PieceWork Summer 2026

From the deepest indigo to the lightest wash of blue, this issue explores how a limited palette can hold a world of meaning. Blue and white textiles—whether shaped by resist dyeing, careful stitching, or evolving embroidery traditions—carry stories of culture, memory, and making.

• Learn about the generations keeping an ancient blue dyeing tradition alive in Austria.
• Explore the role of indigo in early American needlework.
• Join a maker on her journey into Japanese stitching and dyeing techniques.
• Hear the voices of three twentieth-century women who spoke in shades of blue.
• Find patterns for meditative stitching, handpiecing, and a touch of whimsy.

Join us as we travel the world through textiles shaped by indigo, heritage, and hands at work.

ARTICLES

• Indigo: The Indispensable Color of Early American Crewel Design by Erin Rodewald
• The Enduring Appeal of Bluework Outline Embroidery by Judith Copeland
• The Village Blues of Tikkiwallah by Mary Anne Wise
• A Coat with a Long Tale: In Which a Curious Maker Discovers Japanese Dye and Stitch Traditions—and a Coat
• Takes On a Life of Its Own by Holly Dumont
• Blaudruck in Austria: A Centuries-Old Blue Dyeing Tradition Alive Today by Mimi Seyferth
• Blue, Bold, and Beloved: Shweshwe in Southern Africa by Ansie van der Walt
• Three Women, Three Blues: Stitching Power, Myth, and Modernity in Alice, Lanvin, and Wallis Blue by Rebecca Tolley

PROJECTS

• Following a Drunkard’s Path: A Quilt Block by Kathy Hartman
• Borrowing from Boro: A Needlebook by Holly Dumont
• Alice’s Reticule: A Gilded Age Accessory by Deanna Hall West, Rebecca Tolley
• TATTER Poetry Mittens by TATTER Staff