Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/410

 .CEDLEWORK 388 Detail of filet embroidery on hand-made net Needlecraft is essentially a home industry, to be taken up and put down in the intervals of home-making and home-keeping. Those handicrafts which enable a woman to add to the family exchequer, and at the same time permit her chief work of child-rearins^ and housekeeping to take their natural course, are desirable from the point of view, not only of private convenience, but also of the far greater importance of national prosperity. The panacea for many ills, " back to the land," assumes a more practical as- pect when the tilling of the soil by the man is assisted by the home industry of the woman. The hand lace- making centres, such as Devon and Bucks ; the cottage button- making counties ; the quilters, whose beau- tiful art has recently been revived ; the embroiderers and crochet-working cottagers of Ireland ; and the cloth and tweed makers of far-away Harris — what renewed prosperity has come to them all through this revival of needlecraft. Hand-made, hand-sewn, such words are now synonymous with sound workmanship, incompatible with anything shoddy or second-rate. The story is the same wherever we look. In Italy the once depopulated and starving Island of Burano is now crowded with busy lace stitchers and embroiderers, who own their own cottages, and endow their daughters with the " dot " which makes for happiness. The simple method of transformation was simple as in England. A few men and women interested H.Wi'i^ Blue linen pincushion worked with drawn thread and lace stitches themselves in the movement ; their tastes were artistic, and they desired the beauti- ful. Then Royalty lent its patronage, and extended a more practical sympathy. In- deed, by lending Royal embroideries Queen Margherita did much to revive old methods and old patterns. So the great work of revival goes on ; the assistance of clever brains, good organisers, nimble fingers, judicious buyers, and the improvement in taste in other arts and handicrafts, all lend their influence, direct and indirect, in making the twentieth century a real starting-point in the revival of fine needlecraft. From the highest to those in humbler spheres, all are helping, consciously or unconsciously, to rescue the art of the needle from the depths to which it had fallen. Though it is not given to everyone to execute fine needlework, there are many who, by purchasing it or placing orders with competent Workers, very materially assist in the progress of the revival. There is one other important point which should be clearly laid before the women home- makers who have the true ]:rosperity of the nation at heart. Teach your child- ren to sew. If you are unable to do this yourself through press of other work or lack of special knowledge, select a qualified teacher who for at least twenty minutes a day or one hour a week will instruct your daughters in the art of the needle. The practice of plain sewing is needed as a foundation. Only so will the revival of fine needlework continue to thrive in the hands of the coming generation. Footstool of Jacobean pattern. Hunting scene in coloured wools on linen, 18 inches square