My first image...

First of all let me explain that one of my favorite past time readings are books about needle work and it's history. My collection of these type of books is quite extensive. I think what intrigues me most, is their age and how so many pieces of needle work have survived the tests of time. Many of them have out-lived the homes or schools in which they were created in, and the very hands that created them.
Now moving onto the Royal Wedding...When I heard that Kate's shoes had appliqued/embroidered lace, hand-made for her at the Royal School of Needlework, I had one image of what they might look like pop into my head.

This... (Page of book photographed from the book titled, Connecticut Needlework - women, art, and family 1740 - 1840.)

Silly right?!! Yea I know... it made me laugh too!

The shoes are lovely in their own way. These shoes too, were worn for a wedding. This pair of shoes is believed to been made by a pair of sisters, each making a shoe to get them done in time for the one sister's wedding. The quality of handwork varies from right shoe to left shoe, this is why it is believed both sisters were involved in the embroidery. These shoes were worn by Hannah Edwards Wetmore in 1745 in Connecticut on her wedding day. Take note of the shoes, no right and left shoe. Straight shoe constructions (both shoes are the same), was typical shoe construction for this period of shoe-making.
The jury is still out on if we really know what Kate's shoes looked like. In my Google searches, the photo that I posted yesterday is a look-alike. Not thee exact shoe Kate wore. I still haven't been able to locate a good picture of Kate's shoe on her foot. I'm guessing it is safe to say that it doesn't look like the image that first popped into my head...silly me.

Have a good week,

Brenda