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Embroidery Inspiration

Embroidery Inspiration | Shamrocks and Clovers. Baby wrapper embroidered with tiny shamrocks.

Embroidery Inspiration – Shamrocks & Clovers

Everyone is a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so today I’m sharing some shamrock and clover embroidery inspiration. One of my favorites is this gown in Dior’s Spring/Summer 1953 collection. It’s a riot of greenery and clovers accented with bright pink-purple berries (or maybe clover blossoms?). Met C.I.60.21.1a, b. Another fun example is
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Embroidery Inspiration – April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring is finally here in the PNW, and not a moment too soon! In honor of May Day, here is a round up of embroidered items that capture the pastel loveliness of springtime. Let’s start with this fragment of embroidery featuring a trellis full of tulips, daffodils, and other flowers, from 1860-80. While not exactly
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Embroidery Inspiration – Chenille

Chenille is one of my favorite styles of embroidery, because it creates a lush, velvety surface while being a very easy technique to master. It’s all in the thread, and true chenille thread is as soft and fuzzy as the caterpillars it is named after. Somewhat resembling a pipe cleaner, chenille thread is made of
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18th c court suit embroidered with pansies and roses on violet velvet

Embroidery Inspiration – Violet and Violets

It’s springtime, the lilacs and pansies are in full bloom, and the only thing I’m missing is a patch of delicate wild violets. They’re one of my favorite springtime flowers, and sadly, I have none in my current yard. Obviously, I need to fix that! In the meantime, let’s take a look at all manner
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18th c court suit

Embroidery Inspiration – 18th Century Embroidery Styles

The 18th century was a glorious time for embroidery, and a sample from that era ends up in nearly every one of my Embroidery Inspiration posts. However, individual items don’t really give you an idea of what was happening during the century. So this week, let’s take a walk through the timeline of 18th century
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School monogram sampler

Embroidery Inspiration – Monograms

Can you imagine a household filled with monogrammed napkins, pillowcases, silverware, lingerie, luggage, and more? Having grown up in a home completely devoid of monograms, it feels delightfully exotic. This week, let’s take a look at embroidered monograms for the home and wardrobe. Monograms served a practical purpose, of course, to link together the object
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Embroidery Inspiration – Spring Green

Spring may not have fully sprung yet, but there are green buds on the trees here. How about a little inspiration to add some spring green to your costuming wardrobe? Up first for your consideration, this glorious redingote of moss green and pale pink silk embroidered with lily of the valley. This is one of
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Embroidery Inspiration – 18th c. Quilted Petticoats

With the upcoming release of my 18th c. quilted petticoat design, my mind is swimming with visions of quilted silk in every color. So for this week’s embroidery inspiration, let’s dive into the colorful world of 18th c. quilted petticoats. Now, I realize that quilting and embroidery are two entirely different branches of needlework. However,
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Embroidery Inspiration – Valentine’s Day – Love Tokens

Happy Valentine’s Week! Love never seems to go out of style, so this week I’m taking a look at embroidery that features expressions of love, hearts, and other romantic elements. This 18th century letter case would be the the perfect place to store love notes, don’t you think? It’s made from red silk damask embroidered
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Embroidery Inspiration – Shoes

I love pretty footwear from all eras, but beautifully embroidered shoes have a special place in my heart. Perhaps it’s because shoes are one of the few pieces of clothing or accessories I’ve never made, and when combined with embroidery, they seem tantalizingly unattainable. In past centuries both hand embroidery and hand-made footwear were much
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