Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry

This is a beautiful, practical, and incredibly informative book. Mia’s up-close and personal experience of recreating the Bayeux Tapestry with her own needle provides insights that no amount of academic research can replicate. If you’re at all interested in the amazing 11th-century piece of art that is the Bayeux Tapestry, or if you want to try your own hand at embroidering like an Anglo-Saxon, this is the book for you. – Dr David Musgrove is Content Director of BBC History Magazine and HistoryExtra.com, a regular podcaster on HistoryExtra and co-author of The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry.

Your book is so wonderful, so much more than can be described. The publishers should be celebrated for their design of the cover, the photography, the print and the actual paper. The thought that you’ve put into the options for embroidering, your advice for wool etc is wonderful. I love that I can choose what I’d like to try and you’re with me all the way. The book is exactly what I expected from you and your personality comes out in the book. It’s a very beautiful book and I’m thrilled to say that I own a copy.

I received my copy last week, and it is excellent. From the textured feel of the cover, to the informative introduction, to the templates included, it is just what I wanted. Reference, pictures, knowledgeable content, and ready to use templates. Thank you for the work you have put into this.

I was so excited to receive mine, such a lovely book. Beautiful quality and clear instructions. Only problem is which one should I do first?

This is a book that is a feast for the senses. From the moment you pick it up and feel the textured surface of linen fabric, to turning each page, you are mesmerised. Mia has created something that educate, inform and gently challenge the embroiderer and reader alike. It is a book to treasure and use! Instructions are very clear and encourages you to try the stitches used in the Bayeaux Tapestry.

I love Mia’s sketches and her insights into both the narrative and how the seamstresses produced the tapestry. I’m now really keen to have a go.

This book is beautiful and a joy to own.

In 2026, the UK celebrates the Bayeux Tapestry’s first trip to British soil in 900 years, with a feted exhibition at the British Museum. With tapestry enthusiast and embroidery expert Mia Hansson as your guide, celebrate this historic moment: embroider your way through the story of the Norman conquest of England in 1066, and recreate some of the world’s most famous embroidery for yourself using simple stitches and full-size iron-on transfers.

This is one of my “top books” this year – it’s a banner book that celebrates a banner accomplishment! And it teaches you, very simply and directly, how to stitch your own bits of the Bayeux Tapestry. The book itself is worthy of the endeavor – it is a beautiful hardbound book, just as suitable for the coffee table as it is for the work table. The outer cover has a delightfully tactile linen-like texture! The end papers deserve a nice pause and perusal!

The book is both an instructional book and a project book – and there are loads of projects! Big and small vignettes from the tapestry feature characters, animals, events – so there’s something for every interest, as long as your interest includes the whole style of the tapestry!

If you’ve ever had a hankering to stitch a Bayeux Tapestry scene, Mia makes it easy! This book is a delight on every level, from the background information, to the instructional content, to the pattern collection, to the overall presentation of the book! It’s definitely worth adding to your embroidery library!

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Mia Hansson started embroidering a full-scale Bayeux Tapestry replica, using fabrics and threads as similar as possible to those used in the original work. She is due to finish this extraordinary achievement in time for the 1000th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s birth, in 2027. The Bayeux Tapestry spans almost 70 metres (77 yards) and features over 1,500 designs.

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