Life’s A Stitch

Baste to the bone

t may have taken her 10 years to complete, but then, you get the impression Clodagh McCormick doesn’t do anything by halves.

As anyone who knows the Kilcoole great-grandmother will tell you.

Just released, Samples, Sewing And Simplicity In Quaker Ireland does exactly what it says in its cumbersome title, Clodagh pulling together an exhaustive history of needlework in this country.

With an emphasis on its finer points, of course.

Having noted that there was only Heather Crawford’s Needlework Samplers Of Northern Ireland out there, the Fethard-born knew there was a story to be told when it came to life for Quaker women in this country.

The book was officially launched at Dun Laoghaire’s Lexicon Library last week by Liz Moffit, senior tutor in fashion design at The Grafton Academy, who commended Clodagh’s unwavering dedication in creating her archive whilst also acknowledging the author’s contribution to Irish textile history.

“The work that Clodagh and her colleagues are doing at the Friends Library at Stocking Lane is invaluable,” added Carmel Kelly, the senior executive librarian at the Lexicon. “We are delighted to be collaborating with Clodagh on the launch of her book. In addition, her photographic sampler exhibition will remain in situ at the library until the end of the month.”

Although this is Clodagh’s first solo publication, she is no stranger to writing, having co-authored The Victorian Marionette Theatre alongside her husband, John McCormick, in 2004 (a spark, no doubt). She also produced Quaker Girl, Anne Grubb; Plain Living and Fancy Sewing, a story and paper doll booklet in 2015.

You can find out more about Samples, Sewing & Simplicity right over here.