The next item is a set of cardboard forms in teapot shapes. You can do any type of embroidery on your fabric and then mount it onto the cardboard form. I'd suggest lighter weight fabrics (not canvas). I've used the forms with light-weight wool and wool and ribbon embroidery. The forms can also be traced onto your fabric as shapes for designing (redwork tea towels).
Next is a complete vintage Crewel embroidery kit. The flowers are pretty, the colors very 70s. The ground fabric is very nice and the design clearly printed on it. The instructions are pretty good but I'd probably want to have a stitch book handy, too.
Another vintage item here, some lovely linen napkins ready to embroider and hem. One or two are done, with lovely little sprays of flowers, but most are not. One is stained (on top) with an unremovable (so far) blue smear. The linen is nice. I'd say from the 1920s. Practice a little embroidery and a lot of hemstitching. The embroidery looks like it's done with a fine perle cotton (perle 12) in a color to match the linen. The thread is not included.
Last, a complete kit for a beginning Battenburg lace project. The plastic covered red fabric is the support for working the lace heart. I've made a bunch of these and they're fun. I've applied them to t-shirts and to other, larger projects and just hung them as ornaments (no backing needed, although some starch helps them stay stiff). Everything is included to complete the project.
The book is a wonderful 1970s or early 80s book on smocking. It's a duplicate of one I have. The book provides a history of traditional smocks, explains how to do smocking (the key is to keep your needle perpendicular to the pleats--then it's a piece of cake), then it goes on to show some really lovely and exciting contemporary design ideas for how to use smocking in today's clothing and textiles.Smocking is basically pleating to hold fullness and shape fabric. You embroider over the pleats and the result is elastic. So it's great for sleeves, cuffs, bodices and children's clothing (put in deep hems to you can let them out as the child grows--the smocking will adjust the width). If you stabilize or line it, it's decorative and textural without the elasticity.
Please make a comment on this post before Monday, August 31, to be included in the drawing for this collection of goodies. Please include a way to contact you.If you like some of the goodies but know there is something you absolutely will not do, note it in your comment. Perhaps someone else will speak up to claim that item. If you win, then it'll all work out! It you want it all, that's great!
I may not be able to draw the winner or get back to you right away, but I will do it as soon as I have computer access next week. We still keep trying to get away on vacation and I'm still not sure when we might leave, but it looks more likely that by the 31st we'll be on our way and Internet access will be sporadic.
