Needlepoint on chairs

These mahogany chairs have been in our family for several generations. I remember them in the living room of our house at 121 Nichols Street, Danvers. That was the new larger house we moved to 1959 (from our very small home at 120 Nichols Street). I imagine that these chairs were given to us by Granddaddy Nichols, from his house at 124 Nichols Street. I wonder if his wife Nellie ("Nana" to us) did the decorative needlework on these chairs. (See my previous post about Nana, and a hooked seat cover she had made.)

If Nana didn't do this needlework, who did?  I wonder if anyone else in our family knows. Please let me know (in the Comments, or by email) if you know more about this. Thanks!

P.S. I just reviewed an inventory of my father's furniture (a list made in 1990 at his home in Marblehead, MA, for insurance purposes). That list includes TWO pairs of mahogany side chairs with upholstered seats (one pair described as "Empire"; the other as "Federal"). The description for the Empire chairs mentions "slip upholstery needlepoint seats" and I see a penciled note ("by Nellie Nichols") in my handwriting in the margin. Aha! I wrote that note in 1992 when my sister and I were reviewing our father's list and he was downsizing prior to a move to California. Perhaps he told us that information? I don't recall. I now think those chairs went to my sister, and are NOT the chairs pictured here.

Here's the other description, which seems a better match for these chairs in my house: "Pair of Mahogany Federal Side Chairs with Carved Shield Backs above Upholstered Seats on Square Fontal Tapered Legs with Spade Feet."  See my photo below for a better view of the whole chair:

Note: the seat area is sunken; it is in need of repair underneath the needlework. Our cat used to love to curl up in that hollow! (We always kept a towel or blanket over the needlework, to protect it from cat claws and fur.)  A friend long ago recommended that I enroll in a local upholstery class that she was enjoying; she was sure I could fix those seats. Maybe so, but I didn't want to disturb the needlework, nor did I have the time or interest to do re-upholstery. In recent years, cat-less, we've kept a pile of folded blankets and quilts on top. These antique chairs are lovely, but not recommended for comfortable seating.

Nana

I'm remembering "Nana" today, and looking at an old framed image of her. Nana was my grandmother (my father's mother). She lived next door with Granddaddy Nichols during their retirement years in Danvers, when I was a child.

Her real name was Nellie, but my sister and I always called her "Nana." 

Years later I learned that her full maiden name was Nellie Eusebia Johnson. She had been born in December 1874, and became Mrs. William S. Nichols on January 8, 1902. This image of her is dated 1926; thus she must have been 51 or 52, while her sons were teenagers (ages 14 and 19). They all lived then in Montpelier, Vermont, and she was probably active then in the church community that her husband served as minister. I really don't know much about her life in those years. That's all 'way before my time.

In my childhood in the 1940's and early 1950's, Nana was in Danvers, and as far as I knew, she and Granddaddy had probably ALWAYS lived in Danvers! We often heard stories of his past, growing up nearby at Pine Knoll (the old Nichols homestead), but I don't recall stories of Nana's earlier life.

What I do remember are times with Nana in her kitchen, when she was making donuts or cookies. I recall "helping out" by eating any cookies that were charred or broken. She willingly gave me those spoiled ones, which I enjoyed. I also remember her collections of sea shells. She really loved sea shells! Big ones were used as door stops around the house. Small ones and delicate ones were on display in glass-topped cases in the sunroom off the dining room.  

I remember watching Nana work at hooking a rug. She had a big wooden frame set up in the dining room, and she stood (or sat on a stool?) in front of it with tools in her hands, working strips of wool or other fabric in and out of the little holes in the burlap that was stretched taut on the frame. She was filling in patterns that had been drawn on that burlap. Did she design those patterns herself?  I assume so, but don't really know.

I do have one example of something Nana hooked: a small round seat cover with a gull flying on it. I examined it today and took these photos, including a close look at its back side:

Note how the colors are stronger on the back side, which hasn't faded as much as the front. All in all, this seat cover has lasted well in the 70 or so years since Nana made it. She died in July 1953 at age 78, when I was just 10. 

Here's a closer photo of Nana's 1926 portrait, with fewer reflections: 

Below is a photo from my era, showing Nana with us at a family dinner at Pine Knoll. The date is probably 1952.  My sister Jean is beside Nana; I am at right, beside Granddaddy. 

See also the photos in my blog post about our grandparents' Golden Wedding anniversary, January 8, 1952:

https://rememberingdanvers.blogspot.com/2014/01/january-8.html