• heirloom counterpane dresser scarf

    Pillow inspired by 1890 bureau scarf

    Recreating the pattern of a knit counterpane bureau scarf from the collection of the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol is a fascinating trip through vintage knitting patterns and traditions. Counterpanes – white bed coverlets or bedspreads – were quite popular in the mid-1800s and into the 1900s and were traditionally made from white or cream-coloured cotton yarn that was so readily available at that time. The coverlets were also sometimes called quilts and were pieced together, comprised of square or circular motifs for example, in a similar way as a quilt top. The knitted 1890 counterpane bureau scarf in the museum collection consists of three components: 3 squares made up of 4 triangles each, a leaf panel below the…

  • 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 was “white knitting,” due to the preference at the time for white bed coverings and because of the ready availability of cotton yarn. Counterpanes are made up of smaller units (squares or octagons, for example) that are worked separately and then joined together to create an overall design or effect.…