Mountmellick embroidery or Mountmellick work is a floral whitework

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

originating in the town of

Mountmellick Mountmellick or Mountmellic () is a town in the north of County Laois, Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-wester ...

County Laois, Ireland County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a ...

, in the early nineteenth century.

History

It was developed around 1825 by Johanna Carter, who taught it to a group of about 15 women and girls. It used white

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor p ...

thread Thread may refer to: Objects * Thread (yarn), a kind of thin yarn used for sewing ** Thread (unit of measurement), a cotton yarn measure * Screw thread, a helical ridge on a cylindrical fastener Arts and entertainment * ''Thread'' (film), 2016 ...

on white cotton fabric, and predominantly floral motifs. The plants featured were those that were found around the town of Mountmellick, and included blackberries, oak,

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except ...

, dog roses and

shamrock A shamrock is a young sprig, used as a symbol of Ireland. Saint Patrick, Ireland's patron saint, is said to have used it as a metaphor for the Christian Holy Trinity. The name ''shamrock'' comes from Irish (), which is the diminutive o ...

s. The Great Irish Famine (1845-1849) hit the town of Mountmellick very hard. In about 1880, Mrs Millner, a member of the

Religious Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

(who were a strong part of the Mountmellick community) started an industrial association to help people within the town. She employed women to stitch Mountmellick embroidery for sale. Many of these items were sold from the port of

Cobh Cobh ( ,), known from 1849 until 1920 as Queenstown, is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. With a population of around 13,000 inhabitants, Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour and home to Ireland's ...

, from where many people embarked on journeys to America. In the 1970s, Sister Teresa Margaret McCarthy of the Presentation Convent in Mountmellick learned of the embroidery, and collected together examples from around the area in order to study and learn from them. She taught herself the stitches and then began teaching others. Yvette Stanton has recreated the original knitted fringe used in historical pieces of Mountmellick embroidery. As of 2022, the chairperson of the Mountmellick embroidery museum is Ann Dowling.

Technique and uses

Mountmellick embroidery uses predominantly knotted and padded stitches to create beautifully textured whitework embroidery. The work features a characteristic knitted fringe. Other forms of

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

, such as

crochet Crochet (; ) is a process of creating textiles by using a crochet hook to interlock loops of yarn, thread, or strands of other materials. The name is derived from the French term ''crochet'', meaning 'hook'. Hooks can be made from a variety of m ...

bobbin lace Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually det ...

are not authentic trims for Mountmellick work. The embroidery was usually employed on items of household use such as doilies, nightdress cases, brush and comb bags, bedspreads/coverlets, and tablecloths. Though the work was white and hence inclined to show stains, it was so sturdy that it could be easily boiled white again. Today, Mountmellick embroidery is enjoying a resurgence of popularity around the world. A museum at th
Mountmellick Development Association
in Mountmellick has been opened to permanently display articles of Mountmellick embroidery for all to see. The

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland ( ga, Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann) is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has thr ...

(

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

) also has some beautiful examples of the work, as does the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum outside

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingd ...

and the An Grianan Adult Education College at Termonfechin, County Louth.

References

Traditional Mountmellick embroidery (white-on-white work only) *"Mountmellick Embroidery: Inspired by Nature" by Yvette Stanton and Prue Scott, Vetty Creations, 2007 (2nd ed.). *"Mountmellick Work: Irish White Embroidery" by Jane Houston Almqvist, Colin Smythe, 1990. *"Traditional Irish Embroidery: Mountmellick Work" by Sandra Counahan. Mercier Press, Ireland. *"Beginner's Guide to Mountmellick Embroidery", by Pat Trott. Search Press, UK. *"Mountmellick embroidery", by Jules and Kaethe Kliot. Lacis Publications, 1998. Non-traditional interpretations *"Mountmellick from My Muse" by Janet M. Davies. JMD Designs. New Zealand.

External links

Mountmellick Development Craft Museum
History of Mountmellick work

Links to Mountmellick embroidery information, collections, websites, books, Mountmellick kits and embroidery supplies.
www.jmddesigns.co.nz/
Books, tutorials and designs of Mountmellick embroidery, with pictures.
Mountmellick Embroidery, TRC, Leiden
The Textile Research Centre of

Leiden Leiden (; in English and archaic Dutch also Leyden) is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. The municipality of Leiden has a population of 119,713, but the city forms one densely connected agglomeration wit ...

’s page on Mountmellick work and its history. {{embroidery Embroidery County Laois Textile arts of Ireland

History

Technique and uses

References

Further reading

External links