I was searching around e-bay today and noticed an unusual cloth cover listed for sale - a beautiful embroidered cloth for draping over a treadle sewing machine. I got to thinking about how it was common many years ago to cover just about every piece of furniture with some form of needlework, for protection from dirt and scratches but also for a place to display the beautiful art needlework of the homeowner. There were many forms and names of these cloths:
1. Antimicassars were the pieces put on the backs of chairs to protect against oily hair. They would usually have matching arm covers. It was much easier to change out and wash different sets of these cloths than it was to have a piece of furniture reupholstered. Furniture was kept for a lifetime or passed on as heirlooms; protecting that furniture was a wise and frugal practice; it was wise money management; money was tight and if a piece of furniture didn't need to be replaced then money wasn't needed for that replacement.
2. Doilies helped keep wood furniture from getting scratched on the tops when something like a vase or figurine was placed on top. Doilies covered a whole range of needlecraft; they could be crocheted, knitted, tatted, be combined with a piece of fabric that itself was embroidered. There were variations that had large frilly crocheted sides, or others that only had very simple edgings. Just about any form of needlework would be worked into a doily. The embroidery could be very fine art or whimsical.
3. Dresser scarves: Placed on vanities and chest of drawers, they also served to protect the wood finish from the bottles, jars and brushes owned by the lady of the house, and at the same time added so much to the decoration of the room.
4. Table cloths and runners: used on the dining room table, they beautified that space and not only protected a good table but also served the purpose of covering up a not-so-good table, perhaps one made of rough boards. Picnic tables were beautified with the use of a pretty tablecloth. Table runners are a long narrow band of a cloth placed down the center of the table. Their decoration adds quite a bit to setting a table.
5. Placemats, napkins and luncheon sets: Using these gave the ladies another opportunity to display their needlework abilities. Placemats defined the seating at each chair, and helped protect the beautiful table cloth or if no tablecloth protected the table top. With matching napkins it was very pretty. Luncheon sets combined matching placemats, napkins, coasters, napkin rings, candle mats, and other small cloths placed in the center of the table on which the serving dishes were placed.
All these cloths of beautiful needlework served many purposes; art display, wood protection, cleanliness, seasonal decoration, traditions. But there is one usefulness that occurred to me that I've never seen mentioned: noise control. Have you ever been in a room that has no curtains, no carpeting, no fabric of any kind anywhere? It's noisy and hollow when a sound is made, any sound, large or small. Fabric in a room deadens sounds. Instead of the clinking, clanging and hardness that comes from everyday living, the cloths help to muffle those sounds and make for a quieter world. In addition to the beauty that they provide they also calm nerves because of their sound-deadening capabilites. Sound far fetched? Try putting a few cloths and doilies around your house and see how it works. You'll be contributing beauty and peace to your hectic world.
Edey
