The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982)(about) |
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Saturday 8 April 1950
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Queen Mary's carpet
Sample of Royal handwork to
earn dollars for Britain
From ANNE MATHESON of our London office
CARPET worked in gros point by Queen Mary photographed just before she had completed the last corner. There are twelve panels. When it is finished it will be mounted at the Royal School of Needlework, South Kensington, where Queen Mary was taught to work in gros point in 1939.
ONE PANEL of the twelve in the carpet is shown below. Queen Mary selected the traditional English 18th century design after looking at hundreds in the Victoria and Albert
Museum. The Royal School of Needle- work supplied the canvas panels with the design chosen by Queen Mary.
. The carpet Queen Mary has taken eight years to make in gros point is expected to earn a million dollars for the British exchequer when sold in New York.
IT was suggested that the carpet should
be sold for charity, but Queen Mary said it was her wish the proceeds should go to the Government, since she felt it
QUEEN MARY, who is 82, is shown in this picture at her writing-desk, seated on a tapestry- covered chair. She has always shown great interest in tapestry, petit point, and gros point.
the duty of everyone to help the country as far as possible in its need for dollars.
Love of English craftsmanship inspired Queen Mary to make the carpet, and her
love for the nation and desire to serve it induced her to make a gift of it to the Government.
The carpet measures 10 feet 2 inches by 6 feet 9½ inches, and is
reckoned to contain a million stitches.
Queen Mary is an exquisite needlewoman and each of the 12 panels is beautifully worked in birds and flowers on backgrounds of beige varying in tone. The narrow sur- rounding border is of scattered
flowers.
The carpet, when shown to the Press, was complete except for one corner, on which Queen -Mary is working at the moment at Marl- borough House. When the corner piece is finished it will be attached to the rest at the Royal School of Needlework, South Kensington.
THE ROYAL SIGNATURE "Mary R." and the date 1944 are clearly shown on this enlarged portion of one of the carpet panels. Queen Mary is an ac-
complished needlewoman.
Color pictures were taken by Robert Hummel.