White linen fabric with 4 motifs in cut work, connected by sprays of broderie anglais flowers. The mat shape and style is typical of the period. The edge has decorative buttonhole edge.embroidery, mats, 1900-20, australia, cutwork

Mrs Doris Adams designed and worked this tea cosyCream linen with a simple band of coloured needle-weaving. Constructed for easy cleaning with decorative buttonhole edging and tied with a cord. White pad inside.embroidery, needle-weaving, tea cosies, australia, 1960-80

Miss M. Black (member)Drawn fabric work, even weave linen with self coloured geometric design covering the central area and decorative drawn fabric hem. Eight different stitches have been included. Designed and embroidered by the maker. embroidery, mats, 1960-80, australia, drawn fabric

Said by donor ( (in 1976) to have been warn by 4 generations of her family.Fine white linen with fine sprigs all over. Decorative circle on back, a decorative band around the face in Ayrshire style. Three pin tucks around the face. Nylon ties have been added much later. Machine or handmade?embroidery, whitework, bonnets, late 19th century, ayrshire, scotland

Used by peasant women when in Chador (local dress), the decorative corner is used as a viewing corner through which to view the passers-by without their own faces being seen.Pale blue linen (local) with hem stitched edge and self coloured surface embroidery. A band of drawn thread work with a lighted blue incorporated in the design, with one corner having a large area of the open work embroidery.embroidery, handkerchiefs, 1960-80, middle east, surface stitchery

Part of the Iranian collection selected by Lady Amies when on a trip in 1976. Prayer mat -local name safayeh. A mat of this design can only be used by Iranian men who have made a pilgrimage to Mecca and on which they place their small ecclesiastical pieces and earth when praying in public.Fine hand woven cream linen, embroidered with coloured silk threads, sprigs of flowers in centre with decorative border. The lining of spotted blue cotton and an edge of black binding.embroidery, surface stitchery, mats, 1960-80, middle east, iran

Cream fine linen with self coloured embroidery, a decorative edge is worked all round, with the front corners in fine cut worked squares. A central motif has a lady's head and shoulders in period costume. All embroidered in drawn thread work.embroidery, sachets, italy, drawn thread

Ramie is the generic name for a bast fibre fabric made from the stems of plants in the wider nettle family. "Grass Cloth" (Ramie): Known as China grass, ramie, or rhea, this nettle fabric was used similarly to flax linen and was often imported from East Asia. Bleaching Process: In the 18th century, linen was spread on grass (often called "bleach greens" or "bleachfields") and watered regularly to create a "sun-bleached" look without chemicals. Significance: Linen was crucial for clothing (shifts, shirts) and household textiles.Made from grass linen with a decorative circle at the back in floral embroidery and the rest is scattered with tiny flower heads. The edge has a fine leaf decoration and 3 tucks with draw string.embroidery, bonnets, 18th century, holland

Narrow straight collar. Fine white linen embroidery with leaves and flowers with a decorative edge, and slits for a ribbon bow. Neckband has buttonholes for studs.embroidery, collars, whitework, late 19th century

In the early 20th century it was common for ladies to work doilies in lace or embroidered cloth. They were used to decorate sideboards or dressing tables and also on trays underneath crockery and on plates under food. These could be made from purchased kits or pattern books. They may form part of a trousseauSet of two white embroidered doilies. Scalloped edge has crotcheted finish. An embroidered leaf and half flower pattern on two opposing corners and embroidered quarter flower on the other two corners. There is an embroidered flower in the centre. There are six sets of embroidered holes to thread a ribbon through to gather the larger doily.doilies, household linens

This sampler booklet was made by Rose Plummer. She was born in Albury in 1886. During late 19th and early 20th centuries, women and girls made handicraft samplers as essential educational tools to learn and display needlework skills and record patterns. These embroidered pieces served as both a "textile Curriculum Vitae" for working-class girls and a public declaration of accomplishment and diligence for girls of all backgrounds. Simple samplers were a standard part of a girl's education and often simply recorded the alphabet, numbers, and more advanced stitches through a process of repetition and imitation. The samplers were also a way to record and share decorative patterns and stitches. They demonstrated a young girl's proficiency in needlework and sewing, essential skills for household linen and mending. For working-class girls, samplers acted as a practical "textile Curriculum Vitae," showcasing their sewing abilities to potential employers for domestic service or related employment. This book was donated to the Wodonga & District Historical Society by Nancy Beasley, daughter of Rose Plummer.A book filled with samples of embroidery and crochet work.embroidery skills, women's craft

William Turner, a Scottish born free-lance designer, who was contracted to GP&J Baker, painted the image on which the design was based in 1918. Turner had trained as a furniture designer before leaving for London in the 1890s, where he rose to prominence as an Arts & Crafts designer. The bird that gives this design its name is adapted from Robert Havell’s ‘A Collection of Birds of Paradise’, published in 1835, and was a favourite of Victorian chintz designers.“Paradise Bird” has been in continuous production since its creation. The hand-block print, of which these curtains are an early example, was supplemented by a version engraved on copper rollers in 1962, and was updated onto screens in 1982. The curtains have significance to the collection because of their intrinsic value and for the link to one of the historic mansions in the City of Boroondara. The curtains by G.P & J Baker of London use one of the exemplary designs in this manufacturer’s output. The first use of the design was in 1918, following the Great War, and the design is said to reflect the hope for peace which was a feature of the postwar years. The curtains are an early example of the Paradise Bird design, and were block printed. A pair of curtains originally situated in one of the front reception rooms of 'Tourmont' in Balwyn Road, Balwyn (now Fintona Girls’ School). The fabric in the curtains was manufactured by the English firm of GP&J Baker. The textile design is variably named as ‘Paradise Bird’ or more recently, ‘Hydrangea Bird’. Turner’s bird perches in a blossoming branch directly above a woodpecker, which is an attribute of Mars, god of war. Thus the design reads as a symbolic statement where War is reversed and Paradise returns (a hopeful message at the end of WWI). “Paradise Bird” has been in continuous production since its creation. . curtains, fabric design, historic buildings

Believed to have been made by Tilly Aston, this tray cloth is an example of the type of skills the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind school taught its female students. Handicrafts was a possible method of income, and the emphasis was on producing usable pieces rather than highly decorative ones. It is a rectangular shaped tray cloth made from cotton and silk thread. The centre piece is cream coloured and consists of 2 layers of pulled thread work The cloth is edged with a beige coloured lace border. Linen cloth with crocheted edgingtilly aston, royal victorian institute for the blind

This broderie perse' wall hanging was donated to the Kew Historical Society in 1980 by Mrs Joy Ivory. The hanging had belonged to her mother - Amy Grigg - and was used by the latter to demonstrate skills in darning (the red stitching). Provenance includes a certificate dating from 1889 which records an award to Amy Grigg of Pakington Street (Kew) for skills in needlework, issued by the Kew Floral Industrial & Art Society. Amy Grigg later married Albert Watson, the son of John Watson. The latter was an early pastor of the Kew Methodist Church in Highbury Grove, Kew. Both the Watson and Grigg families were early pioneers of Kew. While the hanging was modified by Amy Grigg in 1889, the original textile dates from an earlier period when 'Broderie Perse' (Persian embroidery) was used to create quilts and wall hangings. It is estimated that the hanging dates from the first half of the 19th century. An exact dating will require a detailed examination of the cotton chintz fabrics used to embroider the hanging. This appliquéd wall hanging is one of the earliest textiles in the Kew Historical Society's fashion & textiles collection. Similar examples are held in major international collections such as the Victoria & Albert Museum. This example of broderie perse is significant for the cross-cultural influence of Indian textiles on European taste, not unusual given the English foothold in India during this period. Additional interest is due to the mixing of Indian and European textiles in the design, while staying true to the derivation of the design. The textile is both well-provenanced and rare. While it is unlikely to be Australian-made, it is probably an example of a textile brought to Australia during the colonial period that indicates a desire to decorate interiors using items created in and for the English home. On another level, the wall hanging is a fine example of 'women's work' in the first half of the nineteenth century.Small wall hanging, comprised of five panels that are each appliquéd by hand in herringbone stitch using a range of decorative figurative motifs including flora and fauna. The design is based on an Indian palimpore representing a tree of life design. The base textile is a cream linen while the appliquéd figures or shapes are cut from cotton chintz. These additions are probably a mix of Indian and European designs. The quality of the herringbone stitching is very fine. Later stitching in red wool was added in the 1890s to demonstrate skill in darning. The main panel is bordered by a narrow green and ecru braid. It has a narrow tan braid at the top and bottom of the two side panels. A surrounding tan braid around the entire textile is missing in some places. textiles, applique, broderie perse, amy grigg, wall hangings, migration

Large white linen tea cosy cover. Blue machine embroidered blossom tree with peacock. Scalloped edge in blue hemstitched hem.domestic items, ornaments / decorative, food storage & preservation

White embroidered oval doyley. (located in pram 275 covering pillow)manchester, table linen

Hand embroiderered tea-cosy cover - white linen with fully crocheted scalloped lace edging and a mid blue embroidered design based on the Willow Pattern story.The cover is single thickness with identical design on both sides.handcrafts, embroidery, manchester, table linen

From collection of Bette JonesSmall semi circular shaped cream linen egg cosy with cream crotched edge. A different embroidered flower design on each side. Padded cotton lining (separated)domestic items, ornaments / decorative, handcrafts, embroidery

Used by Mrs Jean Ashcroft (nee Broad) and probably worked by her. She came from Galashiels ScotlandIvory rectangular tray cloth with a knitted lace edge and drawn thread work and embroidery in ivory of four circles of flowersnonemanchester, table linen

Pink napkin hand embroidered with cream silkmanchester, table linen

White cotton crocheted square doyleymanchester, table linen

Square white cotton knitted lace doyleymanchester, table linen

Round white cotton doyley with deep crocheted border.manchester, table linen, handcrafts, needlework

Embroidered picture of bunch of flowers, darned embroidery on fine linen.handcrafts, embroidery, needlework

A fine example of Maltese Lace.Square doyley, machine made lace with cotton insert.manchester, table linen

Square coffee coloured doyley or table mat. Woven with over embroidery.manchester, table linen

On a small slip of paper is a note re general history of this edition of the English Reader 'Advanced Reader' published in England in 1873 and used by the Victorian Education Department until it began publication of its own 'Grade Readers' in the 1920s.Small book - Linen on board - binding dark red and embossed decorative border on front cover. Some gilt tooling and lettering. Cream colour lining. 400 pages, organised into five sections includes poetry and prose. Introduction by Sydney Smith.books, school/educational

White cotton rectangular doyley edged in blue blanket stitch. Thick embroidery thread is used in flower pattern.manchester, table linen

Linen square with embroidery of Boronia in baskets. Boronia represented by various shades of very small brown beads surrounded by green embroidered leaves.manchester, bath linen, handcrafts, needlework

William Gray was the President of the Whitehorse Historical Society during the 1980s and this was the property of his wife Beryl GrayDoyly. Oval, 38cm x 27cm, Needle Lace. Inner ground surrounding the flowers, is on French Argentinian ground or mesh with cotton handmade lace.manchester, table linen