More Chicken Scratch

DH and I have been having a lovely day, drinking coffee and looking through his Mother's aprons etc. And I had forgotten this bit of Chicken Scratch was in there:

This is a simple supper cloth, where the design is like this:

And, if you really look closer, it is like this:

From this you can see two things - one is probably why it is also called "Snowflaking" (although until Pam came up with that name, I had not heard of it.

And secondly, how this technique is not only a partnership of stitches, it is also important how the light blocks are emphasised, the medium checks are "used" and the dark ones are almost covered, to provide the overall shaded/lighter effect.

Flo, who worked this piece, was at the CWA (Country Women's Association) with Margaret, who worked the example I posted the other day. So they would have learned this together in the 1980s, I think. But my impression is that it is something more from the 1950s, when gingham like this was available when there was little else to use for decoration.

So, if you see it around in Op Shops or garage sales - you just might be tempted to save it from the rag bag.