Stitch Revival Studio

— Guest post by designer Irene Kellins — Recreating the Tidy Chair Back has been a most interesting and enjoyable adventure. Beginning as a chat about the historical needlework collection at the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol, in Goderich, Ontario, Canada, the project evolved into recreating one of these works—specifically, the Tidy Chair Back, made in 1880 by six-year-old Ann Rath of East Wawanosh Township, near Belgrave, Ontario. The original was completed with fine crochet cotton and consists of a motif strip joined by a chain. After comparing test swatches to the original, I recreated the doily using size 20 cotton thread and a size 7 (1.5 mm) steel…