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Sewing Collection (#2)

"In Love with the Art of Sewing: From Betsy Ross to Margot Fonteyn" Sewing has always been a labor of love, an art form that weaves together history and creativity

Background imageSewing Collection: HOUS2A-00150

HOUS2A-00150
Quilting party in western Virginia, 1850s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Background imageSewing Collection: Gordon Highlanders making kilts in the open air

Gordon Highlanders making kilts in the open air
A group of soldiers from the Gordon Highlanders, some smoking pipes, sit outdoors making kilts. One of them is using a sewing machine

Background imageSewing Collection: Sewing in the Garden by Millicent Sowerby

Sewing in the Garden by Millicent Sowerby
Two girl guides sit in a picturesque garden knitting socks and comforters after their exertions gardening

Background imageSewing Collection: Making horse tack in a workshop

Making horse tack in a workshop
Two craftsmen preparing the leatherwork for horse tack; shaping, stretching and sewing the pieces to the correct shape and size. Painting by Malcolm Greensmith

Background imageSewing Collection: Forty Winks by C. E. Wilson

Forty Winks by C. E. Wilson
A dear old lady in a mop cap, spectacles and a tartan shawl has fallen asleep at a table in the middle of reading a newspaper and sewing a patchwork quilt

Background imageSewing Collection: Happy Families / Mr Tape

Happy Families / Mr Tape
" Happy Families" was devised in Britain by Mr Jacques in 1861

Background imageSewing Collection: Ploughing and Dibbing Beans

Ploughing and Dibbing Beans
Artist: British (English) School - Title: Ploughing and Dibbing Beans - Date: N/A - Original Medium and Size: Oil on Canvas 43.2 x 61

Background imageSewing Collection: Girl Sewing / Cat Sleeping

Girl Sewing / Cat Sleeping
A little girl sits sewing while her cat sleeps at her feet

Background imageSewing Collection: French Tailors C18Th

French Tailors C18Th
An elegant Frenchman has a fitting for a new coat. A tailor, down on one knee, makes some adjustments. Another, sewing buttons, sits cross legged on a bench

Background imageSewing Collection: Stitch Types Diagram

Stitch Types Diagram
Leaflet that is promotional & instructional as it clearly & simply shows you how to do various basic handsewing stitches & hems such as handkerchief or rolled hem

Background imageSewing Collection: Mr Tape the Tailor

Mr Tape the Tailor, from " Happy Families" devised in Britain by Mr Jacques in 1861

Background imageSewing Collection: Young Woman Sewing, 1879. Creator: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Young Woman Sewing, 1879. Creator: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Young Woman Sewing, 1879

Background imageSewing Collection: The Dacca Twist Companys Sewing Cotton, Manchester

The Dacca Twist Companys Sewing Cotton, Manchester
Advertising showcard, The Dacca Twist Companys Sewing Cotton, Manchester. Date: circa 1900

Background imageSewing Collection: Betsy Ross, 1777

Betsy Ross, 1777. Betsy Ross showing Major Ross and Robert Morris how she cut the stars for the American flag; George Washington sits in a chair on the left. Date c1932 July 28

Background imageSewing Collection: Firemen at Chipping Norton Workhouse, Oxfordshire

Firemen at Chipping Norton Workhouse, Oxfordshire
Firemen stand in a burnt-out section of the Chipping Norton workhouse in Oxfordshire following a fire on 19 March 1911. Sewing machines and cotton reels amongst the debris indicate a sewing room

Background imageSewing Collection: Factories of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Top left: Cabinet works at Govan, Glasgow, Scotland

Factories of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Top left: Cabinet works at Govan, Glasgow, Scotland. Centre top: Factory at Glasgow, Scotland. Top right: Factory at South Bend, Indiana, USA

Background imageSewing Collection: Domestic sewing machine. Bride and groom

Domestic sewing machine. Bride and groom. Date c1882

Background imageSewing Collection: Moroccan Pouf Makers

Moroccan Pouf Makers
Moroccan Pouf makers

Background imageSewing Collection: Social / Us Sewing Room

Social / Us Sewing Room
Two girls and a woman in an old-time sewing room

Background imageSewing Collection: Young Woman Sewing

Young Woman Sewing
A superb mezzotint showing a young woman engaged in needlework

Background imageSewing Collection: Girl Sewing Quilt C1890

Girl Sewing Quilt C1890
A little girl completes the final stitches on a quilt. Date: circa 1890

Background imageSewing Collection: Household / Sewing (C17)

Household / Sewing (C17)
Two Dutch women sewing

Background imageSewing Collection: Young girls showing off one of six pairs of knickers that they made from an old night

Young girls showing off one of six pairs of knickers that they made from an old night dress. April 1941

Background imageSewing Collection: 7336129

7336129

Background imageSewing Collection: Portrait of a Woman, 1538. Creator: Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

Portrait of a Woman, 1538. Creator: Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder
Portrait of a Woman, 1538.

Background imageSewing Collection: Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary, 1609. Creator: Peter Paul Rubens

Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary, 1609. Creator: Peter Paul Rubens
Portrait of a Young Woman with a Rosary, 1609.

Background imageSewing Collection: Saint Casilda, 1630. Creator: Francisco de Zurbaran

Saint Casilda, 1630. Creator: Francisco de Zurbaran
Saint Casilda, 1630.

Background imageSewing Collection: Portrait of a Lady, 1530. Creator: Hans Baldung

Portrait of a Lady, 1530. Creator: Hans Baldung
Portrait of a Lady, 1530.

Background imageSewing Collection: Mrs. Stuart Robson, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service

Mrs. Stuart Robson, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service
Mrs. Stuart Robson, 1910.

Background imageSewing Collection: Mrs. Richard Hyde, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service

Mrs. Richard Hyde, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service
Mrs. Richard Hyde, 1910.

Background imageSewing Collection: Mrs. Harry Coudrey, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service

Mrs. Harry Coudrey, 1910. Creator: Bain News Service
Mrs. Harry Coudrey, 1910.

Background imageSewing Collection: Georgette Leblanc, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service

Georgette Leblanc, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service
Georgette Leblanc, 1911.

Background imageSewing Collection: Mrs. C.M. Depew seated, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service

Mrs. C.M. Depew seated, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service
Mrs. C.M. Depew seated, 1911.

Background imageSewing Collection: King Nicholas, Montenegro, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service

King Nicholas, Montenegro, 1911. Creator: Bain News Service
King Nicholas, Montenegro, 1911.

Background imageSewing Collection: Interior with a Woman sewing and a Child, 1662. Creator: Pieter de Hooch

Interior with a Woman sewing and a Child, 1662. Creator: Pieter de Hooch
Interior with a Woman sewing and a Child, 1662. De Hooch depicts a typical Dutch interior. The mother is busy sewing but also attends to her small son

Background imageSewing Collection: Pilgrims' Mass, 1450. Creator: Circle of Jaume Huguet

Pilgrims' Mass, 1450. Creator: Circle of Jaume Huguet
Pilgrims' Mass, 1450.

Background imageSewing Collection: Portrait Of Achille Deban De Laborde, 1817. Creator: Alexandre-Jean Dubois-Drahonet

Portrait Of Achille Deban De Laborde, 1817. Creator: Alexandre-Jean Dubois-Drahonet
Portrait Of Achille Deban De Laborde, 1817. Painted during the Bourbon restoration, this portrait depicts the son of a fallen Napoleonic hero during a time of anti-imperialism in France

Background imageSewing Collection: Girl Sewing, 1720. Creator: Antonio Amarosi

Girl Sewing, 1720. Creator: Antonio Amarosi
Girl Sewing, 1720.

Background imageSewing Collection: Mrs Lamm, 1894. Creator: Anders Leonard Zorn

Mrs Lamm, 1894. Creator: Anders Leonard Zorn
Mrs Lamm, 1894.

Background imageSewing Collection: Marie-Thérèse Durand-Ruel Sewing, 1882. Creator: Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Marie-Thérèse Durand-Ruel Sewing, 1882. Creator: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Marie-Therese Durand-Ruel Sewing, 1882. Marie-Therese Durand-Ruel was the eldest daughter of the influential art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel, who commissioned Renoir to paint each of his five children

Background imageSewing Collection: The Right Hon. Benjamin Samuel Phillips, the new Lord Mayor of London, 1865. Creator: Unknown

The Right Hon. Benjamin Samuel Phillips, the new Lord Mayor of London, 1865. Creator: Unknown
The Right Hon. Benjamin Samuel Phillips, the new Lord Mayor of London, 1865. Engraving from a photograph by Messrs. Mayall. 'Mr

Background imageSewing Collection: Alcool

Alcool
Georgios Bero

Background imageSewing Collection: Hoping you'll spend a nice time this Xmas and sew on (colour litho)

Hoping you'll spend a nice time this Xmas and sew on (colour litho)
8656819 Hoping you'll spend a nice time this Xmas and sew on (colour litho) by English School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Background imageSewing Collection: World's Children: Sewing (colour litho)

World's Children: Sewing (colour litho)
8625666 World's Children: Sewing (colour litho) by Menpes, Mortimer Ludington (1855-1938); Private Collection; (add.info.: Sewing)

Background imageSewing Collection: Family Portrait, 1828 (oil on canvas)

Family Portrait, 1828 (oil on canvas)
8715730 Family Portrait, 1828 (oil on canvas) by Baerentzen, Emilius Ditlev (1799-1868); Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark; (add.info.: By Emilius Baerentzen)

Background imageSewing Collection: Engraving depicting a woman being rejected when asking for sewing as an outworker, 19th century

Engraving depicting a woman being rejected when asking for sewing as an outworker, 19th century
5308849 Engraving depicting a woman being rejected when asking for sewing as an outworker, 19th century; (add.info.: Engraving depicting a woman being rejected when asking for sewing as an outworker)

Background imageSewing Collection: Advertisement for the 'Guelph' sewing machine, 19th century (engraving)

Advertisement for the "Guelph" sewing machine, 19th century (engraving)
5308691 Advertisement for the "Guelph" sewing machine, 19th century (engraving); Universal History Archive/UIG

Background imageSewing Collection: 19th century advertisement, for Wilcox & Gibbs, sewing machine 1880

19th century advertisement, for Wilcox & Gibbs, sewing machine 1880
5311104 19th century advertisement, for Wilcox & Gibbs, sewing machine 1880; (add.info.: Date: 1880); Universal History Archive/UIG




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"In Love with the Art of Sewing: From Betsy Ross to Margot Fonteyn" Sewing has always been a labor of love, an art form that weaves together history and creativity. Just like Betsy Ross sewing the first American flag, captured beautifully in Henry Mosler's painting, it symbolizes patriotism and craftsmanship. The Singer sewing machine ad from the 1890s reminds us of how this revolutionary invention transformed the way garments were made. The Singer Sewing Machines factory in Clydebank became a hub for innovation and mass production, bringing sewing into every household. In Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett hopes her handiwork will impress Mr. Bingley - a testament to how sewing was not only practical but also a means of expressing affection. "The Patchwork Quilt" evokes memories of cozy nights spent under handmade blankets stitched with care and love. Muriel Dawson's illustration "Little Miss Natty Fingers" captures the innocence and joy children find in learning this timeless skill. Hand block printing at Crysede Island Works in St Ives transports us to Cornwall in the 1930s when artisans meticulously crafted unique patterns on fabric using traditional techniques. A dressmaker's workshop is where dreams come true as fabrics are transformed into beautiful garments that make people feel confident and stylish, and is here that fashion takes shape through skilled hands guided by imagination. Even prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn knew the importance of attention to detail; she repaired her ballet shoes herself, ensuring perfection down to every stitch. This dedication exemplifies how sewing extends beyond clothing into other realms of artistry. Welsh Lady using a Singer Sewing Machine showcases how these machines brought convenience even to rural areas, empowering individuals with their own creative abilities while connecting communities through shared experiences. Lastly, Wheeler & Wilson industrial sewing machine engraving from c1890 illustrates how technology advanced alongside the art of sewing, enabling faster and more efficient production.