My Little Collection
Welcome * Bienvenue * Welkom * Willkommen * Benvenuto * Bienvenido
As I look at all these little pieces of embroidered fabrics, I cannot help but think that they were once the very important objects of little girls learning to become a woman, a lady. Some intact, some partially enjoyed by moths and some that were not eager to resist the sweeping time. The defects can only take from their overall beauty but not from their value! They all are precious where money is not known or mentioned!
The Dutch tapisseriewerk or the German stickmustertuch. Various stitch techniques with wool on linen or waste canvas! Mostly bands from late 1800s. I looked for a specific name for them especially in German, but was not lucky. I like calling them post-Beidermeier samplers. They could well be Berlin Work band or stitch samplers too. My friend Bruce Lindstedt says they are called Berlin Work samplers in the US and that they were done by girls or young women to learn the stitches, the alphabet or as a bible story, as some of them had a biblical design to them. Whatever they are, I love them :) They travelled all the way from Germany, USA, Australia, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Hungary, UK and France, now in their new home in the middle of an Aegean peninsula. It is not the easiest thing to add to my little collection, especially coming from a different culture and geography but I am determined to keep this hobby and shall be adding more as life and luck avails :) I hope you enjoy looking into my little collection!
Quite unique with its beadwork (very right column)
An amazing darning sampler from 1876
I am quite emotional about this particular darning sampler. I know the details of ET thanks to her heirs / greatgrandchildren. ET stands for Elisabeth Titius born on the 21st of November 1890 in Mainz-Kastel near Frankfurt. Her name in some documents mentioned as Elisabetha, married Jacob Egenolf on the 11th of August 1909. Jacob Egenolf was journalist and loved books. He was a late descendant of the first bookprinter of Frankfurt, Christian Egenolf, who lived from 1502 to 1555.
Elizabetha!
From left to right : Jacob, Elisabetha's husband; Elisabetha; son Josef; daughter Lore
and Ursula, the grand-daughter.
Elisabetha, at her elderly ages, probably looking into the Rhine which she and family loved.
Rest in peace dear Elisabetha!
Beadwork tray and pelmet
An amazing find! Petit point on felt - Biedermeier period
A wonderful silk sampler from 1895. The reverse is identical to the front!
Drawn-thread sampler ... A wonderful find from Holland.
Breirol in Dutch or strickmuster as the German call it. This one is an amazing find. Similar to the sampler in the wonderful book "Knitted Lace" by Susanna E. Lewis. It is about 342 cm (11.2 ft) with a width of 6 cm (2.35"). Cotton
One of the most valuable of my humble collection. The ancestor of hardanger and in my opinion, the ancestor of hedebo, reticella, lefkara, schawlm, etc. etc., the Aintab Embroidery. Stitched with silk on very fine silk! It is a wedding purse/bag. A museum piece from Antep, South-Eastern Turkey.
A couple more wedding purses; richelieu and filet net.
Pulled Thread
These drawn thread doilies/coasters/samplers are amazing! I found them in the USA and UK. Except for two which are slightly bigger, all are on 7.5 cm ( 3 inch ) very fine cotton squares!
A filet net square and another Aintab embroidery. Again on silk with silk thread with silk needlelace edging.
I am blessed to be loved by a lady who treated me as a daughter ever since my birth, my Nino as I've been calling her since the day I could speak. Her real name is Nevin Bilginer. Below are a tea set for four from her trousseau. She embroidered them herself ... Silk over silk and the work is amazingly fine.
Another amazing find from the USA, though with some damage/tears ... This is an exeptional handkerchief, again very fine silk embroidered with silk floss. I cannot tell which part is front and which back. They are identical! I shall look into having it repaired.
Front & back or vice versa :)
A few Ottoman towels ...
And an Ottoman prayer scarf that belonged to my grandmother or her mother.
A couple more ... White one is a very fine silk handkerchief with silver embroidery. Unfortunately damaged.
One more sample for drawn thread. Centre hand-painted!
And a few samples on perforated paper. One of the bookmarks has a very interesting story. Please CLICK to read.
I was honored with this gift by my Swedish friends Anita & Åke. This pillow case which was never used, belonged to Åke's grandmother Maria Dahlin Egebi who married Axel Wikstrand thus, the initials are MW. Åke says they were engaged in 1915 and married in 1916 and that the case cannot be any newer than mid to late 1915 coming from Maria's trousseau :)
These belonged to my husband's mother (including the chiffonière below) who passed away too young!
Last but not least, this antique textile ( about 170 x 107 cm - 67" x 42" ) now decorating my wall, is a patchwork from India which I had bought twenty years ago. I am told the patches are from wedding gowns. All hand embroidered!
