Victorian homes were full of embroidered linens: pillow shams, tablecloths, tea cosies and chair backs, all covered in roses, ivy and sprays of wild flowers. Many of those designs came from printed transfer patterns. Here is a short look at where they came from and how to use them today.
The rise of printed transfers
Before transfers, designs were drawn onto fabric by hand or pricked and pounced with powder through a paper pattern. In the late 19th century, companies began selling designs printed in a special ink that could be ironed straight onto fabric. Briggs & Co. of Manchester became one of the best-known names, and its catalogue of "Patent Transferring Papers" offered hundreds of designs.
Our Briggs Victorian Embroidery Designs edition preserves one of those catalogues, with about 400 floral motifs, sprays and borders.
Typical Victorian embroidery motifs
- Roses, forget-me-nots, pansies and wild flowers
- Ivy, ferns and trailing leaves
- Bows, ribbons and garlands
- Corners and borders for table linen
- Initials and monograms (see our guide to Victorian monograms)
From Victorian to Art Nouveau
Around 1900 the style changed. Designs inspired by Art Nouveau used long, flowing lines and stylised plants instead of crowded bouquets. The London store Liberty & Co. was closely linked with the look. The Liberty & Co. Designs for Needlework catalogue shows how the same household items were reimagined: cushions, table covers and panels with sweeping botanical forms.
How to use a vintage design today
Our PDFs are page reproductions, not iron-on transfers, so you trace or print the design yourself:
- Print and resize the motif to the size you need.
- Light box or window: tape the printout and fabric to a bright window and trace with a water-soluble or heat-erasable pen.
- Dressmaker's carbon paper: for darker fabrics, trace through carbon paper with a stylus.
- Printable stabiliser: print directly onto a wash-away stabiliser, stick it on the fabric and stitch through it.
Choosing stitches
Most Victorian sprays only need a few stitches: stem stitch for stems, satin or long and short stitch for petals and leaves, and French knots for centres. Our guide to essential hand embroidery stitches covers them all.
Browse all vintage embroidery patterns.