Virginia Crawford

21/06/2026

Twilight view of the jasmine trailing above my garden chair; negative space ❤️

21/05/2026

I WON AT THREAD CHICKEN!!!!! Okay, it’s only a toile, but it still counts! 😂🐣🐓🐓🐓

14/05/2026

New book pre-order has started! We're excited to bring you "The Women Who Clothed the Stuart Queens: Gender and Work in the Royal Wardrobe and the Fashion Marketplace", by Sarah A. Bendall

This study explores – for the first time – the changing professions and roles of the women who worked to clothe six Stuart queens between 1603–1714: Anna of Denmark, Henrietta Maria, Catherine of Braganza, Mary of Modena, Queen Mary II and Queen Anne.

Beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout, and using a wide range of written, visual and material sources, this book explores how changing patterns of work and consumption saw women become key producers, retailers and consumers of fashion during the 17th century, and illuminates the strong connections between the royal courts and London's fashion marketplace.

From royal wardrobes, workrooms and laundries to workshops and retail premises in London's bustling streets, Sarah A. Bendall highlights the integral role that women of multiple backgrounds played in the creation and maintenance of elite dress. The royal accounts show that this work was facilitated by migration, global trade, familial networks and changing guild structures, and that the patronage of queens and elite women was integral to supporting and promoting women's rise in the fashion trades as celebrated silkwomen, tirewoman, milliners and mantua makers.

"The Women Who Clothed the Stuart Queens" challenges understandings of women's work in the court, the household and the fashion marketplace, and shows how clothing played a key role in women's economic participation in 17th and 18th-century England more broadly. It offers fascinating insights for all those interested in the history of women and gender, fashion, material culture and consumption, and, of course, to all those interested in Stuart history.

Softcover, 360 Pages. Release date is in late July 2026

BECAUSE THIS IS A PRE-ORDER, IT MUST BE ORDERED SEPARATELY FROM OTHER MERCHANDISE.

13/05/2026

06/05/2026

Yay Polly! I love the Newbridge Art Trail ❤️

23/04/2026

When tidying up becomes dressing up… I made these silk C18th mitts a few years ago. I love them but they’re a bit big for me, so I’ve never worn them out. Maybe I’ll sell them.

21/04/2026

Yesterday I went into town to run a couple of errands. Obviously I stopped for cake… and gelato in the park… and fabric… Bath is such a lovely place to live.

21/04/2026

Easing my way into my day with a little English Paper Piecing. This is a beloved and much missed friend’s quilting project that I’m finishing for her family. I’m nearly done with the top. All handsewn, which is a really lovely process.