History of Embroidery 3

History of Embroidery in America, 20th Century

There was a brief revival of quilting in 1910, when the fancier crazy quilts of the Victorian era were frowned upon and a simpler style of living made its way to the fore. Ladies' magazines were largely responsible for making up a woman's mind in many domestic areas, including determining what "good taste" was and how to get it!

World War I also contributed to the quilt craze, because the government had commandeered all the wool used for making blankets. Making quilts for the home was the patriotic thing to do when it was time to replace the old wool blankets. Those old blankets made great backing and batting for the newer cotton tops. Many were raffled off, and the money that was raised supported the war effort.

Feedsack fabrics were used during the depression for quilts and many garments, especially for children. Manufacturers decided to decorate the sacks with designs and colors, and many were picked through and chosen for the purpose of bringing home the fabric.

World War II saw a lot of women leaving the home to work in factories, which greatly cut into the time they had available for sewing. Many never went back to homemaking as a profession.

The "back to the earth" movement of the 1960s heightened the desire to get back to our roots as it were, and quilting and many different kinds of domestic needlework were taken up to counteract the industrialization of the country. I personally began quilting in the 70s and found it a relatively new, though growing pastime in north east Ohio. Suitable fabrics were available, but nothing like the lovely designer cottons that are on the market today.

A great way to discover what was being done in any given decade is to check up on the back issues of magazines as well as old needlework catalogs. Supplies were available for what was in demand, though supply largely dictated what could be done.

I've noticed a tremendous surge in the interest of counted work, both needlepoint and cross stitch, in the last few decades, almost to the exclusion of everything else. Aida cloth came to be in the 1970s, and this had to have promoted this art in a big way. Finding exactly where the needle goes is a big plus for those of us with "older" eyesight. Cross stitch kits can even be found in hardware stores, so that anyone interested in pursuing this pastime will find it exceptionally easy to find materials. There are now a lot of instructional videos available, and the diversity of embroidery techniques is growing. (The Nordic Needle has several interesting topics on videos now!) Whitework, too, which is definitely my favorite!

Time is an important factor in all of our lives. Machine embroidery is a very large and quickly growing industry today. It takes relatively little time to finish the most complicated motifs. Not days and weeks! The tools necessary for "machining" are unmatched in complexity, and price! Yet I think the variety of stitches is very limited. I see straight stitch, satin, and long and short. It's a lovely way to paint with thread, but there are a lot of other ways to manipulate fabric and threads.

It would be a great loss if the diverse and numerous ways of doing handwork were forgotten. I urge everyone to pursue the knowledge and history of his/her personal heritage, especially as it applies to sewing, and write it down!! Take pictures! Keep a diary or journal. This is the beginning of a new century and millennium. Let's not forget the old ways, nor let this information die out for our posterity.