Sewing case, England, 1700-1750

Sewing case in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (museum number T.282-1984), made in England, dated 1700-1750. The museum's brief description reads: Sewing case of silk embroidered canvas, England, 1700-1750.

Museum description: Sewing case of silk embroidered canvas, in three parts. The case opens to reveal two embroidered canvas pockets lined with pink silk. The case is bound with pink silk. The inside pickets show two panels of embroidery. One shows a design in Florentine stitches of diamond motifs in pinks, blues, golds, browns and black. The other, which is worked in eyelet stitch, has a repeating design of strawberries in pinks and green on a white ground.

The outside case is worked in cross-stitch and shows a repeating design of overlapping fan-shaped motifs in pinks, greens, blues, purples, browns and yellows, all outlined in black. Under the front flap of the sewing case is sewn ‘Mary Fox’ and ‘Falmouth’ in orange silk on white silk. The museum records it as Silk embroidered canvas lined with silk, measuring Width 5 in; Length 5.875 in; Width 13 cm; Length 15 cm; Length 12.5 in; Length 32 cm.

These details come from the museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.