Mary Todd, Needleworker
Mark your initials on a handkerchief and create a floral pattern inspired by Mary Todd Lincoln’s needlework.
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Marking a Handkerchief |
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For a girl growing up in a frontier city, Mary Todd got a good education. She attended two schools for girls, where she learned academic subjects and the skills young ladies were expected to master. In addition to reading, math, and geometry, Mary learned to sew, dance, and speak French. All of these abilities came in handy when she became the wife of a successful lawyer and politician.
A remnant of fabric Mary Todd Lincoln embellished with embroidered flowers and leaves demonstrates her skill with a needle. But her first embroidery lessons probably began with simple stitches, like the cross-stitched letters and shapes seen in samplers and marked linens. Marking and stitching an initial on a handkerchief is a simple way to show that embroidery is harder than it looks!
Supplies for each handkerchief
• Cloth handkerchief
• Masking tape
• Small square of dressmaker’s transfer paper
• Pencil
• Embroidery needle with a large eye
• Embroidery floss
Equipment
• Cross-stitch alphabet letter patterns
• Scissors
Directions
1. Tape the handkerchief to the table.
2. Tape the square of transfer paper to one corner of the handkerchief.
3. Tape the cross-stitch letter on top of the transfer paper and trace the letters with the pencil. Remove the letter and transfer paper to reveal the pattern on the handkerchief.
4. Thread the needle with 2 or 3 strands of embroidery floss and stitch on the lines to create an embroidered initial.
Resources
Numerous cross-stitch alphabets can be found on the Free Patterns Online Web site.
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Designing a Floral Pattern |
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Mary Todd Lincoln’s embroidery appears to be a design she created by stitching and embellishing flowers and leaves along curving stems. She used shades of red, blue, gold, and green and filled in the shapes with a variety of fancy stitches. Children can design a floral pattern inspired by Mary Todd Lincoln’s work using the patterns below.
Supplies
• Cardboard
• Pencil
• White or ivory paper
• Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
Equipment
• Scissors
Directions
1. Prepare for the activity by tracing and cutting out leaf and flower shapes.
2. Draw one or more curving lines on a sheet of paper to represent vines and stems.
3. Trace leaves and flowers along the vines.
4. Color in outlines and fill in flower petals and leaves with solid color, dots or color Xs, Vx, and cross hatching.
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