TEXTILES
Textiles Collection Features
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Indian Textiles & Empire
The Victoria & Albert Museum has an exceptional and wide-ranging collection of textiles from the Indian subcontinent. Many of these were collected before the museum came into existence and came to South Kensington in 1875.
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Introduction to Quilting
Quilting can be traced back at least to the Middle Ages. The word `quilt' seems to have first been used in England in the 1200s, and connects with the Latin word ‘cucita’ meaning a bolster or cushion.
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Introduction to Tapestries
Tapestry is an ancient technique of weaving. The pattern is woven in blocks of coloured weft thread which are then beaten down very tightly on the warp threads, producing a picture or pattern.
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Resist-dyed Textiles
Resist-dyeing is a widely used method of applying colours or patterns to fabric. A substance that is impervious to the dye blocks its access to certain areas of the fabric, while other parts are free to take up the dye colour.
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Embroidery
These pages are about embroidery. In them you can study examples of embroidery from the V&A collection or create your own embroidery from patterns available to download. Be inspired by interviews with contemporary embroiderers and follow up your interest using our web links and blog list.
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1960s Textile Designers
Click on a name of a textile designer or firm and find out more about them.
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Leman Album
The album contains ninety-seven designs for woven silk, painted in watercolour. Most date from 1706-1716, but a few are from about 1730. They are bound with two anonymous designs from around 1840.