Category Archives: antique textiles

Antique Tabletopper Reproduction

Posted on November 8, 2011 by admin| 2 Comments

 

reproduction tabletopper

White Wednesday seemed like a good excuse to re-run this post.  You might enjoy viewing this lovely antique textile even more if you enlarge the photos by double clicking.  ~~~~~~

Antique textiles have long been a weakness of mine. The extensive handwork and intricate details routinely stitched in an earlier era are almost impossible to find in contemporary  household linens. Some of the design elements, however, can be duplicated for a very nice effect, if not the elaborate, luxurious look of the antiques.

The ho-hum tabletopper shown above is patterned after a special linen treasure, shown below. Made of linen like the original, the reproduction was stitched as a project sample for a 6 hour class, so the elaborate embroidery was necessarily minimized to what could be completed in that short period of time.

antique table topper

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Posted in antique textiles, heirloom sewing, home dec, machine embroidery, White Wednesday

White Hankies

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Janice| 5 Comments

The opportunity to post a White Wednesday blog along with others at Faded Charm motivated me to plunder through my handkerchief collection again.  As I said in an earlier post, there are few genres of needlework that include so many wonderful techniques as handkerchiefs.

In a relatively small area, spectacular stitching is often combined with extraordinary edgings.  These beauties are tiny treasures.

Note the unusual shaping of the linen and the delicate handmade edge.

This small silk organza hanky is one of my favorites, though it would be pretty useless if you had a cold.  The drawn thread work is as delicate as the fairy weight lace edging. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, bags, hand embroidery, White Wednesday

Vintage Baby Laundry Bag

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Janice| 3 Comments

Antique baby things always enchant me.  I hope you are not bored with them because I have several I’d like to share with you.

This little white laundry bag is one of my favorites.  It makes me wonder how a young mother, with all the responsibilities of raising children and running a house, could find the time to make this sweet sack for soiled baby clothes.  Of course, there is the possibility that a resident grandmother or other relative could have made this elegant little accessory for the family’s newest member. At any rate, it is charming.

This is truly a modern project for old fashioned Nanas.  A sturdy, 15″ x 18″ drawstring bag is a useful item appreciated by young mothers.  My daughter kept one folded in the diaper bag for the soiled clothing inevitably generated on outings with baby Alastair.

My friend Suzanne Sawko used this vintage bag for inspiration when she designed and stitched these for an article in Creative Needle magazine.

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Posted in antique textiles, baby accessories, bags, hand embroidery, White Wednesday

Florida Fall ~Stitching and Decorating

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Janice| Leave a comment

Everyone, it seems, loves fall. The stores are chock full of home dec items, the embroidery sites are brimming with new autumn designs and the department store displays show garments in brilliant golds, browns and orange.

In central Florida, fall brings cooler temperatures, ripening citrus, and the county fair.  I love them all, but my favorite is the show put on by the romantic Golden Rain Trees.  As a child, I watched Elizabeth Taylor in the movie, Raintree County, and fantasized about someday seeing such a tree.

All these years, I’ve remembered the theme song, sung by Nat King Cole.YouTube Preview Image  I find myself humming it  when the golden showers begin.  The petals and pollen  cover the grass like a yellow carpet and are followed by vibrant rust colored seed pods in huge clusters. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, embroidery blanks, home dec, machine embroidery

Embroidered Italian Trousseau Sheet

Posted on October 12, 2011 by Janice| 1 Comment

Following the lead of Jeannie B. and other bloggers, I’ve boarded the White Wednesday wagon, posting about something white each Wednesday.  This is my first WW post. See more White Wednesday at Faded Charm.

Twenty years ago, I was strolling the aisles of a huge antique show when I spotted this extraordinary bed linen.  Tied up with a blue satin ribbon,  folded neatly with the monogram centered, the creamy white sheet called out,  “Janice!  Take me home!”  So I did.  I think my husband even heard it, because he declared that it would do for my birthday present.

It is incredibly beautiful,  product of countless hours with needle and thread,  all the while dreaming of future marital bliss.  The padded satin stitch monogram and all the surface embroidery is so raised, so dimensional. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, hand embroidery, White Wednesday

Iris Tea Linens

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Janice| 2 Comments

Earl Grey tea and banana bread served in the potting shed

This set of  six linen napkins and placemats is so beautiful that using them, either to  pamper myself or entertain special friends, always makes me appreciative of the needleworker’s skill.  They were purchased from an estate sale and were estimated to be vintage 1940.

By virtue of my friend Suzanne Sawko’s definition  of “antique” as something that is older than she is, I declare these linens to be the real deal.  But using Suzanne’s standard has made it harder and harder for me to find genuine antiques!

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Posted in antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, hand embroidery, home dec, Madeira applique

Unique Techniques ~ Vintage Daygown

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Janice| 4 Comments

Well loved daygowns and roses are two of my favorite things. This Bright Future climber had a 5th rose in this cluster.

At first glance, this antique daygown is sweet but offers nothing noteworthy. Upon closer examination, however, there are techniques and features that make me wish I knew more about it.  I bought it on eBay for reasons I don’t remember.

One of the first things that caught my attention is the pale, pale pink smocking (probably faded with time) which appears to have been stitched without the benefit of a pleater.  It seems unlikely that iron on dots were used, as the gossamer sheer fabric likely would have refused to surrender this intrusion, even after multiple launderings. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, infant clothing, smocking

At Liberty

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Janice| 13 Comments

Yes, at liberty to start another project!  The  sundress is finished at last.  Hurrah!

What was expected to be a quick and easy project became a career, entailing  continuing education, extra hours, supply problems, and lowered performance expectations.

This all started with a child’s vintage filet crochet yoke.  Purchased at least 15 years ago, it was saved for a someday granddaughter. Now, I have the granddaughter, she is the right size and I was ready to go.  All it needed was a smocked  Liberty of London tana lawn skirt.   How hard could it be?

Before I got very far on the smocking, I thought it would be nice to add Florence Roberson’s smocked puffy pockets.  It took two full days to locate the pattern.

Before I pleated the pockets, the top may edge needed to be finished with a tiny hem or trimmed with lace.  Since I was using a crocheted yoke, a crocheted edge seemed in order.   My first and last crochet project was a pastel granny square baby blanket for my newborn daughter in 1978.  Hmmmmm….so I pulled out some how-to needlework books and learned some simple, basic crochet.  Continuing education is good!

NOTE: The links above take you to  earlier post about the sundress and  pockets, which are just sweet as pie.

The skirt is smocked with Florence Roberson’s plate Diamonds, by Ellen McCarn.  Smocking on Liberty or any print presents the challenge of achieving enough contrast without “fighting” with the print. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, girls, smocking

Beach Portrait Dress and Vintage Skirt

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Janice| 5 Comments

Judy Day attended Lezette Thomason’s Children’s Corner Sewing School in June and had a fabulous time.  She just finished this classic white beach portrait dress which was one of the projects.   Any beach would be enhanced with Judy’s pretty seven-year old  granddaughter, Courtney, wearing this dress.

Children’s Corner pattern Louise was redrafted for this garment.  Judy reported that it is embellished with 12 tucks on the front, 18 on the back,  three gathered tiers with tucks, separated by lace. She thoroughly enjoyed stitching this project.

I fell in love with the dress and the idea of a beach portrait for my own seven year-old granddaughter, Laurel.  Instantly, I remembered this exquisite white skirt, purchased at our church bazaar several years ago for no good reason other than its loveliness and potential.  Of course, I wonder on what occasions the  original owner with her 22″ waist wore this elaborate skirt.  Vintage textiles always pique my curiosity.

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Posted in antique textiles, girls, heirloom sewing, Judy Day's creations

Antique Crazy Patch Quilt

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Janice| 1 Comment

In the crazy quilt of life, I’m glad you’re in my block of friends. Author Unknown

We don’t come to our cabin in North Carolina as frequently as we did before the grandchildren were born.  After a lengthy absence from my favorite getaway, seeing the old treasures I placed  there is a little like seeing old friends.

I love antique textiles–good, bad and mediocre.  In the eyes of an expert  appraiser, this old crazy patch quilt is charming at best and crude at worst.  But I love it for its character, idiosyncrasies and history, about which I can only speculate.

This beauty is more representative of the classic crazy patch style.  It is obvious that the cabin quilt is extremely primitive in comparison.

Crazy patch quilting, you might know, became the needlework rage in America between 1870 and 1880, though historically its origins go back as far as 1160.  A brief overview of its history and progress as a legitimate form of needlework can be read here.   http://www.quiltropolis.net/articles/crazy-quilts.aspair.

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Posted in antique textiles, quilts