The Litany of Loreto and the History of Embroidery
- Description
This is a recording of a live online event held on Wednesday 18 February 2026
With Dr Susan Kay-Williams.
In this fascinating recorded talk, Dr Susan Kay-Williams celebrated the launch of the Royal School of Needlework’s long-awaited online course, History of Embroidery.
Developed by more than a dozen leading curators, academics, and practitioners, the course offers a rich journey through British embroidery from the early Medieval period to the present day. It explores essential techniques, celebrated stitchers, and iconic works — including the breathtaking Litany of Loreto.
Susan focused on the extraordinary Litany of Loreto: a series of twelve exquisite pieces stitched in a striking, self-selected limited colour palette. Donated to the RSN in the 1970s, these remarkable embroideries have yielded exciting new discoveries in recent years, which Susan shared during the talk, while also highlighting several intriguing mysteries that still remain unsolved.
She also brought the full story of embroidery throughout the ages vividly to life and provided an inspiring introduction to the new course and the many experts who helped create it.
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