Threaded with care: celebrating Karen Richards

For nearly two decades, Karen Richards has been maintaining Nelson’s heritage one thread at a time.

At 74, with a lit magnifier and needle in hand, she volunteers tirelessly at Nelson Provincial Museum and Broadgreen Historic House caring for fragile garments.

This year, Karen was awarded the King’s Service Medal for her contributions to textile conservation.

“You don’t do these things for rewards,” she says. “You do them because you have a passion.”

The Broadgreen House textile collection numbers close to 3000, but many can’t be displayed. Karen’s conservation work makes them strong enough to feature in exhibitions.

“Without this work the object would never be seen and its story would never be told,” she says.

Karen sees more than fabric in the garments she handles.

“Sweat-stained linings, delicate embroidery, and scents of rose petals tell stories of people's lives,” she says.

Karen’s work with fabric began as a child, mentored by her grandmother who was, in Karen’s words, a “fabulous” sewer.

That passion became a life’s work, first as a home economics teacher for 32 years, and now as a guardian of textile history.

Her work is delicate and precise, and draws on skills and experience that Karen has developed over a lifetime. Caring for fragile garments – some silks cracked with age, others stained – requires curiosity and an immense patience she learnt from decades in the classroom.

Karen’s triumphs include cataloguing almost 900 garments at Broadgreen Historic House, restoring a beaded flapper dress over 40 painstaking hours, and co-curating six exhibitions that brought forgotten garments back to life.

Karen says there are many volunteer roles available to anyone with textiles knowledge, sewing skills, record keeping, and many other skills too.

“Above all, a want and need to help someone in some way and to have a passion for the work is important. Be proud of what you can offer.”