Un-embroidered linens, lying underneath and in piles of vintage embroidered linens,

always get the chance to come home with me when I am at a sale. In fact, I look for the vintage stamped linens, that someone started to embroider on years ago............

and for whatever reason, never got to finish. These pieces speak to me and I often wonder about the stitcher............what was she wanting this design to look like when she was finished?.............what colors would she have chosen?

Last week, I came upon one such piece. This piece in the photo above, has the most wonderful design.......with only a little bit of existing embroidery.

And as most of you know.............I usually always remove the previous stitching..................

but not on this one......................

I just felt this stitching needed to remain..............the remnants of someone else's dream and imagination.................with the stitches of my imagination to go along with hers.

Whoever did embroider this, did a very nice job.

As you can see, only the black trellis was stitched on this design.

So with the black as my background to build upon, I chose the larger flower to work with first.

As you can see, there are only 7 spaces for french knots in the center.............

I always like to start embroidery in the center of a flower................how about you?

As many of you know..............I never stick to the original design,..........I added a few more french knots..............in a light shade of yellow,

 

and the "painter" side of me added a darker shade of yellow french knots for a more "real " effect.

I used a few shades of pink................and the flower.................

bloomed!

I love lazy daisy designs, but once again..................I have to breathe some life into the design,

(click onto photo for a better view)

by adding a lot of lazy daisy stitches...........and a lot more french knots in different colors.

Once again, the same lovely design .............

once again, more stitches than what the pattern calls for and more shades of color.

(click onto photo for a better view)

Here is one bottom end finished! I love the subtle shades of the flowers and the blues of the french knots...........don't you? I have the other end to finish and then I will embroider the clusters of flowers that run along the sides.

The black trellis looks perfect for the flowers..............I'm glad I let it remain.

What would the one who previously stitched this think, I wonder??

Now it's your turn!

Go out and find some un-embroidered piece and let your imagination lead your needle to breathe life into the embroidery!

If you do, I want to see and hear all about it!

 



I have loved tomato pincushions for as long as I can remember..........

I have seen them used by so many seamstresses and artists. They have held pins and needles  for the dress maker, the school costume maker, the quilter, and the embroiderer.  I love to collect them.

But..............

why a tomato and a strawberry...............

to keep our pins and needles in check????...............

Have you ever wondered?

Well I do, these are the kinds of things that keep me awake at night................

amongst stitching..............

Well, here is the answer..............

The most popular design in pincushions,  a tomato with a strawberry attached,  was most likely introduced during the Victorian Era. According to folklore, placing a tomato on the mantle of a new home guaranteed prosperity and repelled evil spirits. If tomatoes were out of season, families improvised by using a round ball of red fabric filled with sand or sawdust. The good-luck symbol also served a practical purpose—a place to store pins. Typically, the tomato is filled with wool roving to prevent rust, and the strawberry is filled with an abrasive to clean and sharpen the pins.

So now you know...............

And so do I!

 

How about you?

Do you collect these or is there another type of pincushion you like best?

I would love to hear!



There are a few "works in progress"

that I need to get to "work" on and to make "progress"with in my embroidery.

I have stitched on this set of flower coasters off and on for way too long. I don't have a reason for taking too long............I just start on something new and forget to finish...........

do you do that??

There are 12 to the set.

a flower for each month. I am stitching two sets as I go. One I hope to sell in my Etsy, the other I am keeping and using .

 

I am stitching both sets on a large cloth all together, and after the embroidery is finished, I will cut the coasters out and away from each other.

Along with that, I have just started another pillowcase set. This design is rather large and full of the most prettiest flower designs. I always like to try something new and different in the way that I embroider.............I wanted a speckled look to the flower........much like you would see in an Iris or Day Lily............I think it looks pretty this way..............don't you?

I will show more of this set as I go along and get it embroidered.

How about you?

Do you have a work in progress that has taken way too long for you to finish?

Is it embroidery, sewing, or painting perhaps?

I would love to hear!