Flea Market Item 26-316

Vintage Blue Lingerie Appliqués — c.1930s–1950s

A lovely pair of vintage machine-embroidered appliqués in a soft powdery blue, almost certainly originally intended for lingerie, nightwear or fine dressmaking.

The larger piece is a shaped decorative panel approximately 10 cm wide, worked on a fine lustrous rayon or artificial-silk ground. It has a scalloped floral border, tiny embroidered flowers and beautifully finished cutwork eyelets arranged as a central five-petalled flower. The combination of delicate machine embroidery and openwork gives it the appearance of fine handwork.

The second motif is approximately 9cm long and depicts a wonderfully stylised flower and leafy stem. The centre is densely worked with tiny open embroidered holes, while the petals and leaves retain the silky blue ground. It would make a particularly beautiful appliqué for slow stitching.

These were probably produced as ready-made motifs for the home dressmaker, allowing decorative embroidery to be added to slips, camisoles, nightdresses, dressing gowns and similar garments. Their rayon-like sheen, pastel colouring and romantic floral designs are very characteristic of the interwar and immediate post-war period.