Poems
Aedh wishes for the cloths of heaven is a poem by the Irish poet, William Butler Yeats (1865-1939). It was first published in 1899 in The Wind Among the Reeds. The title of the poem is sometimes shortened to Cloths of Heaven. The narrator of the poem is Aedh, who appears in various poems. Aedh was regarded by Yeats as being a pale, lovelorn man who languishes in love.
Margaret Widdemer (1884-1978) was an American poet and novelist who first came to public notice with a poem called The Factories, which was about child labour. She won a Pulitzer Prize (actually, known at that time as the Columbia University Prize) in 1919 for her collection of poems entitled The Old Road to Paradise. Included among the poems (under the section Womenfolk) was one, simply called Embroidery.
Faemne aet hyre bordan geriseth is a passage from the tenth century Exeter Book (line 63). Many of the texts contained in the book, written in Old English, are much older.
Janet McDonald Davies lives in New Zealand and is a teacher of needlework, in particular quilting. She has written various books in this field. Her love of the subject and personal understanding are reflected in her humorous poetry. Below are some examples of her ´Stitching Poetry´, with many thanks for her permission to publish them. For her website, click here. GVE
In 1631, John Taylor published The Needles Excellency. A New Booke wherein are divers Admirable Workes wrought with the Needle, Newly invented and cut in Copper for the pleasure and profit of the industrious. The designs included in the book are preceded by a long poem and a series of five sonnets, all relating to the decorative art of the needle. Text and spelling follow the 1631 edition. GV
A passage from a poem by William Augustus P. Hewett, called 'The Christian muse's birthplace, and filial honour's tribute, a poem', from 1848, refers to the difficult life of the lace makers in England, who were confronted by the marketing of much cheaper machine-made products.
The Virgins Pattern: in the exemplary life, and lamented death of Mrs. Susanna Perwich .... is a mid-seventeenth century printed eulogy about the life and death of Susanna Perwich (1636-1661), a Quaker from London. She was the daughter of Robert Perwich of Aldermanbury, London.