1n 1896, during the Arts and Crafts Movement that encouraged a return to hand craftsmanship, Ellen Miller joined with Margaret C. Whiting (1860-1946) to form the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Ms. Miller, who studied at the New York Academy of Design, had a rare sense of true color and was responsible for experiments with the dyes. She kept accurate records of the dyes’ abilities to retain color and maintained a book of swatches with notes as to which dyes and mordants (chemicals that prepare wool to accept the dye) applied to each color. The Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework officially closed its books in 1926.