Jane Nicholas has been researching and working in the field of embroidery for over twenty years. Specializing in stumpwork and goldwork embroidery, she has written eight books and has contributed widely to journals and magazines on the subject. In 1999 Jane was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to further her studies in stumpwork in the United Kingdom and in 2005 was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM), for her 'services to hand embroidery as an artist, teacher and author'. She teaches widely in Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America and continues to research and develop new techniques - particularly in stumpwork. A separate, but often related, area of her work is as a maker of artists' books and boxes.