Vintage Spoke Collar

Posted on May 29, 2010 | 2 comments

I’ve always thought spoke collars were about as lovely as anything could be. The first time I laid eyes on one was in the  Smocking Arts Guild of America’s”newsletter.”  First published shortly after their organization in the late 70’s,  it was the only heirloom/smocking publication to be had.

In about 1983,  there was an ad for a smocking shop. It included the shop name, address, phone number and a picture of a spoke collar that Julia Golson had made. There was no information about a class or pattern, simply a photo of beautiful piece of needlework to draw the reader’s attention.

It took my breath away. I had never seen anything so exquisite,  and mind you, this was a grainy, non-digital black and white photo. Of course, I am easily impressed, and was especially so in the early days of my love affair with heirloom sewing.

Continue reading →

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

Pin Pillow

Posted on May 27, 2010 | Leave a comment

This is my favorite kind of crazy patch quilting,using otherwise useless pieces of old needlework.  One reason is that I love antique textiles and another is that I like to recycle.

The Victorian style dresser pillow for favorite mementos was created from a medley of vintage handwork,  from doilies to table linens, antique laces, ribbons and trims.

This 8″ x 10″ oval pin pillow, outlined with piping and antique lace edging, is a daily reminder of happy days in the past. A felt pad cushions the pin backs and prevents scratches on the dresser. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, Binche Lace, home dec, lace tape, quilts

DIY Heirloom Upgrade

Posted on May 24, 2010 | 4 comments

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I did not make this dress but I did upgrade it. I think of it as Strasburg Children ver.1.1. , Laurel’s flower girl dress.

Though there are for sale many really lovely ready-to-wear smocked and heirloom garments, for both children and adults, invariably, everything in my price range falls short of my standard of excellence.

 

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Laurel took two steps and then stood like a deer in the headlights. This is the only photo that shows forward progress.

 

Laurel was to be the flower girl at our daughter’s wedding, which took place at our home in 2006. I would love to have made Laurel’s  dress, but I was nearly overwhelmed by the task of getting the house ready. Having sustained major damage from two hurricanes in 2004, the repairs were finished just 2 months prior to the big event. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, uncategorized, wedding

Notification and RSS Feed Fixed

Posted on May 23, 2010 | 8 comments

Thanks to my fabulous son-in-law, the RSS feed is now working.  If you would like to be notified when a new item is posted to the blog, please sign up. 

Also, my dear son is working on getting the store up and open for sales!  This blog has become a family wide venture! Hopefully, in the next 6 weeks or so,  it should be operational.  So please sign up for the RSS feed so you will know just what treasures I am finally willing to part with. 

In hopes of piquing your interest,  I will tell you that I have some out-of-print classic heirloom books and patterns, antique lace, Swiss handlooms and embroideries, antique needlework magazines, wonderful baby blanks (matching onesies, bibs, caps and bath towel sets), Irish linen blanks, miles of heirloom laces and tatting, silk photo transfers (some Jenny Haskins), antique buttons, quality domestic trims and more.  Please do check them out.  I need the space in my sewing room!

In two weeks I will be having total knee replacement, so the posts will be less frequent.  I’m in a frenzy, writing and photographing projects in anticipation of being out of pocket for approximately 3 weeks.    I am adding a new article no more than every other day in order to have enough material to post regularly through my recuperation.  My goal is to have a backlog ready so I can post them from my laptop while at the rehab facility. 

For the past two weeks, I’ve been extraordinarily tied up with my sweet 88 year old childless aunt, who has always treated me like her daughter.  I love it and love her, so she has been the focus of my attention during this time period.  Fortunately, this coincided with the grandchildren’s trip out of state for a family gathering.  So at least I didn’t have homeschool responsibilities to juggle. 

Aunt Aileen has been hospitalized twice in this time period, with only a day between stays.  Between visiting her, keeping up with dr. reports, trying to get the folks at her assisted living facility to address her needs, updating the rest of the family and all the classes and appointments for my upcoming knee surgery, my blog posts have been less frequent than I would like. 

Thanks to each and every one of you for reading my prattle and for your encouraging and interesting comments.  It means a great deal to me.

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Posted in uncategorized

Twin and Triple Needle Work

Posted on May 21, 2010 | 2 comments

 

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Judy Day made this intricately embroidered heirloom dress which showcases decorative stitches. By using a single color for both the stitches and  the satin ribbon sash, the frock exudes a quiet elegance, in spite of the complexity of the embroidery.   Adding more stitches to the skirt balances out all the stitches on the bodice.  The overall effect is just so pleasing.

The dress was a blank canvas for twin and triple needle work, the subject of a sewing club meeting that Judy taught for years at B-Sew Inn, a huge Babylock  dealership in Springfield, Missouri.

As you can see, the use of the twin and triple needle in combination with a sewing machine’s decorative stitches creates complex, perfect patterns. But if you have no experience with their use, you would be wise to read up on the topic.

 

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It is important to note your machine’s maximum stitch width. The width of the twin or triple needle must be subtracted from that in order to determine the maximum width for your decorative stitch. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, Judy Day's creations, techniques

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“If apples were pears…

Posted on May 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Ifappleswerepearswhole

And peaches were plums, and the rose had a different name.

If tigers were bears and fingers were thumbs, I’d love you just the same.” Anon

This sweet sentiment is the focus of the small quilted wallhanging. Suzanne Sawko digitized the text and embroidery designs, then I stitched the little heirloom quilt. This joint effort was for a class we co-taught at a Brother dealer convention in Denver.

 

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It is to the credit of Suzanne’s skill, perseverance and diligence that the floral designs look very much like hand embroidery. They are made all the more so by the use of Brother’s Country Threads with their matte finish. They look just like cotton but are, in fact, polyester.  However, the color palette is limited to 61 colors.  Still, it is my favorite as it offers the look of cotton with the durability of polyester. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, quilts, techniques

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Scrubbing Bubbles

Posted on May 17, 2010 | 5 comments

 

Alastair needed another hooded bath towel.   So I pulled this luscious knit blank from my stash and sent  it out to him the next day. The design is from the darling Leon and Lilly collection by OED. There is a matching knit wash cloth, but I forgot to take a photo before sending it out.

Cute as this bathing bear is, adding Alastair‘s initials to the tub made it sweeter.  It just tickled my daughter who loves monograms and personalization.

It is so handy to have a supply of blanks on hand. By having this towel waiting in my sewing room, I was saved me the time it would take to make or shop for a towel. Continue reading →

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Posted in baby accessories, machine embroidery

Tool Time Boy

Posted on May 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

Robert, 5, with the tool caddy he made with his grandfather.

Robert, 4, with the tool caddy he made with his grandfather.

 

 

Since 4 year old Robert joined Laurel for homeschooling 6 weeks ago, shop class with Granddad has been a part of his curriculum. Robert loves it and so does his grandfather.

 

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His first project was the tool box he is holding in the photo. He was so incredibly proud of it  that he carried his tool box around his home, showing and re-showing it to his entire family, all of whom ooohed and awwwwhed appreciatively. Seeing the satisfaction on that little boy’s face  just melted my heart. And Bob’s, too.

 

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Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, machine embroidery

Baby Blue

Posted on May 14, 2010 | Leave a comment

Like so many heirloom sewing enthusiasts, I absolutely love imported lace, Swiss batiste, handlooms, Swiss embroideries and every goody on the heirloom menu. And yet, there is something so appealing about this sweet and simple vintage daygown.

The blue batiste is not Swiss, but it is very good quality. Considering that and the fact that less than a yard of baby French lace is used, the charm is not the result of expensive goods. Perhaps it is the simplicity itself that draws the eye.

Jeannie Baumeister’s very popular Old Fashioned Baby patterns seem to reflect the same sweetness this gown exudes. She relies on simple lines, classic details, minimal lace and a splash of hand embroidery.

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

Bargain Sea Scene

Posted on May 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

“To sell something, tell a woman it’s a bargain: tell a man it’s deductible.” Earl Wilson

Everyone loves a bargain and I am no exception. When I saw these  pants on the department store clearance rack for $4, I snatched them up for Laurel. It was a more than pleasant surprise to find the matching shirt for $3.50.

The white polka dots easily pass for bubbles, so the outfit certainly lent itself to a bottom-of-the-sea setting. The designs are all from Dakota Collectibles. The underwater scene  is from the Seashells collection while the angelfish are from Aquarium Scenes.

One angelfish was extracted from the pair and embroidered  just above the vent at the calf. Since the single angelfish lacked bubbles, I went back to my old reliable collection, Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Elements, and inserted, copied and pasted a simple dot that Suzanne Sawko had digitized. These were just the right size to mimic the dots in the shirt fabric and inside the pants hem. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, machine embroidery