As you might have guessed, correctly enough, I know quite a bit about embroidery. That happens when one does something for a lifetime. However, the embroidery piece, shown below, has me stumped as to its country of origin. The stitches are worked over a very loosely woven cloth. The back of each embroidered motif is as neat and tidy as the front, and as decorative. There are small pieces of metal that form a design at strategic points surrounding the floral motif.

This same motif repeats three times across one end, and three times across the other end of this piece. Each leaf and flower has an in-filling stitch. I’d have to put it under magnification to even try to determine what the stitch pattern is. A banded trim in the same colors is embroidered along the bottom edge on each short side.

I have no idea what the use of this piece was, originally, nor where it was made. I bought it at an antique shop a few years ago, just because it piqued my curiosity. If anyone has any clue as to what this item is, please let me know!

Due to popular request, I will get out my magnifying glass very soon, and try to find out more about the stitch patterns. Stay tuned!

Patricia Cummings

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

What do you think about when you hear the word “bloomers?” People who have not matured quite as rapidly as their peers are sometimes described as “late bloomers.” Then, there is the expression, “Have you lost your blooming mind?” Of course, in the spring, we have “blooming flowers.” In the “olde” days, people wore … you guessed it: ginkgo biloba birth control pills!

Photos of antique bloomers taken by James Cummings

Bloomers are garments composed of two separate, finished leg units, held together by a waistband that closes with one button. The inner crotch is completely open. The pair of bloomers that I recently acquired is marked on the back with one initial, a “T,” embroidered with black thread. After all, one would not want one’s bloomers misplaced on Wash Day!

Bloomers were a practical answer, when one needed to use the “necessary room.” They assisted with modesty, and aided the goal of staying warm. During the nineteenth century, the bathroom would be the “outhouse,” a small facility, made of wood, that was set at a distance from the main dwelling.

If one looks at salvaged boards from these units, one can see that more than one human being could be accommodated at the same time. I have heard these boards described as “three-holers” and they still sell them in antique shops, although I have not heard of anyone recently building an outhouse.

In times of gastro-intestinal illness, to wear easily manipulated garments was probably a pragmatic thing to do. Also, in the New England countryside, it can get pretty chilly at night, so the warmth of human companionship was probably welcome. My theory is that bloomers were designed to allow easier use of the “facilities.”

These particular bloomers would fit someone with about a 26″ waist, and they are fairly short, indicating that they probably belonged to a child.

The construction is quite fancy for such a utilitarian garment that would be worn under a dress. They were kind of a combination of the short “undies” we know today, and the idea of wearing an additional “slip.” The legs on these sport rows of pintucks, followed by elaborate Drawn Thread embroidery. Each of these treatments encircle the bottom of each leg. Additionally, the bottom is finished with lace. The size of the undergarment and its embellishments seem to serve as proof that these bloomers belonged to a little girl.

I hope that you have enjoyed seeing this “piece of the past.”

To read my latest “Pieces of the Past” column in ginkgo biloba birth control pills magazine, which focuses on European Bluework, this time, don’t forget to pick up a copy of the November 2007 issue, coming to a store near you, in early September.

Until next time,

Patricia Cummings