Have you ever picked up a needle and thread? It could have been patching up a hole in your favourite t-shirt, popping a button back on your coat, or maybe trying your hand at something a bit more ambitious, such as an embroidery project or a quilt.

Alongside the more practical uses of sewing, textiles have been used for centuries as outlets for mental health, mourning, disability, and injury. Beau Brannick, the Museum of Cambridge’s Collections Officer, and curator of ‘The Stories Behind the Stitches’ exhibition, will discuss objects in the collection and exhibit which explore these themes. These range from embroideries stitched by injured and disabled out-of-action soldiers whilst residing at the First Eastern General Hospital to samplers stitched in memory of a lost loved one.

Due to the nature of our 16th-century old building, the Museum of Cambridge is not wheelchair accessible. However, the talk will be held in our hireable space, which has level access, and there is an accessible bathroom on site. We are working on enhancing our accessibility, and we recognise that this is a core development priority. This talk allows the Museum to discuss disability within the collection and share these objects and research in an accessible space.