Category Archives: heirloom sewing

Antique Lace Bonnet

Posted on April 23, 2010 | 1 comment

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Antique laces have so much detail and intricacy.  Today, few laces are made with the cordonnet outline  threads, the elaborate patterns and the variety ofbackground textures that you find in so many antiques.

If you are fortunate enough to have custody of some of these pieces, deciding how best to use them is often a dilemma. After purchasing several yards of a gorgeous, French, ecru galoon, I chose to use some for a baby bonnet. My goal was to make an heirloom piece that would not see heavy use, though the lace is very sound. One of my vintage McCall’s layette patterns was used, chosen for its simplicity.

Only 3 1/2″ wide, the lace was too narrow to meet the required width from front edge to the horseshoe back. So the shortage was made up with 1 1/2″ French ribbon inserted between the body of the bonnet and the front ruffle. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, baby accessories, heirloom sewing, techniques

Yellow Rose Heirloom Pillow

Posted on April 22, 2010 | Leave a comment
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It’s hard to predict just what sort of things will speak to a child. From toys to food, their tastes differ and often surprise both parents and grandparents.
 
Laurel loves this pillow. It is her special treat to sleep with it when she spends the night. Frankly, neither side pressed against the sweet cheeks of a 5-year old would seem to make for pleasant dreams. With a galaxy of French knots on the front and pearl buttons on the back, it would be far less comfortable than the pima cotton pillowcases in the children’s room.
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But she loves it and asked me if she could have it when she is grown up. I expect she will own it long before that.

Featured in an article in the Heirloom Quilting series I wrote for Creative Needle magazine. Portions of that article are included in this post. In order to keep this post to a reasonable length, I have left out detailed instructions for piping, sharks’ teeth and the ruffle. Continue reading →

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Posted in hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, home dec, quilts, techniques, Tutorials

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Antique Pink Bullion Baby Dress

Posted on April 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

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It seems that everyone who sews finds special joy in creating dainty baby things. I’ve made my fair share and yet I look forward to making more as I hope for yet another grandchild. Given my enthusiasm for sewing what my friend Janice Kay calls “bitty baby things,” I still cannot resist buying antique dresses when I come across a sweet one.

 

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Posted in antique textiles, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, infant clothing

“In the Pink of Life” Quilt

Posted on April 16, 2010 | 12 comments

NOTE: This post is from an article I wrote for Creative Needle magazine some time ago. Made for my daughter Rebecca, this is one of my favorite projects.

French ribbon, Swiss basket embroidery, Grannie-made tatting

Heirloom Sewing Goods and Techniques~~~Long identified as the preeminent tone of femininity, pink is often the color of the daygown, embroidery, hair ribbons and other loving embellishments in a girl’s life. The pieces used for the crazy patch squares in this quilt include pink remembrances of my daughter, Rebecca, as well as other gourmet leftovers from earlier projects.

Chinese tatted medallion, pink lace tape, silk rosebud, antique lace

The pink damask napkins represent adulthood–the pleasures and responsibilities of hospitality, graciousness and family celebrations.

antique lace, Swiss butterfly, drawn thread napkin lined with pink batiste

The quilt shows extensive lace-to-lace joining, tucks and other techniques long-practiced by heirloom stitchers. Bits of leftover handlooms and embroideries from baby dresses, lengths of tatting from Easter dresses, pieces of a fancyband of champagne laces and pink lace tape used in a pillow, and salvaged pieces from Grandmother’s cutwork tablecloth are joined in crazy patch harmony, much like crazy patches of memory. The resulting patchwork creation is of a very different genre than the countrified bed coverings shown in living color in quilt magazines.

Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, Binche Lace, heirloom sewing, home dec, lace tape, machine embroidery, quilts, techniques

Aunt Rheeta’s Communion Cloth

Posted on April 10, 2010 | 6 comments

The linen is white, but the lighting was so poor that I had to edit the picture to show details.

 

 

Very few sewing projects have given me as much pleasure and satisfaction as this one. Made 2 years ago, in collaboration with my dear aunt, Rheeta Booth, for her church, this set of liturgical linens includes an altar cloth (cover) and communion veil which covers the elements before communion is served.

 

 

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Aunt Rheeta was so excited about this project. The exquisite Swiss liturgical lace had been purchased several years before, from Farmhouse Fabrics.    At the time, I had no specific plan but felt certain this exceptional lace it would fill a very special need.

 

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Several years ago, when Aunt Rheeta returned from Russia, where she had served as a missionary, she brought with her a lovely hand embroidered cloth. She donated it to her very small church for use as a communion cloth, but through the years, it had become worn.

During her visit two years ago, we were plundering in the sewing room when I happened upon the lace. The light in her eyes told me it had found its purpose.

Continue reading →

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Posted in church projects, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

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Alice Camisole

Posted on April 6, 2010 | 3 comments

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BACKGROUND:  The tatted yoke on this camisole is at least 90 years old.  What a testimony to the sturdy fruit of the shuttle!  I had sentimental reasons for my appreciation of this yoke (detailed below in HISTORY) and made a camisole for my daughter.  Miss Alice, the previous owner, was especially fond of my children and they grew up knowing her as an exemplary model of Christian womanhood.  In 1996, this garment was featured in my series entitled  Antique Textiles in Creative Needle magazine.

CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE: The project was a challenge.  I needed a way to attach the yoke to the gathered fabric without detracting from the intricacy of the tatting pattern.  Commercial entredeux just seemed too new and joining it to the gathered fabric would be bulkier than desired.  Also, white entredeux was too bright and ecru was too dark.  Machine made entredeux was the perfect solution but just how to do that on a diagonal line across the gathered straight of grain fabric made me ponder long and hard.

 

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Posted in antique textiles, heirloom sewing, ladies, techniques

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Joyous Easter 2010

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 5 comments

Alastair does not want to sit!

UPDATE:  Alastair just looks so serious and even unhappy in the photos from this wonderful day.  So I have decided to include this picture.  I managed to capture one of his happiest moments in this blurry photo.  While we were getting dinner on the table, he discovered that the easily opened old oak wash stand in the kitchen housed a box of garbage bags with unlimited fun potential.

Alastair, anticipating a LOT of garbage after Easter dinner.

He was allowed to enjoy himself but was never left unsupervised with the potentially dangerous bags. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alastair has places to go and eggs to hunt.

What a lovely, joyous celebration we had today!  We are so grateful that both of our children and their families live near enough that we can be together for holidays and often just to be together.

When Ryan’s family arrived, Robert was perfectly happy to swap out his huge shirt for this one, version 2, which is more fitted than version 1 but still too large.    Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, machine embroidery, Nana fun

Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted on April 2, 2010 | 2 comments

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Frothy and yellow and sweet, this dress reminds me of lemon meringue pie, which, incidentally, is on my Easter dinner menu.  Laurel will look like dessert!

I know that too many pictures of this garment have already been posted.  From gathering supplies, to slip construction,  and even the complications, it has been posted and discussed endlessly. And yet, seeing it complete with the yellow underdress and the added rows of lace at the hemline, I feel compelled to show the overall effect.

 

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From the planning stage, my vision of this frock presented a white dress with yellow shadowing through the sheer batiste.  The yellow shadow beneath the lace was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  Continue reading →

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Posted in brother-sister, Freckled Laundry, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, techniques

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Easter Dress 2010 Done!

Posted on March 31, 2010 | 9 comments

Finally, Laurel’s Easter dress is done.  It turned out shorter than I had planned so I have added a few rows of lace to the slip hem –or “tail” as Elizabeth Travis Johnson always called it–to add a little more length.  By the time I finished it, the lighting wasn’t good so I will post a picture tomorrow of the dress and slip together.

Generally, I am pleased with the dress.  Now that it’s done, I wish I had dropped the yoke to the bottom of the armscye.  On the other hand, this will twirl better and every little girl loves to twirl.

Using Swiss organdy for the sleeves was a must, as the finella batiste has no  body whatsoever.  Even with starch, there would have been no pouf to the sleeve. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, White Wednesday

Easter Dress 2010~Complications

Posted on March 28, 2010 | 2 comments

I really had expected to have Laurel’s dress finished by this afternoon.  But, as so often happens, complications have arisen.  The placement of the fancyband was too high.  It just hurt my eyes. 

Frankly, I gave serious through to calling Mildred Turner or Judy Day for advice and inspiration, but even such true and faithful friends as they are deserve more respect than a 2:30 a.m. phone call that really could wait.  I could finish off the sleeves and think about it while I worked.  Instead, I just thought about it,  evaluating different techniques and strategies to fix this. Continue reading →

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Posted in heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, techniques