Every now and then, a design pops up on an antique quilt or coverlet that really speaks to the charm of the 1890s. “Out for a walk” is my name for the image of a boy and girl, shown below taking a stroll.
I have seen this motif with slight changes, such as the end of the umbrella being completely in view, or the placement of the circles on the handbag being located differently, or in a different configuration. Sometimes, a mirror image of the design has been embroidered, or the boy shown as being a bit more chubby. These minor variations go to show that embroiderers often have a mind of their own, and that they may alter designs to suit them.
The overall sense of the block is one of the attentiveness of the boy, all decked out in his finery to accompany his lady love on a stroll. She, too, is elaborately dressed. This motif appears to have been a popular one, and why shouldn’t it have been? The children depicted are reminiscent of the work of illustrator Kate Greenaway, although I have not yet confirmed that this is her design.
I believe that quaint motifs of this type, that are fun to embroider, continue to charm our hearts. They seem to make us long for that ever-elusive, pre-twentieth century time, when perhaps life was more simple, perhaps not.
Patricia Cummings
