Zooming out a bit from yesterday's photo you can see I've gotten some pieces attached and then couldn't help myself and added some fill-in stitches. As I worked I wondered what thread the ladies of days gone by used when mending. Did they match the weight of the thread used to weave the cloth? I've been reading Longbourn, by Jo Baker, a modern novel written from the perspective of the staff in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The book opens with a scene of the maids doing the laundry, and refers to the endless stitchery tasks they were required to perform. The decorative ribbons and trim often had to be unpicked from the gowns before laundering and then stitched back onto the dresses. One of the things I love about the meditative process of hand stitching is that it allows your mind to wander and ponder and imagine.
