Page 5 - Emb-Alph

Introduction

W elcome to the second volume in the Victorian Embroidery Patterns series: Alphabets

and Initials. This collection brings you 56 complete (or nearly complete) alphabets
designed for embroidery and “marking” on fabric, as well as 166 stand-alone initials.
Alphabets for embroidery were extremely popular in Victorian times. Magazines like
Godey’s and Peterson’s often published several such alphabets every year. Some were
published all at once, across one or two pages; others were published a few letters at a time.
Such alphabets were used to spell out names or initials, which might be used to decorate a
handkerchief or a gift item such as a needle book or penwiper. Initials were also used to create
monograms. (Magazines also published embroidery patterns for complete names.)
In addition to Godey’s and Peterson’s, many of these alphabets and initials come from the
marvelous collection, Letters and Monograms for Marking on Silk, Linen and Other Fabrics,
by Mrs. Croly (better known as Jenny June, a well known Victorian journalist and advocate of
women’s issues). Please note that any captions or instructions are part of the original image.
Since “scale” was rarely relevant in the original illustrations (which might be printed at any
size according to how much space was on the page), these patterns cannot be said to be “in
scale.” Rather, they can be enlarged or reduced as needed, according to the project at hand.
They are printed on one side of the page for ease of use – but to make life even easier, we’ve
set up a free download of all the patterns in this book, at their full original sizes. Most of these
patterns are available at 600 dpi, making them suitable for nearly any project! Please see the
end of the book for the download link.
These and hundreds of other Victorian needlework patterns are also available in our
Victorian Embroidery Pattern Package, at victorianvoices.net/clipart/misc/embroidery.shtml
Happy stitching!

—Moira Allen, Editor
VictorianVoices.net