A Student's Hand Stitching Book: "How to Join Cotton Cloth"

early twentieth century
when closed: 5 1/4" x 4 3/4", 13.5 cm x 12 cm

Written on the cover: "second year, class 2; "How to Join Cotton Cloth;" Setsuko Kikuchi

This small treasure is an album of samples of stitching, joining and invisible mending, undoubtedly the work of a young woman or girl--in this case we know her name, Setsuko Kikuchi--who was tasked to create this book to collect the work that was completed in a stitching class.

In the book there are eight samples, each of which shows very subtle mending  techniques in practice as well as techniques in expertly joining fabric. The cover says the contents are "How to Join Cotton Cloth." 

For example, on one of the photos we see a seam running in the middle of the fragment. On another we see a circular mend.

There are other examples, too where the mending is almost impossible to see. 

Note the pages of the book are recycled from a notebook or a ledger and on the back inner cover we see part of an anatomical drawing of a fish--so intriguing!

This is a real treasure, a real-life record of what was considered "women's work"--and in light of the interest today in invisible and visible mending, this certainly is good for an interested person's archive.

Recommended.