The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine

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Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.20 Ocr_module_version 0.0.17 Openlibrary OL3130521M Openlibrary_edition An insightful, humorous, yet poignant and empathetic exploration of the history of men in the field of embroidery.

The Subversive Stitch Embroidery | PDF - Scribd PARKER, R. - The Subversive Stitch Embroidery | PDF - Scribd

It's a VERY white history of English stitchwork by merchant class and royal women and men, with far too much emphasis on the church and religious imagery. Barely any discussion of the actual work of embroidery, materials used, or anything "subversive" until the chapters set mostly in the 1970s. The "updated" forward mentions a few newer artists, but doesn't discuss the specifics of their work with any meaningful detail. And as far as feminist content - lots about how women were subjugated or uncredited as stitchers, and as subjects of pictorial works, but nothing about overcoming any of that. Also, this books made me feel much more respect towards the history of embroidery and the work of modern women in it and how they work towards a new conception of the art. UR - https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Queering_the_Subversive_Stitch.html?id=XeEWswEACAAJ&redir_esc=y Woah! I find it very worrying that the head of a degree subject area can make a statement about academic writing which will negatively influence all the students doing a Textile degree! This book traces the use of embroidery, especially by Victorian England, to define and enforce barriers on femininity and the effects this has had both on embroidery and women.I used this book as a major component of my research for my masters thesis. I was writing about the Glasgow Girls, specifically Ann Macbeth. I am so thankful for this book for having more information on these remarkable women than almost any other text and so much insightful knowledge about this brave woman. I know from personal experience how little people appreciate handcrafts and how if I quote a fair price for embroidery work that people are surprised. This is an interesting look at how embroidery became the domain of both those who had to be seen to be doing something and the cause of suffering in some factories. Quién iba a pensar que el bordado pudiera dar tanto de sí. A lo largo de este libro (que mejora a partir del segundo capítulo, cuando la autora se mete propiamente en materia) se nos habla de cómo la costura, sobre todo la decorativa, es reflejo y escenario de las concepciones imperantes sobre género y clase. También de la distinción, igualmente preñada de ideología, entre el Arte al que le ponen la mayúscula y la artesanía con letras pequeñitas. Fue publicado a mediados de los ochenta, pero Rozsika Parker lo actualizó con un prólogo para su reedición en 2010, de modo que no ha quedado demasiado desfasado. The Subversive Stitch documents the history of embroidery, mainly in Britain from the medieval period right up to the present day. Taking in why the art became a predominantly female activity and didn’t get invited into the fine art club. So if you are serious about textiles this book is essential reading. So many ideas to follow up on from this read; Parker did mention some newer textile artists in her new introduction, and I'd love to read about the path of embroidery past the late 70s where this book stops.

The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the… The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the…

Post-Victorian era, the book seems to fizzle a little bit. There's some discussion of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Britain, but I felt like the use of embroidery in protest could have been explored in more depth. The book also glosses over embroidery for the whole mid-20th century, leaping from Suffrage to the 1970s and it just felt a little off when compared to the level of detail given in the earlier chapters. Masculinity and “the politics of cloth”: from the “bad boys” of postmodern art to the “the boys that sew club” of the new millenniumit is important to establish how far the choice of subject matter was determined by the general social, political and artistic developments of the time and how far women's specific experience and the history of embroidery dictated the needlewoman's choice. The suffering of humanity was a central subject of all the arts" (Parker: 160) p. Muy ilustrado con fotografías en texto. Muy buen estado de conservación. Rústica original. Cubierta ilustrada. The main focus is on embroidery in the UK, although from time to time references are made to other countries. The information that is part of the descriptions of the images comes up again in the main text and that I didn't like. I skipped most of the long quotes in the book, as I think they were not always necessarily significant.

the Subversive Stitch: Sew very masculine! Queering the Subversive Stitch: Sew very masculine!

Rozsika Parker, “The Domestication of Embroidery.” in The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine. (London: I.B. Tauris, 2010), 60-82. I can't remember how I came across this book, but I couldn't resist putting it on the list for our feminist book club, and was very happy when it got voted in for discussion. When I started reading it, I got a little apprehensive, since it seemed extremely academic and rather niche, and I was worried that the group (and I) wouldn't enjoy it. As a Creative Writing tutor I was delighted to see your piece on the Subversive Stitch. I actually read Parker’s book about 12 years ago when I was doing a PhD on women writers contemporary with Jane Austen and was interested in seeing how women could use both writing and embroidery to express themselves, since at that time they could not easily enter the male public sphere. I certainly read Parker’s book because I was interested in the sociology and the history rather than the art of textiles. But it’s hard to pull the two aspects apart. You can’t look at the arts without being aware of the underlying politics. Rozsika Parker uses household accounts, women's magazines, letters, novels and the works of art themselves to trace through history how the separation of the craft of embroidery from the fine arts came to be a major force in the marginalisation of women's work. Beautifully illustrated, her book also discusses the contradictory nature of women's experience of embroidery: how it has inculcated female subservience while providing an immensely pleasurable source of creativity, forging links between women.

Reviews

As well as providing an interesting and well-researched history of embroidery, this book made me question my own relationship to embroidery. I loved embroidery when I was younger, and "wasted" very many hours making quite "useless", but beautiful items. Was it because I saw embroidery as a "ladylike, romantic ideal"? Yes, indeed. Did it stop me from developing a richer intellect? No, because unlike earlier generations, I was taught more than needlework at school. I think that the questions raised by this book about embroidery as art or foolish hobby remain highly relevant and worth continuing to question. There remains in popular culture a thread of the old-fashioned Victorian era image of someone to "sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam", that embroidery struggles to overcome. I will be thinking about this for a long time yet. In this chapter, Parker also talks about the different themes women used to embroider. In the 15th Century, many women used to embroider religious iconography with domestic qualities, such as an enthroned young virgin Mary smiling as she breastfeeds her baby, placing emphasis on motherhood and women’s nurturing gentle qualities. At the same time (mid – Renaissance) embroidered images of renowned women of the past became very popular. During the Elizabethan era (1558 to 1603), it was popular to include flowers and plants, as each could carry several symbolic meanings. Embroiderers also included emblems in their embroideries, together with a saying or motto, challenging the viewer to establish a relationship and meaning between the elements. [6]