Deerfield is a city** in Massachusetts wherein two young women, Ellen Miller and Margaret Whiting, discovered some examples of colonial needlework in the 1890s, and took it upon themselves to reproduce the badly moth-eaten wool pieces found in the local museum, as a record of the work done before them.

They intently studied the stitches and learned to reproduce them with the intent to make one copy of each. To insure a longer life for these pieces than those they had found, flax was used for both the threads and fabrics.

Old pieces were traced and labeled if the maker was known. There were seven women whose work could be identified, so various designs were given names, such as Polly's parrot and Sarah's leaf.

This turned into quite an enterprise. The ladies searched the surrounding area for more information on patterns and designs of the colonial area, taking notes and photographs, and as word spread, their work came into demand. A small business was established, with many women offering to work and wait for their pay until the piece was bought. Meticulous records were kept as to who got paid for what work and how much.

Much study and experimentation went into the making of dyes for the threads, and at first, only indigo was used. Ellen became the expert, seeming to fully enjoy the experiments, taking lots of notes, and keeping up correspondence with various suppliers on the matter of available mordants, etc. By 1899, Mrs. Emmerine Henry had learned to dye threads, and became a noted expert in the field.

Over time, many different weights of linen were used, depending on the article being worked. Linen threads were purchased in several different sizes.

Stitches used were outline and stem stitches, honeycomb, cross stitches, herringbones, lattice, chain, satin, feather, blanket stitch, fly, seed, darning, coral stitch, and Rumanian stitch, a couching stitch which was always called New England stitch in Deerfield. To me, the designs resemble the Jacobean work that had been done in England in the late 18th century.

Within one year of the founding of the Blue and White Society, as the ladies named their enterprise, surrounding neighbors looked for arts and crafts to revive. The whole town, (almost), became caught up in reproducing items that had been made during colonial times, with skills all but forgotten by then, like work in precious metals and stones, basket weaving and braiding, and photography.

The "Deerfield Society of Arts and Crafts" was formed by 1899, composed of members representing each craft, and plans were underway for a yearly exhibit. This drew large numbers of interested tourists, businesses grew, and the ladies grew weary, though happy with the praise bestowed upon them for their excellent work.

Margaret kept a manuscript, describing the patterns, designs, and stitches found on the old pieces of work, and gathered all the information she could about the ladies who had done all the work. Embroideries were photographed and she kept these, too, with notations made on the backs.

During the First World War, orders for embroidery slowed, but the work continued for a while. In 1926 the Blue and White Society closed its doors.

I cannot recommend enough the wonderful book Deerfield Embroidery by Margery Burnham Howe. This book lists the patterns, history and dye recipes used for the work of the Deerfield ladies, and is a good resource for historians of the colonial era. Lots of illustrations and photos are included for those interested in seeing what had been produced during the late 1700s.