Through historical research and community oral history work we secured ‘the rocking stitch in a flat frame’ a place on the UNESCO Red List for endangered crafts run by Heritage Crafts, UK. At high risk of not being passed to the next generation, it is listed as critically endangered.
Within the Frame collaborated with the National Museum of Scotland to host a quilting bee, temporary exhibition about the history of quilts, a panel discussion and lecture. Over 4,000 people engaged with our event. We see the frame as a space where the past and the present can be connected.
Drawing on the knowledge and designs preserved by Elizabeth Hake in her influential 1937 book English Quilting Old and New, we worked with a heritage carpenter to revive the making of quilt frames in the UK. Quilt frames are once again for sale in the UK.
Within the Frame facilitated a bursary funded by JW Anderson with Heritage Craft for the preservation of the rocking stitch in a frame. The bursary was awarded to Welsh quilter Samantha Jones in 2025.
Working with the Centre for Historical Reconstruction at the University of Edinburgh, we have embedded Within the Frame as a bridge between historical research, hands on teaching with collections, and public engagement. We get quilt frames into universities, sharing quilters’ histories.
Within the Frame has lectured at the Paul Mellon Centre, sharing the history of frame quilting in a now freely accessible online lecture. Dr Jess Bailey and Deb McGuire have also run public programming for the PMC at the Foundling Museum.
