Christy Gordon Baty
Needlework Historian
Needlework Historian
Christy Gordon Baty holds a Master's degree in History from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, specializing in material culture and public history. Her research focuses on the needlework of English women in the early modern era, particularly exploring embroidered book bindings through experimental history and re-creation.
Christy is a recipient of the prestigious Esther Inglis Public Humanities Fellowship from the Folger Shakespeare Library (2024) and served as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University's Houghton Rare Books Library (2023-2024). Her work has been published in academic journals and popular publications, including Harvard Magazine and The Collation.
As co-founder and partner of Relics in Situ, Christy researches early modern needlework to understand how women contributed to their world. Through hands-on workshops, lectures, and scholarly writing, she shares this research with historians, needlework enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the culture and craft of the early modern period.
Her passion for this era began in middle school when she discovered Carolly Erickson's books on Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I—a fascination that has since evolved into serious academic scholarship and public engagement.
Contact: cgbaty@gmail.com