The work was carried out on white satin jean using white cotton thread and was used to decorate household products such as nightdress cases, dressing-table mats, sachets, comb and brush bags, quilts, pillow shams and pin cushions.
Designs were originally inspired by plants growing locally including: blackberries, dog rose, ivy, wild clematis, viola and fuchsia. Cultivated plants such as passion flower, cyclamen, tiger lily, snowdrops and daffodils also appear frequently in the designs. One of the features of Mountmellick is, in fact its serviceability.
It is meant to be used, and repeated washing has given older examples of the work a particular softness and ‘patina’.