Queen Margrethe of Denmark
Ginnie Thompson with Queen Ingrid of Denmark
Chasuble by Queen Ingrid
Gerda Bengtsson
1900-1995
Red Currant Pillow by
Gerda Bengtsson
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SHORT HISTORY OF A SMALL
STITCH
Chapter
Four
In 1928 the Danish Handcraft Guild was
formed for the purpose of saving the embroidery techniques
that were being lost. Queen Alexandra was the first patron;
Queen Ingrid is the present patron. Both Queen Ingrid (the
Queen Mother) and Queen Margrethe (the reigning Queen) are
talented needlewomen. Queen Ingrid specializes in metal
embroidery and has even developed a particular technique for
it where strands of gold metal are separated with a silk
thread in between. She is responsible for distinctive gifts,
including a table top in 1952 for her father, King Gustave
of Sweden, for his seventieth birthday. For her husband,
King Frederick IX, Queen Ingrid stitched a tabletop with a
Beethoven sonata. Working with designer Gerda Bengtsson,
Queen Ingrid devised a veiled effect, like snow fall, where
a skipped stitch keeps a solid background from being too
heavy.
There are seven royal chapels connected
with royal Danish residences. For these chapels the royal
family has done exquisite embroidery. In the royal chapel at
Fredensborg there is a chasuble designed by Queen Margrethe
that incorporates the flowers of Denmark and a border made
up of a hymn. A gold chasuble was done by Queen Ingrid in
gold metal embroidery and a velvet chasuble with a patchwork
cross was stitched by Princess Benedicte and is composed of
pieces from court gowns.
Gerda Bengtsson was born in 1900 and
greatly influenced cross stitch designs with her artistry.
In 1951 at the Milano Triennial she received a gold medal
for her Red Currant Pillow, thus elevating embroidery as an
art. This sweet-faced, soft-spoken Dane created over 1000
designs. Gerda Bengtsson was still working, still designing,
well into her nineties. She died in 1995.
It was Gerda Bengtsson who created Flower
Thread, working with master dyer Einar Hansen to select
colors based on traditional dye recipes. She is best known
for her floral designs, hence the name "Flower"
thread.
Next chapter: Pawleys Island and the "10
Second Course"
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