A Touch of Elegance: Shelf Trim

Lovely readers, what do you know about lace edging on shelves? I've taken a recent interest in this topic, and here's why:

Ever since Caroline from Caroline's Clothing left me a comment on one of my recent posts about how she loves edging like this on vitrines and cabinets with glass doors and actually reproduced this effect on the buffet in her kitchen, I've been scouring the internet to find out more about this tradition.

(Caroline, to answer your question, this photo was taken in a local antique store. I snapped this picture to remind my future self to try this out if I ever get the right cabinet!)

From the calendar "Aus Großmutters Küche" by Christa Versley, Korsch Verlag

But it seems very little has been written on this topic! So I'm going to offer every bit of knowledge I've acquired about decorating shelf edges, and in exchange, I would love to hear anything you know about this topic! (See the end of this post for more details.)

Apparently shelf decorations can take two forms:

A 19th Century Sampler

My grandmother loved making samplers and handing them out like candy to her grandchildren, and while I may not have the time to carry on this proud family tradition, I have at least cultivated an intense interest in this particular form of crafting.

You can imagine my delight when I encountered a stunning and elegant sampler from 1879 (!) framed and hanging on the wall of a friend's apartment. Most of the embroidery is done with white thread, creating a very clean look interrupted only by a few details in red.

 
Below is a shot of the sampler in its entirety. Despite being over 130 years old, it was in excellent condition with only three small moth holes to the bottom right of the letter Q.

Do any of you love them as much as I do? What is the oldest or most unusual example of one you've ever seen?