The Development of Embroidery in America

Bedcovers, samplers and embroidered portraits supply the evidence for Candace Wheeler's account of needlework in America. She treats surviving stitches as records of domestic life, looking at what materials, patterns and patient handwork reveal about the women who made them. The illustrated history moves through colonial crewelwork, quilts, Moravian embroidery, lacework and Berlin woolwork, before considering the revival of embroidery and the Society of Decorative Art.

The discussion of pictorial needlework brings its methods into close view. Wheeler describes family portraits combining stitched scenes with painted faces, sometimes adding curls made from the sitter's own hair. Memorial pieces use willow trees, monuments and figures to express grief, with ink and embroidery sharing the work of the image. For readers interested in textile history or inherited household objects, the book offers examples of how decoration could preserve family memories as well as demonstrate skill.