Audio tour Cross Stitch - Needlepoint

Stitching onto fabric has been an art form for thousands of years, with origins believed to be rooted in ancient Peruvian running-stitch samplers dated 200-500 AD.  One of the most important and widespread functions of cross-stitching has been to adorn peasants' garments and household linen, often as a way of indicating family wealth and status in the community.  The earliest dated cross stitch sampler currently known is held at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was made by an English girl, Jane Bosticke, with the date 1598 embroidered onto the piece.