Whenever I watch a Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte film, I always notice how many scenes have women sitting and embroidering.  While embroidering has never been a skill I have any great comfort with, I so admire the patience that goes into creating such unique pieces.  In addition to beauty, excellent embroidery (in the 18th and 19th century) was also a sign of your success at being a woman.  From samplers, to large designs, to small decals on ribbons, creating lovely scenes through thread was a talent to be embraced and cultivated.

And when one looks back at gowns from the past two hundred years, the value placed upon such embroidered additions has not wavered.  Even today, when I see an embroidered design, even on garments in modern department stores, I find it more beautiful and attractive…and often worth the extra penny it will cost to take it home.  I am sure the same can be said of women a hundred years ago, as they painstakingly took the time to decorate their gowns with signs of accomplishment.

So what better way to honor these women, than to celebrate gowns with all types of embroidery and design.  I had such a fun time looking and finding gowns, capes, and other accessories that it was very difficult to narrow the final selection down.  I also noticed that certain time periods feature more embroidery than others.  Notice the lack of 1850’s-1870’s gowns if you hop over to my Pinterest board.  While there are so many to choose from in the early 1800’s and again at the end of the century and well into the 1950’s, the middle decades feature more fabric patterns than embroidered additions.  Regardless, the design and appeal of these gowns can not be denied!

I hope you enjoy!

To see more, feel free to visit my Pinterest Board.