Shakespeare's Flowers in Stumpwork

Overview

In 1598, Lady Anne Clifford wrote a letter to her father that featured a beautifully painted border. Inspired by that Shakespearian-era design, Jane Nicholas has created her own embroidery, stitched on ivory silk satin in stumpwork. It showcases 14 assorted flowers and fruits popular at the time, from the Apothecary rose, borage, heartsease, and periwinkle to redcurrants, barberries, plums, and strawberries. Use the border to surround a mirror or enclose a special photograph, monogram, or treasured memento.

Author Biography

Jane Nicholas has been researching and working in the field of embroidery for over twenty years. Specializing in stumpwork and goldwork embroidery, she has written eight books and has contributed widely to journals and magazines on the subject. In 1999 Jane was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to further her studies in stumpwork in the United Kingdom and in 2005 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM), for her 'services to hand embroidery as an artist, teacher and author'.

She teaches widely in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America and continues to research and develop new techniques - particularly in stumpwork. A separate, but often related, area of her work is as a maker of artists' books and boxes.