author
Thérèse de Dillmont
1846–1890
Best known for creating one of the classic guides to embroidery and lacework, she helped turn needlework into something teachable, practical, and widely shared. Her books reached readers across Europe and far beyond, and her Encyclopedia of Needlework remained influential long after her death.
1 Audiobook
Encyclopedia of Needlework
by Thérèse de Dillmont
About the author
Born in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, in 1846, Thérèse de Dillmont became an important writer and teacher of textile handwork. She is most closely associated with Encyclopedia of Needlework, first published in the 1880s, a richly illustrated reference that brought together embroidery, lace, netting, crochet, knitting, and many other techniques in one accessible volume.
Dillmont worked closely with the DMC company in Mulhouse, and her clear, systematic style helped make decorative needlework easier for home makers and serious craft workers alike. Her writing was widely translated, which gave her work an unusually international reach for the time.
She died in Baden-Baden in 1890, but her name continued to be linked with needlework publishing for decades afterward. Today she is remembered as one of the key figures who helped preserve, organize, and popularize the practical knowledge of embroidery and related crafts.