Fragment of an Altar Frontal, English & Italian, Museum no. T.194-1911
COLLECTIONS
Textiles
The national collection of Textiles covers a period of more
than 2000 years. It has a broad geographic range with a
particular emphasis on Europe. Most techniques are
represented, including woven, printed and embroidered
textiles, lace, tapestries and carpets. These are classified
by technique, countries of origin and dates of production.
Particularly rich areas of the collections are the early silks
from the Near East, lace, European tapestries and English
medieval church embroidery.
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Blog: Quilts - Hidden Histories, Untold Stories
In March 2010 the V&A will present a major exhibition which will showcase over 300 years of British patchwork and quilting. This blog sets out to chart the progress of the exhibition, providing an unique 'behind the scenes' look at a process.
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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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World Beach Project
Devised by artist Sue Lawty in association with the V&A, the World Beach Project is a global art project open to anybody, anywhere, of any age. Building on the experience many of us have of making patterns on beaches and shorelines, this project combines the simplicity of making patterns with stones with the complexities of shape, size, colour, tone, composition, similarity and difference.
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Discover... Oriental Carpets
Become an expert in the construction and quality of oriental carpets with this fascinating collection of short videos. Presented by Jennifer Wearden, the Textile Curator from the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Fashion.