These colorful crewelwork scenes were once a border that decorated the hem of a petticoat, which in the 1700s was the term for a skirt, not an undergarment. Relatively few petticoats survive intact, but those ornamented with quilting or embroidery were quite fashionable in New England between about 1740 and 1760. Unfortunately, early collectors and dealers often valued the needlework more highly than the article of clothing and cut off the embroidery, framed it for display, and discarded the rest of the petticoat.