by Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director TRC, 18 June 2024

We are currently working on another of the many (and often intriguing) boxes of items from the former Naaldkunst Museum, Winschoten, which were donated to the TRC in October 2023.  In this particular box there were a number of school samples in the form of semi-formal work pieces, rather than the more formal samplers with alphabets, numbers, names, dates, etc.

Fig. 1: School sample, worked by a young girl, with six types of patching, stitched with red yarn, and with a crochet inset (insertion) down the middle of the cloth. The Netherlands, early 20th century (TRC 2024.1633).

All of the school samples date to the first quarter of the 20th century and show a diversity of skill levels. They were made by young girls between the age of 6 and about 12, who were learning about textiles and needlework and how to sew cloth for later domestic and professional use. The techniques include the making of basic seams, hems, buttonholes and eyelets, as well as the sewing on of items such as buttons, hooks and eyes, loops and ties.

Fig. 2: School sample with six examples of patching stitched with red thread. Probably worked by Jantje Bakker from Beetgum in Friesland, the Netherlands, in 1911 (TRC 2024.1667).All of these techniques were considered to be important life skills that, I may add, have not been taught in many modern schools for a very long time. It should be said, however, that there is a sea change developing, and especially since the Covid pandemic more and more people want to learn basic sewing skills.

Most of these early sewing samples were stitched with white thread (such as TRC 2024.1671), while some others were worked in red, as for instance TRC 2024.1633 (Fig. 1) and TRC 2024.1667 (Fig. 2) which was made by Jantje Bakker from Beetgum (Friesland) in 1911.

By coincidence, the other day I heard someone talking about the use of red thread in comparable, early samples and how this gave the sewing a more artistic and creative element. Really?

Actually the use of red thread in school samples has a much more practical and prosaic function - the use of the red thread was done to show the maker and teacher where things were going right and/or wrong. Once the girl had achieved a degree of skill she started sewing with a white or suitably coloured thread.

Fig. 3: School sample, not particularly well done, with fifteen examples of patching stitched with white thread. The Netherlands, early 20th century (TRC 2024.1671).

One or two of the samples appear to be not particularly successful attempts (TRC 2024.1671; Fig. 3) and the (young) maker obviously had problems in getting the stitch tension correct. In contrast, other examples show considerable skill and are flat. There is one sample (TRC 2024.1675), for instance, that includes 34 different shapes of patching, not just square forms, but also triangles, diamonds, hexagons and octagons!

Fig. 4: School sample in the form of a patchwork cloth with nine different types of woven, knitted and printed fabrics. The Netherlands, early 20th century (TRC 2024.1673).Two samples (TRC 2024.1673, Fig. 4) and TRC 2024.1674) were made in a different manner and each consists of a patchwork of nine different types of cloth sewn together, the blocks including both woven and knitted forms, as well as checked and patterned pieces. Each of the cloth blocks has a square that was cut out of them and then patched with another piece of the same cloth.

The patching was neatly worked and where the ground cloth had a pattern, then the ground and patch patterns were matched in such a precise way that it is virtually impossible to see the patch.

In some cases, it was necessary to hold the complete sample up to the light in order to see if it had actually been patched or not. Invisible patching at its best!

Fig. 5: Sampler with rows of geometric patterns, an alphabet, numbers, as well as: "ST. JOZEFSCHOOL 1.3 C vd K 17.", all in a red thread. Made by Cato van der Kleij in 1918 (TRC 2024.1725.01).All of which is in contrast to a modern trend, as referred to above, of visible mending, which often looks artistic and colourful, but it does not automatically mean that the end result is strong and long wearing, or indeed sustainable as sometimes claimed! A mixture of the two, strong and colourful, would certainly be a more significant innovation!

But who were these girls from a long time ago and what if anything did they think about their school sewing lessons?

Cato van der Kleij

In this respect it is worth noting that another box from Naaldkunst contained three school samples and a school booklet (TRC 2024.1725.01 – TRC 2024.1724.07) with stitching exercises worked by Cato (Catharine) van der Kleij, who was born in 1909 in Hoek van Holland, just west of Rotterdam. She went to a Catholic school named after St. Joseph.

There was a letter inside the booklet, dated to 1994 (to download a typed-out version of the letter, with translation, click here), which she wrote many years later, when she was 85 years old. In the letter, Cato explains the background to the samples and life in the school. In particular, she noted:

Fig. 6: Sample with a series of different sewing and embroidery stitches, hems, seams, as well as an embroidered band (double running stitch), and a crochet lace inset. Worked by Cato van der Kleij, Hoek van Holland, 1918, when she was about 8 years old (TRC 2024.1725.02).In de tweede klas heb ik de kruisstekens lap [[TRC 2024.1775.01; Fig. 5]], gemaakt, daarna het lapje [[TRC 2024.1775.02; Fig. 6]], met alle soorten steken met rood garen, daarna zo’n zelfde lapje [[TRC 2024.1775.03; Fig. 7]], met wit garen en allemaal ingezette stukjes daarna de zak die wij toen nog droegen en waar wij al onze bezittinggen in meenamen b.v. zakdoek, knikkers stukjes potlood enz. daarna het rokje en tot slot de maaslap die wij eerst zelf moesten breien en op sommige plaatsen een gat in moesten knippen om het netjes te masen.

Van het overmasen heb ik altijd veel plezier gehad, vooral in de oorlog om ellebogen van truien die een beetje dun waren te verstellen.

"In the second class I made the cross-stitch cloth [[TRC 2024.1775.01; Fig. 5]], then the cloth with all kinds of stitches with red yarn [[TRC 2024.1775.02; Fig. 6]], then the same cloth [[TRC 2024.1775.03; Fig. 7]], with white yarn and all the inserted pieces, then the bag that we still wore at the time and in which we put all our belongings, e.g. handkerchief, marbles, pencil, etc. then the skirt and finally the knitted darning cloth that we first had to knit ourselves and then cut a hole in some places to darn it neatly. 

Fig. 7: Sample with a series of hems, seams, a neck opening with button, as well as patches, plus the initials C vd K in green and white thread. Worked by Cato van der Kleij, Hoek van Holland, 1918 (TRC 2024.1725.03).I have always enjoyed darning, especially in the war to mend the elbows of sweaters that were getting a bit thin."

Cato would have been about eight years old when she made these samples, and 25 years later the skills were still of use to her during the Second World War (1939-1945). A good example of why learning basic sewing skills can be of benefit!