Embellishing the World

Embroidery and needlepoint were once a hallmark of a young woman’s development.  Homes were decorated with colorful stitching from tablecloths to wall art and embellishments were worn or carried on blouses, purses and handkerchiefs.  Today it is rare indeed to find someone willing and able to hold a hooped fabric and create a design with nothing but needle, thread and imagination.

Historically, embroidery is associated with wealth, however, it is also something a skilled artisan can do showing her love for those in her care.  Thus, very modest homes could be decorated with these accessories, even if the thread was applied to coarse or cheap fabrics. 

Of course, I was taught to embroider as a child by – you guessed it – my grandmothers.  However, I haven’t practiced the skill in a long time and two completely different things have recently gotten me to thinking about it again.  First, as I shared here a few weeks ago, I have been entrusted with many heirloom pieces my husband’s grandmothers have made.  There was a lot of embroidery because one of them preferred stitching to crocheting or quilting.  And she created some lovely pieces that today have tatters and holes to prove they were used and enjoyed.  I can just imagine walking into her cheery home where table coverings would have flowers and vines flowing down them in neat stitches; pillows adorned the sofa and chairs with bright colored images and maybe a bible verse sewn into them. She would’ve had on a neatly pressed (and maybe starched) apron on which she’d embroidered still more floral art and edged it with a crocheted lace. If I peeped into the bedroom her pillows would be dressed in embroidered cases and the bed itself may have been covered with a stitched or crocheted spread. I can easily imagine these scenes because while I didn’t know her in those years, my own grandmothers and aunts had homes similarly turned out.

Secondly, a friend passed along to me a couple of books on silk ribbon embroidery.  This is a new technique for me, but it the art form really quite old.  Some of the very first embroidered work came from the far-east where silk was first produced. 

I tried to research why embroidery fell out of fashion but I can’t find any hard details on it.  This is traditionally women’s work – now don’t email me equal rights stuff, I’m simply stating history here.  And, as more and more women moved into the workforce, I imagine time for embroidery grew scarce – that certainly has been the case for me as too many things vie for my time.

I suppose as printed fabrics became more widely available, it was easy to decorate with them instead of using plain colors and adding needlework.  

Clothing fabrics have changed drastically over the years, with more and more knits, which aren’t as conducive to embroidery as woven cottons were, becoming ever more popular. And, of course, far fewer clothes are made at home today.   Still, prowess with a needle and thread is never really wasted and I certainly hope I can share those lessons from my Grandmas with my own daughter – who knows how the tides of fashion may change, it might be an invaluable skill in her lifetime!