Needlework

From time to time I post a needlework project I have completed.  Here is a blackwork tray cloth I undertook after a class with Liz Almond. It took me ages to do.

You can imagine this on one of the ubiquitous tea trays that always make an appearance in many scenes. Er... not in my house though. No putting rings on my tray cloth, thank you very much.

As you may know, Blackwork is from an earlier era, and was simply something I wanted to try, along with the fancy edging that might well have been used in the Regency period for finishing a handkerchief. The style would have been known to our ladies of the ton, if only from the paintings in their galleries of ancestors. Not in this form though, which is a modern take on it. I can assure you, the back does not look exactly like the front.

I often read about Regency heroines who hate embroidery. Knowing how satisfying this form of creation is, to me hating embroidery or needlework, seems like us hating having new paint on the walls of our living space or even hating having a job.  Embroidery was an expression of a lady's skill in making her home a comfortable and beautiful place to live. A Lady (as against a woman) would have hours of time at her disposal, and since medieval times and before, embroidery was valued for its beauty and its purpose. It was a sign of being a lady, in my opinion.

All of my heroines have some embroidery on the go, just like me. While embroidery on a gown might be done by a seamstress, embroidery on underthings, monograms on handkerchiefs, decorative pillows, embroidery on slippers, would be the privilege and pride of a lady, who would sew while her hero read to her, or a sibling did so, or while merely sitting chatting of an afternoon or evening. She would consider it her work, her contribution to her home.

Until next time.............