The fancy work basket
ABC - June 16 2006
I was visiting a friend just recently and happened to chance a beautiful "runner" laid out on a sideboard. You know - one of those lacy pieces of embroidery that you use to hide the dust and put things on. This piece was about 3 feet long, or a metre in length, and stitched into the pattern was a crown, heart and the word peace. It had been made around 1915, and probably by a women thinking of her sailor friend away at war.What I had not realized when I started delving into the history of this article was that what to me had always been either "embroidery" or "lace work" could be a range of different things. It could have been art needlework, crewel work, embroidery, macramé, crochet, knitting, antimacassar work, bead work, braid work, fancy stitching, Kells embroidery, smocking or indeed netting.
The student of the cloth could refer to many different authorities, but one of the mainstays was a Mrs. Leach. Like Mrs. Beeton and her famous book on household management, Mrs. Leach became an authority in this area when, in 1895, she published the book, "The Fancy work Basket - a Practical Lesson in Every Description of Fancy Work". [more]
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