A Celebration of Museums: Call for Submissions, Fall 2026

Museums are more than repositories of the past; they are vibrant spaces where curiosity and community come together. For those of us in love with the history of needlework, museums offer the seeds of stories that connect us to makers past and present. We have seen how even the smallest exhibit sparks curiosity and innovation and moves us deeply.

Over the years, PieceWork has followed threads woven through museum collections around the world and made fantastic discoveries:

the unexpected story of Rattlesnake Kate
the 100-year-old button collection salvaged from the Mississippi River
Sarakatsani traditional dress
Japanese firemen’s quilted jackets
sixteenth-century Italian macrame
scraps of fabric left to identify orphans in the London Foundlings Hospital

04-1985.028.001-Detail-H-Front Detail of the tablecloth started by Anna Sjøthun Anderson in 1907. Collection of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa. (1985.028.001). Photograph by Alison Dwyer and courtesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, PieceWork, November/December 2012

Article and Project Ideas and Inspiration

For our Fall 2026 issue, PieceWork invites writers, researchers, and needle arts enthusiasts to shine light on a hidden gem. We are especially interested in quirky, specialized, or lesser-known museums; collections or exhibits with a strong connection to knitting, embroidery, lace, historic fashion, or traditional craft; and personal stories of discovery or creative inspiration rooted in a museum visit.

As with each issue, in Fall 2026, we hope to tell personal stories as well as scholarly ones. We welcome submissions from experienced stitchers and authors, enthusiastic beginners, and all who want to share their love of needlecraft.

Feature articles—tell us more about a specific museum through its history, a descriptive tour of the best of its collection, its conservation program, or a profile of its founders.
Museum collection-inspired projects—instructions using all forms of lace, tatting, embroidery, knitting, crochet, or other needlework techniques, all made by hand.
How-to articles—tell us how to do a historical needlework technique.

We are also always looking for content for our website. If you have an idea for a short piece, about 300 to 500 words, please submit your proposal to us.

Hikeshi sashiko banten, fireman’s jacket, 1875–1900. Photo Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago, PieceWork, Fall 2024