Embroidered Vintage

1920's English chemise style coat and dress set with a hand-embroidered Japanese inspired floral motif

There is something about embroidery which fascinates me. The fact that it is hand-made, timeless and adds to the prestige of the fabric it adorns, is one part of the fascination. There are varied types and categories of embroidery. 

The most commonly used is Free Embroidery which is worked over a traced or hot-iron transfer design or from stamped linen. In Free Embroidery, one finds Flat, Looped, Chained, Knotted, Composite, Couching, and Filling stitches. 

Then there is Counted Thread Embroidery which is worked by counting the threads of the fabric and embroidering each stitch over an exact number of threads. In this type of embroidery the fabric must be weave or canvas. Examples of typical techniques are the  Cross Stitch, Assisi, Hardanger, Drawn Thread, Drawn Fabric and Canvas Embroideries. Some Counted Thread stitches can also be used in Free Embroidery. 

Blackwork embroidery of the 1530s (left) and 1590s (right)

 Large towel or bed cover from Turkey, 19th century, linen, silk, gilt thread, plain and supplemental weave and embroidery. Located at Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Pair of woman’s bootsc. 1885 by F. Pinet of Paris.Silk, sueded leather, linen, kid leather. Located at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 

English woman posing for a portrait, wearing an embroidered jacket, 1910-1920. The woman wears a long, full skirt, with a matching long coat. The coat is embroidered around the cuffs, collar, waist, and along the side front opening. The woman wears a blouse with a very high neckline under the coat.