I can't remember how I came across this book, but I couldn't resist putting it on the list for our feminist book club, and was very happy when it got voted in for discussion. When I started reading it, I got a little apprehensive, since it seemed extremely academic and rather niche, and I was worried that the group (and I) wouldn't enjoy it. The role of embroidery in the construction of femininity has undoubtedly constricted the development of the art. What women depicted in thread became determined by notions of femininity, and the resulting femininity of embroidery defined and constructed its practitioners in its own image. However, the vicious circle has never been complete. Limited to practising art with needle and thread, women have nevertheless sewn a subversive stitch - managed to make meanings of their own in the very medium intended to inculcate self-effacement. Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Openlibrary OL3130521M Openlibrary_edition

the Subversive Stitch: Sew very masculine! Queering the Subversive Stitch: Sew very masculine!

it is important to establish how far the choice of subject matter was determined by the general social, political and artistic developments of the time and how far women's specific experience and the history of embroidery dictated the needlewoman's choice. The suffering of humanity was a central subject of all the arts" (Parker: 160) Masculinity and “the politics of cloth”: from the “bad boys” of postmodern art to the “the boys that sew club” of the new millennium

In this chapter, Parker also talks about the different themes women used to embroider. In the 15th Century, many women used to embroider religious iconography with domestic qualities, such as an enthroned young virgin Mary smiling as she breastfeeds her baby, placing emphasis on motherhood and women’s nurturing gentle qualities. At the same time (mid – Renaissance) embroidered images of renowned women of the past became very popular. During the Elizabethan era (1558 to 1603), it was popular to include flowers and plants, as each could carry several symbolic meanings. Embroiderers also included emblems in their embroideries, together with a saying or motto, challenging the viewer to establish a relationship and meaning between the elements. [6]

The Subversive Stitch, Rozsika Parker – Anna Vidal Honours 2020 The Subversive Stitch, Rozsika Parker – Anna Vidal Honours 2020

The Subversive Stitch: embroidery and the making of the feminine by Rozsika Parker published by I. B. Tauris

Rambles a bit but this is an interesting (if currently dated) look at Embroidery and how in many ways it has come to define a certain level of femininity. How it went from being a career to being an acceptable way for women to pass their time and how it has been diminished by both men and women. As a women and a textile artist I am intensely interested in the group I belong to and its history. Parker describes the activity of Lady Julia Calverley who in the early first half of the 18 th century embroidered for 50 years literally covering everything from slippers to wall hangings with stitch. To me this signals what little else she had to do but also the addictive nature of sewing. I am sure I’m not the only one who has felt that one more row or patch or line led to yet another late into the night. In the introduction to the latest edition the author discusses the work and impact of Louise Bourgeois. Like me Parker feels the work of Louise Bourgeois has done a lot to bring textiles to within high art and suggests that her work has also led to a deeper understanding of women’s expression through textiles. Reading this book has enabled me to look at embroidery from the past and present in a more informed way.