Little Women Embroidery Pattern - a new Literary Thread

Hi there, I do hope you are doing ok in these difficult days. For creative spirits it is not as bad as for a lot of people and I wanted to thank everyone who has ordered patterns and kits recently and I hope maybe out there are a few new converts to the lovely world of sewing. I’ve been a bit slow with my new pattern because there has been so much going on, but finally the next in my series of Literary Threads is ready to share. I may have mentioned in an earlier post, how enamoured I was with the new movie version of ‘Little Women’, so it was almost a given that I would chose it for the next bookish pattern. Always a sucker for a period drama, the movie trailer somehow sparked more than just a passing interest. Thinking about it, it was something to do with the colour mix and the feeling of vibrancy in this new version. It stirred distant memories of the book, from way, way back and a vague recollection of an old movie version with June Allison. I was full of anticipation when the family went to the cinema at Christmas. To say I was spell bound was probably an understatement. Greta Gerwig’s adaptation was simply wonderful. I loved everything about it - it was a modern, fresh take on an ages old family story, but somehow the casting was so superb that each of the four girls was ‘of the time’ and ‘in our time’ in tandem. The costumes and settings were perfect and the whole flavour of the piece was enchanting.

I saw the film for a second time a week later and absorbed more of the details, especially the props and costumes and fell in love with this era all over again. (I do this on a pretty regular basis, if I am honest). I ordered a copy of the book and read it. I set out on the internet in search of the sequels and also to do some research on Louisa May Alcott. I ordered a second hand copy of her ‘Life, Letters and Journals’ from a bookstore in the US. I collected it from the post office with such excitement and could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it - an absolute treasure of a book and what is more, the inscription inside in beautiful handwriting….

My first name is Julia, and although I don’t use it, it seemed as if the book found it’s way across the Atlantic to me. I wonder who she was and what life had in store for her in 1892.

Louisa May Alcott ( 1832 - 1888) was born and lived all her life in New England. She had a somewhat unconventional upbringing. Her parents were transcendentalists (a philosophical movement on the east coast of america that believed, amongst other things, in the purity of self reliance and rejected the corrupting influences of society). Mr Alcott even experimented with commune living for a short while. The family seemed to live in a state of perpetual genteel poverty and even though Louisa and her sisters may not have grown up surrounded by riches, they were well read and resourceful. They lived in the beautiful Orchard House in Concord, which is now a museum, and it is was a large rather cobbled together property surrounded by apple trees. Louisa became an active supporter of the abolishes movement, a determined feminist and a pioneer for women’s education. She never married, but lived among her extended family, writing and enjoying her literary success. Little Women was a huge success and of course it is easy to see how Jo March is a somewhat autobiographical sketch.

It is an enchanting and haunting story. You can see how these girls would be today - Amy probably would be a social media queen and Jo, the university students with ideas of a brave new world. My little embroidery is just my interpretation of the book in stitch. It seems to me that for Louisa to publish this book in a man’s world was a huge achievement and the picture reflects that. I love anything with a literary theme and I hope you will like this too. I will have kits soon I hope.

There are other patterns in this collection so do hop along to the shop to see what’s there. I’ll be back soon with the next thing in Ruby’s capsule wardrobe of extraordinarily pretty things.

Take care and stay well.

Toodle …ooo . x