Metropolitan Region News
The next Metropolitan Region Meeting will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023 via Zoom.
All Metropolitan Region members can attend.
Region Director Maria Hall holds a monthly “Chat with the RD” which is held via Zoom on
the third Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm. All Metropolitan Region members are invited.
Watchfor announcements via emails from groups.io.
The Metropolitan Region’s next virtual lecture is with Claudia Kistler who will be speaking
about The History of Paper Needlework, on Saturday, February 25, 2023, beginning at 2 pm.
This lecture will share with you the creativity of counted thread pieces worked on specific
"fabric" that was once very popular but is almost forgotten today. Between 1840 and 1900 a
popular needlework pastime for both children and adults was stitching on perforated paper.
In this lecture you will see an overview of the history and different types of perforated paper
needlework. You will see some amazing technique and creativity in these antique pieces
that you may not know was possible.
The era of the counted thread linen sampler, with designs worked in cotton or silk on fine
fabrics, began to wind down about 1850. By 1870, brightly colored German wools were
being used on needlepoint canvas for Berlinwork patterns of flowers, animals, and
geometric designs. These two types of needlework are very different. Do you ever
wonder what happened to bridge the gap between these two familiar types of
needlework? Perforatedpaper, also known as Bristol card, filled that gap. Perforated
paper was a cardboard punched with evenly spaced holes that was sold in sheets.
Perforated paper could be used for counted thread design, for needlepoint design,
and for printed design. By 1860 perforatd paper was the common “fabric” for needlework
because it was easy to find, affordable, and fun to work with. Bristol card allowed
for new types of design, offering different creative options that were not successful
on fabric or canvas. Stitchers began to choose paper over fabric, magazines offered
counted thread paper projects, and designers began to offer printed pieces.
This lecture presents an overview of three categories of perforated paper needlework – The
Smalls [1840-1860]; The Samplers [1840 – 1870], and The Mottoes [1870-1900]. You will see
examples from Claudia’s extensive collection of perforated paper pieces. Some of the
samplers reveal history about the maker, and Claudia will share those stories with you.
Come join Claudia for this special event and enjoy the wonderful creativity of the stitchers
wh0 worked their forgotten stitches on perforated paper.
Since there is a maximum number of attendees allowed on Zoom, those interested will need
to rsvp to Janice Meyers by Thursday, February 23. Janice will then send the Zoom
invitation to those attendees on Friday, February 24.