Needlepoint for Men: Craft and Masculinity in Postwar America

Stitching masculinities, stitching stories: Men’s quiltmaking experiences 1970-2020

“…However, Thesiger successfully founded a charity, and work produced was featured in an annual exhibition that was often covered in the popular press and patronized by the British royal family (McBrinn, 2018). The Disabled Soldiers' Embroidery Industry was also covered in a few American newspapers and magazines, and from the 1930s to the 1950s, Life magazine occasionally featured American men who participated in needlework competitions, such as the National Exhibition of Amateur Needlework of Today that had a men's division (McBrinn, 2015(McBrinn, , 2021.…”

“…Sailors, military and civilian tailors, men on the home front, and soldiers recuperating from injuries sustained in battle have participated in needlework out of necessity or for therapeutic purposes (Carden-Coyne, 2020;Colby, 1971;Gero, 2015;Jensen, 1984;Strawn, 2011). In terms of professional artists, many men have utilized textiles as a medium of expression including Michael James (quilts), Gavin Fry (embroidery), and Mark Newport (knitting) (McBrinn, 2015;Myzelev, 2012;Peterson, 2003). Needlework has also been a leisure activity for men, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, through which they have made quilts, knitted scarves, and created decorative embroideries (Gregory, 2016;Kelly, 2014;McBrinn, 2021).…”