The Australian Women's Register

The collection consists of six embroidery panels worked in stem stich on Glenshee linen using Appleton’s wool. The embroidery was designed by embroidery designer Sharon Peoples and is entitled The Crimson Thread of Kinship. Eighty five members of the guild were involved in stitching the embroidery and it is estimated that it took 6000 hours of work to complete. The work was inspired by Sir Henry Parkes quote ‘the crimson thread of kinship’ used by in a speech in 1890. Although Parkes originally used the phrase to symbolise Australia’s British heritage, Sharon has reinterpreted the phrase to provide a different view of Australian history. The embroidery depicts a crimson thread floating across the landscape, carrying with it the unfolding story of Australia. The thread is carried by an embroidery needle, symbolising the act of creating and embellishing history.