On holiday last summer I came another embroidered signature cloth in Sturminster Newton in Dorset. It was made recently when the community hall was built.
It is amazing how many are hidden aware in collections. A journey to Gallery Oldham revealed a lovely tablecloth filled with a spiral of signatures. There is no date but probably 1940′s made by the Town Women’s Guild. One I saw in Wales was actually made in Haslingden Lancashire and is the most worn of all those seen, largely as it has been with a family all that time and in use.
Other visits include a home in North Wales and the Rachel K. Shuttleworth Collection at Gawthorpe Hall, Lancashire. The Gawthorpe Hall piece is more of a tablecloth with lace edging and blue signatures. It was donated by the grand daughter of the founder of the Manchester and Salford Hospital Saturday and made in 1905 as a fundraiser as were many signature cloths.
Published: 23rd March 2013
Themes: embroidery handmade identity quilt signature text
