This is part 2 of my series ‘Vintage Embroidery And Sewing Techniques’. Now I’m sharing with you three samplers with hemstiching and tucks.

This is a samper for a linen dress.

It’s not drawn thread work: it consists of strips of fabric finished with a machine-sewn hem. The fabric strips were then joined with bullion stitches.

The second sampler has tucks which are embellished with hemstitching.

The sampler is done completely by hand; the tucks are hold in place by the hemstitches. I think the tucks were ironed but not tacked before sewing: there are no holes which a basting thread might have left.

-> My tutorial: How to make Drawn Thread Work

The third sampler is for a blouse with tucks, crochet lace, and buttonholes. The tucks are sewn by machine, while the buttonholes are finished with tiny buttonhole stitches by hand. My grandmother also crocheted the lace directly to the edge of the tuck by hand. The crochet lace is very delicate, I think she used cotton sewing thread as crochet thread.

Here you’ll find part 1 and part 3 of my 1950s embroidery series.