Here's some stuff for the Germans among you (or those happy to travel and having some German...)

First, another weaving workshop in Krefeld, run by Barbara Thomas, who will teach about early composite fabrics. The workshop will be October 16-20, and you can find more information about it here. 

Second: There's an exhibition about Pestilence and Cholera in the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg - it's opening on Sunday, April 23. The topic? Plagues and how they were handled in the Early Modern Age. "Pest und Cholera" will run until July 2023.

And now I'll get back to my current project - finding evidence about how turning up in just your undergarments was regarded in the Middle Ages...

Just before the presentation in Syke, there was an interview for the NDR (that is the Northern German Radio/TV), which is also online now. You can find it here - again all in German, of course. 

If you happen to be in London in the next months, you might consider going to see an exhibition about Kumihimo in the Japan House London. It will run until June, so there's still some time left. For those who want to get in the mood, or cannot make it but would still like to hear more about kumihimo, there is a recorded talk about the exhibition on the website as well. 

And just in case you'd prefer going for a nap, but have a hard time falling asleep: There's a Boring Books for Bed podcast. Though I'm not absolutely sure I agree with the title "boring" for something about embroidery. You can also listen to things about Egyptian Archaeology. Or Darwin's Origin of Species...

Here I am back again, for a few days, before the Week of Crazy will throw its shadow over my life. The Week of Crazy, also known as the European Textile Forum... 

For now, though, let me tell you that I had a wonderful time in Lübeck. It's really lovely to travel again, and to have actual physical presences when giving a presentation instead of just a camera. Though there was a camera, too, an in case you've missed it but would like to see what I did there, here's the presentation on Youtube:

The sound quality and the video quality are, unfortunately, not the very best - but at least it's there, and available, and I hope you will be able to hear all my (more or less bad) jokes.

I can also fully recommend the exhibition, which has some really spectacular items, among them a belt made from sea silk... 

There's a newly opened exhibition, running until March next year, in Liebenau: 

The exhibition is based on the finds from excavations that took place between 2015 and 2019 - with the focus not on the finds themselves, but on what these finds might tell us about the life about 1000 years ago.

The exhibition is open on Sunday afternoons; you can find out more about it on the (German) website here.

"Guter Stoff" in German does not just mean a good (quality) fabric, it can also be used figuratively - either for something good to write about, or "Stoff" is also a slang word for drugs. Which means that guter Stoff is also a good drug.

If you know about these extra figurative meanings, it makes it sound much funnier when the Hansemuseum, in preparation for their next exhibition "Guter Stoff" is asking "Gebt uns euren Stoff" - give us your fabric. (Or share your drugs with us.) They are looking for items of clothing (or other fabric pieces) that have a history - or, to put it another way, that provide "guten Stoff" to write about. One piece will be chosen to be part of the exhibition itself, in the section about sustainability, and other items and their story will be shown on the website.

If you have an old item of clothing in your closets, and would like to participate, you can find the email to send your photo and story here on the museum website - the section is in German only, but sending your mail in English will be no problem for the team.