PATCHWORK AND QUILTING IN OLD ENGLAND
In searching for the beginning of needlework in England, the first
authentic date revealed relating directly to this subject is 709, when
the Bishop of Sherborne writes of the skill Englishwomen had attained
at that time in the use of the needle. Preserved in various museums are
some examples of Anglo-Saxon embroidery of uncertain date, that are
known to have been made before the Bishop of Sherborne's time. Mention
should also be made of the wonderful Bayeux Tapestry. This ancient
piece is 227 feet long and twenty inches wide, and is of great
historical interest, in that it illustrates events of English history
from the accession of Edward the Confessor to the English defeat at
Hastings by the Normans in 1066. There is some doubt as to whether this
tapestry, which has the characteristic of typical appliqué--namely, the
absence of shading--is actually of English workmanship, but it is
unquestionably of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was first hung in Bayeux
Cathedral in 1476.
[Illustration: PUSS-IN-THE-CORNER
A beautifully quilted design made about 1855. Colours: a
dull green calico having small red flowers and white]
[Illustration: TEA LEAVES
A quaint old design combining a pieced block with an
applied leaf stem. Colours: green and white]
It is a generally accepted fact that appliqué and embroidery are
closely related and of about equal age, although relatively few
examples of the former are preserved in collections of needlework. One
of the oldest authentic bits of appliqué is at Stonyhurst College. It
represents a knight clad in full armour, mounted on a spirited
galloping horse. The horse is covered with an elaborately wrought
blanket and has an imposing ornament on his head. The knight wears a
headdress of design similar to that of the horse and, with arm
uplifted and sword drawn, appears about to attack a foe. This work is
well done, and the pose of both man and horse shows spirit. It is said
to have been made during the thirteenth century. Preserved to us from
this same period is the tattered fragment of a coat worn by Edward,
the Black Prince, and which now hangs over his tomb in Canterbury
Cathedral. With it are the helmet and gauntlets he wore and the shield
he carried. The coat is of a red and blue velvet, now sadly faded,
applied to a calico background and closely quilted. It is too
elaborate to have been made to wear under his armour, and was
probably worn during state functions where armour was not required,
although it was then customary to wear thickly padded and quilted
coats and hoods in order to ease the weight of the heavy and
unyielding coats of mail.
Much of the best needlework in England at this early period was for
the church. Neither labour nor expense was spared to make the
magnificent decorations used in the old cathedrals. Aside from the
linens, silks, and velvets used in this construction, much gold and
silver bullion was wrought into the elaborate altar hangings, altar
fronts, and ecclesiastical vestments. In their ornamentation applied
work was freely used, especially on the large hangings draped over the
altar.
It was during the earliest period that the Latin name _opus consutum_
was commonly used to designate patchwork. Chain stitch also was much
used on early English embroidery; to such an extent that it is now of
great service as an identification mark to fix the dates of medieval
needlework. Chain stitch was dignified by the Latin name _opus
anglicanum_. Only the most elaborate and richest of embroideries have
been preserved; the reason being that much of the work was done with
silver and gold threads which were in reality fine wires of these
precious metals. Being exceedingly costly, they were given unusual
care, many being kept with the royal plate and jewels. One specimen
made in 905 by Aelfled, the queen of Edward, the Elder, is now
treasured in Durham Cathedral. It is described as being "of almost
solid gold thread, so exquisitely embroidered that it resembles a fine
illuminated manuscript," and is indescribably beautiful. In many
instances the fabrics of these old embroideries have partly fallen
away, leaving only frail fragments of the original material held
together by the lasting threads of gold and silver.
The great amount of precious metals used in making the richest
garments and hangings sometimes made them objects to be desired by
avaricious invaders. In an inventory of the contents of Cardinal
Wolsey's great palace at Hampton Court there are mentioned, among many
other rare specimens of needlework of that period, "230 bed hangings
of English embroidery." None of them is now in existence, and it is
supposed that they were torn apart in order to fill the coffers of
some vandal who preferred the metal in them to their beauty as
hangings.
Among the sumptuous furnishings belonging to the Tudor period, applied
work held a prominent place. Vast spaces of cold palace walls were
covered by great wall hangings, archways were screened, and every bed
was enclosed with curtains made of stoutly woven material, usually
more or less ornamented. This was before the advent of French
tapestry, which later supplanted the English appliqué wall draperies.
The Tudor period was also the time when great rivalry in dress
existed. "The esquire endeavoured to outshine the knight, the
knight the baron, the baron the earl, the earl the king himself, in
the richness of his apparel."
[Illustration: FEATHER STAR
Made about 1850. Colours: blue and white]
[Illustration: DRUNKARD'S PATH
A modern quilt after an old pattern. Colours: light blue
and white]
In direct contrast to the long inventories of beautiful and valuable
clothing, bedcovers, and hangings of the rich, are the meagre details
relating to the life and household effects of the landless English
peasant. In all probability he copied as far as he was able some of
the utilities and comforts used by his superiors. If he possessed a
cover for his bed, it was doubtless made of the cheapest woven
material obtainable. No doubt the pieced or patched quilt
contributed materially to his comfort. In "Arts and Crafts in the
Middle Ages," Julia de Wolf Addison describes a child's bed quilt
included in an inventory of furniture at the Priory in Durham in 1446,
"which was embroidered in the four corners with the Evangelistic
symbols." In the "Squier of Lowe Degree," a fifteenth-century romance,
there is allusion to a bed of which the head sheet is described as
embroidered "with diamonds and rubies bright."
It was during the gorgeous reign of Henry VIII that the finest
specimens of combined embroidery and patchwork, now preserved in
various museums, were made. It was really patch upon patch, for before
the motives were applied to the foundation they were elaborately
embroidered in intricate designs; and after being applied, they had
their edges couched with gold and silver cord and ornate embroidery
stitches. Mrs. Lowes relates in "Old Lace and Needlework" that, during
the time of Henry VIII, embroidery, as distinct from garment making,
appeared; and every article of wearing apparel became an object worthy
of decoration. "Much fine stitching was put into the fine white
undergarments of that time, and the overdresses of both men and women
became stiff with gold thread and jewels. Much use was made of
slashing and quilting, the point of junction being dotted with pearls
and precious stones. Noble ladies wore dresses heavily and richly
embroidered with gold, and the train was so weighty that train bearers
were pressed into service. In the old paintings the horses belonging
to kings and nobles wear trappings of heavily embroidered gold. Even
the hounds, which are frequently represented with their masters, have
collars massively decorated with gold bullion."
Mary, Queen of Scots, was devoted to the needle and was expert in its
use. It is said that while in France she learned lace making and
embroidery. Many wall hangings, bed draperies, bedcovers, and house
linens are the work of her skilful fingers, or were made under her
personal direction. A number of examples of her work are now owned by
the Duke of Devonshire. It is said also that many of the French
costumes and laces of her wardrobe were appropriated by Queen
Elizabeth, who had little sympathy for the unfortunate queen. As a
solace during long days of loneliness, Queen Mary found consolation in
her needle, as have many women of lower degree before and since her
unhappy time. She stands forth as the most expert and indefatigable of
royal needleworkers.
[Illustration: THE IRIS DESIGN
In this design the iris has been conventionalized so as
to make it consistent with its natural growth--the
flowers stretching up in a stately array beyond their
long-pointed leaves]
Hardwick Hall is intimately associated with Queen Mary's life, and is
rich in relics of her industry. In one room named for her there are
bed curtains and a quilt said to be her own work. Extracts from old
letters relating to her conduct during captivity show how devoted she
was to her needlework. An attendant, on being asked how the queen
passed her time, wrote, "that all day she wrought with her nydil and
that the diversity of the colours made the work seem less tedious and
that she contynued so long at it that veray payn made hir to give
over." This shows that fatigue alone made her desist from her beloved
work.
There is a very interesting fragment of a bed hanging at Hardwick Hall
said to have been made by Queen Mary. It is of applied patchwork, with
cream-coloured medallions curiously ornamented by means of designs
singed with a hot iron upon the light-coloured velvet. The singed
birds, flowers, and butterflies are outlined with black silk thread.
The worked medallions are applied to a foundation of green velvet,
ornamented between and around them with yellow silk cord. This is
only one of a number of examples of curious and beautiful patchwork
still in existence and attributed to the Tudor period.
Queen Elizabeth herself was not devoted to needlework, but judging
from the accounts of the gorgeous costumes which she delighted to
wear, she was one of its greatest patronesses. It is said that at her
death she left one of the most extensive wardrobes of history: in it
were more than a thousand dresses, which were most voluminous in style
and elaborately trimmed with bullion, pearls, and jewels. Before the
precious stones were applied, her garments were solidly covered with
gold and silver quilting and embroidery, which made them so heavy as
to be a noticeable burden even for this proud and ambitious queen. In
Berkeley Castle, as prized mementoes of Queen Elizabeth, are five
white linen cushions beautifully embroidered with silver threads and
cherry-coloured silk. Also with them is the quilt, a wonderful piece
of needlework, that matches the hangings of the bed wherein she slept.
[Illustration: STAR OF THE EAST
Elaborate pineapple quilting designs in the corners.
Colours: red and white]
[Illustration: WHITE QUILT WITH TUFTED BORDER
Now in Metropolitan Museum, New York]
The magnificence of Queen Elizabeth's reign gave great impetus to all
kinds of needlework. France at that time led in the development of
fine arts, and furnished many of the skilled workmen employed by the
nobility solely as embroiderers. There seemed to be no limit to the
ambitions of these workers, and the gorgeous results of their labours
were beyond anything attempted after them.
To those who wish to study the work of the Tudor period, Hardwick Hall
is recommended as the place where the best specimens have been
preserved. To Elizabeth, daughter of John Hardwick, born in 1520, and
so poor that her marriage portion as the bride of the Earl of
Shrewsbury was only thirty pounds, credit is given for the richness of
this collection. She was a woman of great ability in the management of
her estates, became very wealthy, and gave employment to many people.
Included among her dependents were many needleworkers who plied their
trade under rigorous administration. Elizabeth of Shrewsbury was a
hard mistress, but not above doing an occasional bit of needlework
herself, for some pieces bearing her initials and done with remarkable
skill are preserved in the collection. She, as much as any
Englishwoman, fostered and developed applied patchwork along the
ambitious line of pictorial needlework.
In Hardwick Hall are several hangings of pictorial needlework that are
very interesting. One of black velvet has a picture of a lady strongly
resembling Queen Elizabeth. She carries a book in her hand and at her
feet reclines a turbaned Turk. In the background is an ecclesiastical
hanging which is embroidered to represent a cathedral window. The
realistic effect of the whole picture is gained by the use of coloured
silks cut in correct proportions and applied to the velvet foundation;
very little embroidery entering into the main composition. Another
hanging, also of black velvet, has an even more ambitious design. It
is described by M. Jourdain in "The History of English Secular
Embroidery" as follows: "The ornamentation on the black velvet is with
appliqué in coloured silks consisting of figures under arches. In the
centre is 'Lucrecia,' on the left 'Chastite,' and on the right
'Liberalitas.' The oval panel on the right contains a shield bearing
the arms of Hardwick." At each end of the hanging are fluted Ionic
columns, and a decorated frieze is carried across the top. The figures
have grace and beauty; the drapery of their robes falls in natural
folds; and altogether it is a remarkable picture to have been made
with patches.
That this fine collection of medieval needlework is preserved for the
admiration of people to-day is due to the faithful execution of the
Countess of Shrewsbury's will, in which she left all her household
furnishings, entailed as heirlooms, to always remain in her House of
Hardwick.
In the interesting Hardwick collection are pieces of beautiful
needlework known to have been used by Mary, Queen of Scots, during the
years she spent as a prisoner at Tutbury. Her rooms there, furnished
in regal splendour, are still kept just as she arranged them. The Earl
of Shrewsbury was her custodian, and his wife, the countess, often sat
and sewed with the unfortunate queen, both making pastime of their
needlework.
During the Middle Ages appliqué was in universal use, and not confined
merely to wall hangings, quilts, and bed draperies. It was used to
ornament all kinds of wearing apparel, including caps, gloves, and
shoes. Special designs were made for upholstery, but because of the
hard wear imposed upon stools and chairs but few specimens of this
work have been preserved.
Quilting also came into vogue in the making of bedspreads, of which
great numbers were required during the winter nights in the poorly
heated bedrooms. The quilts intended for service were made of
substantial, well-wearing material. None of these strictly utilitarian
quilts is left, but they were certainly plentiful. The old chroniclers
give us a glimpse of what the women of these days cherished by telling
us that in 1540 Katherine Howard, afterward wife of Henry VIII, was
presented with twenty-three quilts of Sarsenet, closely quilted, from
the Royal Wardrobe.
Tradition says that, during the reign of Henry VIII, the much used and
popular "black work" or "Spanish work" was introduced into England by
his Spanish wife, Catherine of Aragon. It has been found that this
work did not originate in Spain but was taken there probably by the
Moors or by the Crusaders, for it is known to have been perfected at a
very remote period in both Persia and China. The following interesting
description of black work is from Mrs. Lowes' "Chats on Old Lace and
Needlework":
[Illustration: SUNBURST AND WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Comparatively modern quilts. Colours: blue and white]
[Illustration: TREE OF PARADISE
Made in Indiana over 75 years ago. Colours: red and
green]
"The work itself was a marvel of neatness, precision, and elegant
design, but the result cannot be said to have been commensurate with
the labour of its production. More frequently the design was of
scrollwork, worked with a fine black silk back stitching or chain
stitch. Round and round the stitches go, following each other closely.
Bunches of grapes are frequently worked solidly, and even the popular
peascod is worked in outline stitch, and often the petit point period
lace stitches are copied, and roses and birds worked separately and
afterward stitched to the design." There are many examples of this
famous "Spanish work" in the South Kensington Museum in London.
Quilts, hangings, coats, caps, jackets, smocks, are all to be seen,
some with a couched thread of gold and silver following the lines of
the scrolls. This is said to be the Spanish stitch referred to in the
old list of stitches, and very likely may be so, as the style and
manner are certainly not English; and we know that Catherine of Aragon
brought wonders of Spanish stitchery with her, and she herself was
devoted to the use of the needle. The story of how, when called before
Cardinal Wolsey and Campeggio, to answer to King Henry's accusations,
she had a skein of embroidery silk round her neck, is well known.
"The black silk outline stitchery on linen lasted well through the
late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Very little of it is seen
outside the museums, as, not being strikingly beautiful or attractive,
it has been destroyed. Another phase of the same stitchery was working
cotton and linen garments, hangings and quilts in a kind of quilted
pattern with yellow silk. The finest materials were used, the padding
being placed bit by bit into its place. The quilting work was made in
tiny panels, illustrating shields and other heraldic devices, and had
a surface as fine as carved ivory. When, as in the case of one sample
at South Kensington, the quilt is additionally embroidered with fine
floss silk flowers, the effect is very lovely."
One interesting feature of "black work" and similar flat embroideries
was their constant use in decorating furnishings for the bedroom. It
was peculiarly well adapted for quilts, as its rather smooth surface
admirably resisted wear.
[Illustration: OLD BED WITH QUILT AND CANOPY AND TRUNDLE
BED BENEATH
Now in Memorial Hall, Deerfield, Mass.]
[Illustration: TWO WHITE TUFTED BEDSPREADS
Both made in Pennsylvania about 100 years ago]
Fashions in needlework changed, but not with the same rapidity as in
clothing. Gradually ideas and customs from other countries crept
into England and new influences were felt. An established trade
with the Orient brought Eastern products to her markets, and oriental
designs in needlework became popular. About this time "crewel" was
much in vogue. This was embroidery done with coloured woollen threads
and was a step backward in the art. Some of this "crewel" work, done
in the seventeenth century, is described by M. Jourdain in "English
Secular Embroidery": "These hangings, bed curtains, quilts, and
valances are of linen or a mixture of cotton and linen, and one type
is embroidered with bold, freely designed patterns in worsted. They
are worked almost always in dull blues and greens mixed with more
vivid greens and some browns, but rarely any other colouring."
A very curious custom of these days was the use of "mourning beds,"
with black hangings, coverlets, and even sheets. As these funereal
articles of furniture were quite expensive, it was a friendly custom
to lend these mourning beds to families in time of affliction. In 1644
Mrs. Eure wrote to Sir Ralph Verney: "Sweet Nephew, I am now overrun
with miserys and troubles, but the greatest misfortune that could
happen to me was the death of the gallantest man (her husband) that I
ever knew." Whereupon Sir Ralph, full of sympathy, "offers her the
loan of the great black bed and hangings from Claydon."
Interesting indeed are descriptions of wonderful old quilts that are
now guarded with zealous care in English museums. One, an original and
striking design, is closely quilted all over in small diamonds. Upon
it is embroidered an orange tree in full leaf and loaded with fruit.
This tree, together with the fancy pot in which it is planted, covers
practically the entire quilt. In the lower corners a gentleman is
shown picking oranges and a lady in a patient attitude is waiting to
receive them, the figures of both being scarcely taller than the
flower pot. The whole design is made up of gayly coloured silks
evidently worked in after the quilting was done. Mention is also made
of an elaborate quilt said to be the work of Queen Anne, which is
preserved at Madresfield Court. Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, in
giving an order for house furnishings for her "wild, unmerciful house"
about 1720, asks for "a vast number of feather beds, some filled with
swansdown, and a vast number of quilts."
Mrs. Delany, who lived from 1700 to 1788, and left a large
correspondence relating to needlework, which was later edited by Lady
Llanover, was a most prolific worker with her needle as well as a
profuse letter writer. She was often quoted as an authority and given
credit for much originality in her designs. A quilt that she made is
described as follows: "Of white linen worked in flowers, the size of
nature, delineated with the finest coloured silks in running stitch,
which is made use of in the same way as by a pen etching on paper; the
outline was drawn with pencil. Each flower is different, and evidently
done at the moment from the original." Another quilt of Mrs. Delany's
was made upon a foundation of nankeen. This was unique in that no
colours were used besides the dull yellow of the background. Applied
designs of leaves tied together with ribbons, all cut from white linen
and stitched to the nankeen with white thread, made a quilt no wise
resembling the silken ones of earlier periods. This quilt may be
termed a forerunner of the vast array of pieced and patched washable
quilts belonging to the nineteenth century.
The embroidering of quilts followed the process of quilting, which
afforded the firm foundation essential for heavy and elaborate
designs. There were many quilts made of white linen quilted with
yellow silk thread, and afterward embroidered very tastefully with
yellow silk floss. Terry, in the history of his "Voyage to the East
Indies," made about the middle of the seventeenth century, says: "The
natives show very much ingenuity in their manufactures, also in making
excellent quilts of their stained cloth, or of fresh-coloured taffeta
lined with their prints, or of their satin with taffeta, betwixt which
they put cotton wool, and work them together with silk."
Among many articles in a list of Eastern products, which Charles I, in
1631, permitted to be brought to England, were "quilts of China
embroidered in Gold." There is a possibility that these quilts were
appreciated quite as much for the precious metal used in the
embroidery as for the beauty of design and workmanship. It was but a
short time after this that women began to realize how much gold and
silver had gone into all forms of needlework. They looked upon rare
and beautiful embroidery with greedy eyes, and a deplorable fashion
sprang up, known in France as "parfilage" and in England as
"drizzling." This was nothing more or less than ripping up, stitch
by stitch, the magnificent old hangings, quilts, and even church
vestments, to secure gold and silver thread. Lady Mary Coke, writing
from the Austrian Court, says: "All the ladies who do not play cards
pick gold. It is the most general fashion I ever saw, and they all
carry their bags containing the necessary tools in their pockets. They
even begged sword knots, epaulettes, and galons that they might add
more of the precious threads to the spool on which they wound the
ravelled bullion, which they sold." To the appreciative collector this
seems wanton sacrilege.
[Illustration: TUFTED BEDSPREAD WITH KNOTTED FRINGE
A design of very remarkable beauty. Over 100 years old]
[Illustration: UNKNOWN STAR
A New England quilt about 115 years old. Colours: once
bright red and green are now old rose and dull green.
The original quilting designs are very beautiful]
John Locke, 1632-1704, a very famous man of Charles II's time, and one
of the greatest philosophers and ardent champions of civil and
religious rights which England ever produced, mentioned quilts in his
"Thoughts Concerning Education." In telling of the correct sort of
beds for children he writes as follows: "Let his Bed be hard, and
rather Quilts than Feathers. Hard Lodging strengthens the Parts,
whereas being buryed every Night in Feathers melts and dissolves the
Body.... Besides, he that is used to hard Lodging at Home will not
miss his Sleep (where he has most Need of it) in his travels Abroad
for want of his soft Bed, and his Pillows laid in Order."
Pepys, a contemporary of Locke, in his incomparable and delicious
Diary, remarks: "Home to my poor wife, who works all day like a horse,
at the making of her hanging for our chamber and bed," thus telling us
that he was following the fashion of the day in having wall, window,
and bed draperies alike. It is plain, too, by his frequent "and so to
bed," that his place of sleep and rest was one of comfort in his
house.
A quilt depending solely upon the stitching used in quilting, whether
it be of the simple running stitch, the back stitch, or the chain
stitch, is not particularly ornamental. However, when viewed at close
range, the effect is a shadowy design in low relief that has a
distinctive but modest beauty when well done. Early in the eighteenth
century a liking for this fashion prevailed, and was put to a variety
of uses. Frequently there was no interlining between the right and
wrong sides. At Canons Ashby there are now preserved some handsome
quilted curtains of this type, belonging to Sir Alfred Dryden,
Baronet.
[Illustration: COMBINATION ROSE
More than 85 years old. Colours: rose, pink, and green]
[Illustration: DOUBLE TULIP
Made in Ohio, date unknown. The tulips are made of red
calico covered with small yellow flowers. The roses have
yellow centres]
During the Middle Ages instruction in the use of the needle was
considered a necessary part of the English girl's education. By the
seventeenth century "working fine works with the needle" was
considered of equal importance with singing, dancing, and French in
the accomplishments of a lady of quality. In the eighteenth century
much the same sentiment prevailed, and Lady Montagu is quoted as
saying: "It is as scandalous for a woman not to know how to use a
needle as for a man not to know how to use a sword."
The _Spectator_ of that time sarcastically tells of two sisters highly
educated in domestic arts who spend so much time making cushions and
"sets of hangings" that they had never learned to read and write! A
sober-minded old lady, grieved by frivolous nieces, begs the
_Spectator_ "to take the laudable mystery of embroidery into your
serious consideration," for, says she, "I have two nieces, who so
often run gadding abroad that I do not know when to have them. Those
hours which, in this age, are thrown away in dress, visits, and the
like, were employed in my time in writing out receipts, or working
beds, chairs, and hangings for the family. For my part I have plied
the needle these fifty years, and by my good-will would never have it
out of my hand. It grieves my heart to see a couple of proud, idle
flirts sipping the tea for a whole afternoon in a room hung round with
the industry of their great-grandmothers." Another old lady of the
eighteenth century, Miss Hutton, proudly makes the following statement
of the results of years of close application to the needle: "I have
quilted counterpanes and chest covers in fine white linen, in various
patterns of my own invention. I have made patchwork beyond
calculation."
Emblems and motifs were great favourites with the quilt workers of "ye
olden times" and together with mottoes were worked into many pieces of
embroidery. The following mottoes were copied from an old quilt made
in the seventeenth century: "Covet not to wax riche through deceit,"
"He that has lest witte is most poore," "It is better to want riches
than witte," "A covetous man cannot be riche."
[Illustration: MORNING GLORIES
In one of their many beautiful and delicate varieties
were chosen for this quilt, and while the design is
conventional to a certain extent it shows the natural
grace of the growing vine]
The needle and its products have always been held in great esteem in
England, and many of the old writers refer to needlework with much
respect. In 1640 John Taylor, sometimes called the "Water Poet,"
published a collection of essays, etc., called "The Needle's
Excellency," which was very popular in its day and ran through twelve
editions. In it is a long poem entitled, "The Prayse of the Needle."
The following are the opening lines:
"To all dispersed sorts of Arts and Trades
I write the needles prayse (that never fades)
So long as children shall begot and borne,
So long as garments shall be made and worne.
So long as Hemp or Flax or Sheep shall bear
Their linnen Woollen fleeces yeare by yeare;
So long as silk-worms, with exhausted spoile,
Of their own entrailes for man's game shall toyle;
Yea, till the world be quite dissolved and past,
So long at least, the Needles use shall last."
It is interesting to read what Elizabeth Glaister, an Englishwoman,
writes of quilts in England:
"Perhaps no piece of secular needlework gave our ancestors more
satisfaction, both in the making and when made, as the quilt or bed
coverlet. We have seen a good many specimens of them, both of the real
quilted counterpanes, in which several thicknesses of material were
stitched together into a solid covering, and the lighter silken or
linen coverlets ornamented with all sorts of embroidery. Cradle quilts
also were favourite pieces of needlework and figure in inventories of
Henry VIII's time.
"The real quilts were very handsome and the amount of labour bestowed
on them was enormous. The seventeenth century was a great time for
them, and the work of this period is generally very good. The quilting
of some of them is made by sewing several strands of thick cotton
between the fine linen of the surface and the lining. When one line
was completed the cotton was laid down again next to it, and another
line formed.
"A sort of shell pattern was a favourite for quilting. When a
sufficient space was covered with the ground pattern, flowers or other
ornaments were embroidered on this excellent foundation. Perhaps the
best results as a work of art were attained when both quilting and
flowers were done in bright yellow silk; the effect of this colour on
a white ground being always particularly good. A handsome quilt may be
worked with a darned background. It is done most easily on huckaback
towelling of rather loose weave, running the needle under the raised
threads for the ground.
[Illustration: PRINCESS FEATHERS
Made in Indiana about 1835. Colours: soft dull green and
old rose]
[Illustration: PRINCESS FEATHERS WITH BORDER
Notice the maple leaf inserted in the border. Colours:
red and green]
"A very effective quilt in quite a different style is made in applied
work on unbleached cotton sheeting. A pattern of yellow fruit or
flower with leaves is cut out in coloured serges sewn on with
crewels in buttonhole stitch; stems, veins, and buds being also
worked in crewels, and the ground slightly darned in dim yellow
crewel. It is elaborate, but a very pleasant and repaying piece of
work.
"Many beautiful old quilts are made of silk and satin embroidered in
pure silks or in gold and silver twist. Most of the best specimens are
from France and Italy, where from the arrangement of the houses the
beds have continued to be more _en evidence_ than has been the case in
England for the last two centuries. Many also are of Indian origin;
the ground of these is sometimes of fine soft silk and sometimes of
thick muslin, over which the pattern is worked in silk. Others, though
of Indian workmanship, show a European influence, of which the most
curious are those worked at Goa, under Portuguese dominion in the
seventeenth century."