Embroidered Envelopes

'Design Diary'

I consider myself very lucky to be the present owner of the embroidered envelope/postcard that you see above. It was mailed in 1915 from a British soldier, in France, to his little sister in England. My grandmother received it from her brother just under a year before he was wounded and died on December 16, 1916.

As you can see, the front of the postcard is beautifully embroidered. Slipped inside this thin, transparent front envelope is a printed card that repeats the embroidered message... "Hope and Love".

The back of the card is equally compelling with a message that was hand-written almost one hundred years ago between 2 separated siblings. It reads, in part... "My Dear Min, I hope you will like this little souvenir from the firing line and also just a little repayment for the socks you knitted me... So now my little (an illegible endearment) I must wish you Au Revoir with fondest love your affectionate Brother Jack XX"

My grandmother treasured Uncle Jack's embroidered envelope from the day she received it until she passed it on to my mother... who, in turn, passed it to me.

I hope that the envelopes you embroider will enjoy a similar cross-generational life.