Redwork embroidery, popular during the Victorian era, was always stitched in Turkey Red floss. Redwork has been a passion of mine off and on for many years. As a newlywed, I fell in love with the sweet little designs—almost always flowers, animals, or children. Over the years I’ve made several Redwork quilts, and I’d like to share a few of the ones still in my possession.

The first quilt shown above was made in 1986 and often covered my son’s bed when he was little. We had such fun finding the pictures together and talking about them. One square even shows our three dogs at the time—Trapper, Woody, and Sugar—along with a few of their “favorite things.” Writing about it now makes me a little teary; so many sweet memories are stitched into that quilt. My son, now 27, still says he loves it.

Below is a quilt in progress, started years ago and still only half-quilted. One day I’ll finish it, but I have to be in the mood to quilt—you know how that is. I love the little girl holding her dollies, the crying baby, and the bird lady…too cute! In the close-up shots you can see that, after the squares are sewn together and before it’s quilted, I use a herringbone stitch along the seams. Most of the embroidery stitches are stem and outline stitch, with a little chain stitch and a few French knots sprinkled in. I always use the highest-quality 100% natural muslin, and I buy my floss in bulk—DMC #304, Turkey Red of course!