Casgliadau Arlein

Lace nightcap with embroidered floral motifs. Worn in Anglesey, about 1918. Four embellishments (two at upper centre front and one each on either side of the chin) consisting of a small flower made from green and pink silk ribbon which has been stitched onto a substrate of narrow green cotton ribbon, with three cream pompoms hanging down beneath each flower. Each pompom hangs from a length of a bunch of threads which have been covered in buttonhole stitches. The centre of the pompom appears to be filled with cotton fibres (cotton wool). The cap is constructed of 10 elements. Either side of the crown is made from a double layer of plain bobbin lace. Down the centre (front to back) are three strips of lace: a central one where the lace has been stitched into a series of narrow pleats running across the strip (each pleat is 1-2mm wide and the rows are spaced 5mm apart) and one on each side, with two slightly wider pleats (3mm) that run lengthways along the strip. The edge of the crown is surrounded by a 6cm wide strip of embroidered lace, which is divided into a wide central panel embroidered with floral motifs and two narrow panels on either side. At the chin, two triangular sections have been added on, which are each constructed of two pieces of embroidered lace.