Category Archives: History

My Resource Gift to You: the Royal School of Needlework Stitch Library

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Have you seen this? I offer it to you because I discovered it, and now I want to share.

The Royal School of Needlework has been around since 1872. They are located in London (and all around the UK.) Last year, they offered a series of classes in the U.S. I’m looking forward to further US offerings, as it is my goal to attend at least once–here or overseas.

But getting back to what they refer to as their stitch bank. I was so impressed by the quality of all the information. The whole idea is that historians and stitch artists (also known as embroiderers) needed a place to reference stitches on antique garments. The School also wanted to supply a fertile ground for those who want to experiment with new stitches and preserve techniques that could easily be lost forever.

So the Royal School of Needlework created their stitch bank.

Feel free to hop over and look around. https://rsnstitchbank.org/

Every stitch listed has photographic instructions on how to make it, an accompanying diagram, to make things clearer, and a short video, so you can see exactly how the stitch is made.

That’s fantastic!

You’ll want to use the menu on the lefthand side to explore stitches categorized by their utility or their structure.

The “Stitch Wall” shows you a simple graphic of each stitch and you can choose to explore.

The number of stitches grows all the time.

I hope you find something there that excites your imagination or challenges you to try something new. I’ve decided that I will commit to at least one online class in 2025…to challenge myself.

Enjoy and Happy Stitching!

Sewing is “Chic” Art

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In the process of cleaning out my basement, which will take me another 10 years, I found an old school yearbook. Not mine. Not belonging to any relative of mine that I can discern, although the school sounds familiar.

It’s from St. Anne High School in Chicago, 1946.

2211 W 18th Pl Chicago, IL 60608 ( I believe this is the address.)

Now, you have to admit, the write-up for sewing is special:
“It is a course which provides the teenage girl the opportunity to take an inventory of her charm possibilities, to meet the clothing problems intelligently, and to determine the value of clothes and personal appearance. Here, she learns also the secret of keeping well dressed without over-emphasis on the purse.”

The Annean, 1946

Gosh, not a single mention of STEM, or career path, or self-reliance. Unless “charm’ can be considered self-reliance.

Nevertheless, there is a certain amount of charm, knowing the society back then. And in 2023, we still need to meet the clothing problems intelligently.

Look at those sewing machines. (We won’t mention Sister Mary Bobbin in full habit, and the glowing orbs on the photo of what I can only presume is Mary, in the background.)

A close-up of the gals cutting a pattern. No rotary cutters there! Don’t miss the mini angel-like dress form in the back.

This one is spooky to me. Because the gal standing on the stool literally looks just like me in high school. If I had been born, oh, 35 or so years earlier. We had uniforms that were very similar. Still, I am loving that cabinet they had in the back. What a great place for notions.

I hope you enjoyed this sewing walk through the 1940’s. The beginning of the book makes many mentions of youth being the source of lasting peace. I don’t know if I’ll save the book.

But I will certainly save the sewing page. And frame it.

And hang it in my sewing room