covid and the family decided against insisting he isolate alone in his room. This decision doubled the isolation time for family members.

Towards the end of their isolation I had an idea to commemorate their decision and time of trial. I wondered if I could create a hoop embroidery as a memento.

I made a quick sketch late at night, found some linen and threads before I went to bed and the next morning set up my hoop and got stuck in. I also went out and bought a wooden hoop to display the final product.

I sketched it in pencil on to my linen. The hoop provides a manageable space in which to design and the wording defines initial eye movements. I simplified the words as I added them to the hoop.

 As I practised my Quaker stitch on the words, I realised my tense was wrong, so unpicked the 'd' to bring it to the present. As I added figures I also realised that I was projecting separation and isolation, when the essential factor in the length of isolation was the choice to not separate one member from the family, 

so I added 'together' right in the centre of the design ( where, luckily, there was space!).

I was then able to fill in the remaining spaces with small motifs ( like bees and musical notes) relevant to the family. Colour balance similarly emerges as I try things out.  I did quite a bit of unpicking as I didn't like the effect. 

The final adjustment was adding names. This was not an original intention, but it seemed important that the 'we' was not vague and anonymous, but named. 

This is a very personal item that has strong privacy requirements, so I am not going to discuss the content further. 

What I learned from Design Online was that I design as I go from a concept, not from a detailed planning process. I need to keep the concept in my head, see the story emerging, and keep modifying and shaping until the project gets close to the conceptual ideal in my head. It gives me a lot of confidence to know that's a successful way to do things. 

I finished the piece by mounting it in the display frame - gathering and lashing the back of the linen and then adding a backing piece. Green had become the unifying colour so that was my choice of backing fabric.

I've decided that these are the kind of projects I like most - targeted, topical, personal - and applying the skills I've learned over many years, from many knowledgeable women, to tangible, specific, manageable items.   And that's good to know.

Quaker Embroideries in Adelaide

The Quaker community in Australia is working on producing a series of embroideries along the lines of those in Kendal, Cumbria UK. The 77 Kendal panels were worked between 1981 and 1989 by 4000 embroiderers in 15 countries and tell the some of the story of Quakerism. The Australian Quaker Narrative Embroidery/Friends in Stitches Project is the result of a visit of an Australian Quaker to Kendal in 2005 which was followed by a visit to Australia in 2007 from the Director of the Kendal project. 

So far 16 panels have been worked on the Australian project which aims for 40 panels.
The Australian panels use the same format and design templates as those in Kendal, and the same range of stitches. The colour palette is slightly different, reflecting both the Australian landscape and the interpretation of the stitchers.

The panels completed so far were on display at the Friends Meeting Room in Adelaide from 26-29 October 2017.  They are remarkable on a number of fronts.

Finding the images, stitches, design and words that convey a whole narrative episode in a panel is an art. It has found its stride in this project.  I came away with a strong sense of the Society of Friends in Australia.

The women staffing the exhibition were knowledgable, helpful and welcoming. They gave permission to take  photos and also to write about the exhibition in my blog.

As there are few photographs of the panels online I have focused on the embroidery detail rather than whole panels. I also emailed a draft copy of the blog to the address the women provided with the offer to alter or edit and the offer stands.




The photos are copyright. Any requests to reproduce should be directed to the Australian Quaker Narrative Embroidery Project.

The background fabric is wool, grown, spun and woven in Queensland and providing a lovely textured, firm and even surface for stitching.

The design skill of individual stitchers is evident in the stance of the figures depicted - they lean into conversation or activity. Their faces, with a few well-placed stitches, give them personality, making them, I am sure, recognisable.


The same range of stitches has been used as was used in the Kendal work. A book of stitches produced in Kendal was on display.

Anne Wynn-Wilson, while working on the original Quaker tapestry project, developed a stitch, now known as Quaker stitch, for embroidering the text that is an integral part of each panel.  The stitch produces a beautifully clear text that contributes significantly to the elegance of the panels. I intend to learn and apply Quaker stitch to my own work.


The detail of the flora and fauna depicted on the panels is terrific, cleverly conveying dimension with a limited range of stitches and superb colour choice.

My favourite depiction is of a tractor - the wheels given movement and dimension by the creation of spaces and angle.


I feel privileged to  have seen this exhibition - and enriched both by its contribution to Australian embroidery and, more importantly, its contribution to Australian culture and history.


I hope to see the other panels as they emerge - and one day the completed project.