Author: Alexandra Makin

Present: Now my first book, 'The Lost Art of the Anglo-Saxon World: the sacred and secular power of embroidery', is out (see blog), I am concentrating on the Cuthbert recreation project (also see blog and Instagram: @alexandramakin2). I am also working on an article exploring how people viewed embroidery in early medieval England, which I hope will be published later this year. In between these projects I am in the early stages of organising an edited volume based on the well received session I organised and ran at the IONA conference in Vancouver, Canada, last April. Keep an eye on the blog and Twitter (@alexandra_makin) for updates. I am consulting / advising on a number of textile and embroidery projects, and working as an independent analyst of textiles and embroideries from different contexts. During 2020 I will be giving papers at conferences in the UK and Finland. I am also giving lectures and presentations to a number of academic and special interest groups around the country. Background: I am a trained professional embroiderer with a background in Archaeology and textiles. Originally I trained at the Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace, on their three year embroidery apprenticeship. 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). 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, a number of papers in edited volumes 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 how this 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 and Canada. Groups: I am a member of The European Association for Archaeologists, the Society for Medieval Archaeology, the Archaeological Leather Group, the Finds Research Group, The Textile Society, The Medieval Society (University of Manchester), and MEDATS (Medieval Dress and Textiles Society). I am also a committee member of the Early Textiles Study Group.

Online Workshop Announcement

I’m really excited to announce that I’ll be teaching this lovely piece through Knally Embroidery later this year. It’ll be online and you can find out more details here: https://www.embroideryknally.co.uk/ourshop/prod_7832016-September-with-Alex-Makin-ONLINE.html The design is based on / inspired by a 6th-century horse harness excavated in Winchester, where Embroidery Knally is based. The colours were inspired by... Continue Reading →

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Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles #25

This month I'm delighted to introduce Nancy Spies, an an independent scholar who has devoted her time since she left teaching, to researching medieval textiles. Her first book, "Ecclesiastical Pomp", deals with brocaded tabletwoven bands, and has become one of the 'go to' works on this subject. She is currently researching12th-century Tunisian church textiles and... Continue Reading →

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Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles #24

Hello everyone. In this month's blog post I am pleased to introduce Melinda Hey, a textile conservator who is going to take us through some of the things she encounters when working on different textile objects and how she deals with them. I originally trained in fine art embroidery but now I’m a textile conservator... Continue Reading →

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Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles #23

Welcome to the latest blog post. Here we discover the early to late medieval textiles that are associated with St Wenceslaus in Prague Castle. Milena Bravermanová, Helena Březinová, Jana Bureš Víchová This month I am delighted to bring you an article by Milena Bravermanová, Helena Březinová and Jana Bureš Víchová, archaeologists and textile conservators specialising... Continue Reading →

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Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles #22

This month I am really pleased to introduce you to Ulla Moilanen, who is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. She has a wide expertise of Viking Age artefacts from inhumation burials dating from Late Iron Age to Post-Medieval period and she has undertaken fieldwork. Ulla is also interested in interdisciplinary research. In... Continue Reading →

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Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles #21

Welcome to this edition of Early Medieval (mostly) Textiles. This time I am really pleased to introduce Abigail Youngman, who is a radio dramatist and script editor. She writes radio plays based on historical fact, mainly from a female point of view with an element the absurd, because truth is stranger, and sometimes funnier, than... Continue Reading →

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