Victorian Needlework

Marrying two exceptionally popular topicsneedlework and women''s historythis book provides an authoritative yet entertaining discussion of the diversity and importance of needlework in Victorian women''s lives.Victorian Needlework explores these ubiquitous pastimestheir practice and their meaning in women''s lives. Covering the period from 18371901 the book looks specifically at the crafts themselves examining quilting embroidery crochet knitting and more. It discusses required skills and the techniques women used as well as the technological innovations that influenced needlework during this period of rapid industrialization.This book is unique in its comprehensive treatment of the topic ranging across class time and technique. Readers will learn what needlework meant to ladies for whom it was a hobby reflecting refinement and femininity and discover what such skills could mean as a suitable way for a woman to make a living often through grueling labor. Such insights are illustrated throughout with examples from women''s periodicals needlework guides pattern books and personal memoirs that bring the period to life for the modern reader.