Embroidery in America

Embroidery came to America with the early colonists in the 1600's. It resembled the stitchery being done in Europe at first but soon took on a New World look. Items from nature found in the Americas but not in Europe made their way into designs. Because decorative fabrics were harder to obtain in the colonies, and people seemed to be more practical anyway, the embroidery tended to be more utilitarian. American embroiderers also often chose stitches that used less yarn, especially on the reverse side.

Almost no embroidery works have survived the 1600's, but we know about them, because they were included in inventories and records. At first, they tended to be monochromatic, using indigo blue or white thread. Next came the yellows and tans common with natural dyes, but these were follow with an array of colors. "Even the English did not produce colors as varied or as brilliant" (The Antique Trader Weekly, August 15, 1990).

Embroidery became even more popular in the colonies in the 1700's, as some women began to have more leisure time. They embroidered bed hangings, chair seats, purses, petticoats, and pockets to tie around the waist. However, textiles are not very durable, and most of these were well-used and worn out.

The 1800's brought the Industrial Revolution, and embroidery fell out of vogue. Printed cloth became less expensive, and embroidery was no longer needed to provide colorful patterns in the way it once had been. In some areas, like on Southern plantations, women still embroidered for entertainment and pleasure, but it was done less and less.

By the 1900's, embroidery had changed. More stitches were used that would complete a work faster, such as the outline stitch and daisy stitch, and less of the cloth was filled in with satin stitches, etc. It did flourish during the Victorian Era, but it declined again during and after the war years. The biggest exception to all this was in rural areas. In remote areas, folk art like embroidery, never died out. The renewed interest in Americana and crafts around the bicentennial in 1976 revived embroidery. No doubt, embroidery in some form will remain important to those who like arts, crafts, needlework, or history.

_____________________________________