Another of Grandmama’s pieces

Pyjama Case

Pyjama Case

Grandmama must have worked embroideries galore for her assorted grandchildren. This pyjama case with a chubby kitten on the front was worked for me – I think as a birthday present – when I was about nine, and I’ve rediscovered it among a host of other reminiscences of childhood.

You can see the lingering “Make Do And Mend” ethos of the wartime years when she was bringing up her own family in looking at the whole thing, which is actually pieced together to create the final, full size of the pyjama case. It’s worked on a synthetic crepe, too, which many embroiderers today would tend to despise.

However, if you zoom in on the picture, you will be able to see the legacy of her teacher Miss Hunter in the beautifully even stitches of the embroidery (nothing complex – chain stitch, stem stitch, and satin stitch). That legacy is also apparent in the care that Grandmama took in lining it just as beautifully. She’s even sewn tapes to the inside of the case so that the strain on the press studs is reduced.

I’d almost forgotten about this piece and I was thrilled to find it again!

 

As from today I am going down to just one post per week. I’m planning a lot of work on the house, and I don’t want to be resenting lost embroidery time. Not least, the ultimate goal is to have a studio, or at least a studio corner, so eventually the work should result in a better life for my embroidery. I will still be embroidering, and still writing posts (I’ve found more of Grandmama’s bits and pieces, too!), but I hope at a slightly more relaxed pace.

8 Comments

  1. Lady Fi says:

    Oh, that cat is just charming!

    Good luck with the house…

  2. Penny B says:

    Rediscovering precious objects from our younger days brings a richness to our present. And what a charmer that little kitty is!

  3. Janice says:

    It is beautifully worked, and a gorgeous design that would have appealed to any young girl, I think. I’m a fan of the make do and mend philosophy myself, if not of the synthetic crepe era, of which I remember with horror a series of crimplene dresses I was forced to wear!

  4. deanna7trees says:

    love it and such a great memory.

  5. Another lovely memory! Good work with the work in the house …. we have been here long enough to have to think about redecorating the first rooms we did when we moved in!

  6. These pieces keep the memory of your Grandmother alive. Such a precious thing.

  7. Penny says:

    Ahhh a studio in your future!!! Hooray!!!! Go gently with time to appreciate the whole process. We’ll all catch up with you as you have time.

  8. karen says:

    a beautiful heirloom…..good luck with the house!