Threading History: The Turnbulls' Crewelwork Revival
Phillipa Turnbull spent years in museum archives, carefully studying faded curtain fragments and timeworn bed hangings rarely seen by the public. These fragments of 17th-century domestic life held secrets she was determined to unlock — the precise twist of wool thread, the subtle depth of an indigo dye, the distinctive way a leaf curved around a fantastical bird’s wing.
That dedication has flourished into The Crewel Work Company, which Phillipa now runs with her daughter Laura from their base in Appleby-in-Westmorland. What began as one woman’s fascination with historic needlework has become Britain’s leading source for authentic crewelwork reproductions.
Phillipa Turnbull with a completed Elizabethan Scrolls design.
The Turnbulls don’t simply replicate old designs — they study and reanimate them. Collaborations with the Burrell Collection, Gawthorpe Hall, Glamis Castle, and Muncaster Castle grant access to textiles long kept out of sight. Laura might spend hours analysing a single flower motif, recording how the original embroiderer built petals with long and short stitch, or how a particular twist of thread created the glow of burnished gold. This meticulous, almost archaeological approach results in embroidery kits that feel genuinely historical rather than nostalgic. To work one of their designs is to retrace the very stitches placed three centuries ago, perhaps by candlelight in a draughty manor house.
An example of a finished embroidery from the Jacobean Hunt Kit
Crewelwork itself emerged during Britain’s textile golden age, when merchant ships brought exotic silks and new dyes to English shores. Embroiderers responded with extraordinary inventions — trees laden with improbable fruits, deer wandering through imagined landscapes, blossoms that never ceased to flower. The technique travelled to colonial America, where it was re-interpreted with the materials and sensibilities of a new world.
This September, Phillipa will share her discoveries during London Textile Month. On 2 September (6–7pm BST), her online talk will trace crewelwork’s journey from Jacobean exuberance to Arts and Crafts revival, revealing how politics, trade, and taste shaped what appeared in domestic embroidery. She will also reflect on why some stitches endured while others quietly disappeared.
Detail from the Rowan Tree Kit
On 30 September, participants can join a hands-on workshop centred on a Rowan Tree design that captures the Arts and Crafts devotion to native flora. Techniques such as Whipped Spider’s Web and Spiral Buttonhole will build clusters of crimson berries and silvery-green leaves — challenging yet rewarding work for those ready to refine their practice.
For the Turnbulls, preservation is as much about people as it is about textiles. Through retreats, courses, and workshops, they nurture communities of embroiderers who carry these traditions forward, adapting them with contemporary imagination while honouring their origins. Every kit sold and every stitch taught helps strengthen the thread that binds today’s makers to their predecessors — ensuring that crewelwork remains a living, breathing tradition.
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Further information:
As part of London Textile Month, Phillipa Turnbull of The Crewel Work Company will be delivering the following events:
Tuesday 2 September, 6-7 p.m. (BST): Online Talk: The History and Art of British Crewelwork
Tuesday 30 September, 10-4 p.m.: Workshop: Rowan Tree Crewelwork
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Image Credits:
Lead: Gawthorpe Peacock Kit, by Phillipa Turnbull - Crewel Work Company.
All other images as credited in photo captions.