![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/zWalterMittyABSpillowBrite-1024x768.jpg\" "\\"zWalterMittyABSpillowBrite\\"")
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So often, bits and pieces are all that remains of what once was a spectacular piece of needlework.\u00c2\u00a0It’s likely that\u00c2\u00a0I have hoarding tendencies, because the idea of throwing away the beautiful stitches of an unknown and long since departed kindred spirit is abhorrent to me. And I have boxes of these bits and pieces to prove it.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/03\/WalterMittyABSpillowLcornerBrite.jpg\" "\\"WalterMittyABSpillowLcornerBrite\\"")
<\/a>No doubt one or two of these are lace pieces from Queen Elizabeth's play dresses.<\/p><\/div>\n
So often, bits and pieces are all that remains of what once was a spectacular piece of needlework.\u00c2\u00a0It’s likely that\u00c2\u00a0I have hoarding tendencies, because the idea of throwing away the beautiful stitches of an unknown and long since departed kindred spirit is abhorrent to me. And I have boxes of these bits and pieces to prove it.<\/p>\n
Crazy patch is my preferred technique for these items.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Pillows seem particularly suitable as they are laundered infrequently, putting the aged beauties at less risk of damage. This pillow is made of some of the remnants in my stash.\u00c2\u00a0 Each tells a silent story,\u00c2\u00a0the tale of its origin which I\u00c2\u00a0plot out\u00c2\u00a0as I stitch the pieces together.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153ABS,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the monogram in\u00c2\u00a0 the center oval, was a damaged napkin, one of a set of 12.\u00c2\u00a0 In my sewing room, late at night, I am a lady Walter Mitty, daydreaming of the fantastic in my very common surroundings.\u00c2\u00a0 To me,\u00c2\u00a0“ABS” \u00c2\u00a0is Anna Belle Stonewater, a young society bride and these exquisite 22\u00e2\u20ac\u009d linen dinner napkins were a part of her trousseau.\u00c2\u00a0 All indications are that she was childless, or why would her children not have kept these lovely serviettes?\u00c2\u00a0 She used these at a dinner party\u00c2\u00a0honoring\u00c2\u00a0Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.\u00c2\u00a0 Um-hmmm, she did.<\/p>\n
<\/a>coronation cord<\/p><\/div>\n
\u00c2\u00a0Coronation cord has always fascinated me, so I included this tidbit in the pillow. The cord is alternately thicker then thinner and is used most often for couching.\u00c2\u00a0 I have several doilies and tabletoppers embellished with coronation cord, one from the home of Walt Disney.\u00c2\u00a0 While he was imaginating Mickey and Minnie and the gang, he often sat his iced tea glass on\u00c2\u00a0one of these\u00c2\u00a0very doilies, on a coaster, of course.<\/p>\n
Without careful examination, the coronation cord items in my collection\u00c2\u00a0could pass for padded satin stitch.\u00c2\u00a0 I have also seen it used for beading, tacked down through the thin portion and the heavier part of the cord used for the vertical bars.<\/p>\n
According to a leading authority on this cord, it first appeared in a Peterson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s magazine in 1875.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s popularity increased through the years and then the cord disappeared from needlework catalogues in 1926 due to diminished interest.\u00c2\u00a0For more information about this unique textile, read about it here.\u00c2\u00a0 http:\/\/www.fabrics.net\/joan1100.asp<\/a><\/p>\n Because cutwork and other openwork pieces are included in the crazy patch, a blue foundation fabric is used so that the details can be more easily seen.\u00c2\u00a0 Blue domestic organdy is also used for two ruffles which support the heavy Irish crochet trim around the oval pillow.<\/p>\n Irish crochet-- red haired immigrant sisters stitched this while sailing from Ireland. Paying attention to the intricate pattern kept them from being seasick.<\/p><\/div>\n I marvel at the detail and intricacy of the patterns and the rich texture that is created.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m\u00c2\u00a0almost certain that \u00c2\u00a0most of it was created by red-haired Irish immigrant sisters, Betsy Mae O\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Connor and Kathleen Shannon Donovan as they sailed to their new home in America.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0And they never got seasick.<\/p>\n From Wallis Simpson's tablecloth for sure.<\/p><\/div>\n The pieces at 11 o\u00e2\u20ac\u2122clock and 3 o\u00e2\u20ac\u2122clock were surely from a tablecloth owned by Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, and used at her infrequent dinner parties for royalty.\u00c2\u00a0 She set a lovely table, but she was snubbed socially.\u00c2\u00a0 I don’t think she could cook.<\/p>\n The handkerchief corners with drawn thread work were carried by Eleanor Roosevelt as something blue at her wedding to Franklin.\u00c2\u00a0 She used it later to wipe away her tears.<\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure\u00c2\u00a0this is\u00c2\u00a0all true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So often, bits and pieces are all that remains of what once was a spectacular piece of needlework.\u00c2\u00a0It’s likely that\u00c2\u00a0I have hoarding tendencies, because the idea of throwing away the beautiful stitches of an unknown and long since departed … Continue reading <\/a><\/a>