The Meaning of Needlework to Ordinary Women
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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMl films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMl a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnation Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 3131761-4700 800/521-0600 COMMON THREADS: THE MEANING OF NEEDLEWORK TO ORDINARY WOMEN by Glennie Overman Daniels A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 1996 Approved by Diss~A~#?f:=; UMI Numberg 9632132 Copyright 1996 by Daniels, Glennie Overman All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9632132 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 ©1996 by Glennie Overman Daniels .,. APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Dissertation Co-Adviso rs ____:__--'+_.::'-+-'--'-h--'---~\-"'L1"Y'.:.....:...c)-+=u.:..:::l/\..!__ ________ ~ ·' Date of Final Oral Examination ii DANIELS, GLENNIE OVERMAN, Ph.D. Common Threads: The Meaning of Needlework to Ordinary Women. (1996). Directed by Dr. Mary Y. Morgan and Dr. Sarah M. Shoffner. 111 pp. This research sought a clearer understanding of the meaning of needlework to ordinary women in their daily lives. The aim of this project was to inquire into the significance and purpose of needlework in women's lives and to increase awareness of its potential usefulness in the lives of others. Conversations with contemporary needleworkers were examined using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology. This interpretative method of study was chosen because it encouraged the participants' dialogue, explanation, interpretation, and partnership in the study. Researcher and participants cooperated to reach mutual understanding of the common threads throughout their lived experiences. Additionally, the researcher investigated the results of published oral histories of women's accounts of their needleworking as well as quantitative data to look for commonality and uniqueness among the different sets of texts to shape an under- standing of the phenomenon. Six women needleworkers who differed in age, marital status, parental status, employ- ment status, education, socio-economic level, and level of needlework skill were interviewed. Four interviews of approximately one hour each were arranged with the individual women. The responses to similar, although not identical, questions were audiotaped and transcribed. With cooperative effort between researcher and the women, analysis and interpretation of the data revealed a primary theme of needlework as therapy for the women. Secondary themes common to the women were predictability, creativity, accomplishment, learning, and family. The women's texts embellished the data from quantitative study, enhanced the texts of recorded histories, and provided greater understanding of the meaning that needlework has for women. In their words, needlework told the truth about real life at a given time and place. r-t ... ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank all persons who provided guidance, encouragement, and assistance throughout this study. Special appreciation is directed to the members of my committee: Dr. Mary Y. Morgan, Dr. Sarah M. Shoffner, Dr. Barbara Clawson, and Dr. Penny Smith. Sincere gratitude is expressed to the six women participants for their unique contributions. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page APPROVAL PAGE ..................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................. iii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Introduction . 1 Justification for the Study . 2 Definition of Terms . 5 Counted threads . 5 Surface embroidery . 6 Needle embroidery . 6 Reflection . 6 My Story .................................................... 8 Statement of Purpose . 12 II. REVIEW OF PROFESSIONAL AND RESEARCH LITERATURE ............. 13 Introduction . 13 History of Needlework . 13 Role of Needlework for Women . 22 Publications about Needlework . 33 Research Relat~d to Needlework . 34 Recent Quantitativ·e Research . 36 Summary .................................................. 38 Ill. METHODOLOGY .............................................. 39 Philosophy of Qualitative Research . 39 Hermeneutics . 44 Research Design . 46 Participants . 49 Methodology and Data Collection ................................ 51 Analysis . 53 Role of the Researcher . 55 Criteria for Validity . 56 IV. PRESENTING THE OUTCOMES ................................... 59 Profiles of the Women . 59 Alno: A Curious Person . 59 Cabe: An Enthusiastic Person . 62 Gagi: A Reflective Person . 65 iv Haei: A Meticulous Person . 67 Kigo: A Competent Person . 70 Mawi: An Intense Person . 72 Commonality and Uniqueness . 75 Therapy: "It's my therapy" ..................................... 76 Predictability: "Regular and predictable" . 80 Creativity: ''To be creative" .................................... 83 Accomplishment: ''This I did" . 86 Learning: ''To do and find out about" . 88 Family: "Remember me" . 90 Summary of Themes . 92 A Panorama . 93 V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . 94 Reflections . 95 Implications . 96 Further Research . 97 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 99 APPENDIX A. DEFINITION OF TERMS . 108 APPENDIX B. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ................................... 110 NOTES ............................................................ 111 v CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Introduction Decorative needlework is almost as old as humankind. As with many other crafts, stitchery had its beginning in people's daily needs. Adam and Eve "sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons" (Genesis 3:7). Early Oriental embroideries indicate that once two pieces of material were joined to create a seam, it was decorated with stitching (Meilach & Snow, 1970). Contemporary needlework continues its utilitarian function as well as being an expression of ideas through the use of texture, pattern, and color of fabrics and threads. It is proposed that needlework is the art that tells the truth about the real life of people at a given time and place (Lane, 1963). Needlework may be considered as one of the oldest of arts. Written history does not take us back to a time when there was no needlework (Symonds & Preece, 1928). Although needlework survives from about 500 BC to the first century AD, it was not until the twentieth century that textile scholarship began to receive serious consideration as women became interested in recording the history of needlework. There have been periods of distinct interest in certain types of needlework. These interest periods can be linked to prevailing ideas and attitudes. At the turn of the eighteenth century, when Americans were involved in exploring unknown territory and sailing to unknown ports, embroidered maps became a needlework fashion of the time (Davidson, 1968). Mourning or memorial embroideries were initiated following the death of the first President of the United States. During the Victorian era "it was certainly the first duty of a wife and mother to make home the pleasantest and happiest spot on earth" (Addie E. Herbin in Dyer, 1994, p. 146). Needlewomen crocheted, quilted, tatted, and sewed in response to the social message that the 2 happiness quotient of the home was relative to the amount of needlework it contained. In the 1920s, hooked rugs were considered to be the key to understanding women of the past. In the 1970s, quilts became the center of interest, and they represented the key to women of the past (Gordon, 1979). Recent years have seen a phenomenal resurgence of consumer interest in needleworking. According to a nationwide study conducted in 1994 by Market Facts lnc., 1 there is at least one crafter in 90% of U.S. households. This represents an increase of 9.8% over the 82% figure from the 1992 consumer study and a 41% increase over the 1988 study. Needlework has the most widespread participation (80% of households) with cross-stitch/embroidery experiencing the greatest growth in popularity (Ancona, 1994b, p. 4; The Bottom Line, 1994, p. 16). Justification for the Study