Antique Tabletopper Reproduction

reproduction tabletopper

White Wednesday seemed like a good excuse to re-run this post.  You might enjoy viewing this lovely antique textile even more if you enlarge the photos by double clicking.  ~~~~~~

Antique textiles have long been a weakness of mine. The extensive handwork and intricate details routinely stitched in an earlier era are almost impossible to find in contemporary  household linens. Some of the design elements, however, can be duplicated for a very nice effect, if not the elaborate, luxurious look of the antiques.

The ho-hum tabletopper shown above is patterned after a special linen treasure, shown below. Made of linen like the original, the reproduction was stitched as a project sample for a 6 hour class, so the elaborate embroidery was necessarily minimized to what could be completed in that short period of time.

antique table topper

In fact, only 5 of the 9 squares have any embroidery at all. The half triangle pieces have a triangular embroidery pattern.  Were I to make this again, without the limitation of kit cost and embroidery designs, I might have come closer to the original. But nothing I could have stitched would do more than pale in comparison to the original masterpiece of design.

For my dining room table, I alternate this tabletopper with another lovely antique. Ever mindful of my responsibility to my grandchildren’s collective memories of Nana’s house, I like to have pretty things displayed.  It probably borders on the “old grandma look,” but I don’t care.  Fact is, I AM an old grandma even though I don’t feel like one.

In my opinion, the most interesting aspect of my version is the reproduction of the innovative layout, copied, of course, from the original.   Primarily a 9-patch square, joined by hemstitched lace insertion, it has half square triangles stitched to the center square on each side. The entire perimeter is edged with a sturdy English lace that mimics fine crochet.

faux crochet English lace

It would be interesting to use this same layout for a contemporary model, perhaps using two contrasting fabrics. The pieces could be flatlocked and/or seamed together with bias or rick rack covering the join. Now I’m thinking about a holiday tabletopper with alternating print and solid squares, with embroidery in the solids. Or……….too many ideas, too little time.