My parapluie felt right at home the other day….at number 35 Jordan Terrace, Bowen Hills.
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| Queensland Womens Historical Association…thank you! It's wonderful that we can appreciate our history, up close and personal, because of the voluntary work you do! |
I've been collecting beautiful textiles for years so I definitely didn't want to miss this. More on the 'sampler' exhibition below.
But first, a glimpse of those Miegunyah gilded treasures.
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| The Perry Family….off to somewhere nice. |
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| The original family….Miegunyah would have been considered very grand in its day…still is today! |
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| Lacey delights inside and out….with wattle beyond. |
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| Lady of the house…..Leila. |
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| Leila appropriately framed in silver gilt. |
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| Beautiful polished and carved timbers everywhere. Quality! |
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| Golden brass pulls. |
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| Coloured and etched stained glass panels….all original. |
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| That quintessential 'Queenslander' look….timber venetians, lattice, and richly decorated cast iron balustrades. |
Many of the samplers on exhibit were embroidered with dates and the various girls' names. Samplers from Evelyn, Norma, Gertie, Amelia, Maria etc etc spanned the 1800s and 1900s.
'Needlework', way back then, was prescribed by law under Regulation 50 (1867) no doubt, to ensure that women had the appropriate 'housewifely' skills to sew on a button, insert a zip, hem a skirt or trouser pant, ruche a sleeve band or collar, darn a holey sock etc etc.
Well, those skills were essential for the age…no bargains via on-line shopping then. No local shopping centres open until 6pm every evening! A housewife had to know how to sew, cook, clean…to stretch that family budget.
Ahhh….those good old fashioned ways!
A golden age that taught practical and useful skills to enhance family life.
And I can't tell you how often I've used my modest stitchery skills!
Just recently I hemmed some white linen….decided on a wabi sabi hem with black cross stitch! Looks very swish too….XXXXXXXX…. thanks regulation 50!!!!
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| I think this gown could be a 'sampler' too…like a toile…the work is incredible. Apparently it won 1st prize at the Brisbane Exhibition!! |
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| I remember those stitches….mine were never that neat though. |
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| Sampler - 18th century |
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| F. Walker's sampler, 1894 |
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| Maria Dring's sampler, 1820 |
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| Evelyn McNulty's sampler, 1900 |
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| Norma's sampler….from St Mary's Convent, Ipswich |
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| Sampler - circa 1950s - note introduction of zip. Needlework keeping apace with changes throughout the century! |
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| Norma's sampler, 1890s |
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| Gertie's sampler, 1887 |
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| Amelia's sampler |
And isn't it great to see a swing back to those good old fashioned ways….with sewing clubs, knitting and crochet clubs. The New Cool for modern gals and guys!!!
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Robyn
http://parisallons-y.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/promenade-with-my-parapluie-iii.html
Oh to be a Home Economics teacher in those times....quiet students, with eager and clean hands all enthusiastically stitching, last lesson on a Friday afternoon. Swoon. I must get to Miegunyah. Xx Giggling re your 'wabi sabi' hemline.
ReplyDeleteFF....you and your little ones would love it!!!!!!! Wabi Sabi hemline.....you'll swoon darling!!!!!!!
DeleteCiao
R
P.S. David Lynch events are going fast.....will I see you there??
d'abord, je dois dire que ces barrières et entourages de fer forgé me font rêver..c'est magnifique ..la blouse en dentelle est aussi un poème.. les travaux d' élèves de couture , me font souvenir à ma propre scolarité.. et à la transpiration , les crampes et la fatigue de mes doigts... :))))
ReplyDeletejoli billet!!!! merci!
Vous etes trés amiable Elfi. Oui....les barrieres et entourages de fer forgé sont magnifique!! La maison 'Queenslander' est belle aussi. Non? Et moi....la fatigue de mes doigts aussi!!!!
DeleteMercie beaucoup Elfi. (Pardon mon francais!)
Hi, dear Robyn! I loved your tour of the folk museum. It was a wonderful journey back through time to a golden age when girls were taught homemaking skills and the importance of being frugal and resourceful and working within a budget. Too many modern misses dream of becoming the next top model or singing idol and never learn those useful skills. I am proud of Mrs. Shady because she has a successful career but also is a superb cook and spends much of her spare time crocheting. She has made sweaters, wraps, socks and other garments for herself, for me and for other family members. My mother was a rug maker and produced at least half a dozen beautiful large rugs for our home.
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear friend Robyn, and have a marvelous Friday!
Dear Shady....how lucky are you!!!! Surrounded by creative women...and Mrs Shady, a superb cook! I've certainly enjoyed developing my 'cuisine' skills over the years....'cos you know what they say about the way to a man's heart!!! The hubster would certainly agree with this!
DeleteThey're wonderful skills to have.....and provide a lifetime of enjoyment. And unfortunately it's true what you say about some modern misses Shady.....just chasing shadows....but let's hope they find the light eventually....think of all the gorgeous items of adornment they could create for themselves!!
Ciao
Robyn
love getting a peek at this + learned to do handwork from my grandmother + don't do it much today + I might just take it up again. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely skill to practise Peggy. I spent the afternoon yesterday at our Gallery of Modern Art doing a workshop on Japanese flower brooches (tsumami-zaiku Kanzashi). It's was delightful...8 women chatting, laughing, creating together.....back to the good old days I say! And looking at interiors from another age is always captivating. As a wonderful interior designer, I knew you would like this post darling Peggy!
DeleteCiao
Robyn
What a great insight to a 'golden age'...thanks Robyn....your golden tinge added the perfect touch! The Japanese Flower brooch workshop sound most interesting.....another post maybe???Just love all the pulled thread work on those gorgeous samplers. Jude
ReplyDeleteThanks Jude. I remember all the beautiful stitched details on your 'Cosi" ranges....thought you would like it. Hard to find that 'detail' today....details of a slower age me thinks....but didn't they make garments special! Good to see that the higher end of the fashion market still does it today....generally with machines though...not by hand.
DeleteActually have a beautiful old Singer "spoke" stitch industrial machine in the corner of my studio!!!so lovely to use for hemming linens....but hand finishing certainly is so special.....jude
DeleteI really enjoyed that grand house and the way you showed it to us- in golden tones. The interior reminded me of old southern plantations in the South. We have the same Ladies and Gentlemen chairs in our parlor that I bought at a plantation estate sale in the 1970s – look good but not too comfortable! The samplers reminded me of the sewing classes we had in our Paris schools – we had to know how to make a buttonhole and all those fancy stitches and those “point de jour” (don’t know their name in English) like the “jour échelle and the point de chausson. But I did not like “darning” which we had to learn on old socks. Mine never were as good as the one you show in your pictures.
ReplyDeleteMine weren't either darling Vagabonde....and I never mastered buttonholes!!! So pleased that you've found the time to visit my blog again.
DeleteI think it's so wonderful to see these lovely things from a Golden Age. Sometimes I think we rush around so much, get buried in Facebook and other technology and miss seeing or even noticing all the wonderful little daily experiences that come our way. So these days I'm taking a slower approach....and enjoying much more!!
Looking forward to your next interesting post too!
Ciao
R