Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Behind the Scenes Minis: Embroidery Love Letter

Hosts: Holly Frey & Tracy V. Wilson
Release Date: January 23, 2026

Episode Overview

This intimate “Behind the Scenes Minis” installment has Holly and Tracy reminiscing about their personal journeys with embroidery, highlighting memorable stories and sharing a genuine love for this textile art. The discussion weaves their own experiences with broader historical and cultural observations, touching on famous embroidery works, the educational aspect of embroidery, and concerns about its future. The conversation is warm, nostalgic, and peppered with humor, making it a love letter to embroidery enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Embroidery in Personal Histories

• First Encounters with Embroidery

  • Holly shares her earliest embroidery attempt inspired by a project in her mother’s sewing magazine, using gingham as a cross-stitch grid.

    "I remember the first time I tried it and why...it was a quilt that was made that had...gingham was used as the grid basis for kind of a very loose style of cross stitch." (02:35–03:18)

  • Tracy’s initial experience focuses on cross-stitch and beaded embroidery for costume work, motivated by copying movie designs.

    "Most of what I’ve done has been cross stitched, but then I did do some costumes that had...a bunch of beadwork with embroidery onto ribbon as part of a costume..." (03:25–03:53)

• Learning by Doing

  • Both hosts admit to self-teaching most embroidery skills, with occasional guidance from family or community clubs (e.g., 4H, Agricultural Extension Service).

    Tracy: "When I learned to cross stitch, I was a kid...the idea of...embroidery pieces that were not cross stitch...absolutely overwhelmed me." (07:28–08:04) Holly: "My mom did not teach me embroidery...she was a really skilled stitcher...but she did not get into the needlework stuff." (15:34–15:44)

Embroidery, Costuming, and Fandom

• Iconic Projects
  • Holly details her dedication to recreating Princess Leia’s Bespin gown from Star Wars, traveling to study it in person and hand-drawing and sharing the pattern with the community.

    "I sat in front of that dress in the museum display for two solid days, about eight hours a day, trying to recreate the pattern and take notes on all of the stitching." (05:10–06:22)

  • Costume embroidery projects often involved late nights, marathon TV sessions, and even structured “embroidery time” at work.

    "I would embroider until like three in the morning...I watched so much Dragon Ball Z..." (09:19–09:56) "My boss...started doing like embroidery blockouts for my time to make sure I had time to work on it." (09:46–09:56)

Inspiration from Historical Embroidery

• Museum Exhibits
  • Holly describes a transformative experience at a Chicago dragon robe exhibition of Chinese embroidery:

    "There was an exhibit of dragon robes, other Chinese embroidery, and I lost my mind...a level and a style of design I had never really seen up close before." (06:22–06:53)

  • The tactile, luminous quality of embroidery is a recurring theme.

    "Pictures never do it justice...when you were standing there and you can see the light glinting off the silk threads..." (06:43–07:20)

Embroidery Education and Concerns for the Future

• Historical Rise of Embroidery Schools
  • Brief mention of embroidery schools in England and Spain in the 1760s that served as trades for working-class girls.

    "There was all of a sudden this huge rash of schools...so that their daughters could learn a trade." (14:00–14:44)

  • Evolution into modern educational institutions and the waning presence of embroidery instruction in schools.

    "There is a lot of concern that a lot of embroidery...education has gone away. So there are people that really love it as an art that are concerned about its future, which is why the embroiderers guilds are so important." (14:53–15:06)

Humor and Iconic Embroidery: The Bayeux Tapestry

• Pants (or Lack Thereof)
  • Hilarious detour on the depiction of pantless figures in the Bayeux Tapestry and the prudish edits in its Kensington copy.

    "On the Kensington copy, they made the editorial decision to add pants to those people." (17:51–18:02)

  • The Bayeux Tapestry restoration work even includes scaling back the more risqué anatomical features.

    "A lot of those [penises] were on horses. But it also looked like...in repair and restoration work." (18:17–18:31) "I love the Bayeux Tapestry. Pants off, dance off. I think it's the best part." (18:43–19:05)

The Joy of Embroidery and Looking Forward

• Embroidery as Self-Care
  • Holly finds rediscovered craft books and reorganization of her sewing room to be deeply satisfying.

    "I rediscovered them, which made it great and easier for me to work on this. And now I'm like, I need to get back to this this year." (20:36–20:54)

  • Both hosts encourage listeners to find time for soul-nourishing activities, embroidery or otherwise.

    "If you have time coming up this weekend that you are off, free time to yourself, the dream, and you like to do embroidery, maybe it's a great time. I'm definitely going to be doing more embroidery..." (19:51–20:36) "I still hope that you get some time to do whatever it is that nurtures your soul and makes you feel good about yourself, even if that's sitting on your couch. That's a perfectly acceptable way to spend time." (20:54–21:45)

Memorable Quotes

• On Embroidery's Magic:

  "Pictures never do it justice...when you were standing there and you can see the light glinting off the silk threads in a very specific way. It's so beautiful. And it made me absolutely crazy for embroidery."
  —Holly Fry (06:43)

• On Learning Patience:

  "When I learned to cross stitch, I was a kid...I was not a patient child in any way. And the idea of what I saw in...embroidery pieces that were not cross stitch...absolutely overwhelmed me."
  —Tracy V. Wilson (07:28)

• On Reconstruction and Fandom:

  "I literally...sat in front of that dress in the museum display for two solid days, about eight hours a day, trying to recreate the pattern and take notes on all of the stitching."
  —Holly Fry, on Princess Leia's Bespin gown (05:10)

• On the Bayeux Tapestry Copy:

  "On the Kensington copy, they made the editorial decision to add pants to those people."
  —Holly Fry (18:02)

• On Embroidery as Self-Care:

  "I still hope that you get some time to do whatever it is that nurtures your soul and makes you feel good about yourself, even if that's sitting on your couch. That's a perfectly acceptable way to spend time..."
  —Holly Fry (20:54)

Notable Timestamps

• 02:32: Start of personal embroidery stories
• 05:10: Holly recounts recreating the Princess Leia Bespin gown
• 06:22: Chicago Chinese embroidery exhibition revelation
• 07:28: Tracy on learning embroidery as a child
• 09:19: Holly’s late-night embroidery and Dragon Ball Z
• 14:00: The rise of embroidery schools in Europe
• 17:51: The Bayeux Tapestry and pants-related humor
• 19:51: Holly’s renewed commitment to embroidery and encouragement to listeners

Tone & Takeaway

The hosts’ mutual admiration for embroidery is infectious; their banter is casual, funny, and heartfelt, creating inviting warmth throughout the episode. Even listeners with no crafting experience will find delight in their stories and humor, especially on topics like Star Wars fandom, the practicalities of craft obsession, and the humorous quirks of embroidery history. The episode closes with an encouragement to indulge in whichever activities bring joy—be it embroidery, costuming, or simply resting on the couch.

For long-time crafters and the embroidery-curious alike, this episode is a cozy, gentle love letter to the art of needle and thread.