Embroidering Her Truth Quotes

“Sewing is a conscious activity, not just an object. It is what we put into cloth, the time, care, thought, the evidence of self that we invest in it that makes it potent. This is not mere surface decoration; needlework is layered in emotional meaning.”
― Clare Hunter, Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power

“There is camaraderie in sewing. With heads bent over stitching, confidences are more readily shared and topics can become more intimate. The pooling of equipment – scissors, threads, needles – necessitates small physical interactions that break down social barriers. Technical problems are communally solved, collective skill and achievement applauded.”
― Clare Hunter, Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power

“In the sixteenth century, the needle held a number of symbolic meanings. It was thought to be synonymous with breath, the rhythm it produced being analogous to that of breathing. It also signified an arrow piercing a target or a gateway through which one could pass between the underworld, the temporal universe and the celestial heavens.”
― Clare Hunter, Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power

“For Mary, living in an environment of surveillance and suspicion, with visitors monitored and conversations reported on, and where her correspondence was intercepted and read, verbal and written forms of communication had to be guarded, even when encoded. Such writings, therefore, cannot be assumed to be a true reflection of her thoughts and opinions. Mary’s needlework, however, was uncensored. She”
― Clare Hunter, Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power