Table of contents for March - April 2016 in PieceWork

Often, PieceWork includes articles and projects on everyday textiles. That is true for this issue as well. In her article on a wool coverlet embroidered with wool thread (see “Elizabeth Terry’s Embroidered Coverlet”), Kathy Augustine writes: “Embroidery, although not a survival skill, helped women carve a little bit of civilization out of a harsh environment.” Although Kathy was specifically discussing a coverlet made by Elizabeth Terry (1766–1848) in Enfield, Connecticut, and the period of time during and after the American Revolution (1775–1783), her statement applies to all decorative needlework techniques and to so many needleworkers. Regardless of how humble a textile may be, embellishing it is something few can resist. Needlework books became a staple beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century. These books included instruction in the necessary—making…

A Week of Crafts in Estonia The second Estonian Craft Camp was held in July 2015 at Olustvere, in the county of Suure-Jaani. The camps, the first of which was held in July 2014, were created through a partnership between the University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy Estonian Native Crafts Department and the Olustvere School of Service and Rural Economics. The inspiration for creating this international camp, where classes are taught in English, came from the craft camps organized by different Nordic countries each year. Participants from all over the world are invited to attend the Estonian Craft Camp, where the opportunity to learn about Estonian traditional handcrafts in delightful surroundings is a chance not to be missed. Classes in 2014 ranged from ceramics and glasswork to knitted ethnic wristers,…

When Elizabeth Terry embroidered her beautiful wool coverlet, she would have never expected her work to become part of a museum collection. Close examination of Elizabeth’s work indicates that both single- and two-ply wool were used for the embroidery. The visible inconsistencies in thread color may be because of thread availability, dye variations, age, and/or light conditions. Heathway Wool from Wales has been used for all of the book cover’s embroidery. The colors have been matched as closely as possible to Elizabeth’s original coverlet now in the collection of the Allentown Art Museum in Allentown, Pennsylvania. MATERIALS Heathway Wool, 100% merino crewel wool yarn, 2-ply, 10 yards (9.1 m)/hank, 1 hank each of Honey #185, Lapis #213, Lapis #218, Old Gold #143, Pomegranate #135, Rustic Red #198, and 2 hanks…

This striking tea towel originally appeared in the Holiday 2010 issue of Interweave Knits Gifts. It is a fitting addition to this Domestic Textiles issue of PieceWork.—Editor MATERIALS The Fibre Company Savannah, 50% wool/20% cotton/15% linen/15% viscose from soya yarn, 160 yards (146.3 m)/50 gram (1.8 oz) skein, 2 skeins of Natural; http://kelbournewoolens.com Needles, size 5 (3.75 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge Markers Tapestry needle Finished size: 16 inches (40.6 cm) wide and 24 inches (61.0 cm) long Gauge: 22 sts and 28 rows = 4 inches (10.2 cm) in St st SPECIAL STITCH Seed Stitch (multiple of 2 sts + 1) Row 1: K1, *p1, k1; rep from * across. Row 2: K the purl sts and p the knit sts. Rep Row 2 for patt. INSTRUCTIONS…

As an enthusiast of historical needlework, I count myself fortunate to have a great-grandmother who was a prolific and lifelong needleworker. The pieces she left behind are beautiful in their own right, and my family cherishes them for the memories they hold. But they are also valuable for the glimpses they provide of needlework of the last century—what it looked like, how it was made, and maybe even how a needleworker experienced the creative process. My great-grandmother Susie Whitehead Waller (July 12, 1888–July 7, 1973) lived in the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia. At sixteen, she married a young man named Grover, whom she met while working at the local cotton mill. Grover died young of tuberculosis, leaving her a widowed mother of two small children when she was still in…

Informative and instructional articles were published in the increasingly popular ladies’ newspapers, journals, and magazines; and collected instructions, published in substantial books. The nineteenth century proved to be a period of seismic social change, witnessed by the growth of the middle classes in the “civilized” world, the Industrial Revolution, the movement for female suffrage, and a groundswell of feminist thought and action. Among the various directions taken by this current was the growth of available information on those things considered suitable to be studied and/or undertaken by ladies—etiquette, household management, cooking, and, above all, needlework in all its guises. Informative and instructional articles were published in the increasingly popular ladies’ newspapers, journals, and magazines; and collected instructions, published in substantial books. Thomas Evans, Birmingham, England, published The Workwoman’s Guide by…

For an example of knitting that would have been done in the last two decades of the nineteenth century, the period of time that Thérèse de Dillmont was most productive as a needlework author, we asked Carol Huebscher Rhoades to knit the Double Rose-Leaf pattern for us. Carol used the instructions from our facsimile edition of Weldon’s Practical Needlework, Volume 1, published in London in 1886.—Editor The Double Rose-Leaf pattern featured in the second series of Weldon’s Practical Knitter (Volume 1 of Weldon’s contains the first four series of knitting patterns) is quite versatile. As the introduction to the pattern suggests, you can knit it with wool or cotton yarn for “couvrepieds, antimacassars, curtains, and various other purposes.” A couvrepied is a quilt or bedspread and an antimacassar is a…

beg—begin(s); beginning BO—bind off CC—contrasting color ch—chain cir—circular cn—cable needle CO—cast on cont—continue(s); continuing dc—double crochet dec(s) (’d)—decrease(s); decreased; decreasing dpn—double-pointed needle(s) foll—follow(s); following hdc—half double crochet inc(s) (’d)—increase(s); increased; increasing k—knit k1b—knit 1 in back of stitch k1f&b—knit into the front and back of the same stitch—1 stitch increased k2b—knit 2 in back of next 2 stitches kwise—knitwise; as if to knit k2tog—knit 2 stitches together k3tog—knit 3 stitches together k5tog—knit 5 stitches together LLI—insert left needle into back of the stitch below stitch just knitted, knit this stitch lp(s)—loop(s) m(s)—marker(s) MC—main color M1—make one (increase) M1k—increase 1 by knitting into the front and then the back of the same stitch before slipping it off the left-hand needle M1p—increase 1 by purling into the front and then the back…

A Hatbox Purse While I was visiting my sister, she said that she had something to show me. Inside a plastic bag was a navy-blue satin-covered hatbox purse. I took the lid off and began pulling out beads, thread, a size 10 Boye crochet hook, and a piece of bead crochet that would cover the bottom of the purse. “Holy cow! Where did you get this?” I asked. My sister said it was from her daughter’s friend’s friend’s relative. I asked my sister what she was going to do with it. She said that she and her daughter were going to split the beads unless I wanted to finish crocheting it. I did. The beads are blue iris bi-cuts, size 11, and irregular. The nylon thread is navy, with the…

To learn more about the rich and ongoing tradition of various forms of needlework, we recommend these books.—Editor Annetarsia Knits: A New Link to Intarsia Clackamas, Oregon: Double Vision Press, 2014. Hardbound, 224 pages, $34.95. ISBN 978-0-9894638-0-5. Visit www.bit.ly/annetarsia-knitsa-new-link-to-intarsia. Colorful Crochet Lace: 22 Chic Garments & Accessories Fort Collins, Colorado: Interweave, 2015. Softbound, 160 pages, $24.99. ISBN 978-1-62033-698-4. Visit www.bit.ly/colorful-crochet-lace. Hot Knots: Fresh Macramé Ideas for Jewelry, Home, and Fashion Hauppauge, New York: Barron’s Educational Series, 2015. Softbound, 128 pages, $21.99. ISBN 978-1-4380-0565-2. Portraits in Lace: Breton Women New York: Thames & Hudson, 2015. Hardbound, 264 pages, $40. ISBN 978-0-500-51799-4. Threads: The Delicate Life of John Craske London: Jonathan Cape, 2015. Hardbound, 344 pages, £25. ISBN 978-0-224-09776-5.…

Had you lingered over coffee in my mother’s kitchen, circa 1950, you might have noticed her dish towels. Most were no-frills, hard-working types. A select few were beauty queens, never tasked with drying so much as a porcelain saucer, let alone a family-size saucepot. These huck towels, which Mom had lovingly embroidered and sometimes edged with her own hand-tatted lace, were examples of the “show-towel” genre, so named because such towels are embellished—sometimes elaborately—with handwork and trims that showcase their maker’s needlework skills. These towels serve no practical purpose more demanding than adding grace notes to kitchen décor or occupying a special shelf in the linen cupboard when they are off duty. Huck embroidery was popular in America from the 1920s into the 1950s; by the 1960s, its popularity had…

This pattern is adapted from an edging worked by my great-grandmother Susie Whitehead Waller (1888–1973). She did not work the motif in quite the same way each time, so I created a generalized version of her design in order to write a clear pattern. I used a slightly larger thread and hook than she did; you may use a smaller thread and hook for a more historically accurate version. MATERIALS Handy Hands Lizbeth, 100% cotton thread, size 20, 210 yards (192.0 m)/25 gram (0.9 oz) ball, 1 ball in the color of choice; www.hhtatting.com Crochet hook, steel, size 12 (1 mm) Finished size: 2½ inches (6.3 cm) wide INSTRUCTIONS Note: See page 62 for Abbreviations and Techniques. Edging Foundation Chain Ch 26, turn. Set-Up Row: Dc in 8th ch from…

For more than a century after the death of Thérèse de Dillmont, her imprint was still being appended to the instructional books on sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, and related crafts issued by DMC. This substantial output was originally published in French, and many but not all were concurrently or subsequently published in English and other major European languages. With considerable input and expert assistance from Hubert Hoerth, the last head of the Dillmont Embroidery Studio and the DMC Museum, both of which closed in 2009, published herewith is a comprehensive list of all those books. In all cases, the French title is stated first, followed by the English translation, language and the first published date for each language, and the DMC reference number (if known). Other lists exist, although they…

On Thursday afternoon, April 20, 1775, after a messenger rode into the small town of Enfield, Connecticut, tavern keeper Isaac Kibbe (1731–1779) immediately procured a drum for Thomas Abbe (1731–1811). Abbe’s long drum roll interrupted the mid-week church meeting to announce the fight at Lexington, Massachusetts, the day before, the first battle of the American Revolution. The next morning, seventy-five Minutemen of Enfield, each carrying his flintlock musket and powder horn, led by then Major (promoted to Colonel in 1777) Nathaniel Terry (1730–1792), marched the almost 90 miles (145 km) to Boston to lend their assistance. Nathaniel Terry’s daughter, Elizabeth (1766–1848), had not yet turned nine when her father left home for war. By the onset of the Revolution, Enfield, Connecticut, already had a history spanning back a hundred years…

Key for Color Changes Rows 1–3: #742 Light Tangerine Rows 4–6: #741 Medium Tangerine Rows 7–9: #971 Pumpkin Rows 10–12: #900 Dark Burnt Orange Rows 13–15: #743 Medium Yellow Rows 16–18: #744 Pale Yellow Rows 19–21: #745 Light Pale Yellow Rows 22–24: #746 Off White Rows 25–27: Blanc Rows 28 and 29: #733 Medium Olive Green A little pearl cotton goes a long way in brightening a plain white huck towel, not to mention any kitchen in which it is displayed. The sunny yellows melting into pumpkin tones in the one shown here will be right at home in a country kitchen. Stitch the design in a sophisticated palette of grays zapped with lime or dusty violet for a contemporary stainless-and-granite kitchen. Going retro? Aqua and buttercream sweetened with cherry…

Our washcloths are adapted from well-used, old patterns that many readers will remember. They are easily adjusted to suit many variations of yarn, stitch patterns, and colors. Choose soft yarns for gentle pampering and sturdier yarns if you prefer a brisk rubdown. Most cotton and linen yarns may be machine washed and dried, but check skein labels for the manufacturers’ recommendations. Knitted Square Washcloth An old favorite, this washcloth is knitted in garter stitch with an eyelet border. It is knitted diagonally, starting at one corner, increasing to the middle, then decreasing to the diagonally opposite corner. The finished washcloth measures about 8 inches (20 cm) square. MATERIALS Linen knitting yarn measuring 17 wraps per inch (2.5 cm) when wrapped firmly but not tightly around a ruler, 1 1/2 ounces…

ISABELLA BEETON One of PieceWork’s special issues includes the article “Mrs. Beeton: The Making of a Household Word” by Karen Manners Smith. Visit www.bit.ly/www.bit.ly/theunofficial-downtonabbey-knitstheunofficial-downtonabbey-knits for more information on this issue. THÉRÈSE DE DILLMONT Kax Wilson writes about Thérèse de Dillmont in her article“Thérèse de Dillmont and Her Gift to Needleworkers” in the September/October 1998 issue of PieceWork. For more information on this issue, visit www.bit.ly/www.bit.ly/pieceworkseptember-october-1998-digital-editionpieceworkseptember-october-1998-digital-edition.…

Puppets, by encouraging the invention of personalities and voices and the scripting of scenarios, are a great source of creative play. Knitting one’s own puppets takes the creativity to a higher level. This easy-to-knit lion puppet teaches the basics of casting on, garter stitch, and binding off, as well as fringe making. The yarn and button eyes can be realistic colors like those used here or other, wilder combinations. Without a mane, the puppet is a lioness; knitted to smaller dimensions, a cub. A pride of such puppets in a rainbow of colors will provide hours of entertainment. Alternatively, each knitted piece can be stuffed and sewn closed to make a pint-sized, huggable companion. Filled with dry beans it becomes a toss toy. If the puppet or stuffed toy is…