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Wednesday, June 13

Jane Austen's needlework

Jane Austen was an accomplished needlewoman, as so many women were in times past. In Jane Austen: Her Homes and Her Friends, Constance Hill describes Jane and her mother and sister, Cassandra, settling into a routine at Chawton House of gardening, reading, writing, and needlework. Today, a visitor to the house can see the quilt the three women created, as well as a few samples of Jane's other needlework. (Above: Detail of the quilt at Chawton House)

Baptism cloth, 1800, shows a fine example of chain stitch embroidery during this period. This is not one of Jane Austen needlework samples.

This Norwich Shawl was embroidered in 1800, and used an embroidery pattern that would have been popular in northern Europe.

To learn more about Jane Austen as a needlewoman, click on the following links:

2 comments:

Icha said...

Austen constantly amazes me. Not only her writing was very advanced for her age, she is also a very accomplished craft-woman. Not a boring spinster at all! Thanks!

Lady Jane said...

I wish I could do needlework! So pretty!