Postgraduate students

Donna Roy, BA, MA candidate

Threads of Faith: Finding Meaning in the Art of Ecclesiastical Embroidery

The purpose of this research is to discover why people (mainly women) choose to stitch ecclesiastical embroidery. I’m looking to find the meaning behind the process of stitching, the use of Christian symbolism and gain insight into the rich internal world of those who create church linen, such as altar cloths and frontals, lectern drops and other linen used in Christian worship. I will then choose prominent themes, e.g. prayer, meditation, symbolism, to link back to church and embroidery history.

I am very interested in what motivates women (and sometimes men) to create religious-themed embroidered art for use or display in a Christian church or in their home. Why have they chosen this particular focus for their stitching? How do they feel when they are working on such a project? How does it link to their spirituality and what does it express about their faith?

Someone who invests money in quality materials and spends hours stitching a piece of beautiful embroidery, for use in worship or to display in their religious environment, has incurred a cost, both financially (the purchase of materials) and of their time. When considering church embroidery, does this cost signal the stitcher’s commitment to other church members or are they unrecognised? The stitcher enjoys the task of stitching, it is a skill they have developed, and in expressing their art, does the stitcher intentionally or inadvertently signal their commitment to their faith?

Is embroidery a form of prayer? Prayer is not just a verbal supplication to God; it can also be a meditative practice and a way of finding solace during difficult times. One of my interviewees has already spoken of her stitching as a form of prayer, especially when working with others on a communal project, such as an altar cloth. I am keen to further explore the connection between embroidery and prayer.

I am interested in the use of symbolism in modern-day embroidery. In church embroidery we can observe many religious symbols. Why have these women chosen the particular symbols they have stitched? Have they drawn on similar symbolism from centuries past and created a modern version? What do these symbols mean to the stitcher and is this aspect of the project also an expression of faith?

What is the role of embroidery for modern-day cloistered nuns? Are they merely continuing a tradition in the use of their time or is it about purity, piety and spirituality? Is it a meditative practice? I am very interested in the experience of nuns who embroider for the church.

Supervisor: Professor Greg Dawes and Professor Simone Celine Marshall