Dr. Jessica Grimm of Acupictrix – Bad Bayersoien, Germany

As a little girl, I visited the Stiftsmuseum in Xanten, Germany. In the basement, you were invited to flick a timed switch and when you did you were suddenly surrounded by “wonderful things” as Howard Carter would say. Suitably impressed by the gold-embroidered vestments, but, being raised a Protestant these “wonderful things” were also a little alien to me. Little did I know then that I would end up studying medieval goldwork embroidery some 30 years later. Between now and then I studied archaeology of Nord-Western Europe, got a doctorate in archaeozoology from the University of Groningen (NL) and learned to professionally embroider at the Royal School of Needlework in London. In 2015, I encountered the “wonderful things” again. This time at the exhibition “Het geheim van de Middeleeuwen in gouddraad en zijde” (The secret of the Middle Ages in gold thread and silk) held at the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The “wonderful things” became my vocation.

Apart from teaching goldwork embroidery techniques and spending time in museums and libraries studying medieval goldwork embroidery I still create embroidered art. In my embroidery studio overlooking a beautiful Alpine Lake near the world-famous Castle of Neuschwanstein, I love to set myself a challenge. Whether it is working with new-to-me threads, a restricted colour palette, a little-known historical embroidery technique or playing with the scale of things, I will create something beautiful to adorn your wall.

Thread Study Beetle II

Black Iris Schwalm Butterfly Embroidery

Female Nature

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