Book Discussion: Jane Austen Embroidery
16/09/2021 2:00 pm | The Mission Theatre, 32 Corn Street, BA1 1UF
Join historian Jennie Batchelor and practising embroiderer and lecturer Alison Larkin at an in-person talk at The Mission Theatre, as they discuss embroidery in the era of Jane Austen and their recent collaboration on Jane Austen Embroidery.
We know that Jane Austen was as skillful with a needle as she was with a pen. She was a keen amateur embroiderer who was praised for being so ‘excellent in satin stitch’ that she would have put ‘a sewing machine to shame’. Jane’s letters document her embellishing caps and gowns while trying and failing to guard the patterns so that her friends couldn’t mimic her style. But where she did get her patterns from? The most likely source is the Lady’s Magazine (1770-1832), a hugely successful women’s magazine that Jane Austen read and that for 50 years provided readers with monthly embroidery patterns.
The event is part of the Jane Austen Festival and takes place at The Mission Theatre in Bath on September 16th. Tickets can be purchased here.
About the authors
Jennie Batchelor is Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Kent and the author of five books and many articles and book chapters. Jennie has co-hosted embroidery workshops and given various talks about embroidery, Jane Austen and Regency fashion for many events, including Lucy Worsley’s BBC documentary Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors. Jennie is also Patron of the Kent branch of the Jane Austen Society
As a practicing embroiderer, Alison Larkin lectures on various aspects of needlework. She regularly runs classes and workshops. She has won many awards and written for the journals Costume and The Journal of Dress History.
Jennie and Alison co-authored Jane Austen Embroidery, a book featuring 15 beautiful embroidery projects from the era of Jane Austen. Find out more about the book.
When: Thursday 16 September, 2-3pm
Where: The Mission Theatre, 32 Corn Street, BA1 1UF
Tickets: Tickets are £12 and can be purchased here