This embroidered image was previously published to my website and I'd also made a pattern of it for sale. The design originates from Victorian times and is a quote from Shakespeare's "Hamlet" - "May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
I was delighted to find a suggestion for this design in "Godey's Lady's Book," November 1879. They list it as a "Design for Pillow-Sham." A pattern is given in their Supplement. They say that the design may be worked in "outline, crewel, or in linen." The design could be used in making a baby's blanket.
The first time I saw this particular design was on a very soiled textile I bought in Bethel, Maine. I took it home, washed it, and the image you see here is the embroidered textile I created. At the point of collection, I wondered if the one I bought had been used to drape a coffin. It's a mystery I'll never uncover. The reproduction is featured in my book, Redwork Embroidery and Needlework Traditions in Europe and America, now out of print.
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