For this month’s
interview we have a wonderful meet and greet with Brendon of Linen and Threads
in Australia! It is great to hear from
one of our gentleman stitchers, and shop owner!
He shows us some of the antique samplers in their collection along with the
gorgeous samplers he is working on and tells us about his stitching journey and
shop shows and retreats. Enjoy!
Brendon, how old
were you when you first picked up a needle and who taught you to stitch?
*My Mum first tried to
teach to me stitch when I was little.
Like most kids, I lost interest pretty quickly when the next shiny thing
came along.
Later when I married Karen,
her interest in needlework started to rub off.
Initially I started off on tapestry and canvas work, then progressed to
crewel work, now cross stitch and I am learning stump work with Tricia Nguyen’s
Cabinet of Curiosities.
Do you recall what
was the first sampler that you stitched?
*I remember the first
sampler I started was “And they Sinned” by Examplar Dames. This one is still going, I think will be
still going for a long while, as someone else always brings out another design
that I have to start. It’s one I periodically pickup and add a bit to.
When do you find
time to stitch? Do you sit in a set place and what tools do you like to have on
hand?
*My day job has periods of
80-100 hours weeks, then periods of more normal 40+ hours. So stitching time is dependent on work
schedule. Normally I will stitch in the
evening after dinner whilst watching TV.
I’ve got a corner of the lounge room setup with my stitching library,
Ottlite and all the projects I am currently working on. I am normally joined by at least one of our
three whippets looking for attention.
Do you use the
stick and stab technique, or a sewing stitch?
*I’m a “Stick and Stab”
kind of guy. I know it takes longer to stitch this way, but as I use a frame,
it is easier, and I find I get a more even, neater stitch.
Do you prefer to
stitch in hand, or with a hoop or frame?
*I like a tight work
surface, so always use a frame. I have
tried stitching in hand a few times, but grip the linen so tight, I end up with
cramps in my hands. For smaller
projects, I like Q Snaps.
What is your
favorite linen and thread?
*I really like the look
over-dyed threads give to needlework, so tend to be drawn towards Weeks Dye
Works, Classic Colourworks and Gentle Arts threads. I have recently discovered the range of
stranded cotton from Valdani, the colours look great and I am going to order
some in.
I mainly stitch on 40ct
linens, either Antique White or a hand dye, though I have some 56ct I am going
to try one day.
Do you like
specialty stitches and have a favorite?
*Specialty stitches make
samplers interesting, providing a break from cross stitch. “Miss Mary Ann Bournes 1791” by Hands Across
the Sea Samplers has a lot of satin stitch and I am enjoying that. I also do a lot of short and long stitch, and
am currently learning variations of buttonhole stitch as part of the stumpwork
course I am doing.
What is your
favourite period of sampler-making and why?
*It is really hard to pick
a period. I love samplers from the each
of the three peak periods for sampler making.
The late 17th Century was the peak of stumpwork, with amazing
craftsmanship, hidden political meanings and some truly amazing designs with
elaborate embroidered cabinets. The 18th
Century, with naive designs incorporating motifs, bright colours and pictorial
samplers. Then the 19th
Century, a more refined period, with samplers featuring ornate borders and
grand houses.
Which designs
appeal to you the most?
*I am really drawn to samplers
featuring Adam and Eve, houses and ornate floral borders. Also, add a mermaid to a sampler, and I have
to buy it. I also like Dutch samplers
and samplers featuring ships.
Has working with
reproduction samplers given you any new insight into the lives of the girls and
women in the 17-18-19th centuries that you did not realize before?
*I spend a lot of time
researching the history of samplers, recently giving a talk to a group of
ladies at a stitching retreat. It’s
amazing when you look at the beautiful samplers stitched by young ladies,
sometimes on really fine counts of linen or silk gauze and realise that they
stitched by candlelight without magnification.
One surprise fact I found
was needlework wasn’t always considered a feminine art. During the Medieval period, needlework had
been practised by both men and women through trade guilds and associations with
needleworkers held in as high esteem as famous painters and sculptors. As time moved on, this gender balance and
perception changed. In the late 19th
Century, the Victorians started to redefine gender rolls and femininity. Rewriting history, Victorians redefined the
art of needlework as a traditional feminine art, a legacy still attached today.
How do you display
your stitched samplers? Do you frame them? Hang them singularly or
in groupings?
*Everything we stitch
pretty much ends up as samples in the shop.
The displays in the shop constantly change, as new samples are completed. Here are photos of same of the samplers at
the shop at the moment.
Do you collect
antique samplers? Or have any other collections special to you?
*I love old samplers and as
funds allow, have begun to collect them.
I’ve been really lucky, getting some great samplers, with 7 in the
collection to date, some of which we have started to reproduce under the brand
name “Under the Hedgerow”.
The first one we have
reproduced is “Jane Johannah Wilkins 1884 Sampler”. We reproduced this sampler for our antique
sampler retreat last year.
My favourite at the moment
is a little basic alphabet sampler. What
makes this special is that it is a real Australian sampler. We purchased Emily Trump’s sampler from her
family and have been able to track back the slightly scandalous history of the
young lady who stitched the sampler, even visiting her grave.
I recently acquired a
really nice Adam and Eve sampler that I really love and have started to chart.
What brought you
to opening your own shop? Where are you located?
*In 2000, Karen was
frustrated that she couldn’t get the designs and materials she wanted to
stitch. Rather than continue to
complain, we decided to do something about it and began to import from
overseas.
In 2001, we started trading
online as Dragonfly Dreams. Soon we had
too much stock to keep at home, so opened a shop. Unfortunately, once we opened a physical
store, the name started to cause a few issue, with some phone calls from people
wanting to order Chinese food, and weird men looking for “massages”, so we had
to rebrand.
We have been in our current
location for 12 years now. Linen and
Threads shares a little cottage in Katoomba, a small town in the Blue
Mountains, west of Sydney.
Do you have shows
where you sell your wares? Please
let us know where you are planning shows.
*As well as the shop, we
also hit the road and do many craft shows, guild meetings and retreats. Each year we have a stand at some of the Craft
and Quilt Shows, this year we will be at the Sydney show in June and the
Canberra show in August. We also attend
some of the CraftAlive shows, recently we were at Castle Hill. Later in the year we will be at Orange and
Wollongong, and maybe Tamworth. Next
year, we hope to do a lot more shows, getting to other parts of Australia.
Here is a photo of a recent
stand at Castle Hill.
Any guilty secrets
to confess?
*I do everything you
shouldn’t when I stitch. I eat, drink
and let my dogs lay in my lap. So far I
have been lucky and haven’t had any major disasters.
What has been your
worst needlework disaster?
*My Ottlight has a
magnifier. I stitch near a window,
during the day the blinds are normally closed, but once I forgot. Luckily the cushion on the lounge only had a
little scorching and I didn’t burn the house down. Needless to say, the magnifier now has a sock
covering it when not in use.
What sampler are
you currently working on now? What do you most enjoy about it?
*I have a few samplers
going at the moment, as well as some other stitching projects. As I said before, I am working on “And They
Sinned”, will probably still be working on this one in 10 years’ time!
The other sampler I am
stitching is by Nicola and Sandra from Hands Across the Sea Samplers, “Miss
Mary Ann Bournes 1791”. I really love
the bee skep on this sampler, though it will be a while before I get to it.
What other hobbies
or interests do you enjoy?
*As we live in Katoomba,
but I work in Sydney, I spend a lot of time travelling each day. My commute is 6 to 7 hours a day, so I need
something to keep me sane. Public
transport can get pretty crowded and the trains are pretty dirty, so stitching
is not an option. To pass the time, I tend
to read, and the Kindle has become my best friend.
I have a couple of
favourite books that I have read a bunch of times, each time finding something
new in them. The first is William
Golding’s Lord of the Flies and the other is by Stephen King, The Stand.
I also love to travel, we
go to the USA once or twice a year to attend tradeshows and always manage to
couple it with a holiday. I love just
getting in the car and seeing the countryside.
I think we have been to over 20 states so far. We recently got back from three weeks in the
UK. This trip was just a holiday and we
managed to pack in lots of history and saw heaps of needlework beautiful
needlework, including Nicola’s amazing sampler collection.
Thank you so much,
Brendon, for sharing your story and your samplers with us! Seeing your beautiful stitching and wonderful
antiques is such a treat! Thank you for
sharing photos from your shows and retreats.
I am sure we all wish we could spend a bit of time shopping and hearing
more about the history of samplers! Not
only have you inspired us to get stitching but also, perhaps, to plan a trip
Down Under! To learn more about Linen
and Thread’s offerings, retreats and future endeavors please visit their website
at Linen and Threads.
