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Heirloom museum textiles
In past centuries, women crafted heirloom needlework and textiles that were practical and beautiful, combining function with artistic expression. These beautiful household textiles from the 19th Century are today rare, yet the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol, in Goderich, is fortunate to feature many pieces, including two counterpanes (one knitted, the other crocheted), a knitted bureau scarf, a crocheted…
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History of Tomato Pin Cushions
Metal pins are an invaluable tool for today’s needleworker and seamstress, and they were no less so for sewers throughout history. With pins came a variety of ways to store them, including boxes, cases and cushions. 15th-Century Debut The first reference to the tomato pin cushion appears in the 15th century. Before this, as metal pins were rare and expensive,…
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A dress of many patterns
Hi, everyone! Today on the blog it’s all about a dress recreation project: a dress of many patterns. I’ve spoken about the idea of recreating a vintage, Edwardian-styled dress from the collection of the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol. The plan is to recreate the basic pattern of a tea dress using swatches of recreated needlework items. So, it’s…
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Vintage textiles on display
A small number of the Huron County Museum‘s many beautiful heirloom textiles were on display in the Governor’s House adjacent to the historic Gaol for Sunday’s counterpane knitting workshop in the parlour. Starting from the left in the photos, you can see a counterpane crib blanket, a counterpane bureau scarf, a pair of knit men’s gloves (the pattern is similar to…
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Thank you!
Thank you so much to everyone who attended the knitting workshop at the Gaol in the Goderich yesterday, Sunday, Dec. 9. It was truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to meet you and share some creative time together. And thank you also to Sinead and the Huron County Museum for encouraging me to share my work and for organizing and hosting…
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Tidy Chair Back Doily
— 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…
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Counterpane Pincushion, inspired by history
Do you love stitching from old patterns? I certainly do. I also enjoy trying to recreate a pattern based upon a stitched item. This pincushion is inspired by a white cotton counterpane baby blanket in the collection of the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol in Goderich, Ontario. White cotton counterpanes (or coverlets) were common in the nineteenth century, as…
