Present:
Last November I joined Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) as a Third Century Fellow. I’m leading my own project ‘Entangled Textiles: Senses, Connections, Power in the early medieval North Atlantic (450-1100 CE)’. MMU doesn’t have a discreet archaeology department. Instead, we are based in the interdisciplinary department of History, Politics and Philosophy. The university is all about collaboration, within the institution, the Greater Manchester area, nationally and internationally. There is also a fabulous positive atmosphere and so far it is a great place to work. At the moment I am doing the background research for the project, which I will keep you updated on as I progress, while beginning to develop future ideas and take part in lots of professional development. I continue to give lectures, run workshops and sell my kits. This year I have taught for Embroidery Knally and the Royal School of Needlework. I have given talks and lectures to interest groups around the world on various topics including presenting at The Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard day, which I organised for the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Oxford.
My YouTube channel, also called Early Medieval Embroidery, continues to grow; you can access here: https://www.youtube.com/@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery. Here I post videos about different aspects of early medieval embroidery and my research. I am going to re-start my collaborations with others, posting their contributions to the Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles Blog, so watch this space (see homepage).
I’ve had a couple of new publications come out recently as well. The first is a chapter in a book I co-edited with the lovely Gale Owen-Crocker. In this, I investigated the how people of the early medieval North Atlantic understood their textiles from a sensory perspective. The book is called Textiles of the Viking North Atlantic: Analysis, Interpretation, Re-creation and includes contributions from scholars, conservators, curators and makers. I’ve got a journal article coming out in the next volume of Medieval Clothing and Textiles, Senses, Perception and Use: how sensory perceptions affected textile use in early medieval Britain and Ireland (450-1100 CE)’, which I’m really excited about. At the moment there are a couple of articles and book chapters in review and I’m working with Tracey Davidson, co-editing a volume of chapters based on our successful International Medieval Congress at Leeds in 2023. I’m also in the process of writing up a couple of articles and book chapters, which I hope will be out in the next year or two. You can keep an eye on my work via on Instagram (alexandramakin2) and LinkedIn (https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-alexandra-makin). I have taken the decision not to continue on X, formerly Twitter, so these other two sites are the best places to check out my ongoing work, along with my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@EarlyMedievalEmbroidery
The French documentary Les Mystères de la Tapisserie de Bayeux, in which I appeared, premiered in Bayeux in early December 2021 and was shown on Sur France 5 on 9th December. It was then shown on BBC4 on 22nd March 2022 and continues to pop up every so often. I continue to consult / advise on a number of textile and embroidery projects, and I now do a far bit of analysis work for archaeology units within the UK.
During 2025 one of my embroideries was exhibited at the Broderer’s Exhibition in London, and two at the Hand Stitched Heritage Exhibition, organised by the Royal West of England Academy and held in Bristol in May. I will also be giving papers at conferences in Europe, and lectures and presentations to a number of academic and special interest groups in the UK and America.
Background:
I am a textile archaeologist specialising in early medieval embroidery. A professional embroiderer with a background in Archaeology and textiles, I originally trained at the Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace, on their three year embroidery apprenticeship. I am also a qualified teacher with 10 years experience, 9 of which include being Head of a Design Technology Department. My academic background includes a BA Honours degree in Archaeology from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and a PhD in Anglo-Saxon Studies (University of Manchester). In May 2024 I completed a three-year post as a post-doctoral researcher on the Unwrapping the Galloway Hoard. This was an AHRC funded project jointly run by National Museums Scotland and the University of Glasgow.
My PhD Research, titled ‘Embroidery and its context in the British Isles and Ireland during the early medieval period (AD 450-1100)’, has led to me being interviewed on various news and TV programs and in newspapers.
I have published my first monograph, The Lost Art of the Anglo-Saxon World: the sacred and secular power of embroidery, a number of papers in edited volumes and journals, and articles in popular magazines. I have also given lectures and run workshops on different aspects of embroidery, its history and its wider context to special interest groups and the general public.
Research Interests:
My areas of research focus on early medieval material culture, mainly embroidery, but other aspects too. I am particularly fascinated by how material culture entwined with and influenced early medieval life.
I am interested in experimental archaeology and collaborative working methods, and how these can inform our understanding of the objects we find, and data we gather from documentary and visual sources. Such approaches are also important in helping us understand working methods and organisation, and their development during the early medieval period.
I have a special interest in the Bayeux Tapestry which has led to the uncovering of new facts about its embroidering. This research has led to me being interviewed and featured in local and national newspapers both in the UK and Normandy. I have also been interviewed for TV and radio in the UK, Canada and France.
Groups:
I am a member of the Member of the Scientific Committee for Research for the Bayeux Tapestry and an advisor to a number of other groups including the Norwich Castle and Norfolk Museums Service.
I am a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, London; the Royal Historical Society and the Royal School of Needlework.
I am also a member of the European Association for Archaeologists, the Royal Archaeological Society, the Society for Medieval Archaeology, CIETA (Centre International d’etude des Textiles Aciens), EuroWeb, ISSEME (The International Society for the Study of Early Medieval England), EXARC (Experimental Archaeology Group), Archaeological Leather Group, Finds Research Group, ETSG (The Early Textiles Study Group), and MEDATS (Medieval Dress and Textiles Society).
Dr Alexandra Makin 