I love Embroidered Monograms!

I love Monograms! Old ones. New ones. Mine. Yours. On estate sale finds...

on men's cuffs

Historically, a monogram was used as a royal signature. Romans and Greeks used them on coins to identify their rulers. Then, in the Middle Ages, artisans began to use them to sign their work. Victorian-period high-class persons adapted the monogram for personal use as a symbol of their place in society. Now, monograms can be seen on just about anything.

On a pillow...

Monograms were first used as currency. This was a transition from the barter system to the beginnings of the creation of money. The first monograms appeared on clay coins with the initials of the ruler of the region. Later monograms developed to identify the valuable property of royalty such as silver, gold and other precious metaled goods. These items ranged from weaponry and armor to household items. Royal banners and Coat of Arms also were some of the first monograms in use.

my grandmother's...

 In the Victorian era, rules for monograms were quite simple and few. Female monograms had the first initial on the left, middle initial on the right, and last initial embroidered larger in the middle.

my mother's...

hand done by my godmother

I love how she ran the green thread in and out the padded satin stitch to give the 

monogram a striped look.

Rules are now flexible, but for the purist, there are a few standards. First of all, monograms with three initials are generally in the Victorian format of first initial, large last initial, middle initial. Married monograms usually consist of the bride’s first initial on the left, the groom’s first initial on the right, and the joint last name initial larger in the center. A married woman would use her first name initial on the left, maiden initial on the right, then new last initial larger in the center. But the choice is truly yours.

On "Paradekissen" - decorative bed pillows

 4-5" tall on chair covers...

on tea towels...

and on napkins!

Even a simple monogram on a napkin will bring your dining up a notch.

Care tidbits:

• Wash your pieces normally, as required of the fabric and thread.
• Do not starch and iron your napkins until you are ready to use them. This keeps the fibers from breaking and doesn't invite unwanted guests (little bugs like to feast on starch).
• Iron your pieces while damp. Linen fabrics might not require any starch if you iron damp dry. 
• Iron the monogram area from the back. If you iron from the front/right side of the piece, over the monogram, you will flatten your monogram and it will lose the padded look.
• Enjoy!

Embroidery tidbits:

• If you have an embroidery machine and embroider your own, please remember to use a tear away stabilizer when you embroider a monogram. A tear away stabilizer will allow your edges to be more crisp and clean. It also remains in the embroidery, giving the monogram more heft. 
• I prefer to embroider with cotton thread when I can, but do use a polyester thread if I want a red monogram on a white napkin. I prefer Isacord polyester because it is colorfast. I have a new favorite cotton thread that I love... DMC 50wt. It is a single strand and gives a beautiful finish.
• I always put in a brand new embroidery needle. Nothing can wreck an embroidery faster than a dull needle or one with a burr.
• I prefer to use the blue wash away marker to mark my object for embroidering. I've had a couple of bad experiences with the purple air soluble markers staying in the piece even after careful washing. If the blue marker decides it wants to stay and visit, mix up a solution of 1 teaspoon baking soda to 2 cups water and spray the mark. That's like ammonia to a skunk.. it won't stick around.
• Always consider the weight of the fabric and the weight of the embroidery thread. Don't use a very thick thread on a very light fabric.

Embroidery Info:

• MB handkerchief - designed for Designs  in Embroidery magazine. Sulky 2116 on white linen. The edging is done with a stitch on the machine. Floral design is by Sue Box.
• Men's cuff's - Bernina artista software - Chicago font, both embroidered in 60wt. Mettler thread
• Irish linen pillow - Madeira rayon embroidery thread
• Gretel - stitched by my grandmother with 60 wt. cotton thread.
• MF - stitched by my grandmother for my mother's wedding dowry, damask napkins with an 60 or 80 wt. cotton thread.
• Chair covers - Linen towels from Martha Pullen Co.; True-type fonts stitched via the Bernina artista software. 60wt. Mettler cotton thread.
• Rust napkin - Isacord polyester embroidery thread.
• Linen napkins - Embroidery Arts embroidery file, 50wt. DMC cotton thread.

Thank you for your visit. I'm humbled you gave me your precious time. See you Wednesday for a rustic tablesetting!

I'm linking up to Show and Tell Friday over at My Romantic Home and to Metamorphosis Monday at Susan's Between Naps on the Porch. See ya there.. you won't want to miss the goodies!