Addicted to the Needle... of Ayrshire Whitework Embroidery

I have collected vintage linens for some time now, and although at a seemingly - well, very - young age (late-30s) to be into this type of thing, I have become not only increasingly obsessed (as my husband will attest to) but have expanded my reach of collecting which I hear happens to many. It took me years to even "admit" my linen passion to myself; so once I somewhat gave into it about five years ago, I began, though reserved, collecting printed tablecloths and towels from the U.S. from the 30s to 50s. I had stepped into vintage linens with the first foot... not knowing what would happen eventually...

As time progressed and areas of my closet became stacked with linens, I began to notice a trend of embroidery and needlework pieces showing up more and more in my purchases. Not the embroidered linens on a typical table runner or dresser scarf with the typical motifs, etc. but fine embroidered pieces. I saw these pieces amongst the prints and my heart would just get a bit more excited... and I would note that I would pass many of these up at estate sales and such for the prints as it seemed more "acceptable" to collect that "type" of vintage linen in the 21st century. Why was it so hard to admit a passion for this type of thing when it was clear what my heart was after?! I was in denial.

Well... I eventually gave in - and I gave in big. I have admitted to myself that I am a helpless linen addict with increasingly complicated tastes. I have given in to "the needle" if you will, relenquishing the quest for printed cloths and the like to others, and focused on procuring fine needleworked pieces from any age and culture in history which I find interesting; I do not discriminate.

Of course I have Madeira and Marghab, Italian work, embroidered and monogrammed damask, Hungarian Matyo cloths, embroidered silk Canton piano scarves, some society silk and exquisite Arts & Crafts pieces, pieces bearing embroidered royal cyphers... I've crossed into different regions to acquire Indian zardozi jeweled cloths, Ottoman embroidery, Suzanis, South American embroidered textiles, embroidered Russian and Palestinian ethnic clothing, needlework samplers... Yes, yes, and more yes. Tablecloths, towels, bed linens, table linens, napkins... yes, yes, yes - everything! No country preference, no style preference. If it's beautiful and has needlework, I am interested... A global connisseur of antique embroidered and/or needleworked pieces if you will.

And as this interest expanded, it inevitably lent me down the path to lace and whitework. So this is where I live, sifting through piles of "old junk" as my husband calls it, at sales, antique shops... perusing eBay and wishing, searching the 'net for interesting pieces... hoping to find the breathtaking. I have found some true gems such as a 2 foot by 15 foot swath of handmade Brussels and Point de Gaze for a song, a stunning blouse front composed of 17th-c. Italian lace for a DIME and others.... Little does my husband know that this hoard of "old junk" can be considered part of a retirement fund....

But one of my true loves has come to be whitework embroidery.

I have drifted from my post topic, which could be expected as I am talking linens and lace here, and if I'm like you - or you're like me - getting distracted when talking linens or textiles is normal. But back to the topic: I love whitework especially because it is void of color - and this requires the needlework to necessarily be exquisite enough to hold the piece up on its own merit of artistic design and execution. "Lace" is busy as it is an entire surface with net in most cases, and with brides whereas whitework embellishes portions of surfaces in most cases with exception to baby bonnets and truly magical works of textile art. Whitework requires one to hold the textile up to the eye and inspect the stitches, the minuteness of stitchery, the meticulousness of line, the artistry in choosing certain stitches for certain design aspects - and the sheer amount ot time taken to produce a white work of art that's purpose was to simply be adornment of something. Can you imagine someone painting a white painting? It would be interesting, no?

Of Scottish origin from the shire (town) of Ayr, Ayrshire embroidery began to show up in the early 1800s. It was introduced to poor Scottish women by an Italian merchant and it quickly took hold and was sold throughout the world. It embellished bonnets, christening gowns and the like. As it was produced on cotton muslin, in the mid 1850s when the US stopped exporting cotton during the Civil War, it was no longer possible to produce the quantity of Ayrshire pieces to meet demand, and the demand thus started to decrease. Additionally, as styles of dress evolved and as dresses were not as ruffled, etc... the simple desire for this type of work essentially fizzled out after the Civil War.

I recently discovered two massive Ayrshire panels on a jaunt to an area antique mall. The panels were stuffed into a small basket of other linens (equally fine and which I also purchased) which sat unassumingly atop a wooden chair behind a rail at the top of a staircase. This basket was perhaps a foot wide by 5 or 6 inches deep, so it was nothing obvious. Only a piece of the Ayrshire showed, but having "the linen eye" I spotted it immediately upon coming to the top of the stairs.

One panel is roughly 6 feet in length with the embroidery measuring roughly 7 inches wide. The other panel is roughly 10 feet in length with the embroidery measuring about 10 inches in height. The panels were most probably taken from a dress. They have a stunning boteh motif throughout, dating them to the early 1800s when the love for anything paisley was great. The work is so immaculate that, although when I first inspected it and was looking at the backside, I was taken away. Truly expert work. Exceptional on every level of linen collecting. No damage. Breathtaking and a delight to hold in the hands, run over with the fingers, rove with the eyes - a delight to literally feel the beauty in the heart.

Again, if we are alike, you will, like me, feel your heart stop upon sight of the photos I've posted of these pieces. Go on, let yourself go. It's o.k. to give in to this type of needle... There is no looking back once your heart feels the race of encountering such beauty in Ayrshire embroidery. You've fallen - and fallen hard, no doubt. Enjoy!