The Bayeux Tapestry

I am not sure if this is the right place for this.

I have just achieved a life time ambition - I have seen the Bayeux Tapestry!
http://www.bayeuxmuseum.com/en/une_uvre_textile_en.html

When I was taught about the Battle of Hastings the teacher used images of the Tapestry. When I studied Textiles the Bayeux Tapestry was an important part of the History of Embroidery. Seeing it was a very emotive experience for me on so many levels. Thinking about the designer/s, the people who made the linen. The dyers of the threads and those that spun them. The embroiderers. There is still a lot of discussion about where it was made, France or England? Which part of which country? Although I can see why, to some people, it may be important, for me the survival of the Tapestry is more important. The Tapestry is nearly a thousand years old and the colours are so vibrant and bright. The artistry still amazes me. The faces of the soldiers, the way horses and boats are depicted are so realistic. Although I have seen many photographs of it over many decades seeing the real thing, being able to see the stitches and how the spaces were filled with colour filled me with awe.

blacbird make the 'chance to see it' happen. I will go again! I am still in awe at the experience of seeing the Tapestry. I leant over the wooden barrier to take a closer look at the stitches and they left me full of respect for the embroiderers. I am an embroiderer and most of my works are small - tiny, miniscule compared to the Bayeux Tapestry. I have a kit to learn how to do the Bayeux stitch which I will start work on when I get back to the UK.

shakeysix said:

It was featured on the pages of a my history book way back in 5th or 6th grade. I fell in love with it and its stories. After that I read about it and the conquest whenever I could. I remember showing a picture of the Tapestry to my great grandmother, who had seen Halley's comet in 1910, and asking her if the comet was really that big. She said the comet was "really something" but was more interested in the embroidery angle--reading about the thread and linen and telling me how much work went into it. She saw a chance and tried to teach me how to embroider but a stamped pillowcase from Woolworth's isn't the Bayeux Tapestry so I lost interest at the first butterfly. The comet and Odo of Bayeux and Harald with the arrow in his eye--now that is embroidery! --s6

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WOW! Verbal history - seeing Halley's Comet. There is a place that sells embroirery kits based on the Bayeux Tapestry, https://www.bayeux-broderie.com/gb/13-embroidered-kits-bayeux-tapestry I visited the shop whilst there and got a kit! https://www.bayeux-broderie.com/gb/varied/97-livre-depliant-de-la-tapisserie-de-bayeux.html

AW Admin said:

This annotated digital facsimile of the Bayeux tapestry used to be available as a CD-ROM, then a DVD, and now, online.

It was wonderful to teach with.

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I wish I had the chance to teach using the Tapestry.

muse said:

Must have been an awesome feeling actually standing that close to the tapestry, Shakes. It's a gorgeous piece of work!

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It was awesome! It is indeed a gorgeous piece of work.

You can try a 'do it yourself' kit! The Bayeux stitch is illustrated on quite a few sites as are various parts of the Tapestry. You will need some white linen and various threads - either wool or embroidery threads. I would practice the stitich before working on the neat copy.
This site shows how to do Bayeux stitich, it also has a design to copy: https://embroiderersguild.com/uploads/docs-mags/bayeux.pdf
Image of one of the creatures on the Tapestry: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6b/f4/be/6bf4be9e150d182addbbd6747842707b.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/a3/20/46/a3204625135ba71d5d739bff4ded466f.jpg is a more complex image.