N e e d l e p r i n t

Shibden Hall * Halifax * UK

2012-01-31T20:14:00.000Z

Talking of Halifax - just a mile from the city centre and at the bottom of the street where my sister lives is Shibden Hall. Built in 1420, just 5 years after the Battle of Agincourt, it is one of the oldest halls in England.

Because it is so close to our second home and because since I was small, Shibden Hall was almost a playground for me, I forget to tell people all about it.

It is a wonderfully atmospheric place, with original heraldic stained glass in the windows and, concealed beneath the panelling, the originall Elizabethan painted plaster - you will have to ask a guide to unlock the paneeling to show you, but they will be happy to do so.

In the early 1800s, the building was much remodelled by Anne Lister - considered a somewhat scandalous woman for her time. Anne was a landowner, industrialist, traveller and prolific diarist who shared her life with her female lover at Shibden Hall in Halifax. Inheriting the historic hall from her uncle in 1826, Anne Lister lived there until her death in 1840. She left behind diaries containing the most intimate details about her personal life, some of it written in a code which has only been broken in recent years.

Upstairs in the red room is a wonderful early 17th century four-poster bed which sadly has very sad coverings and deserves some wonderful stitching if anyone has a needle going spare.
To visit Shibden Hall web-site, click here.

Wells Post Card Give Away

2012-01-30T20:13:00.000Z

When I was in Wells, before Christmas, I popped into the museum in the Cathedral Close and bought a handful of sampler postcards to share. There are 6 in this giveaway. 3 cards of the sampler above.

One card of this stitched map.

And 2 cards featuring this charming darning sampler.
Just click on the flying angel below to enter and I'll announce the winner next week on 6 February 2012.

Good luck!

Brightwells Auction House for Textile Sales * Leominster * UK

2012-01-29T20:06:00.005Z

With the sad news that Bonhams has withdrawn from selling textiles, let me introduce you to Brightwells of Leominster who have 3 or 4 textile sales a year with some special samplers turning up there, too. Click here to visit their site.

You can also shoe-horn in a number of sampler viewings since you can look back over auction sales for the last 4 years - just click here for that link. When you click a catalogue, scroll down on the next screen until you can see Textiles - then click throught the indicated pages.

I rather like some of the very old dolls that turn up there - particularly pedlar dolls.

But I have never seen a pedlar Ted with trays of haberdashery before! I think perhaps we should have a competition soon for a pedlar Ted - keep watching....

Meetings With Remarkable Women - Dr Ina le Roux

2012-01-28T22:09:00.023Z

Carolyn Foley writes: I would like to tell you about Dr Ina le Roux and the wonderful work she has done for Vena women in South Africa. This entry from the Community Project website says it better than I can. The Tambani Community Project (www.tambani.co.za) is based in the towns of Fholovhodwe and Muswodi-Tshisimani, which are in close proximity of each other. These towns are situated in the Limpopo Valley, approximately 50 km south-east from Musina, and approximately 750 km north-east from Potchefstroom. The founder and head director of the project is Dr. Ina le Roux of Johannesburg. She is a retired lecturer of Afrikaans and Dutch whose Ph.D in religious science dealt with the worldview presented in the song-stories (ngano) of Venda women.

The dire financial and social plight of these rural women’s realities captivated Ina and motivated her to launch an embroidery project that currently helps to support about 65 women and their families. Ina makes sketches on fabric of scences from the stories that she has recorded and the members of the project then embroider these scenes. The pieces of fabric are applied to items such as handbags and wall hangings, and marketed together with the specific stories. Money generated from selling the articles is used to further fund the project.

With each embroidery I have purchased I receive a copy of the story they illustrate and a photo with a little piece about the embroiderer. These women are inspirational. Embroidery does make a difference! Just click here to see more of this inspirational project yourself.

Abbey House Museum Samplers On-Line

2012-01-27T22:56:00.000Z

Families of samplers are fascinating - though they can be frustrating sometimes! These three graces which you can see in the Abbey House Museum, Leed, on line collection are worked in polychrome wools on a tabby cloth. The first sampler in the set (above) was stitched by Hannah Brook in 1775. It is unfortunate that Hannah Brook is a very common name and difficult to pin down, though it must be suspected, given the materials of the sampler, that she lived not too far from Leeds.

The second sampler is also dated 1775. This time it is one worked by Ann Brook - again another common name. Were these two girls sisters? Or cousins? It is hard to say. I am not sure if I had two daughters whether I would name them Ann and Hannah, for all the confusion that could arise when calling their names.

The third sampler by Martha is more closely related to Ann's than to Hannah's - so were Martha and Ann sisters? If only the name Martha Brook did not appear in such a legion around this date, then we might be able to make some headway with this puzzle. But do go and visit the Abbey House Collection on-line. Simply click this link.

Expressions of Innocence and Eloquence * Selections from the Jane Katcher Collection of Americana

2012-01-26T20:16:00.000Z

I just groan whenever I see beautiful, inspiring books and I expect you can here me groaning right now, wherever you are. These superlative books feature American folk portraits and carvings, quilts and needlework, weathervanes and whirligigs, family records and calligraphy, ceramics, furniture, baskets, and toys, as well as such unexpected items as valentines, friendship albums, and keepsakes woven from the hair of loved ones.

A distinguished group of scholars discuss these objects within the context of historical, economic, and social issues as well as aesthetics. There are also explorations of craft methods and artistic strategies practiced by the artists and artisans represented in the collection. Separate essays on the Shaker and the Pennsylvania-German communities concentrate on the unique features of their material cultures and their religious and social orientations.

Click here for more details.

A Primer of Venetian Burano Lace

2012-01-25T22:22:00.001Z

I have so enjoyed reading this little book - it was packed full of things that I didn't know, and it was a fabulous read. It is softback and only 50 pages, but it packs a punch information-wise - the perfect primer, in fact.

I do recommend it if you would like to find out more about the history of Venetian lace production and changing fashions. Just click here for more details about the book.

Halifax Minster Tapestries

2012-01-24T20:06:00.000Z

Minster is simply another word for large church or cathedral and implies that at some stage a monastery was attached. What is amazing to me, is the connection between two of my favourite places at opposite ends, almost, of England. The early church at Halifax was built and endowed by the monks of Lewes in Sussex! The wonderful tapestries you can find there depict, rather like the Quaker Tapestries, the colourful and sometimes violent history of this church. They were worked by 18 local stitchers (all over 40 they will hasten to add) originally to furnish the stone seats in the south porch. The women worked on the tapestries between 2005 and 2007. At some later stage it was decided to display the finished work on the wall and the tapestries were blessed at a special service in October 2009. In the first panel above you can see the varied sky line of present-day Halifax.

Very interesting that this incorporates my husband's name down the right hand side of the panel. But no, the R Holdsworth referrred to here is the Revd. Robert Holdsworth who was murdered in 1556, caught up in the feud between the local Savile and Tempest families, during the 5th sacking of the vicarage!

In 1645 the dreaded Scottish troops entered Halifax. Though Halifax was a Puritan stronghold in the north during the Civil Wars, they may have been guilty of some back-sliding in later years, since here you can see the Scottish soldiers tipping holy water out of the font onto the floor.

Gail Wilson's Doll Kits

2012-01-23T20:06:00.000Z

Diane emailed me to tell me about Gail Wilson's Dolls and having seen them, I thought no-one should miss out! Reading from her web-site, Gail says she began making dolls in 1974 in a one-room house with no electricity and plumbing and has been making them full-time ever since. The thing that kept Gail's work within the theme of dolls is her love for Early American antiques and the many wonderful dolls who live in museums and books. Gail sells kits for making her dolls and to explore her lovely offerings, just click here.

The Landmark Collection of Betty Ring Exceeds Expectations – 22 January 2012

2012-01-23T14:47:00.000Z

Stop Press
In addition to the record-setting result for the Mary Antrim sampler, Sunday’s auction dedicated to the celebrated collection of Betty Ring was highlighted by several pieces that greatly exceeded pre-sale expectations: a Fine and Rare Needlework Sampler, Susannah Saunders, Sarah Stivours School, Salem, Massachusetts, Dated 1766 nearly quadrupled its high estimate of $80,000 in achieving $314,500; a Fine and Rare Needlework Sampler, Betsy Gail, Marblehead, Massachusetts, circa 1790 brought $170,500 above a high estimate of $60,000; and a Rare Needlework Sampler, Sarah Cooper, attributed to Ann Marsh’s School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dated 1792 sold for $170,500 above a high estimate of $80,000.

More Bugz - Free Jigsaw Download

2012-01-22T15:58:00.000Z

Well, goodness me - I think you like butterflies and insects almost as much as stitching! So, one more beautiful bugz jigsaw for you to download. I hope you enjoy your free jigsaw download today. However, sadly, this is not going to work for Mac users. Instructions: Click here next Click Open, then click the .EXE file name and click Run, when you see the jigsaw puzzle, click Play Too many pieces? Try clicking on Trays on the top tool bar to create any number of resizeable trays to sort your pieces ........ you can also click the Cheat button and watch the puzzle solve itself! The software is by David Gray designer of Jigsaws Galore - the powerful jigsaw player and creator for Windows.

Exeter Royal Albert Memorial Museum On-Line Collection

2012-01-21T21:55:00.024Z

The latest in the list of museums offering on-line collections is the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK. There are only a small number of samplers. Above is one worked between 1680 - 1710.

This one by Anna Maria Smales worked in St David, Exeter, Devon lists the names of children born to Thomas and Ann Smales England, Europe between 1808 and 1828 and also a corresponding list of their deaths, and that of Thomas aged 43.

This interesting cloth of 1470-1510 was originally a vestment worn by priests. It was saved during the Reformation in Exeter by changing its use to a coffin cover. It is made from silk, linen and canvas, embroidered with silver-gilt threads and silk, in green, yellow, red, blue and black. I think we can have no idea of the amount of fine embroidery lost during the reformation hopefully, we continue to make up for it! To search the database for yourself, simply click here.

Great Ayton Friends School

2012-01-20T20:36:00.000Z

Great Ayton, a charming North Yorkshire village in the shadow of Roseberry Topping (which is not a pudding but a beacon hill) and boasting a Post Office run by Worthy Pearson, preserves still the old school house where Captain Cook was a scholar in his youth. And sometimes while searching out this small building, the large handsome buildings on the triangle by the stream are completely overlooked. And that is a grave pity, since here was Great Ayton Friends' School from 1841-1997. Founded by Thomas Richardson, born in Darlington, the school inherited a fine kinship of the Quaker Pease, Backhouse, Mouncey and Gurney families.

Above is Anna Pease, just one of the many Pease women who would exert their influence on the school and its teaching methods. To quote from a journal at the school: Of those Friends who interested themselves in the purely domestic concerns of the school, and the girls generally, I may mention Anna Pease, of Feethams, Sophia Pease, Eliza Barclay, Anne Richardson, of Newcastle, &c.
The first of these frequently visited the school and remained a few days, or a week occasionally. This loveable and admirable woman was an earnest educationist. She had at Feethams a large infant school, and also a school for girls under her own management, and had been in early life associated with her uncle, William Allen, in his educational undertakings. Botany, and natural science were favourite pursuits with her, in which she took great pleasure. Plain needlework has always been an art carefully cultivated in most of the Friends’ Public Schools. At the time I am writing about, linen buttons had not been introduced, and it just occurs to my mind how she showed the girls to make them neatly. Thread buttons were then in use, a ring was, as it seems now to me, curiously covered with threads all meeting in the centre. A small square of fine linen was cut out a little larger than the button itself. Then placing it in the square, with a needle and thread the opposite sides of the straight edges were drawn together, then the corners, and with another, or without another stitch a nice durable button was formed. Sophia Pease was another kind and deeply interested friend of the school. In connection with her, I may say that quills only were used for pens a few years before this time. Steel pens were now, however, beginning to come into use. I suppose it must have been discussed in committee as to their being introduced instead of the quill. Permission, however, was granted that the steel might supersede the quill, but it was desired that each scholar before leaving school should be taught the art of making a pen out of a quill. How carefully this request was attended to I have no recollection, only I presume when the necessity ceased to make these as well as to mend, the implement required to perform the operation would be found either out of order or wanting altogether. To continue reading, just click here.

Bristol Museums & Art Galleries 17th Century Embroideries On-Line

2012-01-19T22:38:00.002Z

One of the gems in the Bristol City Museums and Art Galleries Collection is this wooden casket covered in linen and silk and raised work. It has secret internal compartments, too. On the front, which you can see here, is depicted the Judgment of Solomon; on the top, the anointing of Saul; and on the left side, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The remaining two panels depict couples in 17th century dress. The interior of the casket is fitted with drawers and a lift-out tray all lined with pink silk and velvet, and contains an ink well and scent bottles. This casket shows some of the techniques used to achieve the 3-dimensional effect. Faces and small flowers and animals are embroidered directly onto the silk or linen but clothes and some flowers are worked seperately either on linen or in detached needlepoint stitches, and appliqued on, thus allowing cloaks and leaves to stand free. The lion on the top and pillar on the front are appliqued over padding to give the characteristic raised effect. Sometimes the embroidery was worked over wooden moulds to achieve much the same appearance. Leaves and hair are worked in silk-wrapped coiled metal. The disparity in scale between humans or animals and insects is typical of this type of work. The embroidery is executed in satin, tent, chain, laid-and-couched, detatched buttonhole stitches; edged with silver braid. To visit yourself, click here.

Also on line is this linen bag from 1600. Heavily embellished with canvas work embroidery using silks and metal thread (gold strips wrapped around brown/yellow silk thread) it is lined with silk (relined in modern silk). Each face is divided into quarters which bear heraldic emblems, enclosed by scrolled border formed of applied metal plaited cord laid over embroidered flowers and fruit sprigs to form a scrolling pattern. Perhaps there is an expert of heraldry that can identify this for us, please?

Wooden Books * Weaving

2012-01-18T20:19:00.001Z

I first came across Wooden Books - which are not wooden at all - in the shop in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. As a maker of books, I fell in love with the format of this series. The books are small enough to pop into a handbag and have about 60 beautifully printed and tactile pages.

This weaving book is a great favourite of mine- particlarly the texture of the illustrations which are on every facing page.

There are a number of interesting books in this series - click here if you would like to see more.

Oakland Museum of California * Collection On-Line * The Quilter's Alternative Anthem.

2012-01-17T20:08:00.002Z

There are some interesting items in Oakland Museum of California. Though having just one sampler - there is a wonderful costume collection. The sampler, shown above, is dated August 28 1843 and was stitched by Elizabeth McCormic who employed a variety of stitches in her sampler. Note the houses and garden gates on the top and bottom borders of her piece. The sampler is now mounted on cotton ecology cloth. It is the gift of Mrs Jessie A Trouth.

But simply wonderful is this crazy quilt of 1875-1880, the gift of Phyllis Faber,
which incorporates a ribbon printed with an alternative Stars and Stripes anthem: Altogether now!
Oh, say, can you see by the dawn's early light
What you failed to perceive at the twi-light's last gleaming;
A cranky concern that through the long night
O'er the bed where you slept was so saucily streaming;
The silk patches so fair,
Round, three-cornered and square,
Give proof that the lunatic bed-quilt is there.
Oh, the crazy-quilt mania triumphantly raves,
And maid, wife and widow are bound as its slaves.
On that quilt dimly seen as you rouse from your sleep
Your long-missing necktie in silence re-poses,
And the filoselle insects that over it creep
A piece of your vest half concealed half discloses.
There is Kensington stitch
In designs that are rich,
Snowflake, arasene, point russe and all stitch.
Oh, the crazy quilt mania, how long will it rave?
And how long will fair woman be held as its slave?
And where is the wife who so vauntingly swore
That nothing on earth her affections could smother?
She crept from your side at the chiming of four
And is down in the parlor at work on another.
Your breakfasts are spoiled
And your dinners half boiled,
And your efforts to get a square supper are foiled
By the crazy quilt mania that fiendishly raves,
And to which all the women are absolute slaves.
And thus it has been since the panic be-gan;
In many loved homes it has wrought desolation,
And cursed is the power by many a man
That has brought him close to the verge of starvation.
But make it she must,
And she'll do it or bust,
Beg, swap and buy pieces or get them on trust.
Oh, the crazy quilt mania, may it soon cease to rave
In the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Knit Your Own Olympics - and Ticket!

2012-01-16T22:20:00.002Z

Oh, here we go again ... on your marks ... ready ... get set ... KNIT! What more is there to say in this year of Olympic fever? This new book by Carol Medrum promises a knitted ticket, which I can only hope really works otherwise there might be some ugly scenes with balls of wool being pelted - which might just be mistaken for a new Olympic event. Come to think of it, why haven't they admitted wool-ball throwing as an event, yet?

Swedish Samplers On-Line

2012-01-15T20:25:00.000Z

The Digitaltmuseum has 72 Swedish samplers on line now.

Here are just a couple of examples to whet your appetite - to see more click here.

I was very interested to see these 16th century stitched panels with subjects so closely resembling the stitched Stuart panels seen in England. Above is Abraham's Sacrifice.

And above here is Abraham Entertaining The Angels.

And finally I had to show you this embroidered panel which is an absolute delight and a great favourite of mine.

The Needlecase & More Delights in Tadcaster

2012-01-14T20:45:00.000Z

If you are planning a visit to York then don't overlook Tadcaster, just a dozen miles away to the SW. This used to be the stopping point for us on coach trips to the seaside on the east coast. The best reason then was that Tadcaster had the most number of pubs and breweries per square mile than anywhere else in Yorkshire. Now there are still some independent breweries, but Commercial Street with its Georgian shop fronts is as unspoilt and bustling as ever.

Off the High Street, in Kirkgate (on the way to the church), you will find Needlecase - a delightful shop for your needlework needs. And when you have managed to drag yourself away, continue down Kirkgate to St Marys Church and take a look inside.

There, at the east end, you will discover fabulous stained glass windows by William Morris.

And early roundels. Here is Saint Catherine, who was the patron saint of linen weavers, an important trade in Tadcaster in the Middle Ages.

Though at first glance unprepossessing, for eating in the day and early suppers, we heartily recommend the warm welcome and excellent cooking you will enjoy at The Granary on Bridge Street. Try a selection of Yorkshire antipasto £7.50 which includes a selection of home-roasted ham, local cheeses, potted prawns and smoked salmon accompanied by dressed leaves and homemade bread. And maybe follow that with roasted pork fillet garnished with crispy bacon and served with black pudding, creamy mash, carrot puree and a light sage jus. Bliss!

Hereford Museums Collections Now On-Line

2012-01-13T19:44:00.000Z

It is happening. Slowly but surely, Museums are placing their catalogues on-line for access. I mentioned at the recent AGM of the Textile Society, that given the staffing problems now for all but the largest museums, we need to be looking at specialist on-line mediation and interpretation of museum items also, since there is probably not much above the basic descriptive that can be accomplished by some volunteer staff who have to cover absolutely everything. So - for example, one could have a remote interpreter of early samplers who could cover many museum collections. I think that unless this is built into strategies now, then phone apps with pattern recognition will become the interpreters anyway. You will simply go into a gallery and point your phone at an object, and back will come a description of sorts. Whether that description has been authored by someone with knowledge of the item is entirely up to us to push for now. Another opportunity is to collect information on-line from anyone who has information to offer on a piece - rather like the very exciting Public Catalogue Foundation tagging project - click here for more details. OK, off the soapbox and back to the band sampler above. It was made in 1658 by Addree Paine.

What I love about this sampler is a band of arcading composed of linked hands. We often see a pair of clasped hands as a symbol of marriage, but rarely linked as a continuous arcade.

This is a burse or bag used by the Lord Chancellor of King George III. A Lord Chancellor's burse like this would have been used to carry the Great Seal which was used to seal Paliamentary writs, treaties and other important state papers. This example of a burse is from 1800-1833 and is richly made of deep crimson velvet and stumpwork decoration. The front is heavily worked in twisted and coiled gold and silver threads, gold spangles, pearls and some coloured silks. The back, however, is plain as this would not have been seen.

Above and below (detail) is a marriage quilt from the year 1697 with a name that looks like F A Bagot. It is made of a cream quilted silk satin. Each corner is embroidered with a basket of flowers between which are four exotic birds. There is also an oval floral design embroidered in the centre. The designs and motifs are influenced by oriental Chinese Art.

The stomacher below was made in the early 18th century and was worn in the front opening of the open robe. It is made from silk and embroidered in silk thread with a floral pattern consisting of six main flowers, the central one a being a tulip. The colours include purple, pink, cream, beige, yellow and green.

Click here to visit Hereford Museums Collections

Meetings With Remarkable Women * Katrina Honeyman

2012-01-12T20:16:00.000Z

It is in fact a great sadness for me that I never met Katrina Honeyman except through her books, though I would have dearly loved to have met her in person. And even sadder is the fact that Katrina died aged 61 late last year of cancer, when she had so much more to give.

I can only remember her now from her enthralling and meticulous histories of the textile industry in the north of England and these books which explore the role of children and women in the Industrial Revolution. It was a total paradigm shift to contemplate not simply the exploitation of women and children in early industrialization, but their significance to the growth and development of the economy. Based at Leeds University, Katrina was a former editor of Textile History and wrote and collaborated on many books.

Scattered Thoughts on the Scattering of the Betty Ring Sampler Collection

2012-01-11T11:19:00.000Z

I wonder if you noticed, by zooming in, this little detail on the Quaker Doll in Betty's collection which is up for auction by Sothebys later this month? In addition to the charming pocket resting on her right hip, marked with the letter S (twice), she has a little Quaker pinball with braid tied around her waist and hanging on her left hip! How wonderful is that? I spent the whole of Sunday looking at all the items, trying to gather some thought. I have to say my first thoughts, amongst the hot flushes, were for sal volatile when I saw the estimates. It is a delight to see how samplers are valued across the pond and cannot wait for the day when we similarly value our textile heritage here.

Of course, I love the Quaker samplers in the auction, and was delighted to see close-up the US Quaker darning pattern samplers, which have more to do with learning and enjoying weave patterns than any practical darning exercise. I wonder if these also were worked in the girls' spare time for pleasure, as they were at Ackworth School? I have never seen anything quite like this on a pattern darning sampler - a creation of knitting or perhaps Swiss darning worked upon the surface of the linen.

Though many samplers feature a house or homestead, Anna Pope has rendered her particular family's home with loving attention to detail - down to (or rather, up to) its modish lightening conductor. Although Benjamin Franklin had described how such lightning conductors could be used to safeguard homes - as opposed to churches or civic buildings - in the 1750s, it wasn't until 1761 when there was the first recorded instance of a house saved from lightning by such a conductor. Anna's work then of around 1796 documents the uptake of the new technology.

Lingering with Anna's stitched house, we can also see the technique of tweeding - combining strands of different shades to create a more complex and subtle effect for grass or sky. There is so much to see in these samplers, one could go on interminably. I am always struck by the uneven cross stitches in many samplers - as if no-one had told the girls they simply must learn to cross all their stitches in the same direction. The result is a far more charming and rich surface by consequence than any created under such stringent rules. Looking at so many mourning pictures, one cannot fail to be struck by the premature harvest of life, and by the numbers of young orphans left behind. While many were helped by guardians and benevolent hospitals, others, less fortunate would have been left to fend for themselves and would have lived in quasi feral communities. Can it be such a wonder that these children, gathered in by church and schools, should work such desolate and dismal thoughts of death into many of their samplers?
Finally, I know I shall be asked which sampler is my favourite. The answer is: it depends which day you ask me. I love the chutzpah of Lot 583, the Chagall-like joyfulness of Lot 652, the fraktur titling of Lot 616. I have a penchant for New York samplers such as Lot 600, but maybe if really pushed I would choose Lot 622 the 1740 Philadelphia sampler. And if my fairy godmother flew in the window right now, my single wish would be for this singular and sensational collection never to be scattered and for it to have a permanant home in memory of all that Betty has done for the world of samplers - say, oh say that the twin samplers by the Reding sisters (Lots 563 and 565) sha'n't be separated!

Amy Mitten On-Line Tutorials * Starting 25 January 2012

2012-01-10T17:42:00.000Z

Have you signed up yet?

Just a reminder that Winders Keepers are three new projects by Amy Mitten, one of Canada's great stitching designers - as if I needed to say....

These projects offer countless learning opportunities in one project. The chart, stitch diagrams and instructions are in a black & white PDF, which you can print for easy reference. Registration also provides a link to a password protected Tutorial Website containing step-by-step photos and some video clips to guide you through the complete project. This will provide you with a virtual hands-on experience of participating in a needlework class. For those that wish to print some or all of the color photos from the website, a downloadable PDF for all of the stitching and finishing instructional photos shown in the Tutorial will also be available. There is a Journal on the Tutorial Website where Amy will post notes on her inspirations for the design, supplementary historical information related to the project, answer student questions, and post project pictures submitted by students

The are three different themed projects: Quaker, Vierlander and Friesland. The Vierlander style Winders' Keeper seen here with the special black velum is sold out now owing to limited velum supplies. The good news is a new edition has been created using fabulous red velum that coordinates very well with the Vierlander colors. All new orders will be shipped with materials to make the 8 silk winders in red and there is also some red silk included to add a few red accents to the motifs.

At the top of this post you can see examples of the outside of the projects and below the interiors which show you the incredible attention to the design details.

And, I mustn't forget the numerous little accessories, the draw string toggles, the pin-balls and the interior of the thread winders. Click here for more details now.
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Cutting Edge Thoughts on Rich Pudding Day

2012-01-09T12:58:00.002Z

Saturday was what is known in this household as Rich Pudding Day. It means all the most wonderful things and experiences rolypolied into a single day. The day was bright and the wind was crisped as we headed down to Emsworth on the coast to have coffee and read the newspapers in our cherished Driftwood Cafe. After a walk along the shore we continued not to Chichester as usual, but set our sails for Mottisfont Abbey on the River Test. The reason for this was the Cutting Edge exhibition there. We are newbies to Mottisfont, but we shall return and return and return! It is Rich Pudding House! To get to the exhibition we had to walk along the long gallery which is covered cheek by jowl with St Ives School and French Impressionist sketches. The exhibition of cut work which includes three-dimension work, is just a delight and wonder. I love this play on a stump work mirror!

For once we were not faced with the chilled sandwich syndrome in the cafe at lunch time. (How I loathe chilled sandwiches! They are the worst monster to be devised by a Health and Safety Committee since British Rail Sandwiches of the 50s.) Instead we had warm rolls filled with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce - thank you, thank you National Trust! Then off to the shop to see what exhibit goods there were. You can imagine I had second and third thoughts about this bag with a cut-out design by Rob Ryan. Is it an insult? Is it a joke? Is it a koan that I have yet to dig? Anyway I bought it - to give as a present maybe - but will my friend think that it is an insult, a joke or a koan - or simply an insult? There is time yet to decide.

The gardens at Mottisfont are a delight - they have the national collection of briar roses - though these were not in flower right now. Daffodils and primroses are up though. After Mottisfont it was back on the road for a short tootle to wonderful Winchester - home of the Arthuruan Round Table, the cathedral with the longest nave in England and, once, to the Textile Conservation Centre. It is, all in all, one of the prettiest towns. Back home to settle by the log fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a copy of The Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury - the story of the Quaker Cadbury Family of Bournville.

Natural Beauties * Inspiration for Your Mirror Project * Free Jigsaw to Download

2012-01-08T15:00:00.001Z

I spent a few hours going through some of my old photos that I hoard for inspiration and saw this one which I love to bits - and I thought you might find it an inspiration in the A Mirror To My Art Competition. I am constantly amazed by the beauty of nature - no matter how small, how insignificant, I am always consumed and thrilled by it. I remember one year, walking in Scotland, we were becalmed on a Munroe by a dense mist and decided to wait it out. It took a couple of damp, cold hours before the mist lifted, but in that time I inspected and sank into deep fascination with just about every blade of grass around my feet, marvelling in their variety, and I was almost (the first time I typed almost here my fingers created almoist instead - a true Freudian slip!) sorry to move on.
I hope you enjoy your free jigsaw download today. However, sadly, this is not going to work for Mac users. Instructions: Click here next Click Open, then click the .EXE file name and click Run, when you see the jigsaw puzzle, click Play Too many pieces? Try clicking on Trays on the top tool bar to create any number of resizeable trays to sort your pieces ........ you can also click the Cheat button and watch the puzzle solve itself! The software is by David Gray designer of Jigsaws Galore - the powerful jigsaw player and creator for Windows.
To find out more about A Mirror To My Art Competition just click on the image below.

The Earliest Recorded Sampler?

2012-01-07T21:58:00.003Z

This is Peruvian sampler from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, its curious animal, figures and gemometric designs worked in every direction in cotton on camelid ground, measuring approximately 28.5" x 42"in. (72cm x 106 cm), from the Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection (Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979) is dated to 2nd century BCE - is this the earliest recorded sampler? Do you know of one earlier?
To see this sampler for yourself, click here.

Limerick City Museum Samplers On-Line

2012-01-06T20:44:00.001Z

Limerick City Museum, Ireland now has an on-line collection and you can view their small collection of samplers from the comfort of your chair. The sampler above with its very beautiful paired birds and tulip and rose band is by Rebecca Abbott and is dated 1771.

And this later sampler was stitched by Mary Anne Drought, Glin, May 1852. Glin Castle was home to the famous Knights of Glin. This title has sadly with the death of Desmond John Villiers Fitzgerald the 29th Knight of Glin become extinct even though Desmond had 3 daughters by his second marriage. (His first marriage was to the glorious Loulou de la Falaise, muse of Yves St Laurent.) To visit the collection simply click here.

Stop Press * On-Line Auction Catalogue of Betty Ring's Samplers at Sotheby's

2012-01-05T22:53:00.003Z

Sotheby's have just launched their on-line catalogue of the auction of Betty Ring's samplers. Click here to visit. P.S. Can anyone please help me - is Nabby a shortened form of a girl's name and if so what is the longer form?

So Good She Named It Twice * Auction Roundup

2012-01-05T12:08:00.000Z

Delightfully, in two braided cartouches to the top left and right of her sampler, Rossina Braid has declared herself, not once but twice, the make of this sampler at age 12. Dated 1825, it is a George IV sampler of Scottish origins, displaying the typical rows of initials above a fine two-storey house, with the distinctive band below. Notice the pair of cartouches lower down the sampler embracing birds - these have much in common with cartouches found across the North Sea in the North Netherlands and Germany and parts of Southern Scandinavia. It measures 54cm x 48 cm ( approx. 22" x 19"). It is Lot 421 for auction in the 25/25th January sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood, Exeter. The estimate is £300-£400. Click here for more details.

I think we are all familiar now with Helena's speech from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream : We, Hermia, like two artificial gods, Have with our needles created both one flower, Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, Both warbling of one song, both in one key, As if our hands, our sides, voices and minds, Had been incorporate. And sometimes it is not too far-fetched when studying a sampler to see the existence of two separate pairs of hands. But there is never any real proof. However, on this sampler we can see recorded the fact that two girls worked on the same sampler: Mary Brown finished this work with Mary Blacklok Harker School on the 23 July 1835 Year of our Lord Jesus Chri (sic). It does look rather as though two minds have been at work on it! I am particularly intrigued by the large carnation knot just above the girls' inscription which is a reincarnation of a sampler some 150 years' previous (see below). This sampler is in its original frame and measures 20" x 27". Lot 652 it is for auction at Brightwell's on 11 January and has an estimate of £150 - £250. Click here for more details.

And here you can see on this detail of a Charles II 17th century band sampler the exact same carnation knot. This band sampler is inscribed: Judeth Fisher Serve The Lord Amen 1662. Measuring 19cm x 68cm (approx. 8" x 27") it is Lot 947 for auction at Fieldings Auctioneers, Stourbridge on 14 January. It has an estimate of £400 - £600. Below you can see the entire sampler. Click here for more details.

Winners of Textile Society Membership for 2012

2012-01-04T17:43:00.000Z

As always, I wish everyone could have won - as it is I have squeezed in an additional winner. I hope the following blog readers have great delight in their membership of The Textile Society in 2012: Monika from Norway; Marjie from Maine; Evelin from California; Becky from Washington; Jan from Wiltshire; and Sally from Lincolnshire. Thank you to everyone who participated in this special draw.

Horsham Museum Costume Catalogue To Download

2012-01-03T23:08:00.000Z

Horsham Museum, UK, now has its costume collection with descriptions in a downloadable 20 page PDF document. I thought you might like a preview of the Quaker dress in the collection. Circa 1831 -1840; it is a full length dress in fine cotton printed with an alternating floral and plain stripe. It has a fitted part-lined bodice with hook and handmade loop back fastening; leg of mutton sleeves; cuffs with two pearl buttons apiece and one pearl button at the neck. To download your own catalogue, just click here.

Announcing a Major Needleprint Needlework Competition * A Mirror To My Art

2012-01-02T18:34:00.001Z

And a first prize of £500 because 2012 is a special year for us! We shall be publishing Volume 2 of the Micheál and Elizabeth Feller Needlework Collection; are hoping that the Ashmolean Exhibition of the Collection will be scheduled for the end of 2012 (if not then, it will be 2013); it is also the year of the London Olympics; and we are hoping that for Her Royal Majesty this Diamond Jubilee year will be an annus mirabilis at last. Many of you know that Needleprint was founded with 3 aims to: open up the world of needlework, by making images of needlework more accessible; conserve needlework collections for generations to come; and promote needlework. So today, I have great pleasure in announcing this major Needleprint needlework competition that will have a first prize of £500 (or dollar, euro, yen equivalent). The objective is to design and stitch a cover for a handheld mirror - the sort of mirror you might pop in a handbag. Design notes, sketches and drawings will be judged together with the finished item. There will also be an under 16 prize - and a tutor's prize - for anyone setting up a class to facilitate making the mirrors. The closing date for the competition will be 14 September 2012 and judging will take place in October 12. More details will follow soon and we'll set up a dedicated blogspot for the competition.

Do start thinking now - and just to prime the fount of your imagination - here is a late 17th century needlework handheld mirror of oval form, one side depicting James II with a crown, orb and sceptre, which sold for £2,875 inclusive of buyer's premium recently at Bonhams. But don't be afraid - this is open to all needleworkers wherever you are, and you can use cross stitch, temari, sashiko, quilting, knitting, crochet, stumpwork.....anything with a needle. I hope you will experience great pleasure and excitement in discovering what you can achieve with your needle and your mirror will be a true reflection of your art. Click on the flying angel below to be kept up to date with competition news.

Mary Queen of Scots Draw Winner

2012-01-02T15:03:00.037Z

Thank you to everyone who joined in the fun of the Boxing Day Draw. This was a mega draw and a half! There is no loneliness at all in not winning. In fact some of those who didn't win are either related to Mary or to James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell - so in that respect you are in very good company indeed. For those of you who may not know, the panel with Mary's octagon can be seen at Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk. It is worked in cross stitch with coloured silks on canvas. The central monogram reads MARIA STVART and just visible around the border is the motto: Sa vertu matire a near anagram of Marie Stuart. I just thought those may be inspiring thoughts for you in view of the next exciting post coming up shortly tonight. So, time to announce a winner of the 2 decks of Mary Queen of Scots cards ......Congratulations Elizabeth in Australia! But do keep watching tonight as there is a major announcement coming up....

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:16:00.010Z

It is traditional to give the New Year greeting of Health, Wealth and Happiness to all. But I'll settle for Just Peace everyday. May you enjoy Peace and have the enjoyment of bringing Peace to others in 2012.

And talking of Peace - you might like to pick up your pins and Knit for Peace. Knit for Peace is an initiative of the Charities Advisory Trust that encourages women (+men) from different, often historically hostile communities to come together informally to knit (or sew or crochet). With a shared common goal, differences in race, religion or caste are irrelevant, and individuals come together to knit peacefully.

Bobbies on the beat do it! (Is it my imagination or do bobbies really get younger every year...??)

Britsh summer sun-worshippers do it! In 2012 even you can do it! Go on, knit a piece for Peace sake!
Click here for the Knit For Peace Blog.

The Earliest Quaker Sampler * New Needleprint Chart For Download * Elizabeth Pim 1729

2011-12-31T17:24:00.000Z

This sampler is most remarkable because until it was noticed by Micheál & Elizabeth Feller in the Friends’ Historical Library in Dublin, the earliest known sampler presenting Quaker motifs was dated 1775 (Betty Ring Girlhood Embroidery Volume II, page 292). Strictly speaking a double sampler, since it is composed of two joined cloths which stand as designs in their own right, it is signed and initialled Elizabeth Pim for 1729, 1730 and 1731 - some 45 years earlier! The Pims are a notable County Laois family. John Pim arrived there in 1659. One family member, Sarah Pim Grubb was sister-in-law to another Sarah Grubb, née Tuke of York, famous for her founding of Clonmel School, her links to Philadelphia and her account of Ackworth School. By the early 1700s the Pims were well established and there are a number of candidate Elizabeths for the maker of this sampler. The most probable candidate is Elizabeth who in 1749 married George Newneham. This would explain the initials EN and the date 1750. Elizabeth Pim’s repertoire of motifs includes those we normally associate with Ackworth School in the UK, but in addition there are distinctive motifs that appear again on the later Sarah Harris example of 1786 It is interesting to note that although the left portion of the cloth is relatively plain, the right portion has the scattering of capital letters, so well known to us from Ackworth School samplers. Ireland has been relatively overlooked in the research into Ackworth School samplers. However, given that the Quaker school at Mountmellick was established there as early as 1677, and that boys were also taught to knit and that these motifs worked in wool were probably samplers of knitting patterns, then their origination in Ireland is something that should be seriously researched. Ireland was also the source of many migrants to the east coast of the USA which could explain why similar samplers have found a home there. You can work Elizabeth’s cloth as a single sampler - we have removed some of the empty linen between the two to bring the motifs closer together than on the original - or as two separate samplers. The entire work measures 307 stitches wide by 272 stitches long and when worked on 32 count linen results in a finished piece of 19.2” (49cm) wide x 17” (43cm) long. You will need to add a margin around all the edges. To work 2 panels allow for 160 by 272 stitches and 10” (25cm) x 17” (43cm) linen for each. Click here for more details.

New Year's Resolution * Join The Textile Society * This Year's Remarkable AGM * & 5 Gift Memberships

2011-12-30T11:17:00.002Z

Throw out any dusty, musty, fusty notions you may have of AGMs and make the easiest New Year's Resolution ever. Simply join the Textile Society - only £10 per year for Senior Citizens, Students and Unwaged - £18 for everyone else. Then make a big date in your diary for next year's AGM on 23/24 November at the Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, London. It is free.

This year we were treated to 10 excellent papers, eloquently and expertly presented by speakers such as textile luminaries Mary Brooks talking about changing views of 17th century English raised embroideries, Jacqui Hyman discussing analysis of children's clothing in Mamluk Egypt and Nikki Gordon Bowe on Irish Arts and Crafts Textiles. I name these few just to give you an idea of the range. Though I knew someone who had a pair of WB Yeats' underpants, I didn't know that his brother, Jack, the artist, also designed sodality banners for churches which were stitched by his sisters, Lily and Elizabeth Yeats - I am still following up all the fascinating things I learned.

The Textile Society also organizes outings and tours and has a Collector's Group. As a member you receive a free journal of the society - Text - which is a fabulous read - full colour 76 pages of articles, exhibition and book reviews - see the sample pages on this post. And, best of all, bursaries are awarded to textile workers, museums and schools in continuing support of this wonderful field we all love. Can there ever be not a reason to join?

Click here for more information. And because I am so grateful for all your interest and simply love sharing wonderful things with you, I am offering 5 free Textile Society Memberships for 2012 to anyone not already a member. Simply click on the flying angel below and, in one paragraph please, tell me why you would like to become a member of the Textile Society. I'll announce the lucky new members on 4 January 2012.

The Sampler That Claimed An Estate - Naomi Tarrant - The Scottish Genealogist

2011-12-29T19:09:00.001Z

This sampler from Dunfermline Museum, the gift of Miss M Hutton, has been described recently by Naomi Tarrant in The Scottish Genealogist (Volume LVIII No.4). It is one of those tantalising Family Record samplers associated in the UK with Scotland, but also found in the USA. Naomi's article is a delight to read. She has traced and researched the family which gives dimension and substance to this sampler. I particularly enjoyed reading the description of how a daughter of Jane Sutherland married a weaver called John Hutton and their unmarried son, leaving his native land for a better life in New Zealand, made a fortune there. A photograph of this sampler was sent by the Hutton family lawyers to New Zealand and was used in evidence for their claim to his estate. If you are interested in reading more of this article, simply click here for more details of how to obtain your copy of The Scottish Genealogist.

Going, Going, Gone - Museum Disposal

2011-12-28T22:30:00.003Z

This silk picture along with 15 others, silk painted and embroidered with polychrome silks between 1917 and 1950, is about to disappear. It is on the disposal list of the Fashion Museum in Bath, UK. It may be, in fact, that it hasn't been seen in some time. In many museum items spend much of their lives in storerooms - there is only room to display about 1% of museum holdings at any one time, so even with a prodigious effort on the museum's part to achieve annual rotation, you would have to live to be around 100 before you got to see all that your museum curates in the normal displays.
The Museum Association in the UK states: Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society.
And there are guidelines concerning ethical disposal which is characterized as being when it is:
• within the framework of a clearly defined collections policy
• on the advice of a range of staff (not an individual) and is agreed by the governing body
• done with the intention that wherever possible items remain within the public domain
• unlikely to damage public trust in museums
• likely to increase the public benefit derived from museum collections
• communicated openly to stakeholders and the public.
Justifiable reasons for disposal are: duplicated items; underused items; items that the museum cannot adequately care for; items damaged or deteriorated beyond the museum's ability to repair; unprovenanced or uncontextualized items; items that are a risk to health and safety.
Only recently, in 2007, was the Code of Ethics amended to accept financially motivated disposal in exceptional circumstances, when it can be demonstrated that: significant long-term public benefit will be derived from the remaining collection; it is simply not to meet budget deficit, nor is it a last resort when other sources of funding have been explored and sector bodies have been consulted; the item is outside the museum's core collection as defined in the collections policy. As an additional safeguard any money raised as a result of disposal must be used to benefit the museum's collection, in particular it must be restricted to long-term sustainability, use and development of the collection. For more information you can download the Museum Association's Policy Document and also the detailed Code of Ethics.
It is interesting that with the best will in the world, policies created by a single stakeholder tend to be focused around and led by that same stakeholder. I remember once going to a Chinese restaurant for a New Year's meal. We were to choose a variety of plates amongst ourselves to share, and I still remember one strident voice above all others declaring: We can't have everyone deciding. Maybe that is right? Or is it?

New from Gail Marsh

2011-12-27T19:27:00.002Z

I am a huge fan of Gail Marsh and already have her two books on 18th and 19th Century Embroidery Techniques. Gail is Development Officer of the Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth Textile Collection at Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire, UK. After spending so much time with early textiles, it is easy to dismiss stitching of our own times, but the fact remains that there was a great resurgence of interest in embroidery techniques at this time. Certainly, the arrival of the New Elizabethan Era with the Coronation of our present Queen, now in her 60th year on the throne, heralded a return to the attic and archives and a great dusting down of lost gems of British culture. There was a folk revival of country dances and songs begun earlier in the century by Cecil Sharp. At school we learned traditional English songs and sea-shanties before we could read. And we embroidered needlecase covers a little in the manner of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth's own sampler shown above.

I know my friend Vivien Caughley in New Zealand has been researching modern samplers such as this Guides and Brownies one below - if you see any, they are likely to be cheap and they are hugely collectible.

The wonder is that we live in age where many embroiderers and designers are well known by name and will go down in the records, and there are many case-studies in this new book focusing on a single person and their work, so it is an especial treat to be able to put a face and personality to a piece of stitching, which, for the most part, we are unable to do for previous centuries. I also adore this book, because it is like a trip down memory lane. My aunties and grandmas all produced items influenced by the designers documented in Gail's book. I do recommend it!

Two other books which have me in their thrall at the moment are the first of Daniel Yergin's books on the history of oil The Prize (I have his second book The Quest lined up to read next) and an absolutely wonderful book called The Emperor of All Maladies - a Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Strange recommendations, perhaps, but absolute page-turners - impossible to put down - I have to make myself do just that to get on with other things!

Boxing Day Give-Away * Mary Queen of Scots Playing Cards * 2 Decks

2011-12-26T18:28:00.002Z

I just happened to come across a lovely boxed set of 2 decks of cards featuring Mary Queen of Scots and her needlework. Each card carries Mary's stitched device on the reverse.

It is a vintage Viennese Platnik set - I have no idea when it was published - so it is not new, but it is in excellent condition and would certainly cut the mustard at the bridge table.

The Hearts honours are populated with Henry II of France, and James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell first husband and lover respectively of Mary Queen of Scots.

In the Spades camp are the formidable Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.

For Diamonds are Mary's parents: James V, Mary de Guise; and Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley her second husband.

And clubs are Francois I of France; Mary Tudor; and James, Earl of Moray - Mary's half-brother and nemesis.

To enter the draw just click on the flying angel below. The winner of the draw will be notified next Monday, 2 Jan 2012. Good luck!

Happy Christmas! Christmas Day Jigsaw to Download

2011-12-25T16:14:00.000Z

You will be too busy making happiness to even think of a jigsaw today, but I hope at some stage over the holiday, when you are replete with joy, you will have a moment to indulge yourself. I hope you enjoy your free jigsaw download today. However, sadly, this is not going to work for Mac users. Instructions: Click here next Click Open, then click the .EXE file name and click Run, when you see the jigsaw puzzle, click Play Too many pieces? Try clicking on Trays on the top tool bar to create any number of resizeable trays to sort your pieces ........ you can also click the Cheat button and watch the puzzle solve itself! The software is by David Gray designer of Jigsaws Galore - the powerful jigsaw player and creator for Windows.
Richard and I shall probably go up to Ditchling Beacon and walk off a few spoons of Christmas Pud.... So I leave you with the Ditchling Carol

Christmas Eve and The Virgin Mary

2011-12-24T16:50:00.005Z

Like anyone who has had children, I think of the Virgin Mary on the eve of her giving birth and wonder what trepidation and apprehension she felt about giving birth to a first child, the pain, then the relief and calmness afterwards - that moment when a child is born and Time calls time to its headlong trajectory; calls a Chrstmas truce when past and future rejoin across men's trenched divides, and in the hush and stillness, holds its breath in sheer awe of what has just happened. And I remember the little saying, God reminds Earth of Heaven when a child is born. May every child born this eve and every day remind us of Heaven in case we forget. In this panel by Lluis Borrassa, a Catalan artist who lived about 1360-1425, the Virgin Mary (haloed) with her classmates is showing needlework samplers to their teacher. The Virgin Mary's needlework shows a fountain (symbolic of the Immaculate Conception) surrounded by five flying angels. This fountain is remarkable similar to those fountains favoured by Stuart embroiderers.

Parchment Sampler

2011-12-23T20:19:00.000Z

Now in a private collection, this very fine parchment sampler of the Ten Commandments and Creed was painstakingly cut by John Sparling 1729. I don't know if there are any others like this out there, but I would be very interested to know. Is this a gendered exercise - the equivalent of a stitched sampler?

Nazareth At Christmas

2011-12-22T19:30:00.000Z

Ann Nazareth is another artist I came across in the shop at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Ann took her degree in constructed textiles as a mature student and was drawn to basket making techniques as a way to produce 3-D pieces. She is inspired by creation myths and folk tales - stories duplicated in world cultures showing our similarities not our differences.

Her basket work figures always bring a huge smile to my face.

Ann says: I enjoy meeting a challenge and believe all forms are possible, until proved otherwise. I'm not afraid to experiment because what doesn't work usually acts as a catalyst for new ideas. Would you just Adam and Eve it! To read more about Ann Nazareth and see more work, click here.

Hampshire Museums Service Has Embroidered Bags On-Line

2011-12-21T21:47:00.000Z

Hampshire Museums Service has their delightful bag and purse collection on line for you to search. Here are just a few stunning examples for you to enjoy. This example is from the 1830s-1840s and is wool on canvas. All the edges are piped with pale pink and white cord, with matching cord handles having two ornate gilt or pinchbeck trims shaped as thistles. It is trimmed with large pink and white chenille tassels. Sizewise it is about 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep (approx. 15cm x 11cm).

This is a lovely example from between 1750 - 1790. Envelope style it is made from stiffened, figured white silk embroidered on both sides with twined ribbons, flowers, butterfly, basket of flowers, flowering tree and bird. It too measures about 6 inches wide and 4 inches deep (approx. 16cm x 11cm).

Another later reticule from 1830 - 1845, this is embroidered on white moire silk with sprays of foliage and flowers and has some ribbon work detail. It is slightly bigger and measures about 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep (approx. 20cm x 19cm).

Finally from 1900-1930 is this white cotton drawstring bag embroidered on both surfaces with Indian style floral design in white silk. It measures about 6 inches wide and 5 inches deep (approx. 16cm x 18cm). To look for yourself, just click here.

Collect Those Stitching Memories Now Before It's Too Late - Even Flour Bags!

2011-12-20T21:38:00.002Z

We were talking at the Textile Society AGM about the need to record or otherwise gather the stories of textile workers - stitchers, knitters, curators - whoever, before it is too late and their voices and experience lost. There was much discussion about the way this should be done: the correct way to elicit information and so on. Hopefully some course will be established to enable a more professional gathering. But as Richard says to me when I have the camera. Just take the shot! Then, if it hasn't moved, you can take time and get your perfect shot. And he is absolutely right. The number of times I have missed the moment completely because I was too hung up on getting the perfect shot. I say get the experiences down now - we can all do that with our mobile phones, pencils and paper - and we can work on refining them later, when we have learnt all the skills. History will not forgive us for being perfectly equipped after the moment is lost. And who in a grand prepared strategy of things would think to turn the topic to flour bags? Here is an example for you in the archives of the Highland Council. In the late 1970s, Mrs Rollo, an elderly resident of Friars Street, Inverness, shared her memories of old Inverness with a Mrs. Sneddon. Mrs. Rollo had lived as a child in Shore Street and moved to Friars Street in the early 1920s. She had five of a family; three boys and two girls. Her husband worked for the Highland Railway. In an audio extract, Mrs. Rollo remembers creating bed linen from flour bags. Click here to access the recording. Below is a transcript of the interview and above is a
photograph of Friars Street, where Mrs Rollo lived, with the steeple of the Old High Church in the background.

Interviewer: So, ye did some knitting but ye didn't really have much time but -
Mrs Rollo: No, no.
Interviewer: Well sewing?
Mrs Rollo: Oh aye. We'd make an mend - mend an patch everything.
Interviewer: Yes. An what about flour bags?
Mrs Rollo: Oh aye, flour bags. What did I do wi that?
Interviewer: Tel me where ye got them an what ye did wi them?
Mrs Rollo: Well, I got some from Mr. Anderson, the baker, an some from Mr. Grant in Eastgate. They had the meal store then.
Interviewer: An did ye have to buy them?
Mrs Rollo: Yes. I think we got them for sixpence each an they were good value, weren't they?
Interviewer: They were that.
Mrs Rollo: Compared to the day, the rubbish. An then if they were very, very highly coloured we would send them for the first cleaning, to the laundry, after we'd soaked them an got the worst of the flour out, we'd send - dry them off - an then send them to the laundry an they would bleach a lot o the colouring off. An then we would do the rest ourselves. So then we made them into cot sheets, or single-bed sheets, an pillow slips. That kept us going sewing.
Interviewer: It would have.

Lynne Roche's Christmas Book and New Dolls for 2012

2011-12-19T22:05:00.002Z

I have just had a sneak preview of Lynne's new dolls for 2012 - and they are superb. This is Emilia with pale strawberry blond mohair wig and blue glass eyes. She is wearing a vintage 40’s fabric skirt, hand knitted jumper and embellished felt waistcoat. She holds her favourite bear, Toby, and is sitting on a wonderful hand-painted seat that has unique vintage fabric cushions. Emilia is a limited edition doll of just 10.

Here Emilia is dressed warmly for winter. She has a flannel skirt and blouse. Over this she wears a uniquely designed space-dyed felt coat and knitted pure silk mittens and scarf. She has a fair mohair wig and brown eyes and is one of 20 pieces.

Gertie in floral and Gertie in pink are smaller dolls, measuring just 11 inches.

And don't forget, now is the just time to buy Lynne's delightful tale of wonder at Christmas - just perfect for one of those littleys in your family.

Stop Press - Betty Ring's 2 Volume Girlhood Embroideries On-Line

2011-12-19T10:22:00.000Z

Sothebys have now put the two volumes of Betty Ring's fabulous work Girlhood Embroideries on line for you to peruse.
Click here for Volume 1. And here for Volume 2.

Winter Hearts With Heart * Train a Businesswoman Gift Set - Sewing Kit

2011-12-18T22:04:00.001Z

I suffer from itchy fingers, and pins and needles. When I am not busy on the book, I always want to stitch, but I dearly want my work to benefit someone who needs it. When I was young I stayed in a pensione on Thira - a wonderful Greek island - in the days when it was a 13 hour journey by ship from Piraeus, as was the supply of water which got towed in a huge plastic tank behind the boat, since there is no water, other than dew, on Thira. What impressed me, having been brought up in a Yorkshire family where I believed absolutely nothing went to waste, on Thira, examples of household economic practice went way off my meter. Crumbs were assiduously gathered from the table top each morning, but whereas Yorkshire crumbs were breakfast for the birds, the Thira crumbs were potted. After a couple of days I rehearsed enough courage (and Greek) to ask what would happen to the pot of crumbs. At the end of the week, my hostess replied, we shall have a nice bread-crumbed fowl escalope. Oh, I replied, so the breadcrumbs will be for free? No! they are paid already, was the rather terse reply. Then she went on, as if concerned that sounded a bit harsh, if I cannot keep or preserve food, there is always someone who needs it more than me, and I give it to them.

In these hard times, there is always someone whose need is greater than ours. So by giving this sewing kit to make lavender filled hearts or buying it for yourself, you will be helping a business woman in the Lulu Works Trust. The Lulu Works Trust is a small business that takes its name from a variety of shea nut which – with support from Oxfam (The Oxford Agency for Famine Relief) – is helping to change women's lives in South Sudan. Traditionally, used as food, lulu nuts also produce pure shea butter, and it's this that forms the basis of the Lulu's product range. And it's a range that is generating a growing income for women in the Mundri area of South Sudan. Today Lulu's range of products includes body butter, hair cream, mosquito repellent, lip balm, soap and cooking oil. For more details of this Oxfam project - and others too, just click here.

Scissor Arches at Wells Cathedral

2011-12-17T17:57:00.002Z

When a group of the Best People came to join us at Symondsbury in 2008 for the launch of the Goodhart Samplers Book, I thought it would be a neat thing to visit Wells not just for the wonderful sampler collection in the museum there, but also to see the unique scissor arch in the cathedral and stay for the Christmas Carol Service. I have to say I had a lump in my throat throughout the service as I felt so blessed being surrounded by wonderful people and enjoying the most ethereally beautiful singing imaginable from some incredibly gifted young people. So now we make a point of returning every year to remember that special occasion.

This year the Carol Service is on 23 December and starts at 18.00 - but best be seated a half hour earlier as this is incredibly popular. Click here for more details.

We stay in the Ancient Gatehouse. The rooms overlook the cathedral close and this was the view from our pretty bedroom there. Ask for Room Number 3 if you are booking. Click here for more details.

This is one of my favourite areas of Wells, the Vicars' Close - it is like going back in time!

Just a couple of doors down from the Ancient Gatehouse is The Old Spot - one of my favourite dining places. Jay Rayner, top UK food critic describes it: At lunch, three courses are £15, with four choices at each course, rising in the evenings to £25 with six choices, both menus changing weekly. It was a short list, but challenging. I wanted to eat all of it, but in the end chose for my starter the pressed ham terrine with lentil vinaigrette over the gazpacho or brandade of salt cod, because a terrine is a good test of any kitchen. It was a solid chunk of sweet piggyness, the whole cut through by a tidy pile of the nutty lentils, mixed in with the spiky vinaigrette. Next to it were a couple of cornichons. And that was it. There was no need for anything else. For mains, a choice of tomato risotto, poached salted ox tongue, roast pollock or braised shoulder of lamb. The lamb had been taken off the bone, rolled and then caramelised to give crisp contrast to the softness of the meat within. Alongside was ratatouille, and it wasn't one of those tragic reinventions of the dish that too many kitchens attempt, chopping the vegetables to millimetre dice and straining the sauce until it is less a part of the dish than an echo of its ingredients. This was an in-yer-face ratatouille with chunky pieces of aubergine and a sauce that was the essence of a bucketful of tomatoes. After those two hefty dishes I probably should have had the summer fruit compote, but there was a St Emilion au chocolat on offer, which is a Hopkinson recipe from Roast Chicken, and should be ordered whenever possible: a slab of indecently rich and boozy dark chocolate mousse, over- and underlaid with crushed amaretti biscuits. It is, I think, what the word dessert was invented for. A great meal, then, at a sensible price. Click here for more details.

Cristina's Progress With Hannah Westcombe And Those Mysterious Upper-Case Ligatures Explained - Maybe!

2011-12-16T22:02:00.001Z

It is good to see that Portuguese Head Girl, Cristina, is making progress with her Hannah Westcombe - one of the earliest text samplers at Ackworth School. For those of you who might not know, Cristina underwent serious heart surgery not so long ago, and now is making her recovery. She says: The doctors are still keeping me on sick leave, which is very good at this time of year, because cold and changing of weather brings me lots of pains in the bones of my chest: that’s one of the reasons I decided to go on a new project – it lifts me up. We all hope you continue to feel lifted up, Cristina and wish you all the best for the festive season. I see Cristina is just beginning the row of upper-case ligatures - those pairs of letters joined to each other. While the lower-case ligatures were commonly used around that time, for a limited period, to improve the aesthetic of the printed word, upper-case ligatures, apart from an odd Latin example were not commonly seen. So what, if anything was the purpose of stitching them? It was something of a mystery. Then we began to notice upper-case ligatures on Scottish samplers. Scottish samplers are to a large extent marked by rows of paired initials belonging to family members of the stitcher. While in many examples they are stitched separately, on some few samplers they are ligatured.

This illustration of the text on a Scottish horn book of 1784 is contemporary with Ackworth School text samplers and just a year later than Hannah Westcombe's sampler - here you can see the lower-case ligatures. So, one has to ponder if the influence for the ligatures - both upper- and lower-case is coming to Ackworth from across the border. And by across the border nothing particularly extreme is being posited. In fact, Carlisle just to the north of the Quaker strongholds of Cumbria and Westmorland regularly played hop-scotch across that shifting divide. Even today, whenever the weather is poor and visibility is low, I'll give up on a fell-walk in the Lake District to travel an hour north for comforting coffee and home-made toasted banana bread at John Watts Coffee Shop in Bank Street, Carlisle.
One of the earliest text samplers at Ackworth School. Limited edition printed chart comes with 5 mini text sampler projects and background history. Price includes postage.

Stop Press - Sotheby's Have Full Text of Betty Ring's American Needlework Treasures On-Line

2011-12-16T14:45:00.001Z

You can now page through the entire book, thanks to Sothebys. Click here for the link.

Sothebys New York Exhibition of Betty Ring Schoolgirl Embroideries Begins 14 January 2012 - Prior to Sale on 22 January 2012

2011-12-15T10:14:00.000Z

Sothebys New York made an announcement today about the upcoming Betty Ring auction - I was hoping this heralded the on-line catalogue of the sale. But not yet - we have to be patient a little longer - however, do keep checking, click here for the link. Here is the announcement in full: Sotheby’s New York announces that it will offer schoolgirl embroidery from the collection of Betty Ring in a dedicated sale on 22 January 2012. Mrs. Ring is the foremost scholar and collector of American schoolgirl embroidery – superb needlework samplers, elegant pictorial embroideries and mourning pictures made in the earliest American cities and towns by the daughters of the prosperous ‘entrepreneurial’ elite. Important American Schoolgirl Embroideries: The Landmark Collection of Betty Ring consists of a comprehensive group of approximately 175 examples, assembled by Mrs. Ring starting in the 1960s, with pieces from all regions, periods and forms. The sale will be on exhibition in Sotheby’s York Avenue galleries during Americana Week in New York, beginning 14 January. The sale includes a rare and important needlework sampler by Mary Antrim dated 1807 (above), and belongs to an important, recently recognized group made by girls of Burlington County, New York (est. $80/120,000*); a rare and important needlework sampler by Matilda Filbert in Wolmesdorf, Pennsylvania dated 1830, and its composition is a naïve interpretation of an Edward Savage drawing (est. $50/75,000); a rare and important needlework sampler by Nabby Dexter dated 1785, and is the earliest-known example of the most enduring style from Mary Balch’s school (est. $30/40,000).

“Betty Ring was amongst the first serious scholars and collectors in our field who recognized the importance of American schoolgirl embroidery as a body of work,” commented Nancy Druckman, Head of Sotheby’s Folk Art department in New York. “Her numerous publications, exhibitions and lectures did much to increase the public’s awareness of this important and unique American art form. Betty’s collection, which we are honored to present at auction in January, is the fruit of her tireless and inspired research, as well as her connoisseur’s eye for beauty.”

From the late-17th through the mid-19th centuries, the rising merchant class in America had the financial resources, aspirations and determination to have their young daughters receive the best education – both in the standard subjects of the school curriculum, as well as mastering needle and thread. From Boston and New England, to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and the South, these girlhood embroideries have become treasured family heirlooms – vibrant and evocative examples of American decorative and folk art and, most especially, rare documents of women’s education in America. Through her studies of the young girls who made these remarkable pieces, as well as their teachers, Betty Ring was able to discern and document the distinctive regional styles in which they were created. Her personal collection is remarkably complete, comprising excellent examples across the art form. Mourning pictures in the collection – commemorative pieces that honored deceased heroes or loved ones – will be led by a rare and important embroidered and painted silk mourning picture: Sacred to the Memory of George Washington (second image above), which was likely done in Boston circa 1815 (est. $50/100,000). Elements from two Washington memorial prints may be recognized in the composition: Pater Patriae, engraved by Enoch G. Gridley after a now-lost painting by John Coles, Jr., and John James Barralet’s Apotheosis of Washington. In addition, the collection includes a rare and important embroidered and painted silk mourning picture by Betsey Clarke of Miss Patten’s School, Hartford, Connecticut, circa 1809 (est. $50/75,000).

Last Minute Lizzie!

2011-12-14T22:06:00.009Z

Last Minute Lizzie was a name given to me by my mother as I was always dashing about filling my satchel for school. One day I was so pressed for time, running for the bus, that I didn't chase after my beret which blew away, fearing the chastisement of being late much more than the lines I would get from a prefect for being beretless. This was a beret with a name-tape dutifully sewn inside by my mother. And it was to my mother that the beret was returned by a policeman, saying he had found it in the middle of the road. If she had simply phoned school instead of every hospital, mortuary and crematorium in town, my homecoming would have produced considerably less hysteria.

But she was my mum and she cared and worried for us when we were too innocent to worry for ourselves and she worked late at night stitching us special gifts for Christmas. One year she gave me a gift resembling the one above which you can now buy from Boots and I was so thrilled. There began one strand at least of my long attachment to needle and thread. But I can't stop, I'm dashing around still, Last Minute Lizzie as ever looking for nice Christmas gifts. This is Boots Sew Sweet Sewing Set which sells at £8

This is also by Boots - what a delight for a young person to get them started on the true passion of stitching. Just click the images for more information.

Knitting needles and a ball of wool were gifts to us from mum when we were recovering from childhood ailments, those listless days of low fever when time passed so slowly - we were always so glad of these pick me ups. This is a Boots kit, prettily packaged for a young knitter and includes everything they need, including yarn, pre-cut felt pieces, and needle to make a little puppy.

I am a great fan of Emma Bridgewater designs and her Sampler fabrics hit the spot for me.

Particularly this Christmas version which combines Joy and Mince Pies - how very true! Again click on the images for more information.

And here you see my Last Minute Lizzie Christmas Gift Making. Yes, I bought the plates and the joins, and the glass drill bits to go in the drill - and the ear defenders(you do need them as porcelain rings when drilled!)- and goggles and a dust mask. Twenty minutes. 20 minutes. This is the continuous time taken to drill one single hole through a standard plate. Not many people know that! I now have a deep regard for porcelain. But I must get along now - otherwise I shall truly be a Last Minute Lizzie again.

More Dutch Samplers On-Line For You To Enjoy

2011-12-13T20:13:00.002Z

A wonderful site named geheugenvannederland has 36 sampler related images for you to enjoy - such as these posted here. The one above is a sampler from Enkhuizen (another of my favourite places in the Universe) dated 1795.

Above is an earlier example of 1788, also from Enkhuizen - both samplers are in the Zuiderzeemuseum.

This sampler is from Amsterdam and is dated 1801 - it is in the Nederlands Gevangenismuseum. To visit these samplers for yourself, just click here. You can click on any image for more details and if you click on the button labelled Opslaan to the right of the larger image and choose the option to open, you can enjoy a larger image.

Fabric of a New Nation: American Needlework and Textiles, 1776–1840 * Art Institute of Chicago * 16 December 2011 - 13 May 2012

2011-12-12T23:49:00.000Z

To quote from the Art Institute of Chicago: This bedcover - a nine patch quilt of 1800/20 from New England or Mid-Atlantic USA (A gift of Donald Young and Shirley Weese Young)is one of the items in this exciting exhibition which features over 45 bedcovers, coverlets, needlework, printed handkerchiefs, and other household textiles from the permanent collection of the Department of Textiles, explores the evolution of an American textile tradition as home creation, cottage industry, and commercial production developed between the years 1776 and 1840. While some needlework and textiles during this period were born out of necessity, others evoke refinement and sophistication, reflecting the overall growth, ingenuity, and prosperity of a new nation. Traditionally textiles, whether made in the home or commercially, were considered prized possessions, but their value was not merely monetary; they often held special significance for the makers and their descendants. Many such textiles bear the maker’s name, and as treasured heirlooms were passed from one generation to the next serving as family record. The sewing of textiles was also vital to the maintenance of a household. This important female skill not only provided the necessities of clothing and bedding but also a socially acceptable activity for women. The sewn and embroidered textiles in this exhibition represent the work of schoolgirls and women who had the means and time to pursue the needle arts. The works’ highly skilled execution and complex designs are evidence of the artistic and personal expression they provided. A bridge from home to commercial production can be seen in the exhibition’s woven coverlets. Coverlet weavers in homes and separate workshops formed a cottage industry that would eventually grow into a full-scale commercial business by the mid-19th century. Printed textiles, on the other hand, were a product of the innovations and technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution, part of the commercial manufacturing industry that disseminated affordable textiles to a wider audience. With the mechanization of production and printing, textiles were able to keep pace with fashion and current events. Whether sewn, woven, or printed, the textiles in this exhibition trace the development of an American textile tradition—one in which industrialization played a dominant role transforming raw materials into finished products but one that was also impacted by changes in the American home from creation out of necessity to a burgeoning consumer economy. Within these diverse textiles and their development, one can witness the innovation and progress of an early but thriving new United States. For more information about this exhibition, just click here.

The Micheál & Elizabeth Collection at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK 2012/2013

2011-12-11T12:28:00.035Z

Oh goodness me, I have been sitting here for sometime with clenched teeth and bitten tongue - and I have been just so very excited and wanting to tell you - it has been ecstatically excruciating.... The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford is planning an exhibition of The Micheál & Elizabeth Collection for either late 2012 or early 2013 - we are just waiting for those firm dates now. Mary Brooks will be guest curator. So, don't you think it is time for us to get together again for a little stitching happening? One very special person who will be planning worshops with us is the wonderful Nicola Jarvis - she worked on stitching THAT DRESS worn so beautifully by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, on her happy day in Westminster Abbey when she married Prince William. And I'll do my best one more time to make sure you have a great time with other events and speakers. I have missed you all! So, if you would like to be put on the notify list, just click the flying angel below. We'll let you know as soon as we have firm dates.

Make A Date * Amy Mitten Tutorials * Starting 25 January 2011

2011-12-10T23:14:00.031Z

Oh, ho, ho! What a treat this way comes!

Winders Keepers are three new projects by Amy Mitten, one of Canada's great stitching designers - as if I needed to say....

The are three different themed projects: Quaker, Vierlander and Friesland.

At the top of this post you can see examples of the outside of the projects and below the interiors which show you the incredible attention to the design details.

And, I mustn't forget the numerous little accessories, the draw string toggles, the pin-balls and the interior of the thread winders. Click here for more details now.

Perpetually Engaging Diary * Special Offer For You & A Friend

2011-12-09T12:41:00.000Z

Our Perpetually Engaging Diary is a gorgeous gift for a friend, it is good for any year and has 25 wonderful images from the fabulous Micheál and Elizabeth Feller Needlework Collection plus charts for 12 mini samplers, one for each month. There is a framed place in the diary for you to tie in your samplers so that your diary becomes a perpetual album to treasure and show to admirers.

You can buy a single copy of the diary for $38, or two copies for $70 or one diary plus an Ackworth School Memory Book for $55 all prices include airmail postage to a single destination wherever you are in the world.

Roger La Borde Sew Alike Cards

2011-12-08T18:32:00.000Z

I know, like me, you are working overtime on Christmas stitching - and probably like me, you get to a week before The Day and think of another dozen people who you would have liked to have crafted things for.

And it's just not possible. Is it?

So, I was delighted to find Roger La Borde has a range of Sew Alike gift cards and items to send. The tree above is a pop and slot card and the ones below are regular greetings cards.

Just click here to see more details.

Late 17th Century Embroidered Hand Held Mirror Sells for Just Shy of £3,000 at Bonhams

2011-12-07T17:10:00.004Z

Yesterday at Bonham's, Knowle, Lot 364, a late 17th century needlework handheld mirror of oval form, one side depicting James II with a crown, orb and sceptre sold for £2,875 inclusive of buyer's premium

James II is surrounded by a border inscribed 'Dieu et Mon Droit, Jacobus Secundus'. It is worked in satin stitch, detached buttonhole stitch, couched threads, purled wire and spangles on satin, the reverse enclosing a mirror, within a glass case. It measures just 8cm x 9.5cm (approximately 3" x 4").

Talking of Coifs - Buy One!

2011-12-06T18:26:00.002Z

H&H Auction Rooms in Carlisle, UK will be auctioning this late 16th or early 17th century coif in their upcoming sale on 12th and 13th December 2011. Lot 494 is described as a linen coif headdress with blackwork embroidery and metallic threads, decorated in a repeating foliate scroll design, trimmed with a gilt bobbin lace border and hand-clipped metal spangles. The estimate is £300 - £500.
For more details, click here.

Honey, Honeymoons, Brides, Inside Edwina's Latest Book - The Wedding Dress

2011-12-05T21:45:00.066Z

I have spent the last few weeks since our wedding enjoying Edwina's fabulous new book The Wedding Dress. I feel as though I have made a honeymoon of it!

The book has many superb images and of course the text is most professionally researched as one would only expect of Edwina. I had dinner with her the other week at the Textile Society AGM and she is on great form at the V&A.

When I was married, a friend gave me a home-collected pot of honey with a lovely silver moon hand-painted on the lid. Of course, the honeymoon was the time when the bride fed her new husband honey for an entire month. My first daughter, Melissa, was named after the Greek god of honey, Melisseus.

These days I have loads of pots of honey in the pantry cupboard - I fill them with the grated peel of oranges and clementines - such a pity to waste this bit of the fruit. It keeps wonderfully in the honey, which is always good to drizzle over baked figs, stir into a warm compote of winter fruit to deepen the flavour, add to a cranberry sauce, glaze a duck or simply dribble on hot bread - so many uses. I also toss roasted walnuts into the orange honey as that is just the blissiest topping for Greek Yoghurt. And I can vouch for the %0 fat Greek Yoghurt! Oh and I must tell you, I met Nicola Jarvis at the Textile Society AGM - more of whom later - but she was one of the embroiderers of Kate's dress!

It is certainly hard to believe that it's been a whole month since Gareth and Rachel's wonderful wedding - it seems like only yesterday. Slowly we are coming back down to earth again but filled with bright, sparkling memories.

By the way, now is a good time to buy Edwina's book - it has been discounted by over £10 on Amazon!

Philippa's Coif and Free Jigsaw to Download

2011-12-04T10:51:00.000Z

WE owe this week's free jigsaw download to the great good generosity of Philippa. After seeing the last coif jigsaw, Philippa, a volunteer from Carrow House Museum, Norwich emailed me with these two pictures. She writes: Dear Jacqueline.
having just enjoyed doing the lovely coif puzzle I thought you might like to see a blackwork coif I embroidered for Strangers Hall Museum a few years ago. It was for visiting school children who were studying Tudor costume. I chose for my pattern - with his permission - one of the great Jack Robinson's wonderful blackwork designs. The other image shows Sarah, one of the volunteers, dressed as Lady Paine, wife of a former Lord Mayor of Norwich who lived at the Hall, wearing the coif. Love Philippa. This is absolutely brilliant! All the years I have known Philippa, and not known that - but then, we have always had so many other things to talk about. And even better to find a fellow fan of Jack Robinson, whose books on blackwork are simply my bibles.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your free jigsaw download this week. However, sadly, this is not going to work for Mac users. Instructions: Click here next Click Open, then click the .EXE file name and click Run, when you see the jigsaw puzzle, click Play Too many pieces? Try clicking on Trays on the top tool bar to create any number of resizeable trays to sort your pieces ........ you can also click the Cheat button and watch the puzzle solve itself! The software is by David Gray designer of Jigsaws Galore - the powerful jigsaw player and creator for Windows.

A Glimpse of Stocking

2011-12-03T18:26:00.004Z

If you don't already know Charlotte's Cot Blankets, then now is the time to get acquainted. Charlotte knits personalized items to order - and if you would like one of her stockings for a special person, then you need to have your order in by 9 December to make sure it arrives in time.

I think these reindeer socks are just wonderful.

Charlotte is best known for her cot blankets which come in a number of patterns for you to chose from - and then you can add the baby's name and birthdate.

What a delightful naming present they make. And talking about stockings, there is still time to make up these pretty socks which are decorated with clocks taken from antique pattern books. The kit includes all patterns and more plus making up instructions all for $8 or £5

Download. Delightful socks with a collection of 17th century clocks for special festive stitching and giving. Full making up instructions.

Studio Sale of Hand Embroidered Textiles * Sophie Pattinson * 2-4 December * Ropley, Hampshire, UK

2011-12-02T11:42:00.001Z

Woops a daisy! There is so much happening that I almost forgot to tell you about Sophie's special sale event at her studio in Ropley. For sale will be hand embroidered textiles from Bangladesh and handwoven pashminas from Kashmir. The studio will be open from 10.30am to 5.00pm at The Studio, 3 Sunnyside Cottages, Church Street, Ropley, Hants, SO24 0DP. You might remember Sophie from our meetings with remarkable women - click here for more information.

Auction Watch

2011-12-01T19:38:00.002Z

Canterbury Auction Galleries will be auctioning this sampler at their sale on 6/7 December. Lot 940 is an early 19th Century needlework sampler worked by Ann Gore, Waldershare School, Aged 10 Years, February 28. The whole is finely worked in coloured silks with alphabet, six line verse, baskets of flowers, birds, etc, on fine woollen ground. It measures 13.25ins x 12.25ins and is slightly mothed and discoloured in places. It has a later oak glazed frame. The sampler comes with a copy of The Holy Bible, printed by George E. Eyre and Andrew Spottiswoode, London 1842, inscribed to front "Ann Gore, given to her on her marriage by her affectionate cousin, Elizabeth Port 1845" (binding somewhat damaged). The estimate for both is £250 - £350. For more details click here.

At auction at Gorringes at their 7/8 December sale is this George IV needlework sampler, by Ann Child, 1824, worked with house, gardens, verse, Adam and Eve. It features a dog named `Bob` just to the left of the circular lawn bordered by the driveway. It is Lot 183 and measures 16 x 19.5in and has an estimate of £1,000 - £1,500. For more details of this sale, click here.

Lot 1323 for sale at Taylors Auctions is this unframed embroidered sampler depicting Adam & Eve in landscape scenes by Charlotte Leeson, dated 1845. It measures 53cm x 64cm (approximately 21 inches x 26 inches) and has an estimate of £100 - £200. For more details click here.

At Batemans Auctions on 3 December there is Lot 428 - a George III sampler by Ann Ross, dated 1786, decorated with the most amazingly primitive trees, animals, figures and birds within the Garden of Eden. It is framed and glazed and measures 60 by 48cm (24 inches x 19 inches approximately) and has an estimate of £700 - £800. For more details click here.

For lovers of maps there is Lot 928 for auction on 6/7 December at Mealys on the Isle of Man. It is a finely worked needlework map of `The Isle of Man,` after John Speed. It measures 14 3/4" x 19 3/4" (37cms x 50cms). and has an estimate of €180 - €200. For more details click here.

In Stitches - Unravelling Their Stories * Chester County Historical Society, USA * 2 December 2011-7 September 2012

2011-11-30T18:56:00.000Z

Don’t miss this rare opportunity! Westtown School and Chester County Historical Society are providing a unique opportunity to see large portions of their needlework collections in one exhibition.

Learn how commonplace pieces become heirloom treasures. Enjoy select samplers and other embroidery made by girls from Chester County and the surrounding area 200 years ago. In Stitches is generously sponsored by William B. Parker and Westtown School. Click here for more information.

Emergency Santa

2011-11-29T11:41:00.008Z

I've heard that some shops have run out of stocks of our new book. But panic not. The Emergency Santa can still get you or your friend a copy in time for Christmas. Prices to include postage are £45, €66, $90, 9000¥. Just click here to browse or buy.

Lupe's Finished Mary Wigham Sampler

2011-11-28T20:39:00.006Z

Ta-Da! Another brilliant finish - this time from Lupe in Northern California. Now you know where that Thanksgiving Squirrel came from. Lupe says that she stitched her Mary Wigham on 40 count linen over two threads using Autumn Arbor from Glorianna. Lupe put in her three toy poodles and her beloved cat Lucky who was lost to kidney disease on April 18th. He used to love to stitch with her. Lupe adds that she enjoyed stitching this sampler very much - and I have to say, my joy at admiring it is probably even greater. Congratulations on your masterpiece, Lupe. What a special and touching way to remember your dear friend, Lucky.

Early Coifs in The Metropolitan Museum of Art Now On-Line

2011-11-27T20:10:00.000Z

There are a number of fabulous coifs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of which 6 are dated around 1600.

This particular coif is dated 1600–1630 with an English provenance. It is worked on linen with silk and metal thread, spangles using satin, long-and-short, braid, buttonhole, and couching stitches. There is also an associated forehead cloth with it. It is a gift of Irwin Untermyer, 1964 and its accession Number is 64.101.1242.

Don't forget to zoom in on these items to see real up close detail.

The detailed stitching of the pomegranate on this coif is simply sumptious. Dated between 1575-1600, it is also English, worked on linen as before and is embroidered with linen and metal thread, spangles using drawn thread work, satin, chain, and needle-lace stitches. Another gift of Judge Irwin Untermyer, 1964, its accession Number is 64.101.1240.

Probably the simplest coif, this one is a great favourite of mine. It is probably German and could date from any time between 1400-1600 CE. I wish I could see more of the marking on the top of the coif. It was purchased with the Rogers Fund, 1908 and its accession Number is 08.194.1. To enjoy yourself, just click here.

Donatella Finishes Beautiful Bertie From the Vierlande II Collection

2011-11-26T11:14:00.014Z

Congratulations to Donatella from Italy who has completed a finish beautifully her Bertie from the Needleprint Vierlande II Collection. Donatella says she used DMC 844 and 815 for her piece and those colours look just lovely together. Hugs to you, too, Donatella! Thank you for sharing.

This is the second volume of the Vierlande motif library and comes with a separate eBook containing 11 additional mini-Vierlande sampler projects for you.

Quilts & Samplers At Penrith Farmers' Auction * 30 November 2011

2011-11-25T20:57:00.002Z

There are some charming items for auction on 30th November at Penrith Farmers' in the Skirsgill Saleroom. Lot 130 is a George III child's cot patchwork coverlet having a polychrome satinised floral border enclosing various patchwork sample borders, centred upon a foliate motif embroidered with `May thou be blessed sweetest babe 1808`. It is un-backed and measures 98cm(l) x 84cm(w)and has an estimate of: £100 - £150.

Lot 129 is a 19th century hand-stitched appliqué patchwork coverlet worked by Sarah Kersey and has a central appliqué tree of life motif surrounded by various foliate and figural motifs within two broad borders of conforming design, the outer edge stitched with maker's name. It measures 245cm(square) and comes with an estimate of: £200 - £300.

Also worked by Sarah Kersey when aged 12 in 1831 is Lot 128 a large William IV needlework sampler worked in polychrome threads, with two religious verses, various foliate motifs and a depiction of Adam and Eve and the tree of life, also the Wesleyan Chapel, City Road, London, all within a foliate border and rosewood frame, under glass. It measures 67cm(h) x 64cm(w)and has an extimate of : £300 - £500

Lot 121 is a large, early 19th century patchwork chintz quilt, the centre panel and outer border has appliqué foliate decoration in the broderie perse technique with patterned patchwork samples, quilted in chevrons, diamonds and shell patterns. It measures 262cm x 220cm and has an estimate of : £300 - £400.

Lot 132 ia a 19th century sampler by Elizabeth Brown, dated 1892 and has a row of alphabet letters, bands of flowers, birds and religious verse, with further pictorial flower, birds and deer designs below, all within a geometric and foliate border, worked in polychrome threads , within a simple moulded frame, under glass. It maesures 46cm(h) x 34cm(w) and has an estimate of £100 - £200. For more details click here.

Thanksgiving Squirrel!

2011-11-24T09:58:00.001Z

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful feast day - and I you haven't forgotten these delightful squirrels that peek out of Ackworth School Quaker samplers. You will be seeing rather more of the one below in a few days' time.

Last week I spent a few days in the North visiting places around Ackworth School. And if you are planning a visit North you might like to go on an Ackworth School Squirrel Hunt, too. The first stop was the nearby charming market town of Selby which has the most amazing Norman Abbey slap bang in the middle of its high street. Go inside and you will find a wealth of decorative detail. See if you can find the rather mischievous (and, dare I say, ratty-looking?) squirrel at the top of this post on the fabulous 14th century Jesse window at the East end. He has a few friends for company!

Another place to pop into is Holy Trinity Church in York, close by the Micklegate Bar. Here there is a permanent exhibition called The Monks of Micklegate and includes facsimiles of a very early bestiary (a book of beasts depicting the Christian virtues as displayed by God's creation), which was made by the monks of Holy Trinity. The original is now in St John's College Oxford. This 800 page book has 90 coloured illustrations. One of which you can see here depicting Noah naming the animals - including our friend the squirrel. A bestiary is a book in which the real and imagined habits of animals are used to symbolise the Christian virtues. For example, bear cubs are shown being born formless and literally licked into shape by their mother after three days: this referenced Christ's time without bodily form between his death and Resurrection three days later, and the role of 'mother Church' in shaping the way people lived their lives.

These bestiaries derive from the Physiologus - the author is believed to have been abbot of Monte Cassino A.D. 1022-1035. So the Ackworth squirrel has a very ancient tail (sic). It is interesting that moral tales based upon animals such as Aesop's Fables were still being used for teaching children at Ackworth School in the 18th and 19th centuries. For more information on the Micklegate Monks, click here. In the meantime - Happy Holiday to you all from all of us!

Charlotte Bronte's Manuscript For Auction * Sothebys * 15 December 2011

2011-11-23T22:27:00.000Z

Sotheby's London, announces the sale of an unpublished manuscript by Charlotte Brontë as part of its sale of English Literature, History, Children’s Books & Illustrations on Thursday, 15th December 2011, estimated at £200,000-300,000 : Never before seen by scholars, it is the most important Brontë manuscript to have appeared at auction in more than thirty years, and is one of only a handful of such manuscripts remaining in private hands. Set in ‘Glass Town’, the earliest fictional world that the four Brontë siblings created, and written by a fourteen-year-old Charlotte in miniature magazine format, The Young Men’s Magazine, Number 2, is dated August 1830. The childhood empires of the Brontë children’s imaginations play a significant role in our understanding and appreciation of their works, which include some of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century. The world of ‘Glass Town’, the first expression of the incredible imaginative community at Haworth parsonage in Yorkshire where the children grew up, had its origins in a gift of toy soldiers: "Papa bought Branwell some soldiers from Leeds. When Papa came home it was night and we were in bed, so the next morning Branwell came to our door with a box of soldiers. Emily and I jumped out of bed and I snatched one up and exclaimed, 'This is the Duke of Wellington! It shall be mine!'..." (Charlotte Brontë, The History of the Year, 12 March 1829). Following Charlotte's lead, each of the siblings took one soldier as their own and named them for a hero: Branwell chose Napoleon in a riposte to Charlotte's Wellington, whilst the younger sisters Emily and Anne named theirs for the explorers Edward Parry and William Ross. The children assembled a world around these characters – a ‘confederacy’ in which all four siblings had their own realm – from the material to hand: the towering cities of ‘Glass Town’ were inspired by prints of Biblical illustrations by John Martin which hung in Haworth Parsonage; the geography of their world was based on West Africa, about which they had read in the life of Mungo Park; from the Arabian Nights they took the four near-omnipotent Genii (one for each of the siblings) that hovered over the world, intervening at will; while the texture of the world and the adventures of its inhabitants drew extensively on Blackwood's Magazine, to which their father subscribed. ‘Glass Town’ wonderfully illustrates the Brontë siblings’ precocious imaginations; their father, the Rev. Patrick Brontë, recounted: “As they had few opportunities of being in learned and polished society, in their retired country situation, they formed a little society amongst themselves – with which they seem’d content and happy.” (Rev. Patrick Brontë’s letter to Mrs Gaskell, 20 June 1855). Containing more than 4,000 words painstakingly crammed on to 19 pages, each measuring approximately 35 x 61mm, the size of the manuscript reflects the miniature nature of its subject. Charlotte Brontë’s friend and fellow writer Mrs Gaskell recalls “[A]n immense amount of manuscript, in an inconceivably small space.” Its size also reflects the intimacy of the subject; this imaginary world was intensely private and the minuteness of these works ensured that they were easily hidden and could only be read without the aid of a magnifying glass by the sharp eyes of a child. The manuscript’s table of contents lists “A letter from Lord Charles Wellesley,” a vivid adventure tale; “The Midnight Song by Marquis Duoro,” a poem; “Frenchman’s Journal,” a continuation of a fictional diary series; and a mocked-up classifieds section, “Advertisements.” ‘A letter from Lord Charles Wellesley’, the first and most substantial piece in this issue of the Young Men's Magazine , is supposedly written by the son of the Duke of Wellington who was a frequent hero of the ‘Glass Town’ stories. It follows the developments of a "rather mysterious incident" that begins when he was awoken in the night and, whilst admiring the stars from his palace garden, hears a sudden shriek from a boat - but before he can intervene the girl who has been captured by the four men aboard is stabbed to death. When he leaps into the canal to avenge her, he himself is captured by the murderer. Lord Charles is taken to the capturer’s country house where he is imprisoned in a vividly-described attic: "the floor was of wet rotten wood blacker than the back of a chimney. the sides were of the same but ...partially concealed by elegant draperies of spiders web. & no vestige of furniture was to be seen not even a straw bed". Following his dramatic escape, Lord Charles is able to wreak his revenge, but his fright of conscience in so doing sends his victim into a delirium which is described in a passage of remarkable power. It is this passage that represents a precursor to one of the most famous scenes in Charlotte Brontë's later fiction – the moment in Jane Eyre (written in 1847) when Bertha, Mr Rochester's insane wife (who was, like Lord Charles, kept in the attic) seeks revenge by setting fire to the bed-curtains in her husband's chamber. In the case of Lord Charles’s victim,"...he constantly raged about the spirits of Caroline Krista & Charles Wellesley dancing before him. he said that every now & then they glided through his eyes to his brain where an immense fire was continually burning & that he felt them adding fuel to the flames that caused it to catch the curtains of the bed that would soon be reduced to ashes. at other times he said he felt them pulling his heart-strings till a sound like a death knell came from them..."
The manuscript is encased in the original, specially made protective red folder, in addition to an equally minute brown morocco slip-off case with gilt lettering on the spine. Charlotte Brontë's manuscripts were dispersed in the nineteenth century but the vast majority are now in institutional collections in the UK and USA.

Penguin Threads - Embroidered Covers for Penguin Classics by Jillian Tamaki

2011-11-22T23:27:00.000Z

I just fell in love with these book covers when I saw them - which of course had me buying the books and putting my old copies in a charity (thrift) store.

They are designed and embroidered by Jillain Tamaki, an illustrator and comics artist. She grew up in Calgary, Alberta, on the Canadian Prairies and went to school at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

Jillian currently lives in Brooklyn, NY where she teaches at the School of Visual Arts and carves out a decent living making illustrations for magazines, newspapers, websites, and books. She has 2 books of personal work: Gilded Lilies (Conundrum, 2006) and Indoor Voice (D&Q, 2010).

Here you can see the working of the cover design for The Secret Garden.

Gillian says: These three book covers were embroidered by hand over the course of 2 months. Three books were a lot to pull off, but I am such a sucker for classic literature and book illustration... how could I say no?
I so know the feeling - but am so glad you didn't say no!

The Foundling Museum & The Big Give Christmas Challenge

2011-11-22T17:18:00.002Z

The Foundling Museum is excited to announce its next major exhibition will be Quentin Blake's As Large as Life (12 January – 15 April 2012). Bringing one of Britain’s best-loved and most successful illustrators to the Foundling Museum, this exhibition of over sixty works will showcase Blake's recent work created for four hospitals in the UK and France and rarely seen by the general public. The exhibition will be accompanied by talks, workshops and family activities for all ages. However, The Foundling Museum needs your help to realise this exciting project! They are asking you to make an online donation via the Big Give Christmas Challenge. The Big Give will then match the donation, doubling it, for free! The Museum has been successful in the first step of the Challenge in raising £4,000 in pledges from our supporters, Now they need to raise £8,000 from online donations. To ensure funds are matched you have to make your online donation from 10:00 on Monday 5 December. Money to double donations is allocated by the Big Give on a first come, first served basis. So we ask you to be on your marks and all set to go when the Big Give launches on Monday 5 December at 10:00 (the challenge ends on Friday 9 December 2011). Even the smallest contribution can make a difference and we will acknowledge you as a supporter, by name in the Museum during the Blake exhibition. If you would like to help us raise money and make a pledge please fill in a promise card below (the promise card is also available online). Simply click on the image for a larger version and return it to the email address shown on it or post it to Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square London WC1N 1AZ. You can also find out more by calling 020 7841 3600. To find out more about the project and how the money will be spent click here.

847 Fabulous Lots * The Incredible Sewing Sale at Bleasdales * 30 November 2011

2011-11-21T15:19:00.003Z

I have absolutely no idea where to begin and what to show you with this sale which will be held at The Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick - there are 847 extremely desirable objects - the breadth is staggering. The best advice I have is for you to order up the catalogue. Just click here.
Above is lot 770 - a collection of eleven hand painted Berlin wool patterns in the style of Wittich, one titled for “Mrs. Smith Embroidress and Pattern Drawer, No. 12, Western Exchange, Old Bond St.”, together with six printed designs. Estimate:
£40 - £60.

Lot 577 is a group of seven needlebooks, comprising; an example with cut and stacked paper covers, green silk lining and tie, minor losses, 11cm x 6.5cm, another with punched card covers, a Bristol card example worked in steel beads “Go On To Perfection”, a shell work example incorporating a colour print “Second Terrace, Crystal Palace”, and to the other side a gilt and blue velvet panel “A Present From The Crystal Palace”, a velvet needlebook with silver wire and other decoration, a beaded and stitched Bristol card example, and another made from the pass ticket for “The International Health Exhibition, London, 1884”, made out to “Messrs. Mordan & Co.” Estimate: £60 - £100.

LOt 532 is a group of silk winders with an estimate of £50 - £100.

Above is lot 442. Two pin stuck pincushions, one inscribed “Bless The Babe”, with fringed border, 15cm x 11cm, the other larger and inscribed “Just As The Shing? Is Bent A Trees Inclinds ?”, within a red stitched outer border and fringed, 20cm x 18cm. Estimate:£30 - £50.

Lot 180 is a very rare didactic cotton and reel glazed display case for “J. and P. Coats Limited – Sewing Cotton”, the rectangular case with gold and black advertising panels to each long side, the hinged glazed lid enclosing a display demonstrating spool making (reels) in the first series from home birch and in the second from imported birch, with sections 1 to 9 showing the processing of cotton and 10 to 20 the processing of yarn and dying, and 21 showing a range of twenty eight finished reels and related goods, complete with folding printed card “Specimen Case from J. & P. Coats Limited, Paisley”, case 36.2cm x 29.2cm x 8cm. Estimate: £200 - £400.

Lot 10 is a good painted Tunbridge ware girdle pincushion incorporating a tape measure of circular form, one side with a hand coloured print of a terrace with balconies, figures promenading in the foreground, the other side with an inset circular pincushion and a spindle wind tape measure within a red painted border, the yellow silk tape in perfect condition and ink marked in nails and emerging from the side, the sides line painted, the whole on a yellow silk ribbon loop matching to the tape, 5.5cm diameter. Estimate: £200 - £300.

Lot 750 is a sampler book, inscribed in ink to the inner cover “Mrs Gilly’s School, Norham, 1845”, seven double sided red paper pages with outer paper cover and card boards, various samples including cuffs, buttonholing, darning, alphabet and numeral sampler, with an additional folded sample inserted, initialled “J.B.”, 18cm x 23cm. Estimate: £100 - £150. Register early if you are going to bid! Good Luck! If you are interested in past catalogues, just click here.

Free Jigsaw Download - Girl With Coif

2011-11-20T18:04:00.003Z

This is an image of a girl in a coif I have been carrying around for so long that it has become parted from its details - if anyone can identify it, I would be very grateful. I am indeed grateful to Inharket who has swiftly found this image for us. This detail is from Caspar Netscher's The Lace-Maker of 1662. It is oil on canvas and measures 33 x 27 cm and you can find it in the Wallace Collection in London. In fact, the Wallace Collection used to be one of my favourite lunch time haunts when I worked in London. You can send a postcard of this lacemaker (and other lovely paintings) to a friend, click here for more details from the Wallace Collection web-site.

Fries Scheepvaart Museum

2011-11-19T22:36:00.000Z

The Fries Scheepvaart Museum located in Sneek, just south of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands also has some very interesting samplers for you to see on-line. Click here to visit for yourself.The sampler above was worked by Jeltje Jans Holtrop between 1735 and 1760. This fine linen sampler was stitched in silk using cross stitch, backstitch, star stitch and satin stitch. The large intials I H either side of Adam and Eve are for Jelje Holtrop. Jeltje married Alberts Sybrand van der Sluis.

The sampler above was worked by Jeltje and Alberts daughter, Reinskje van der Sluis.

This linen sampler has open work seams and was again embroidered in silk. Centrally placed is a large a tree of life with the year 1837 and the big letters "PP". In the top right is also the year of 1832. Along the right side are stitched the names: Lolkema, Tierks Jantie Oosstra Liekkele Likles Pitter, Lolkema, Lolkema, Pietters Hieke Pieters Lolkema, Pieter Pieters and Lolkema Books Pieters Tier kien Lolkema Pieters.

This little sampler tells us only that it was made by someone with the intials MR.

Do investigate the zoom facility to see the stitching really close-up.

Yes, The Goodhart Sampler Book Is Still Available

2011-11-18T20:33:00.000Z

I was asked the other day if The Goodhart Samplers book was out of print - so just in case anyone else is wondering, I can say we still have a few copies left.

The book can be purchased during your visit to Montacute House - if you are able to do so, please do as the profit there is put to excellent use. Similarly, copies of The Goodhart Samplers are available at the V&A in London, at Winterthur and Colonial Williamsburg.

And don't forget to ask your local needlework store or guild.

You can also buy direct from Needleprint if you are unable to obtain a copy anywhere else. Just click on any of the images to browse this lovely book.

Described by readers as probably the best book of samplers, the Goodhart Samplers describe and detail all the samplers in the collection at Montacute House. Don't forget to look inside the book jacket where you will find a full charted sampler to stitch. Price includes postage.

Bonhams Samplers * 23 November 2011 * Edinburgh

2011-11-17T17:09:00.001Z

There is a delightful set of architectural themed Scottish samplers coming up for auction in November in Glasgow. This first 19th century sampler by Margaret Watson of Linlithgow worked when she was 9 years old is Lot 19 with an estimate of £600 - 800. It features a Georgian style house and garden, the lawn worked in chenille, flanked by parrots and urns issuing flowers, the upper section centred by a cartouche with the words, 'The eyes of the Lord are in every place. beholding the evil and the good', on either side are two octagonal medallions bearing the arms of Linlithgow and the arms of Scotland, all within a uniform stylised foliate border. It measures 31cm wide, 37.5cm high (12" wide, 14.5" high) (Signed to the bottom, Margaret Watson aged 9 years.)

Lot no 20 above is a George IV sampler stitched by Agnes Thomson in 1826. It is worked in coloured silks on a linen ground, centred by an elaborate depiction of a castellated house with letters of the alphabet and those characteristic paired family names and initials - much like Frisian samplers - peacocks and that particular quincunx of flowers issuing from an urn, seal this sampler as Scottish . Framed it measures 53cm wide, 42cm high (20.5" wide, 16.5" high)and has an estimate of £300 - 400.

Janet Young of Glasgow dated her sampler April 22nd 1828. Central is a Tudor style mansion, flanked by images of peacocks, fruit trees, urns issuing flowers, rabbits and bowls of fruit, surmounted by a inspirational stanza, the lower section worked with letters of the alphabet and numbers within a stylized foliate border. it is lot 22 and measures 31.5cm wide, 41cm high (12" wide, 16" high) and comes with an estimate of £600 - 800. For more details click here. Remember you will need to register before you can bid. Allow yourself plenty of time to make the necessary contacts to avoid disappointment. Good luck!

Verulamium Museum Samplers On-Line

2011-11-16T18:17:00.000Z

Verulamium is the Latin name for St Alban's, a great town with a fabulous cathedral (and cathedral refectory for home-cooked, friendly lunches) in Hertfordshire. If you plan to visit Hatfield House on one of your trips, don't forget a bit of shopping in the town which has many attractive shops. Although the Verulamium Museum in St Albans, UK is famous for its collection of Roman artifacts - it does have a small textile collection including samplers, which thanks to Lottery Funding is now being made available on-line. I particularly liked this sampler commenced by Elizabeth Dun in March 1723 and completed by Ann Dun in August 1723 - a case of many hands make light work?

Just click on the link here to reach the Search Screen. Then choose Social History in the drop down box for Collections followed by Textiles in the drop down box for Sub Collection then press the Search Box.

There is also this dear little stitched watch cloth which you can see below.

Embroidered in China for the 18th Century Dutch Woman of Fashion

2011-11-15T18:07:00.001Z

In passing I came across a fascinating article in the Gemeente Museum in the Hague. Upper class women's gowns in the third quarter of the 18th century usually consisted of a long skirt with a petticoat. However, such Netherlandish families who were connected by marriage to the English tended to wear the mantua. Starting in the early 17th century, it continued to be worn for special and gala occasions, for example, as a bridal dress. The mantua consisted of an overgown which was draped over a decorated underskirt. This particular white satin mantua was actually embroidered on-demand in China to European patterns. In this respect, it recalls very much the process by which imported porcelain from China was decorated to order in China again to patterns specified by the European importers. And it is probable, in their turn, that home embroiderers in the Netherlands and Britain were influenced and inspired by the Chinese embroidery skills and techniques.

Cath Kidston Make & Sew Booklets Winner

2011-11-14T17:16:00.000Z

And the winner of this week's draw is Lilian from Milan. Thank you to everyone who participated, there will be more give aways soon.

Irreplaceable You and 12 Knits of Christmas

2011-11-13T20:59:00.000Z

Many of you enjoyed the fun book Knit Your Own Royal Wedding by Fiona Goble, so here is another book by her with patterns to knit the 12 days of Christmas - though probably not during the 12 days of Christmas because, extraordinary and frustrating as it may be to all members of our families, we keep not growing more hands.

And when you have finally knit the twleve drummers drumming you will, no doubt, be expecting a medal or at least a magnum of champagne....

Instead, just take heart that you are irreplaceable!

Groningen Museum, Netherlands Samplers and Quilts On-Line

2011-11-12T20:50:00.002Z

The Groniger Museum is in the early stages of putting its sampelrs on line - there are 32 sampelrs, not including darning samplers. Groningen is right up on the northern coast of the Netherlands and is famous in particular for its black samplers. One distinguishing mark of Groningen samplers is the famous crowned G which can be found in the 3rd alphabet row in this sampler (see the detail below). Although not black, this particular sampler worked in red, yellow, green, blue, purple, red and brown, displays many of the well known features of the Gronigen area such as the flower pots and the two spies of the promised land. It was stitched in 1762 and 1763 by Arendina Bertling. She was baptized on February 25, 1750, and was the daughter of preacher and doctor of theology, Michael Bertling (1710-1772). Arendina married Hendrik Ludolf Wichers in 1771. At that time this region was ruled by the French and Hendrik was made a baron by Napoleon and later a jonkheer by King William I He ended his career as President-curator of the Groninger University. Arendina died on 22 February 1827 in Groningen.

Not much is known about this second sampler except that it was worked by Hinderika Tiddens in 1772. The best authority on the Groningen samplers is Hennie Stevan-Bathoorn of Museum voor Naaldkunst Winschoten, Groningen and her book Black samplers from Groningen including pattern 1826. €16,50 is heartily recommended. Click here for more details.

Also on-line are some lovely quilts like the ones below - do stop by and enjoy those also.

To visit the museum's textiles on-line, click here.

Thérèse de Dillmont Pattern Free Jigsaw to Download

2011-11-11T19:04:00.000Z

Sometime ago I was lucky enough to track down an original antique Treatise on Cross Stitch Embroidery by Thérèse de Dillmont which brims with lovely patterns - so I thought you might like a jigsaw of these pretty corner motifs. I hope you enjoy your free jigsaw download this week. However, sadly, this is not going to work for Mac users. Instructions: Click here next Click Open, then click the .EXE file name and click Run, when you see the jigsaw puzzle, click Play Too many pieces? Try clicking on Trays on the top tool bar to create any number of resizeable trays to sort your pieces ........ you can also click the Cheat button and watch the puzzle solve itself! The software is by David Gray designer of Jigsaws Galore - the powerful jigsaw player and creator for Windows.

Telling Their Stories * DAR Catalogue of 86 Samplers On-Line

2011-11-10T19:09:00.000Z

Telling Their Stories: Nineteenth - Century Samplers and Silk Embroideries was an exhibition given by DAR from April 11 - August 30 in 2008. In case you missed the exhibition, like I did, don't fret - you can still enjoy looking at and reading about the samplers on-line. Thank you DAR!
The silk on linen sampler above is dated 1793 and was stitched by Sarah Herbert, probably in London, England. The donors stated that in 1794 Sarah Herbert married Christopher Hommann from Heidelberg in London and then, with her new husband, sailed to Philadelphia to make their home. The marriage of a Johan Christoph Hommann and Constantia Herbert is recorded at Saint Martin in the Fields, London. The archives at Christ Church in Philadelphia reveal a Sarah Hommann, daughter of John and Constantia Homman, who was born September 14, 1809 and baptized May 23, 1810. It seems likely that Constantia brought the sampler to Philadelphia and named her daughter for Sarah, a yet unidentified family member. (Gift of Miss Amelia Harrison Brooke and Mrs. William Hill Brooke)

The darning sampler of 1814 above is by Martha Woodnutt and was stitched at the famous Quaker Westtown School, Pennsylvania. It is worked in cotton on a linen/wool mix. It is a perfect blend of painstaking needlework and practicality. Martha Woodnutt and her family were members of the Society of Friends in Salem County, New Jersey. Martha married Joshua Reeve in 1835 and was the mother of two children. She died in 1868 and is buried in Friends Burying Grounds, Salem, New Jersey. (Friends of the Museum Purchase)

This sampler of 1798 is very well knwn. Stitched by Hannah Grimes when she was 13 at Ackworth School, Yorkshire, UK. Hannah Grimes entered the Quaker Ackworth School 2 January 1798 and remained until 3 January 1799. Born in Eydon, Northamptonshire, Hannah and her family attended the monthly Bugbrook and Northampton meetings and the quarterly Northampton Meeting. She has filled her sampler not only with exquisite half-medallions but also a graceful flower, swan, paired birds and the familiar "A Token Of Love." Hannah died very young on May 6, 1807 in Eydon. (Friends of the Museum Purchase). To explore the samplers by yourself, just click here.

Catherine Carr - Crochet in Glass

2011-11-09T19:33:00.002Z

While on one of our regular trips north, we stopped off for lunch and an afternoon stroll in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Lunch is excellent and is heartily recommended - as are the contents of the Park's shop. If you have yet to settle Christmas gifts and are at a loss, just visit this shop for brilliant craft items. Here we saw the work of Catherine Carr who crochets and knits with glass. Each piece is individually knitted or crocheted by hand. Then the items are heated and manipulated through several firings at a very high temperature, eventually emerging as a formed glass vessel. Note to self: best not try this at home without tuition!

Because of this hand crafted process, all the pieces are original and individual with no two being exactly the same.

By applying these traditional skills to an innovative process of recycled glass products, Catherine produces beautiful and delicate lace structures in which each individual stitch can be seen and where the openwork design casts striking dappled shadows. Inspired by the role of women in textiles, especially her grandmother who taught her these fading skills and bequeathed her the patterns used, she hopes to celebrate the history, memories and skills of women workers in the textile mills of northern England.

Prices range from £70 to £500. See her latest work in her gallery.

Auction Roundup

2011-11-08T14:02:00.000Z

Tomorrow, 9 Novemeber, Dreweatts of Bristol will be auctioning the charming items you see above. They are Lot 760 and include seven mid 19th century ivory and bone sewing accessories, including a miniature basket, embroidered strawberries and ivory back square engraved Emery. Their estimate is £100 - £150.

Also in the auction is Lot 776 - a collection of handmade and machine made lace and other textiles, including: a beadwork sample on card, 1920s; a Victorian stocking purse; two pierced and embroidered card needlebooks, circa 1840, commemorating Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales; various needles and pins in original packets; crochet and tatting booklets, 1862, 1865 and 1868; another crochet 1862; and other sewing accessories. The estimate for these items together is: £100 - £150.

Meanwhile for sale in Canada by Walkers Fine Arts on 13 November is a set of Cree embroidered items. Lot 335 are Cree adult moccasins. They are early 20th Century, from Norway House. Silk lined, they are decorated with floral designs on front and sides, embroidered in pink, green and fuchsia, rabbit fur border, single sole construction, 9.5 in, 24 cm long . Embroidered strip with linked floral design, scalloped border, 5.5 in, 14 cm long. Starting bid is $150CAD and the estimate is:
$300 - $500CAD

Lot 337 in the same sale is another pair of early 20th Century adult moccasins this time with placket and turned over ankle flaps embroidered with floral designs in pink, blue, cream and white, seamed to the toe, five rows of border on the placket, 9.5, 24.1 cm long. Starting bid: $150CAD and estimate: $300 - $500 CAD

Last but not least is Lot 334 - a small Cree embroidered pouch, also early 20th Century from Norway House. It has cut fringes at top and bottom, front decorated only, pink silk lining, compact embroidered floral design in pinks, greens, blues, 11 in, 27.9 cm with fringe, 6.25, 15.9 cm. Starting bid: $150 and estimate:
$300 - $400.

No End to Magic

2011-11-08T10:13:00.001Z

Rachel and Gareth lighting up their autumn wonderland at Anglesey Abbey.

Free Draw - Cath Kidston Stitching Booklets

2011-11-07T22:58:00.002Z

I first came across Cath Kidston over 10 years ago - initiated by, strange to say, a French friend of mine called Catherine. Together we would travel down to London from Cambridge to visit her shop - in the days when there was only one. Now, Cath Kidston shops are turning up everywhere in the UK and it is a sign of the times that the premises of a major bank on the Mrket Square in Cambridge is one huge Cath Kidston store.

What I admire about Cath is her ability to get the younger ones stitching again - making stitching their own. She has published a number of colourful stitching books recently which you may like to Google. These two booklets of 50 pages each with many simple, attractive projects actually started off their lives as give-aways by a major UK newspaper.

So, in the spirit of passing on the delight of a found object (my father always used to say that if you found a penny, you should pass a penny on) I am ready to pass these on to whoever wants to enter the draw for them. Just click on the flying angel below to enter and I'll announce the winner next week on 14 November 2011.

Good luck!

Still Celebrating!

2011-11-07T16:42:00.003Z

Early pictures of THE wedding - as you can see, Rachel had a little help from friends in the kitchen on Saturday - and here are the fireworks! (It takes a little moment for them to start - and the sound goes at the end - but it was the best to be done with an iPhone.)

November 5th 2011 * A Joyous Departure

2011-11-06T19:14:00.002Z

We have just driven back from Cambridge after having one of the most memorable days of our life there yesterday. It was the wedding of Gareth and Rachel, who some of you might remember from Symondsbury. Here you can see them at a dinner earlier this year.

After a church wedding in Cambridge, 150 guests set out for an afternoon reception at fabulous Angelsey Abbey, having no idea of the joyous time ahead for them. Needless to say the food and wine were the best ever, having been designed and created by Gareth's company, Crucial Cuisine. After the food, when we were all mellow and the sun had gone down, we heard the sound of distant drums. No, it wasn't a disco - Rachel had arranged for the Arco Iris Community Samba Band to drum us, sambaing out across the lawns in evening dress, lit by glow sticks and fairy lights encircling the drums, across the expanse of lawns to the venue for the stunning fireworks display. Words cannot describe the feeling of us all, it was truly breath-taking, some cheered, some cried for the beauty and thrill of it all, but everyone danced and danced and danced. I think I am going to marry Richard again just to have another night like this. It was Le Grand Meaulnes for real! Here is just a little flavour..... Much Happiness to you Gareth and Rachel and many thanks for all the joy you gave to so many. Your wedding night will always be a night to remember.

Meetings With Remarkable Women - Mick Lindberg

2011-11-05T20:12:00.000Z

I met Mick at the Textile Society Fair in Chelsea last month and was attracted immediately to the range of clothing she makes from antique French linens. Mostly shifts, this one below she had embroidered with the message Hope - always good to have about one. So, we started chatting about this and that.
Mick says her life at the moment is a bit like the autumn winds - she is all over the place. Her husband was invited to film the Masai...and she went along to design new staff uniforms. But since Mick is an up-cycler par excellence, it was what happened to the left over scraps of those staff uniforms when something magical took place. She worked with local Masai and Iraqw women and together they created a series of portraits - the Tloma Portraits - and in so doing created a sustainable income for a few local women.

On her return to London, she continued to make applique panels with remnants from a collection she made from Kanga cloths a few years ago. They all sold. Two went to a new hotel in Zanzibar, which pleased Mick no end, as most of the fabrics originally came from there. The other ones went to a dealer in Miami! To read more about Mick, click here.

This is just another story of a stitcher who by simple use of needle, thread and love of beauty, has changed the world a little and for the better. Maybe you have a story like this tell. Or maybe you have an idea for bringing good to the world with needle and thread and would like to share? I would love to hear from you. Just click the flying angel below.

Insight Into Beauty * Japanese Embassy * London * Until 2 December 2011

2011-11-04T09:55:00.001Z

Last night Richard and I had a great treat - we were guests at a special reception at the Japanese Embassy for their Insight Into Beauty exhibition. The exhibition is now open to public viewing Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 17.30pm. Entrance is free but you are required to present a form of photographic identification when entering the Embassy, such as a passport. There are a number of craft techniques displayed, needless to say I migrated towards the textiles and braiding. We are not allowed to take pictures inside the embassy, so images are few here, I am sorry to add.

I was very affected by a series of half a dozen textiles by Beverly Ayling-Smith who besides being a textile artist is a microbiologist. Her works in the exhibition explore the state of melancholia. She uses materials associated with burial to encourage a focus on the emotional dimensions in the words grief, loss and absence. One of the series embodies a child's dress as a vehicle for expressing loss – both the loss of childhood and loss of the inner child within ones-self. Beverly says that even when the immediate feelings of grief and mourning are passed, we are changed forever; the emotions embedded in the fabric of our lives emerge at different times to stain our emotional states. The way the image of a child's dress can seep through the smoothed-over surface echoes the way in which feelings of loss can rise to the surface at different moments in our lives. My earlier work has included an investigation into the Japanese Kesa, the Buddhist robe of mourning, which is made from rags in remembrance of a deceased person to honour their memory.

I also had chance to speak to Edna Gibson who works with kumihimo - braids - which are wonderful. They are complex and extraordinarily beautiful in their infinite combinations and structures. I was totally mesemerised by Edna's choice of colours and asked how she chose the colours for her designs. I think her answer is helpful not only to braiders, but to stitchers and knitters also. She says she puts a palette of her threads out on a table which she passes many times a day. If she keeps going past it without thinking about it, then she knows the colours are OK. If she has to pause and stop, then she knows there is something wrong and will remove colours and change them. She says braiding is like a meditation, the enjoyment is in the making - a feeling I am totally in sympathy with, as I expect many of you are. The Braid Society have a very interesting and informative web site, just click here to visit.
For more information about the Insight Into Beauty exhibition as a whole, click here.

With Cunning Needle Catalogue On-Line * Micheál and Elizabeth Feller Collection Now On Sale at Winterthur and Colonial Williamsburg

2011-11-03T21:28:00.000Z

If you are not able to visit the With Cunning Needle exhibition at Winterthur, you can still see the exhibition catalogue which is available on-line - it is a large PDF. Just click here to download. If you are going to Winterthur, you can now purchase a copy of the Micheál and Elizabeth Feller Collection Vol 1 there - or Colonial Williamsburg. Just click here to view the book.

Amazing Khan Academy and Animated Bayeux Tapestry

2011-11-02T15:49:00.000Z

I love the revolution that is taking place in education - there is so much to learn and enjoy. And I am the greatest fan of the Khan Academy which enables anyone anywhere to get to grips with simple algebra, linear equations, understanding anything from US government through finance to fine art in 7-10 minute slots. Here are a couple of things for you to dip into - I leave the algebra up to you - but you can see the whole range of learning opportunities on www.KhanAcademy.org. I am an addict and watch something whenever I stop for a pot of tea.

I think I showed this Robert Campin triptych some time ago when we were looking at cloths - one to protect the held book, the bag on the table for books, the ceremonial towel hung at the back of the room. Now you can listen to a discussion of this painting.

Campin, Merode Altarpiece, 1421-28 from Smarthistory Videos
And just for fun, watch an animation of the Bayeux Tapestry. Enjoy!
Vimeo.

Scheveningen Museum * Until 20 November 2011 * School Needlework to Needle Art

2011-11-01T18:13:00.003Z

Erica also told me about this exhibition that is now on in Scheveningen in the Netherlands until 20th of next month - so do stop off and visit. It is a multi-faceted exhibition encompassing the useful and beautiful in stitching past and present. You will see various work pieces from Scheveningen schools outlining a picture of the development and history of needlecraft education in Scheveningen. In 1832 the Royal Sewing school was founded and located the municipal bath house. (No dirty hands here!) Poor girls and women could now make clothes and carry out repairs for themselves, and also earn money! This was needlework as a form of emancipation!
In addition, some 70 women, after an appeal, worked pieces including school samplers for display in the museum. To see is a six metre-long (that's 18 feet in real money!)Souvenir de ma Vie or pronkerolle stitched by Marcella who tells me that there are another six metres under construction. For more details click here.