Description

This piece of embroidery is labelled as Wessex stitching panel.

Wessex stitching was the name given by the embroiderer Mrs M Foster to her own style of work. Examples vary in style, but this particular piece is worked on a fairly course even weave baste fibre in green/blue with white, red and yellow embroidery threads. The white threads form the basic pattern of squares and flowers, the red threads were added next and the yellow, much finer thread completes the pattern. A void of five squares in the centre of the piece forms a cross and in this two shades of yellow thread are couched.

In a panel at the bottom of the stitching is the latin phrase Sursam Corda (Lift up your hearts) stitched in the yellow thread with blanket stitch in red. One of the characteristics of Mrs Foster's work was her use of ecclesiastical texts in her stitchery. There is here monogram stitched in the bottom left corner, used to identify this piece.

Mrs Foster was an embroiderer in the early twentieth century who had her own style of embroidery known as 'Wessex stitchery'. Mrs Foster's work varied from piece to piece but they are mainly counted thread work. There was an exhibition of her work at the Medici galleries in Grafton Street, London in 1934.

Physical characteristics

Category: Textile

Technique: Textile - Embroidered

Medium: baste fibre

Object: width 1.5cm height 25cm

Features

Reference 141 on original frame and the Textile Museum reference number 112+ 'Wessex stitching panel' (loose label with item).
Signed: monogram in bottom left of border.

Accession details

Accession number: ITC 2015.80

Accession date: 27/08/2015

Source: Found in Museum