arly every country in western Europe. This is
explained by the stimulus which was given to these arts by the
specimens of applique hangings and garments brought from Syria, where
the natives wrought for centuries the identical applied work carried
into Palestine from Egypt in Biblical times by the Hebrews and the
Phoenicians.

About the earliest applied work of which we have record were the
armorial bearings of the Crusaders. A little later came rather
elaborate designs applied to their cloaks and banners. Among other
specimens of Old English needlework is a piece of applied work at
Stonyhurst College depicting a knight on horseback. That this knight
represents a Crusader is beyond question since the cross, the insignia
of the cause, is a prominent figure in the ornamentation of the
knight's helmet and shield, and is also prominent on the blanket on
the horse.

Noticeable progress in the arts of both quilting and applique was made
during the Middle Ages in Spain. Spanish women have always been noted
for their cleverness with the needle, and quite a few of the stitches
now in use are credited to them. At the time of King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella, applied work had long been known. Whether it
developed from imitating garments brought home by the returning
Crusaders, or was adopted from the Moors, who gave the best of their
arts to Spain during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, cannot
be positively stated. However, it is worthy of notice that whenever
the Christian came in contact with the Moor, a great advance in the
textile arts of the former could generally be observed. This holds
true even down to this day, our eagerness to possess the rugs of
Turkey and Afghanistan, and the imitation of these designs in the
manufacture of domestic carpets, being a case in point.

During the reign of King Philip II, 1527-1598, the grandees of the
Spanish court wore beautifully wrought garments, rich with applied
work and embroidery. A sixteenth-century hanging of silk and velvet
applique, now preserved in Madrid, is typical of the best Spanish
work. It is described as having a gray-green silk foundation, on which
are applied small white silk designs outlined with yellow cord;
alternating with the green silk are bands of dark red velvet with
ornamented designs cut from the green silk, and upon which are small
pieces of white silk representing berries. Also, another handsome
specimen of Spanish applied work of the seventeen