Jeannie and Miss Eula, September 2009
My friend Bunny and I had fun today! We went to visit Miss Eula. Miss Eula is the fine lady who taught me the Old Fashioned Double Featherstitch. This is the Featherstitch often found on antique baby clothes. I have never seen instructions for it in any of the old needlework books and I have never seen it stitched on anything except antique clothing, that is, until I met Miss Eula.
Miss Eula does the Featherstitch. Notice how she holds the fabric over her finger.
The wrong side of the gown. See the back side of the tiny stitches.
When I asked her what advice she would give stitchers, she said "You have to have patience". She was very patient with me as I learned how to make this stitch. It took me several visits with her before I learned it!! She is showing Bunny.
Miss Eula told me she learned this fine sewing when she married in 1943. Her Grandmother-In-Law wanted her daughters (including her Mother-In-Law) to get together with her and sew. She joined the sewing circle as a new bride and just about every day they went to each others home and made pies, tarts and sewed. They sewed baby clothes for the New Orleans shops. They made money to supplement their farm income and had a fine time together.
Miss Eula holds a copy of her Mother-In-Laws design they sewed for shops.
The Featherstitch is such a unique stitch. Every person works it just a little bit differently. As Miss Eula says "It's like a signature, no two people did the same Featherstitch".
The Christening Gown she is sewing.
The handmade baby clothes are part of the history of South Louisiana.
They are the treasures made by creative and skilled needlewomen.
Miss Eula is one of them.
Miss Eula holding up a Christening Gown.
I love the Featherstitch. It is on most of the
embroidery designs I do for babies. The Old Fashioned Double Featherstitch has come alive from the past, to me. I teach it in some of my classes and you can find it in my
embroidery book. All thanks to this woman, who is such an inspiration to me.
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