LACE, TAPE, NEEDLE LACE, BASINET COVER

A delightful hand stitched baby’s Brussels lace bassinet cover 1918. Four years of WWI meant limited resources of ornate items. Donor’s great-grandparents’ gift to their new grandson, born in Scotland 1918 before the baby’s family moved to WA in 1919. Subsequently used by three generations of the family.

The lace cover is composed of white cotton machine tape outlines with needlelace fillings.

Cotton tapes are tacked down on parchment, then shapes filled with hand embroidery stitches, predominately buttonhole stitch. Later the tacking is removed, leaving a lacey item.

The backing was originally blue silk we are told. There is blue thread on the stitch line which becomes apparent when wet.