Ellen J. Gehret

This is the way I pass my time is about Pennsylvania German show towels, also known as decorated hand towels or Handtucher (Handducher in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect), which are hung on the back of a door with loops and not mean to be used for practical purposes. After a German girl made her sampler (and she usually made only one), she took motifs from her work and made an elaborate towel. The towels were usually of linen and silk threads in a few colors with the red thread usually being cotton (and by the color illustrations, the predominant color). The motifs and lettering were counted cross stitch with a few other stitches, free form embroidery and in many towels drawn thread work. Finishing could include fringes, knots, knitted work and others.

The book explains the different styles and the influence from Germany and other Germanic countries. Most of the examples were made by Schwenkfelder and Mennonite young women living in Montgomery, Berks and Bucks Counties in the 1780s to the 1940s with the majority being from 1820 to 1850. The German population was significant in many other counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania but very few towels have been found from those areas. Also these towels were not greatly influenced by the English style of sampler making that became popular among German girls. The examples included exquisite embroidery and sloppy work in towels as well as some samplers, drawn thread work executed perfectly and some pulled out of shape with lack of tension in the filling stitches, and so on.

There were many illustrations, 48 being in color and more than 562 in black and white. Some of the illustrations were charts of the motifs for both cross stitch and drawn thread work. Unfortunately, many of the black and white figures were poorly photographed and so it was impossible to see the detail on many of the towels. Also the plates (color) and figures (b&w) were numbered consecutively, the plates being spread throughout in entire book. In most of the book, the examples were not anywhere near the page of the text and it was a challenge to find the illustration, especially with the color plates. Also, there were additions which may have a letter appended or, in the case of figures 563 and a few more, were placed in the book out of numerical sequence as an afterthought.

I was intrigued by the drawn thread work and especially one example. However in trying to replicate it, I did not realize the confusion between drawn thread and drawn fabric as well as the filling stitch being called Greek Cross. This particular pattern was drawn fabric or pulled work as we call it in the United States. I found the example of how to do it in The DMC encyclopedia of needlework (pulled Greek Cross) along with the example of the filling stitch which we call a dove’s eye, made similarly to the pulled stitch. I also tried to see how the Pennsylvania Dutch women prepared their drawn fabric “netting” but the description was extremely poor as was the common filling stitch used, the darning stitch. When I followed Gehret’s directions, I could not duplicate the examples. DMC came again to the rescue with exactly how to do this work. When I later read Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans by one of the reviewed works’ co-authors, Tandy Hersh, her pictures of preparing the fabric as well as how to do the darning stitch were so clear that I could easily replicate the stitching in this book as well as hers. To be fair to the authors, they are experts in textiles and folk art, not in stitching techniques.

And why the title? In Pennsylvania German culture, a woman was busy all the time. Stitching was a way of adding beauty to her life as well as occupying her hands.

Every so often there are rumors that the Pennsylvania German Society is going to re-issue this book with better illustrations which would be welcome as the book is difficult to use. If they do not re-issue the book, this edition is still valuable and the only full length work to discuss show towels. The charts of motifs are available to make a towel in many different motifs and these are very clear. In spite of the difficulties, I highly recommend this book.… (more)