Embroidery: a brief illustrated history

 
I acquired some vintage embroidery transfers recently. I usually find transfers half a dozen at a time, or, on rare occasions, maybe a partial shoebox full. And usually they are from the 1950s, give or take a decade, when days-of-the-week transfers like this kitty ironing were all the style.
 
This find was unusual, though, in two ways. First of all, there were hundreds of transfers. Too many to fit in a shoebox. Too many to fit in a suitcase, for that matter. And there were ones from every era, in all kinds of styles. Maybe I bought somebody's collection? It's hard to imagine that one person accumulated so many different ones.
 
This is a good place to mention a couple of things: One, although I tried to show restraint, there are a ton of pictures in this post. If you aren't especially interested in embroidery, don't feel bad about scrolling down real fast or leaving. It's OK. Also, I want to mention the web site The Sewing Palette and its excellent section on embroidery transfers, which proved to be a very valuable reference.
 
When I first started sorting through these, I was perplexed by the volume of what looked like plain sheets of paper. Turns out they were perforated embroidery patterns, a forerunner of the iron-on transfer.
 
To use them, you would need to rub a powder through the perforations to transfer the design.
 Anyway, it's no wonder that hot-iron transfers caught on, because those perforated patterns seem like a lot of work. These "World Famous" patterns have all kinds of transfers for clothing like chemises and cuffs and collars and baby shoes. I'm not a fashion historian - any guesses as to the clothing style there? 1920s? 1930s?
 
There were several books like this, which date back to the 1920s. If you look carefully at the cover, you'll see there's no end to the embroidered objects one can make, including lampshades, book covers, bookends and picture frames.

And, with the use of this sailboat transfer, which consists of tiny raised dots rather than the solid line that came later, one can also make children's clothes.
 
Cute children's clothes.
 
Very cute children's clothes.
 
There also was quite a large collection of transfers from France.
 
A fancy embroidered collar for the fashionable bebe.
 
Each of the French transfer sheets had transfers for common names, such as Clementine and Marthe.
 
I'm planning to sell most of these transfers on eBay come fall. As I was sorting them, I was watching a two-part Oprah series on a woman with a hoarding problem. Perhaps you've seen it, or other programs like it. They scare the dickens out of me. So I chose just a few sheets to keep, like this 1930s style image. I adore this style. Here are some others:

 
 

 
In addition to the '30s style images, I also liked a sheet of cross-stitched nursery figures that would make great baby quilt squares.


 
OK, that's all.  See, I really did show a little restraint. Emphasis on "little." 
   
  
  
  
 
 


 

 

 
 
  

  

Comments

[Whit]

oh boy! what a find! you are a better woman than i. i would have saved the entire box for myself. maybe i need to watch that Oprah show. :O)

thanks for sharing with us!

[Kim Hollar]

Wow that is just awesome, I never even knew anything about that and the perforated papers were so interesting and I remember seeing stuff like that going through my grandmothers things but I didn't know what it was, Yes, I saw a thing on the news about hoarding and it scared me to death too.
You have a nice peaceful site.
Thanks.

[Linda @ A La Carte]

Great find and a great post! Love the look of those old patterns. Some of the french ones will make the girls who love La Francais swoon! I would keep some of the really old one's! Very cool!!

[Anna Matthews]

What an incredible find!! I don't even embroider, or at least not since I was a little girl, but I hope you'll let us know when these go up on EBay.

[Jenny G.]

I would have wanted them all, too. I really like the pumpkin one- Halloween stuff is one on my major weaknesses. Another site that is good for transfer info is http://mytransfers.blogspot.com/ -she even has free images to download! I've gotten tons- maybe someday I'll have time to do something with them!

[Michelle]

Wow! What a lucky find! So many good ones!

[Julie]

What a swell find B! I'm like you, will find a few patterns here and there - but never a great haul like this! The graphics are really cool...Jewels

[laurie magpie ethel]

Holy cow that was a good find. I have not seen transfers that date that early...super charming. Wish I was better at embroidery...just not my craft.

[Amy]

That pixie with the mushrooms is KILLING me - so cute!

[rebecca]

Oh wow, what a find!! I love embroidery in all forms but those baby transfers may be the cutest ever.

[Martha]

What a fabulous treasure! I think you'll do well selling these on ebay -- you've managed to find some very rare patterns. I would love to bid on these to share with my friends in the Flickr group "Hoop Love Vintage Transfers." I'll be keeping a watch on your ebay items for sale.

[Tina]

Love those terriers!

I strive every day not to be on the next episode of "hoarders"!!

[Brenda Kula]

I use to love to embroider on crazy quilts. Don't do much of that anymore, due to arthritis after a car accident years ago. But when I see linens with embroidery for sale somewhere, I make a bee-line to it!
Brenda

[Joy]

I love the children's sailboat outfits. I have a weakness for nautical children's clothing, esp. vintage.

You should try watching Hoarding: Buried Alive on TLC or Hoarders on A & E sometime. Very scary. Always motivates me to clean and purge after watching.

[HeidiAnn]

Oh, my favorite one of your transfers is that cottage one! I saw the same Oprah show - and I know what you mean!
I've gotten a little carried away....

[Lavender Dreams]

How wonderful! So many beautiful designs! I bought thread and a hoop! Now I need to learn to embroidery...all over again! lol Have fun! ♥

[Leona B]

Oh my gosh! I'm in love with vintage embroidery transfers. I buy all the baby themed ones that I can find. Those hoarders shows are what keep my closets clean. Every time I watch one I have to go clean something!

[Patty]

If I had any money, I'm sure I'd be buried in vintage patterns after buying every one I saw. Since I'm broke, I just download the free ones found online. When my computer dies, I will mourn their loss way more than I will the family pictures I have on here. (Great score, by the way! Your post was included in today's Google Alert for "embroidery.")

[countryshab]

my children say I am a hoarder of pets and things- I too get frightened at the hoarder shows - although I think that those people go far beyond what we do, BUT - have you watched CLean House on Style? Now I can relate to that. I live in a very small place and have a small room for my sewing, etc. and this summer I have been buying up vintage christmas bulbs and things to work with this winter and I have to really think about what I buy and what I get rid of, I love all the old things and it's so hard to part with them because I like to look at them, I probably shouldn't go into the dust aspect of things to look at, huh? Anyway, watch Clean House - that can be scary too, but less obsessive.

[DogsMom]

This is a great post. I want to come back and read it again. I have always loved transfers. Its how I learned to embroider (in the dark ages.)