School Needlework

[Angela Woodford]

Didn't you sit up all night to finish it before your big Oxford interview? Only Hertford girls would understand this!

My friend Deirdre Hobbs produced a superb Fair Isle sweater "for my brother" for which she was deservedly commended. Very few of us could knit - surprising.

My mother had taught me to crochet, and I produced a Sixties crochet mini dress one term. Trying it on, I realised in a panic that it was see-through! I had to do an emergency visit to Gravesons for some lining fabric, and Judy Evans helped me finish it in an up-all-night vigil. I was commended - again, grudgingly for crochet, by She Who Shall Not Be Named.

If you come across any smocking articles, Katharine, I would certainly be interested - so kind of you. I would take great care of them of course!

Love, Munch

[icomefromalanddownunder]

Many of the needlework interest magazines and books are Australian! It looks as if there is a real passion for needlecraft Downunder!

We colonials are very into spinning, weaving, felting, quilting, egg decorating, but I don't know anyone who smocks, and haven't seen a piece of gingham in a very long time ( I would need the squares to correctly place the stitches, as I'm far too impatient to pencil out the dots).

Let me know if I can be of any help in locating any of the patterns.

xx

[Angela Woodford]

Thank you Caroline. How kind! I should really be thinking exciting thoughts about the prospective house move, but it was fatal remembering the pink puffed sleeved blouse, and despite the tyranny and rudeness of She Who Shall Not Be Named, I feel a real interest in doing some of those stitches again.

Funny, I love to cook, but it was a while before the memories of B.Jukes faded and I was able to approach cooking from a non-punitive point of view.

Egg decorating??

Love, Munch

[Katharine]

Didn't you sit up all night to finish it before your big Oxford interview? Only Hertford girls would understand this!

Almost - last Cambridge exam - didn't get an interview there - are the two things connected?

My friend Deirdre Hobbs produced a superb Fair Isle sweater "for my brother" for which she was deservedly commended. Very few of us could knit - surprising.

I am very glad to hear that my knitting commendation led the way to others! I thought the effort to do it might have been too much for her. Thought perhaps she couldn't knit and that was why we weren't taught and why she didn't think much of our efforts! I knitted another time - also very complicated but that wasn't commended. At one stage I knitted to commission but didn't charge nearly enough for the hours my kind of knitting took.

If you come across any smocking articles, Katharine, I would certainly be interested - so kind of you. I would take great care of them of course!

I'll have a look sometime soon, but I am just in after a pig of a day at work, so not in the mood to go hunting!

[Angela Woodford]

Please, Katharine, don't even think of hunting for smocking articles whilst you are back from work and feeling tired!

Maybe one day if ever you're sorting out things. Very kind of you to offer at all!

lots of love, Munch

[midget]

Many of the needlework interest magazines and books are Australian! It looks as if there is a real passion for needlecraft Downunder!

We colonials are very into spinning, weaving, felting, quilting, egg decorating, but I don't know anyone who smocks, and haven't seen a piece of gingham in a very long time ( I would need the squares to correctly place the stitches, as I'm far too impatient to pencil out the dots).

Let me know if I can be of any help in locating any of the patterns.

xx

Buy an iron on transfer for the dots.

There are several good UK magazines about embroidery, thpugh I can't recall any mention of smocking.

In the days of Miss Hindsley, we were allowed to do knitting instead of sewing for 2 terms in 3, but had to sew for the 3rd. Admittedly in those days most women knitted because you could rework old garments, and it was cheaper than buying.

[Angela Woodford]

Buy an iron on transfer for the dots.

This hadn't occurred to me. Thanks Maggie - I was thinking, on a plain fabric, of little marker dots created by ruler measurements. Doh!

I have vivid memories of girls who wore their school needlework as a Leaving Outfit. As a junior, I was fascinated to see the leaving seniors who I could never imagine as anything but School Personalities appear after final Prizegiving, dressed either in something new, or their school needlework. How exciting that was, as they rushed to and fro across the Square, saying goodbye, and revelling in their new status as going out glamorised into the world.

Head Girl Joanna Williams from 7's (could this have been 1966?) looked totally stunning leaving in a miniskirt and cowboy hat. Many of her peers were wearing rather matronly pastel boucle suits - maybe beautifully made needlework - but Joanna caused an absolute sensation.

When it came to leaving I was in despair. I didn't feel I could ask my parents for the money for anything new - I hadn't thought to make anything for the occasion in advance - and I had put on so much weight misery eating as to find clothes difficult to find anyway. Very little size 16+ available in those days!

I found a maternity wrap-round dress my mother had worn expecting me in the 50's. A rather dreary navy crepe effort, it managed to stretch around me. I'd bought some sunglasses to hide behind, and left without attracting any attention, I hope.

I think it was 1970 that Singer launched a dressmaking competition into which we were encouraged to enter. My friend Carolynn Newbury made it into the Regional finals and took part in the catwalk show held in Birmingham. She was allowed to take a guest, and very kindly chose me to go too. She looked simply marvellous in a cream tunic-and-trouser suit. I think She Who Shall Not Be Named was actually very proud, but of course was not warm enough to actually say so.

Glancing back at my father's colour slides from 1964, I'm amazed at the high standard of School Needlework garments made. Really excellent. I wish I had taken advantage of the facilities supplied to become a bit more skilfull.

Munch

[Katharine]

In the days of Miss Hindsley, we were allowed to do knitting instead of sewing for 2 terms in 3, but had to sew for the 3rd. Admittedly in those days most women knitted because you could rework old garments, and it was cheaper than buying.

We were only allowed to knit one term of the year. Embroidery was also allowed for one term - I don't know what would have happened if someone had done one term of each and only made one garment in the year.

[Jo]

I was grateful for learning to sew, really - I made a lot of my own clothes when I was a poor student, and I still make things like curtains when I see how much they would cost ready-made.

But like everyone else, I shudder at the memory of She Who Must Not Be Named. What a monster. I suffered doubly because she was the wardrobe mistress as well, and being somewhat larger than standard size I always copped a good ticking off for causing extra work and special orders for my uniform.

Do you remember the awful cherry red blazers? It was a while before I got mine, so in the meantime I was ordered to wear my everyday one on Sundays. I remember coming out of early communion one Sunday and she bo!!ocked me for not having a red blazer. Young as I was (I was confirmed early) I couldn't help wondering how someone who had just come out of a communion service could be so gratuitously vicious and nasty just minutes later.

Someone else speculated that her obituary would have to be a splendid work of fiction and I entirely agree. Some of the other strict teachers, such as Miss Blench, were actually quite human underneath, particularly as we got older, but SWMNBN was a vile, bitter old sadist.

There.... I feel better for that

[icomefromalanddownunder]

There.... I feel better for that

Hi Jo

The forum has, and continues to be, a great cleanser for me

Hope to hear lots more from you.

xx

[Angela Woodford]

Jo, great to hear from you!

Do you remember lining up in that long narrow ante-room place (where sometimes if the actual Needlework Room was very full we would spill over and use the machines in there?)

There we would stand in line waiting for SWSNBN. I can see her now stomping past us to open up the Needlework Room as we intoned " Good Afternoon Miss R******s", assessing her mood... bad, badder or baddest?
The pale pasty jowely face set, as always, in an expression of deepest resentment, little round eyes glinting with righteous indignation, and mouth set and puckered like a dog's bottom!

Remember dropping a needle into the cracks of the parquet flooring, and frantically trying to dig in your nails to retrieve it? And being forced to confess when the gimlet gaze spotted that you had stopped sewing?

And taking your needlework up to her in turn, stomach churning, even if you were up to date with it? I was always fairly OK with actual sewing, and still use that herring-bone stitch for hems on a stretchy fabric as taught by SWSNBN, but due to er - shape problems brought on by misery eating could never get garments to fit once we'd passed on from actual lessons.

Another slight difficulty - buying fabric, pattern etc for a new piece of School Needlework could be a bit expensive at the end of the holidays, couldn't it?

I am now excitedly poring over Katharine's 1974 book of smocking. Some stitches I remember from the pink checked puffy-sleeved blouse and some look quite challenging! However I am going to try a sampler and see how I get on!

Munch

[Ajarn Philip]

I am now excitedly poring over Katharine's 1974 book of smocking.

Munch

I thought smocking had become socially unacceptable and been banned almost everywhere in the UK now.

Thoroughly enjoyed your posting, Angela. Very atmospheric! I'm trying to think if we had anyone as scary at Horsham (scary as SWMNBN, not you, A). Don't think so...

[Angela Woodford]

I thought smocking had become socially unacceptable and been banned almost everywhere in the UK now.

Oh, but Philip, it's OK if you smock out-of-doors.

Outside the White Horse, the King's Arms and the George and Dragon, there are crowds of clients doing their smocking - pilgarlics galore!

You can even see the odd "lost needle" in the gutter! Just as well SWSNBN is not around to tell the smockers what she thinks. Terrifying!

Munch

[englishangel]

:mutley:

Sitting at work sniggering at that exchange.

Lovely word 'snigger' don't you think?

[loringa]

We colonials are very into spinning, weaving, felting, quilting, egg decorating, but I don't know anyone who smocks, and haven't seen a piece of gingham in a very long time ( I would need the squares to correctly place the stitches, as I'm far too impatient to pencil out the dots).

My 3-year old asked me what gingham was the other day and the only piece I could find was a smocked, gingham dress made for her by the mother of my wife's best friend in Brisbane so it appears that both are alive and well up north. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the girls still wear gingham dresses for school in Queensland. When I was a child at school in Singapore the Poms like my sisters wore blue gingham dresses and the ANZACs' daughters wore green gingham.

Incidentally, as a bloke who can barely operate a sewing machine, I find this topic absolutely fascinating. It amazes me not only that a teacher should be so feared but that you felt obliged to stay up all night to finish something so unimportant compared with the rest of your education. You all have my deepest sympathy but please keep the stories coming!