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Bell Pull

Curated Submission
Place
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Date
1930 - 1939
DIMENSIONS in centimetres
117.5 x 12.5
Materials & techniques
Cotton, wool, canvas, silk; Knitting, surface embroidery, counted needlework, satin
Credit
Women’s Guild of Winnipeg
ID
Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library 47.00
This bell pull was created collectively by the embroidery group of the Women’s Guild of Winnipeg. The group initiated the project specifically for the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, where it was awarded a special mention. The bell pull was conceived in the style of a sampler with each square executed in a different style of needlework. These eight squares represent the diverse ethnic groups active in the early guild, with techniques including Norwegian Hardanger, Jacobean crewel work, Ukrainian embroidery from the Bukovina region, Hungarian elements displaying Transylvanian work, and a white-on-black style popular in the 19th century.
 
Large projects undertaken by the Women’s Guild were often worked in small pieces to display the talents of both the individual craftsperson and the entire group. The bell pull was planned and designed collectively but embroidered in parts before being assembled. Each square was worked in a particular style by a single individual. The embroidery group members involved in this project were listed as G.D. Juettner-Kelim, W.M. Hugill, H. Wilson, F. Howarth, E. Young, Miss M. Whitworth, Mitzi Anderson Dale, A. G. Pawlik, P. Hutzulak, W. Larsson, and Mrs. Z.
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