This is a cotton pillow case that my mum embroidered in the late 60s / early 70s. It has a matching sheet, with the embroidered edge folding over the made bed. There was a single set each for my sister and me, and a double-bed set for mum and dad. I found it in an old suitcase when I was emptying the house after my dad died in 2016. The cotton is a lovely quality, a high count and with a very smooth and silky feel. The pillowcases were 5 shillings and 3d each (26p). This yellow one was for my bed; luckily the colours are still right, although I’ll probably add some burgundy too, on the other pieces.

The pattern and some Coates Anchor skeins were all in the bag with the sheets and pillowcases.

Mum had started on a second pillowcase, but this is as far as she had got. We had moved into a ramshackle old house in 1969, and there were far more urgent things to do than embroidery. Also in the early 70s we had continental quilts and easy-care poly/cotton bedding.

I was delighted to find them all. I assessed the sizes and came to the conclusion that, using the single sheets along with the double one, I can make a king-size quilt cover. The pillowcases were slightly grubby and had marks on them, but I washed the finished one and all the marks have come out. Phew!

It’s lovely to see mum’s work, and the delicate design is timeless. I am going to continue mainly with a single strand of thread, rather than the three strands in the instructions. I’ll vary the colours, partly as I don’t have a number for the paler green and there is literally only one length of it left, and partly because I think it will make a more interesting finished piece.

I’ve made a start, trying to match mum’s satin stitch, the yellowy green (two strands).

So far, only one finished motif. It will be good to pick it up between other projects, for a change of pace.