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Rocking it Regency Style

Earlier this week, whilst I was happily toiling away at work on one of the days that I actually join my awesome coworkers in the actual office, I chanced to look across the room and spy my adorable colleague Julie wearing the most pleasing frock:


julie at her desk

So OK, on closer inspection it transpired that it was actually just a really cute white shirt. But, you see, all the vast amounts of time I have spent lately practicing whitework embroidery has made me preternaturally sensitive to the presence of white-on-white embroidery, even if it is machine-made.

modern whitework

Isn't that lovely? Julie was all Oh, I got it at Marshall's for five bucks or something. But I thought it was lovely in every way.

Of course it helps that Julie herself is lovely in every way:

Julie in her white shirt

And it made me remember that I bought a copy of Beeton's Book of Needlework (published 1870) some time ago, and that it is REPLETE with actual vintage needlework patterns much like the type sported by young Julie.

Beeton's Book of Needlework is available in its entirety online, complete with amazing patterns in embroidery, tatting, crochet, netting...

The Project Gutenberg eBook of BEETON_S BOOK OF NEEDLEWORK-table of contents

The Project Gutenberg eBook of BEETON_S BOOK OF NEEDLEWORK-2

And all of this just makes me want to go to Marshall's right now, buy a bunch of white V-neck T-shirts, and go a little nuts with the white embroidery floss on them.

You know, get all Regency on their ass.

Would that be OK?