Mail Call

This week I've gotten some of the most delightful mail! First, I received a huge package of ribbons from Lula of Woolydream with lovely card with a fan on it. This photo does not capture the variety and abundance of the ribbons (and this is the second of two packages of ribbons she has sent this month! I forgot to get photos of the first.) Most of the ribbons are wire edged. Some have lovely crinkling and texture. My favorite is hiding in this picture--it's cream velvet with a diamond pattern stitched in thin gold thread. Many of the ribbons had me thinking Elizabethan costume.

The first batch of ribbons she sent went right into my journal pile--I want to use them to add texture and cloth to the journal pages. These have me a bit overwhelmed and I'm not sure what I will do with them. Right now I'm in the fondling stage.

The very next day I got a lovely box from Jenny. In addition to this box of treasures she included some oatcakes, dried apple pieces and, to me, the most incredible thing. In photographs it just looked like a lump...so I need to rethink it and get a better photo. She send me the second of a pair of linen pillowcases. The pillowcases come from her mother. The first came at Christmas.

I understand that linen bed linens are not uncommon in Europe, but here in America I've never seen them. Tablecloths, yes, but not pillowcases or sheets. I have seen them listed in high-end catalogs but not in real life (most likely because I don't shop in high-end stores), but not even at some of the posh antique shows I've been to. It's always cotton for the bed.

The cases are old, probably early 20th Century. And they look brand new. So, now when I say I'm changing the bed linens, it will be true!

The fabric piece from the box of goodies is fascinating. It is a lovely, soft twill weave with a calico print. (I've only seen these prints on plain-woven cotton.) The note says it was used for doll's house furnishings.

The package included some lovely laces. The top piece is very fine crochet-I think it's half of a collar. This charming button was in the bottom of the box (take a close look at it--it's really cool) along with the knitting row counter. The button is pressed metal.


As I explored the box, I found more treasures. These little crochet flowers were stuffed inside of the ball of thread. There are many more than shown here (they were really packed in there!) I love the blue sewing thread. I didn't photograph them but there were several pieces of fabric marking chalk. I say chalk because that is what I'm familiar with in this size and shape for marking fabric--these pieces, however, are more waxy than chalky.

Tucked in the box were several sets of "wartime packaging" snaps and some eyes but no hooks. There was also a small bundle.

The bundle was wrapped in a piece of an iron-on transfer design. A mass of threads were wrapped inside, along with a threaded needle (which held it all together). Most of the threads had been opened and cut to stitching lengths.

As I untangled the threads and laid them straight, I had visions of a lady finishing up a large design on a table cloth using her favorite soft greens, peaches and blues. It wasn't a large table cloth, but one for the breakfast table for her and her husband. She set aside the threads with two of the motifs from the table cloth to use on napkins.

But perhaps I'm wrong. There was a small scrap of silk fabric with the bundle. Perhaps she'd stitched herself a new chemise using these feminine colors. (or one of the new combinations!) And she planned to stitch these last two motifs onto the sides of a nightcap? the toes of slippers? onto dainty handkerchiefs for her trousseau? Dreams of an embroiderer.

More catching up

Last weekend we visited the Century Plant in East Chicago, Indiana, again. It was supposed to bloom the first week of April. I think it was probably the cold, nasty weather and snow that kept it from doing so (ya' think??). It has grown, at least a foot, and if you look closely you can see the tip is starting to open up. I wouldn't be surprised if we see a bloom this weekend. The weather has been a bit more moderate this week (at least there's not been any more snow).

I focused this weekend on my puzzle pieces for Pat Winter's Pieces of Friendship swap. I now have three done and have a fourth underway.

I showed this first piece before, here. Pat suggested that since I felt it still needed something, perhaps a charm would do the trick. I added a small bee charm and I do like it.

This second piece is more traditional crazy quilting, still using wool felt for the fabrics. I had fun stitching this one and another charm added a finishing touch. I stitched it to focus on the lovely little button I'd found in my stash.

This last piece is my favorite. The photograph makes the ground fabric a bit more green than it should be. It's more of a dull tarnished gold color.

In playing with these small pieces, I'm experimenting with colors. The dull gold is stitched edged with dark gray and stitched with a variegated green, a fine, dark metallic, a multicolored thread for the French knots, edged in turquoise and hot pink and topped with bright ribbon flowers. I like the layering effect on this piece. It has a dragonfly charm. (my husband liked this one so much, I set the thread mix aside and am going to make him one of his own, using a heart shape)

The red piece above is really more brick tones and I paired that color with lime, turquoise and taupe. Sounds odd, but I think it works.

I'm trying to move out of my comfort zone and pair colors I wouldn't normally and make it work. I have a theory that any two hues will work together as long as you get the right tint or tone or proportions or a linking color. I'm enjoying experimenting.

The piece I'm working on now is a pieced background of greenish wools with varying tints of blue in them. I'm planning some small beaded flowers for it but haven't gotten the rest sorted yet.

This size piece is perfect for play and experimentation. The odd shape makes it a challenge and keeps it interesting. I'm really happy that Pat came up with this idea and the swap.

Catching Up

This has been a busy week and I'm finally getting some time to catch up. Last weekend we went to the Spring Antique Show at Arlington Park Race Track north of the city. It was a wonderful show, very high end--things I never normally see.

We went this time because a good friend of ours is opening a new business and this was the debut. Antiques of Choice had a lovely display of antiques, with a focus on Oriental pieces. He had a couple of textiles, a small prayer rug and a lovely Victorian era chenille embroidery panel. If you're into nice antiques, please swing by the website and take a look.

Back in the 70s we used to go to this show with my husband's family. The show was high-end and we got quite an education in antiques at each show. Then the racetrack burned down and stayed closed for many years and, as far as I know, there was no show.

The racetrack was rebuilt a while ago and while we've visited for a day of racing, we were out of the habit of going to the antique show, which was revived. While the show is smaller than in the past, the very high quality and unique antique merchandise are still at the forefront. I found some amazing needlework tools to drool over. There was everything from simple thimbles to elaborate chatelaines. I'm still sighing over a Victorian era tambour set with an ivory handle and different sized tambour hooks that screwed in to it, all in a lovely sectioned container. I really like nanny pins (small brooches, usually with goldstone decoration, that hold needle and thread for immediate repair of clothing) and found several, including one with an unusual design. There were figurative needlecases, tape measures, bodkins, thread winders. I saw a large group of Tartanware sewing accessories. I had a very good time, especially when I found a dealer who just loved her pieces and was pleased to show them off, even knowing I wouldn't be purchasing anything. We had a lovely visit!

The fall show will be October 16-18.

less pouting, more stitching

Here's my finished felted flower from our day out at Esther's Place. I got a pin back on it and it's ready to go.

My husband has not yet given up on my sewing machine. He's thinking if parts cannot be found, or if they're old and brittle, maybe he and a friend can fabricate them in metal. He's never been one to give up on a good friend.

It'll be a while before anything is known. First, I have to pick up the machine from my sister's (she generously agreed to pick it up from the shop). Then, I have heard about a nearby repair guy who might be willing to fix it and we want to see what he says. Hopefully they guys can work with him and he can clean and lube things and point out the bits that need replacing and/or fixing.

I've been working hard on my puzzle pieces for Pat Winter's Pieces of Friendship swap. Pat suggested adding a charm and I think she's right. They just need a bit of pop and that should do it.

pouting

I've been pouting off and on most of the week. On Tuesday I got the news that my beloved sewing machine is not fixable. I had hoped it was just the gunk that this model is prone to getting upon sitting...and mine's been sitting for way too long.


I finally realized I needed it where I could use it so I got it out, only to discover it only would stitch backwards. I got it to go forward finally, but it would only go forward then, no back and no zig-zag.


I haven't really sewn in years and I'm kind of surprised to realize how much of my sense of who I am is tied up in this machine. At one time I made all of my clothing, most gifts, and some art on my Viking. I tried quilting, free motion, embroidery, and all sorts of other fun things on this machine. I made my sister's wedding dress on it and her daughter's christening dress.

The first year I had it I made bib aprons for most of the family--a unisex style that I made and decorated for each person. I still use mine (it was a brushed denim). I made red flannel shirts for our dads one Christmas and I made my brother-in-law a very complex fishing vest with a multitude of pockets.

Before this I had an incredible White (sold by Sears) that my mom had gotten during WWII when she was newly wed. That one went from me to my sister and then to her church in the late 70s. I wonder if it's still going. I sewed my entire first work wardrobe on it after getting out of college. All Stretch-n-Sew knits, including a swimsuit, on this straight-stitch-only machine.

I've been cruising the web and polling friends about their sewing machines. I've received a lot of very helpful feedback and a very generous offer of a machine to use. Thank you to everyone. I'm still trying to orient myself and I think I'm doing a bit of grieving. Which also really surprises me because I don't see myself as someone attached to machines. But I think this was more than a machine--it was a tool and in many ways an extension of my hands. (Rereading this post to edit it, I realized that I've been very attached to both of my sewing machines, I just had never realized it!)

I also looked for online references to my Viking 6460 and found a number of people are still using and loving this machine (including my sister, who has the next year's model). So, here's to the wonderful sewing machine, my Viking 6460.

Now I'm going to spend some time thinking about what do I want to do with a sewing machine, what features might I need or want. No more lurking in corners.

We're great Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans and my very favorite episode is the Buffy, The Musical, "Once More with Feeling." The song, "Where Do We Go from Here," had been haunting me this whole winter. It's a question I've been asking myself a lot and perhaps it's telling me that I need to reinvent myself.

Puzzling it out

For a while now I've been struggling with making puzzle pieces for Pat Winter's Pieces of Friendship swap. I got some fabric with paper dolls to use as a central image. blah. I colored in some toile with fabric crayons. feh. I tried some simple crazy quilting with fabrics I have. ho-hum.

Then last week, on our visit to Esther's Place, I found a large bin full of hand-dyed, felted wool fabric pieces (and bought way more than I could afford).

My first piece is an experiment in working with these materials. I pieced the wools and did seam treatments and then needlefelted a flower.

I often use a copier or the camera when a piece is developing, to help me "see." I'm not sure if it's the flattened plane or the different media, but I can often see things in a photo that I don't on the actual piece.

This wip photo clearly shows the large empty areas on the left that just stand out too much and detract from the flower. That solid green corner just pulls your eye away from it.

You can see in the final version at the top of the page that I used some simple embroidered swirls to break up these areas. Now the focus is back on the flower. At least, that's how it seems to me.

Photocopying can be even more helpful because it drops out the color. I almost always copy a design in progress, just to see where the lights and darks are and how things flow.

I think I'm on the right track. Pat Winter blogged several times recently about having a hard time with red as the main color. I think that influenced me to select a wool plaid in red and bittersweet as my focal fabric for my second puzzle piece. I have the background pieced and now trying to figure out where to go next.

I have a scrap of a silk print that has a bittersweet background with grayish-turquoise flowers on it, so I think I may try to incorporate that color. My initial inclination is to do something autumn with those background colors--perhaps a fall leaf or pine needles but I'd like to push a bit out of my comfort zone with this.

I also cut a solid fabric puzzle piece from a nicely mottled wool in a butternut color. I think it will be a stunning background if I can figure out what to put on it.

March winner/April giveaway

The random number generator picked 3 today so Laurie in Maine won the blackwork book. Congratulations, Laurie!

New addition! Lelia over on Stitches of Life has very kindly sent me a chart put out by Hillside Samplings for an acorn design to replace the missing button. This one-page sheet also includes a lovely pine tree and pine cone (I believe to replace buttons in other patterns). I've printed this out and will send it along with the rest of the materials to the winner.

Also, I will mail this giveaway anywhere, so don't hesitate to enter if you're outside of the U.S. Please do make sure to include contact information.

Here is the giveaway for April. "A is for Acorn" from Hillside samplings. The package will contain the slightly bent chart, Sampler Threads from the Gentle Art (the three specified in the pattern), and linen. I could not find the acorn button (I don't think I ever had it).

Please comment on this post to be entered. I will draw the winner on Tax Day, April 15. Please remember to include your e-mail address or a link to a blog profile that includes a link to your e-mail so I can contact you. Thanks!