Marrying two exceptionally popular topics―needlework and women's history―this book provides an authoritative yet entertaining discussion of the diversity and importance of needlework in Victorian women's lives.• Patterns and illustrations from women's periodicals and pattern books of the time provide a window into Victorian life that will be especially intriguing to the legions who practice these crafts today• Quotations from memoirs, works of fiction, and poetry allow readers to share the experiences of women of the period