From Ticking to Treasure: Reimagining Victorian Embroidered Cases

Inspired by nineteenth-century needlework patterns published in The Lady’s Newspaper and Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine, author, collector, and maker Colleen Formby set out to trace the history of embroidered ticking accessories through antique shops, auction finds, and hands-on reconstruction. Enjoy this excerpt from the Fall 2021 issue and download the free pattern to make your own. —The editors

After I found various articles and projects for ticking embroidery, such as the ones in The Lady’s Newspaper May 23, 1863, and Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine from 1868, shown below, I began watching auctions and antique shops for examples. I found a small bag that is probably from the turn of the twentieth century and is covered in various embroidery stitches and tiny braids and trim. It has a silk Petersham ribbon forming the top. The bag is unlined, and there is a multicolored drawstring closing it. There was no information or provenance with the bag, but it was so charming that I felt I had to add it to my collection.

I have since added two other items to my collection, including one whose use is a bit of a mystery to me. Perhaps the creator of this piece had a particular item that she wished to store and created her own unique holder for it. On this particular item, the embroidery on the inside is complete, and the incomplete areas on the outside suggest that they were not intended to be seen when the item was folded properly. It is a nod to the versatility of the medium and the ingenuity of the designer.

Having these items in my collection, I decided to re-create an embroidered notecase based on the one in The Lady’s Newspaper. Because I was creating it for use in living history presentations, I stayed as close as I could to the original size noted in the period instructions, but the size could easily be changed for use as a cell-phone case, a small evening bag, or even a tablet case. Note that the case that inspired this project has the stripes running horizontally, but one could make the case with vertical stripes, as was done in the Godey’s Lady’s Book version (see photo below). Also, my notecase is handsewn, but it could be machine sewn.

The notecase instructions as published in Godey’s Lady’s Book and Magazine from 1868, Volume 76. Note that the stripes run the opposite direction in this illustration.

I chose materials that would have been available during the mid-nineteenth century. All my embroidery threads are silk, or the closest thing I could find to “purse silk.” But the modern maker could use any thread and create a great variety of looks. I have not included instructions for the exact embroidery stitches and color choices I used to create my bag. In the past, makers were often left to creatively interpret these details for themselves. In that spirit, I leave the color and stitch combinations to you.

Make your own notecase with Colleen’s pattern from the Fall 2021 issue of PieceWork or visit the library for a free, downloadable PDF of the Embroidered-Ticking Notecase.

Originally published January 19, 2022; updated May 21, 2026.