Present:
In 2024 I joined Manchester Metropolitan University (ManMet) as a Third Century Fellow, based in the School of History, Politics and Philosophy, where I lead the ‘Sensory Textiles and Clothing of the Picts’ project. I am also involved in a number of other projects and initiatives including consultation work for the Musée de la Tapisserie de Bayeux. Over the last year I have contributed to the British Museum’s catalogue that accompanies the Bayeux Tapestry Exhibition, made handling samples for the concurrent touring exhibition and provided text, images and videos for the accompanying digital educational tool. I also gave the Martindale Lecture at UEA and presented at the UCL/BM lecture series and the University of Venice as well as conferences including ISSEME and IMC. I have also been interviewed for a documentary, national and international media and appeared several times on BBC Breakfast, and Times Radio. Over the coming academic year I will be leading a number of associated embroidery workshops (RSN and British Museum) and experiences (Creative Experiences) and I am giving talks and lectures, both across the UK and abroad.
There have also been a number of recent publications including two articles for the Medieval Clothing and Textiles Journal: ‘Archaeological Textiles, Senses, Perception, and Use: How Sensory Perceptions Affected Use in the Early Medieval Britain (450-1100)’, vol. 19 (2025), and ‘The Story of a Fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry: History, Technical Analysis, and Restoration’, vol. 20 (2026), which was co-authored with Clémentine Paquier-Berthelot. My co-edited volume Textiles of the Viking North Atlantic: Analysis, Interpretation, Re-creation came out in paperback. The book I have co-edited with Tracey Davison The Entangled World of Textiles from the 1st to the 12th Centuries CE is now with the publisher, while another co-edited volume, a co-authored introduction to medieval textiles and several book chapters that have been in the pipeline for a while are progressing.
My YouTube channel, 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.
You can also keep an eye on my work via on Instagram (alexandramakin2) and LinkedIn (https://www.mmu.ac.uk/staff/profile/dr-alexandra-makin).
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 fair 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.
Background:
I am a textile archaeologist specialising in early medieval embroidery and textiles. 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 from the 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 and textiles, 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 am also beginning to explore how early medieval textiles may influence society today.
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, across Europe, USA and Canada. I have also been interviewed for TV and radio in the UK, USA, 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 