Saturday, March 25, 2017

The Textile Museum and Slow Stitching

Last weekend, my husband and I spent the weekend in Toronto.  We connected with friends and family, went to Canada Blooms, cheered on the Toronto Raptors at a basketball game and went to see the current exhibit at the Textile Museum of Canada. We arrived just in time for a guided tour of "Kind words can never die: A Personal Collection of Victorian Needlework".


The exhibit included several of the 173 needlework mottos that Jane Webster collected in her lifetime while living in Nova Scotia.  I had seen pieces like these but had not looked at them closely before.  



These pieces were popular "Slow Stitching" projects for women and girls in the mid to late 1800's.  The kits were available from catalogues and included the wool thread, a perforated cardboard rectangle with the pattern printed on it and the frame. Some included a silver foil that could be put on the back after the piece was finished. 

I thought this one was interesting...  There was also one with the same sentiment about "Mother" as well.  


Several included Bible verses, song titles and mottos.  Most were completed with variegated thread and several had a lot of fading from being displayed in bright, sunny rooms.  


The Textile Museum is small and can only display some of their collection at any one time.  I would recommend that you stop in if you are in Toronto.  It was interesting to see what past generations of Slow Stitchers did with a needle and thread. 

I managed to make a couple more plus signs this week too.


I also hand sewed a button this week and have three pairs of pants to hem ---not my favourite type of slow stitching, but necessary. 

I will be linking up with Kathy tomorrow for our weekly hand stitching sew-in.  Take care! 

9 comments:

  1. Love those needlework pieces! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your slow stitching today.

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  2. Thanks for the insight into the Textile Museum, sadly no chance of me visiting (I'm in the UK). Your +'s look great!

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  3. A lot of work represented in those needlewook pieces. Thanks for sharing. Nice plus signs!

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  4. I didn’t even know there was a textile museum in Toronto.

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  5. Thank you for sharing those needlework pieces. I like your new plus signs.

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  6. That sounds like a fabulous weekend... I am jealous!
    Thanks for sharing about the textile museum... I have never been there!
    Must put that on the to-do list!

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  7. Beautiful needwork! Thanks for sharing I live so far away (in Brazil) for visiting the Kind words exhibit at the Textile Museum. Are you making the Plus sign as EPP?

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  8. Thanks for sharing the needlework pieces and about the textile museum.

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  9. What a fascinating tour -- I love the look of them, especially the "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" one! Your plus signs look great! :)

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