I cannot count my day complete
'Til needle, thread and fabric meet.
~Author Unknown

Sharing a common thread with those who love the art of hand embroidery

Monday, June 23, 2014

Embroidering, embellishing, and making it you own.............


You have selected the perfect towel.............

and have embroidered the perfect design onto it..............
but even though it is pretty...........does the design look to small for the towel.....
causing all of your creative work to look.........
plain??
Sometimes, I feel this way about something I have embroidered...........




How about adding a small flower.....here and there......around the design?
Looks much better........don't you think?
But look at that bottom edge.............


How about adding a simple crocheted edging and then a strip of coordinating fabric?
Just cut a 4 inch wide strip of fabric, fold in half..........turning under raw edges........
cut it the length of your towel and stitch it on to the towel........
underneath the crocheted edge.

and your towel will look like this.............

the hen has been stitched the same way

and now the perfect " his and her" towel set!





This design is very pretty.........but once again.......
it looks very small on the towel ...........

but by adding a few small rose buds...........

coordinating crocheted edge and fabric edging...........

the towel has turned out lovely......
don't you think?

Sometimes the design is big enough or busy enough and extra things are not needed........
but there is that plain edge again..................

\
a coordinating crochet and fabric edging
makes the set complete!

It does take a little extra time..........but you can make your embroidery stand out and look more lovely by just adding a few extra touches.
What do you think??
I would love to hear!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

When I purchased these vintage transfers from a shop.........I had no idea how old they really were............


they were lying crumpled in between vintage dress patterns.......
and I was surprised

to find not one........but 7 sheets of transfers in excellent condition.



The designs are so beautiful



full of flowers, scallop edgings, 

baby bibs, alphabets and much more...........
but the real surprise???


they are a 101 years old!
Dated June 3, 1913!!

                       


I am finding it difficult to find out the history on Winifred Clark.....
do any of you know about her or this company?
I have found a lot of  transfers and booklets of crochet on Ebay......
but not much else.
If you have any history on this........I would love to hear!
While I will preserve these sheets,
I am also tracing them off and you will soon be seeing hand embroidered linens that I create from these wonderful designs.
I can't wait!



Monday, June 2, 2014

Don't you love mornings

 when you don't have to rush to work.........you don't have to rush the kids to school......
and you can take the time to make a wonderful breakfast to enjoy with your family?
This is what I thought about while designing this piece for my embroidery book..........
(which I am still currently working on to show to a publisher)
A cheerful and colorful rooster, perched on a pole that has flowers climbing up around it......
and his crow seems to say

"Rise and shine!, 
I stitched this phrase onto a couple of the corners 


Of this vintage cloth with hand drawn work around the edges,
turning this into a delightful tray cloth to serve breakfast with.

I also included these little coasters that I hand embroidered a while  back.

and added a vintage orange juice pitcher, 4 vintage juice glasses, and a vintage glass press.
All on sale in my vintage shop.............and on my Etsy.

(do you like my sign?)

Speaking of my shop..........I opened the doors to the public this past  Thursday and Friday. 
I hammered signs out on our lonely road and posted about it on my Facebook. 
I live a good ways out of town.........the only traffic that is usually out here is work men driving their trucks back and forth and probably not at all interested in embroidery or dishes.
Thanks to Facebook, I did have a few come to visit...........but the sweetest thing of all.............is my friends.
Though the months of getting this shop ready, I have had friends come to visit and to look and to put their seal of approval onto this shop. This meant so much!
On my "opening  sale " day..........my friends drove all the way out to see my shop and to cheer me on with my sale.............how blessed and wonderful that made me feel.
This brought to mind the scripture that states:
A friend loveth at all times......
Proverbs 17:17
What would we do without our friends?