THE HISTORY OF PLAIN-SEWING SAMPLERS
In the second half of the 19th century and the earlier 20th, girls in their needlework lessons at school worked small pieces of cotton or calico with a darn or a patch executed on them; or produced strangely-shaped pieces showing a combination of techniques; or even miniature garments – shirts, drawers or aprons.
Small samples might be sewn onto paper and made into a book which would form a record of a pupil's work; and some enterprising publishers printed books which had space left at the end for the stitcher to incorporate her own efforts.
Standards varied enormously: I have exquisite examples produced by a student-teacher in the 1890s; and also a scruffy little “book” made of brown wrapping paper, produced by a school-girl – who would never earn her living with her needle – in 1918.
There's also evidence of work being produced before this period (around 1880-1920) in orphanages and “model schools." Some of this work appears to be samples of garments which could be ordered by members of the public, More information needed here...
Another aspect I'm interested in is the "literature" of the subject. Do you know of any references to plain-sewing in novels of the time?
A number of manuals were written at this time to help teachers instruct their pupils in the details of needlework. Some of it, such as the seven steps you had to carry out in order to thread a needle, seems mind-numbingly dull. No doubt it gave the teachers confidence, when they presented their pupils and their work to inspectors (who were themselves nothing if not strict in their assessments). I have a small collection of these manuals, and would like to tie up the instructions with actual samples of the different techniques, such as the different types of darning (Swiss, grafting, damask...)
Where can we see plain-sewing samplers today?
In 2003 the Sampler Guild produced a Sampler Directory of the UK, which lists all the collections throughout the UK which hold samplers. In most cases, it is not clear what sort of samplers are referred to - whether they are the traditional embroidered and multi-coloured work or the plain-sewing ones that I am interested in. I am contacting the collections listed, mostly in museums, to find out this; and visiting those that I can. I'd be very grateful for any information that you may have about other collections that may exist: do contact me. And of course, if you have any which have come down in the family I'd love to know!
Quotes:
"I hope some (of you) like plain sewing." The village school-teacher - without much confidence - to her (girl) pupils in The Children Who Lived in a Barn - Eleanor Graham, 1938.
In the second half of the 19th century and the earlier 20th, girls in their needlework lessons at school worked small pieces of cotton or calico with a darn or a patch executed on them; or produced strangely-shaped pieces showing a combination of techniques; or even miniature garments – shirts, drawers or aprons.
Small samples might be sewn onto paper and made into a book which would form a record of a pupil's work; and some enterprising publishers printed books which had space left at the end for the stitcher to incorporate her own efforts.
Standards varied enormously: I have exquisite examples produced by a student-teacher in the 1890s; and also a scruffy little “book” made of brown wrapping paper, produced by a school-girl – who would never earn her living with her needle – in 1918.
There's also evidence of work being produced before this period (around 1880-1920) in orphanages and “model schools." Some of this work appears to be samples of garments which could be ordered by members of the public, More information needed here...
Another aspect I'm interested in is the "literature" of the subject. Do you know of any references to plain-sewing in novels of the time?
A number of manuals were written at this time to help teachers instruct their pupils in the details of needlework. Some of it, such as the seven steps you had to carry out in order to thread a needle, seems mind-numbingly dull. No doubt it gave the teachers confidence, when they presented their pupils and their work to inspectors (who were themselves nothing if not strict in their assessments). I have a small collection of these manuals, and would like to tie up the instructions with actual samples of the different techniques, such as the different types of darning (Swiss, grafting, damask...)
Where can we see plain-sewing samplers today?
In 2003 the Sampler Guild produced a Sampler Directory of the UK, which lists all the collections throughout the UK which hold samplers. In most cases, it is not clear what sort of samplers are referred to - whether they are the traditional embroidered and multi-coloured work or the plain-sewing ones that I am interested in. I am contacting the collections listed, mostly in museums, to find out this; and visiting those that I can. I'd be very grateful for any information that you may have about other collections that may exist: do contact me. And of course, if you have any which have come down in the family I'd love to know!
Quotes:
"I hope some (of you) like plain sewing." The village school-teacher - without much confidence - to her (girl) pupils in The Children Who Lived in a Barn - Eleanor Graham, 1938.