Susan Kay Williams - The Story of Colour in Textiles

Susan Kay Williams | NeedleXChange

NeedleXChange - Conversations on the art of thread

Welcome to NeedleXChange, conversations on the art of thread. It’s our podcast in which Jamie “Mr X Stitch” Chalmers talks with needlework and textile artists about their practice and process.

Dr Susan Kay-Williams was the Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework from 2007 to 2024 and is a recognised expert on the history of colour and textile art. In our recent NeedleXChange we cover the history of colour in textiles, as well as how tapestries evolved from a utility product to an art statement, and all manner of topics in between.

Purple Angel from the RSN Collection

Susan’s perspective on textile art is unique, as we know from reviewing her book The Story of Colour in TextilesSusan Kay Williams | NeedleXChange in which Susan examines the historical development of colouring fabrics, from the earliest pre-historical references to modern synthetic methods.

Susan Kay Williams - The Story of Colour in Textiles

As we learnt from talking with Susan, we take dyed textiles for granted in the modern age, and many of us are passive consumers of coloured threads and fabrics.

Susan Kay Williams | NeedleXChange
Royal School of Needlework Crest

There is a rich history in how our modern use of textiles evolved in relation to colour. In the Middle Ages there were more colours available to painters than there were to dyers, so the woven images were unable to accurately represent the colours of the time. The examples below feature Raphael’s Healing of the Lame Man in paint and Tapestry and illustrate the point.

Raphael - The Healing of the Lame Man (1515) - Painting - via Wikimedia Commons
Raphael’s Healing of the Lame Man, Painting
The Healing of the Lame Man (1515) - Tapestry - c. Vatican Museums
Raphael’s Healing of the Lame Man, Tapestry

Susan has dedicated great pieces of research to exploring the methods of colour production. Her book tells a story of power, wealth and secrecy, including how the Spaniards kept the production process of cochineal so secret that it was only with the advent of microscopes that people discovered that the colour came from a beetle and not a berry!

Susan Kay Williams | NeedleXChange
Susan Kay Williams and Dennis Nothdruft

If you want to learn more about fabric and colour, you can check out Susan’s book The Story of Colour in Textiles, and to delve even further into Susan’s knowledge, you can check out our full NeedleXChange interview here. You’ll never look at your threads in the same way again!

The Story of Colour in Textiles by Susan Kay-Williams is available from all good retailers. Why not get your copy from the Mr X Stitch Amazon Store?

Don’t forget our other episodes of NeedleXChange, which you find here!

  • NeedleXChange: Jane Sanders
  • NeedleXChange: Cas Holmes
  • NeedleXChange: Emma Homent

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