Being an embroidery artist...............my work is a lot about

rescuing, re purposing and restoration.

I am always thrilled to come across tossed and forgotten pieces like this kit.

If you like to work kits like this................you know how expensive they have become. This kit, if you look at the small tags on the right was once $17, reduced to $11 and I found it for only $1.

This is a kit from 1978...........and as a friend commented.........$17 at that time was expensive.

So if this is the thing that you like...........take a look at your local thrift shops. Go past all of the rows of different decades of clothing......the scuffed and worn shoes...........the dusty knic knacs and usually, around the book section.........or sometimes........the bed and bath linens............

you might find a few sewing items tucked away in boxes or on shelves.

You might be lucky to find complete kits as this.

It was only partially embroidered in thick crewel yarn. It still had most of the unused yarn, as well as the instructions and even the needle.

As you can tell, the embroidery was worked in long quick stitches.

The linen the design is on, is in  wonderful condition........except for some reason, a corner has been cut out of the left top and out of the right bottom of the fabric. This I can remedy by finding matching fabric to stitch and repair in it's place.

There is still quite a lot of design left to be stitched. And as most of you know about me.............

I don't like large heavy stitching on unfinished pieces like this. The only reason I purchase them, is to remove all of the previous stitching and to stitch the design all over

the way I want it to look.

(click on photo for better view) 

If you look closely at the right side of the owl's face...........this is the original stitching.

Look closely at the left side of the owl's face.........this is my stitching.

I removed the yarn and used floss and stitched the owl's eye,nose and face the way I want to see him.

It will take me 10 times the amount of time,  hundreds of stitches,  and large amounts of floss, to finish this piece............more than it would have with the yarn.

But I think ,instead of a pretty restored piece............

I will have a beautiful restored piece when I am finished.

What do you think?

 

***drop by my cooking blog***

for a great snack recipe for Christmas guests,

My Country Kitchen

and for an end of the year reflection,

stop by my country blog

Eggs In My Pocket