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

Christmas is only a few days away............

and I am sure most of you are either busy in you kitchens

mixing up all kinds of goodies............

or maybe you are busily stitching away at special stockings.......

or even a handmade gift or two?

I am right there along with you...........I have been mixing, baking, taste testing

and decorating............

I just now have the gifts gathered up and I need to get them wrapped and put under the tree before Salem decides to make this his permanent resting place.

I have also been busy stitching. Last year, I stitched a dresser scarf like this and decided to make another. I still need to work a crocheted edge around it.............

should I crochet it in red...........or maybe a white edging would be pretty??

 

I found this vintage vase to go along with it..............

just perfect for the holiday season,

don't you think?

So tell me,

what are you doing to get ready for this time of year.........

are you preparing to cook a large feast...........

are you decorating all through the house?

I would love to hear!



When one door of happiness closes,

another opens;

but often we look so long at the closed door

that we do not see the one which has been

opened for us.

 

Helen Keller

I have had this chair for a little over a year now.............

given to me by a friend who dropped by for a visit.

It needed a new seat. Through the year, I have started stitching on several different designs..........

and not being happy with how they looked for this piece.

I knew I wanted something with roses and this needlepoint design gave me the look I was wanting.

It also took me a while to figure out how to place it onto the seat to make it look like it belonged there.

Here it is!

And now it sits in my dining room, where I hope to add more rose embellished items along the way!

How about you?

Do your dining room chairs have padded cushions.............

or maybe needlepoint of some kind?

I would love to hear!

Vintage dishware and matching hand embroidered linens

make the dining table say "welcome and enjoy!"

don't you think?

As most of you might remember, I found this wonderful set of rose designed dishes a few weeks ago, and plan to sell them in my shop.

 

They have such a beautiful design. I also want to sell matching table linens, such as napkins and tablecloths to go with the dishes.

I have several pretty vintage rose transfers. So I just used this rose head design to hand embroider...........

Added a bud, and small yellow leaves to match the ones on the plate...........

and added a stem with red thorns and leaves to match as well.

It turned out to be very pretty............

I think................

 

and it matches my dishes very well.............

don't you think?

 

This is a table cloth that I am working on for the set of dishes...........

This is only the center design. There will be roses along the corners and probably stitched eyelets along the middle edges. A crocheted edging will also be added.

Since there are gravy bowls, a platter , salt and pepper shaker, and dinner plates, I will also make matching dinner napkins.

I think this will pull someones  heart strings and they will want to take it all home.

I do plan to also show and sell on Etsy.............letting those of you who live too far away to visit my shop a chance to purchase dishes and embroidery as well.

How about you?

Do you have your favorite dishes with matching linens?

Do you like to set a table with dinnerware and linens?

I would love to hear!

One more note...............

I am still working on creating a vintage country garden. After weeks of applying stripper and hand stripping off layers of paint..........the vintage gingerbread archway is now standing over my designed path! To read more about this and my garden plans just click onto this link

Eggs In My Pocket

 



Just A Thought.................

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.

 ~ Author Unknown

If you like to give hand made gifts to the special people in your life..........

here is a wonderful and quick gift that will please anyone who loves to sew.

A sweet sewing accessory envelope.

You can find patterns for these or you can just create your own..........

You start off by choosing two pieces of fabric about the size of 16 x 10 inches long.

One is for the inside and one is for the outside.

 

You take small pieces of felt and create different pieces to hold different sewing items.

Decide what items you want to have........scissors..........needles........and such.  Measure the items and make a pocket or piece to hold each item onto the inside fabric used.

 Embroider the tops and blanket stitch before you stitch them into your inside fabric piece.

The small envelope is simply a rectangle size  piece for the bottom and a flap for the top.

 

Using an applique or blind stitch, sew the bottom part onto the inside fabric and then stitch the flap above that.

It is wonderful for sewing glasses, tape measure or embroidery floss.

Cut two different color pieces for a needle case. The outside cover

and the inside page to hold the needles.

Attach a loop on the bottom, and a small button on the top to hold the button case closed.

Stitch the bottom half of the outside cover onto the inside fabric of your envelope.

Make a small scissor holder and a strip of felt for  a marking pencil.

Use the blind stitch or applique the pieces onto your inside fabric.  

Stitch another strip onto the inside fabric, leaving one end open to stuff a small amount of filling into the strip and stitch it closed. Perfect for a pin keep.

You don't have to make a heart shape, you can just make this thimble and stitch stripper a square pocket if you like. The heart is just really sweet looking.

Applique the felt pieces onto the blue inside fabric.

After all of your pieces are sewn onto the inside fabric, place the two fabric pieces together with wrong sides facing and stitch together.........leaving an opening to turn inside out after stitching.

After fabric pieces have been sewn together, embroider a decorative buttonhole stitch around entire piece.

This sewing accessory envelope was meant to be tri -folded.

You can sew ties on the outer edge if you wish.

Now you have a pretty and usable gift for the seamstress in your life!

This can be created in one weekend!



A cake is never complete, until it has the frosting put on at the last..........

and that is how I feel about the item I have now found to complete the vintage shop I hope to open up in the following year.............

This old screen door will be the last thing I add to the shop...............after I have moved every thing in and out. I have been in search of an old screen door that looked as if it might have come off of an old farm house..........I have been searching for a long time.

This weekend, I found just the right  one! The screen is still in perfect condition and it has the perfect rusted patina to it.

It has a wonderful wood panel at the bottom, and I love the weathered paint. I am planning on keeping the paint as is, and then painting some kind of floral picture onto it.

What really caught my heart was this small wooden panel and small screen panel in the middle.

I love the bent handle. I plan to clean the door up, maybe do a little paint touch up here and there, but I really want to keep that vintage worn look to it.

What do you think??

I have an incredible amount of vintage dishware, ready to sell. This set of dishes, I found in a shop, just like this.........stashed half hazardly in a box.

I got them home, delighted to find no breaks or chips! I don't even think these were ever  used. These are from the Paden City Pottery Company , Old Rose Design from the 1950's.  A while back it would have been hard for me to decide to sell these, however, I am getting really excited about my shop and want to have lots of things like this to sell.

 

I also have a lot of depression glassware...........I love this stuff..........

don't you?

 

I have also accumulated a good amount of vintage linens...........

many with beautiful cut work

and in un- used condition.

Of course, I will be selling my own hand embroidery.................

and I am designing a lot of it  in vintage style to sell as accessories to the dishware.

I am also going to have my cement creations and garden things to sell outside of the shop.

Visit my country blog to see more of my garden work.

just click onto this link

Eggs In My Pocket

 

I found a wonderful vintage table like the one in the photo above............

mine is yellow...........I forgot to take a good photo..........an now it is stored away until I can get back to it.  It will be in the center of my shop with one of my hand embroidered tablecloths and the rose dishes on top .

So once the vintage door is attached,..........."my frosting" for the shop............

hopefully, it will be opening back and forth with visitors.

Also, this week, I have posted a wonderful potato side dish recipe on my cooking blog.

These are Cheese and Herb Potato Fans.

I made them to go with grilled steak one night.

They are so delicious!

If you would like the recipe, just click onto this link

My Country Kitchen

So now, tell me..............

have you ever owned a shop or perhaps own one now?

Or have you ever dreamed of owning a shop?

What kind of shop is it?

Was it or is it a good experience??

I would love to hear!