Editing Needlework (section)

==Background==
[[File:Woman's embroidered boots 1885.jpg|thumb|Embroidered boots, 1885]]

Needlework was an important fact of women's identity during the [[Victorian age]], including [[embroidery]], [[Net (textile)|netting]], [[knitting]], [[crochet]], and [[Berlin wool work]]. A growing middle class had more leisure time than ever before; printed materials offered homemakers thousands of patterns. Women were still limited to roles in the household, and under the standards of the time a woman working on needle work while entertaining the parlor was considered beautiful. According to one publication from 1843: "Never is beauty and feminine grace so attractive as, when engaged in the honorable discharge of household duties, and domestic cares."<ref name=victorian>{{cite book |last1=Ledbetter |first1=Kathryn |title=Victorian Needlework |date=2012}}</ref>

Fancy work was distinguished from plain [[sewing]] and it was a mark of a prosperous and well-managed home to display handmade needlework. While plain sewing was often handed over to servants, even in middle class households, fancy work would often be done while entertaining guests, in the afternoons, evenings, or on Sundays. The types of goods that could be decorated with needlework techniques was limited only by the imagination: knitted boots, embroidered book covers, footstools, lampshades, sofa cushions, fans and on and on.<ref name=victorian/>