Antique Crochet

Here we have the October 1899 issue of Home Needlework magazine.

This issue is from the first year of the magazine's publication, as noted in the publisher's announcement in the front of the book. This issue has lots of lovely illustrations in both color and black and white. There are 9 color illustrations all together!

The full-page color illustrations are as follows:

• Fern Centerpiece Design
• Decore Crochet Designs
• Bridesmaid Rose Design
• Chrysanthemum Design
• Autumn Leaf Design
• Nasturtium Design
• Morris Embroidery
• Conventional Design
• Embroidered sofa pillow

The main focus of the book is embroidery, but there are some lovely crochet patterns also. There is a child's crocheted silk cap. There is also a Decore crochet doily and a Decore crochet tasseled linen. There are many lovely floral& botanical designs that are shown in black and white. These are all doily designs and the illustrations are relatively small. Motifs include orchid, dwarf sunflower, wild rose, buttercup, violet, daisy, maidenhair fern, Christmas holly & berries, mistletoe, blackberry, forget-me-not basket, Red poppy, and more.

There is a spectacular drawn work doily. I just love the next section in this issue! This is such a wonderful and unique idea... It's a doily book! Quoting from the article,

"Most needleworkers have a number of choice doilies which when not in use should be carefully laid away. A most convenient receptacle for a dozen or more doilies is shown in the accompanying illustration of doily book"...

This is a fantastic idea that doily collectors are sure to appreciate.

In this section there are other books also, namely a clipping book, autograph book, and Kodak view book (photo album or Victorian scrapbook).

Next is a pretty pincushion design. Next are some linens~ bureau scarf design; lots of hemstitched tea cloth designs including wild rose tea cloth, bleeding heart tea cloth, conventional tea cloth, holly tea cloth, and Harvard tea cloth (gives instructions for adapting to a different college or university as well).

Then the book progresses to sofa pillows. The so-called sofa pillows are gorgeous, but they would also be well-suited to become boudoir pillows the way we do things today...these would look great scattered on a bed or tossed in a cozy chair or window seat. There are lots of embroidered designs. There is one with the Yale emblem called" Yale Sofa Pillow" that is really neat. Would be a great gift for a Yale alum!

For Cross Stitch-ers there is a fantastic "Boston Shopping Bag" design that looks like it would double as a cute handbag or purse. There is a section on photo frames that includes some really lovely designs.

Another neat section is the chapter called "Styles in Fall Costumes". The illustrations in this section are almost comical, yet they are strangely pretty too. The oddity comes mostly from the fact that the faces of the models appear to be real photographed faces, but the outfits are clearly illustrations; they are with exaggerated thin wasp-waists and curved silhouettes. This issue also has some charming old ads. There is a full-page ad for cream of wheat, plus lots more partial page ads.

Some of these ads seem amazingly funny by today's standards. In particular I'm thinking of the ad for the prophylactic tooth brush. Quoting directly from the ad, it says

"There must be good reason why every dentist in Hartford, Ct. (with only five exceptions) and thousands elsewhere endorse the prophylactic. Ask YOUR dentist what his reasons are. You will believe him when you don't believe us, although we both tell the truth."

That ad appeared in the magazine in all sincerity; I find that truly amusing, don't you?

Other interesting partial page ads include Low bust French Corset, The Gem Embroidery machine, Oxford camera and outfit, and more.

Where To Buy the October 1899 Home Needlework Magazine:

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