I cannot count my day complete
'Til needle, thread and fabric meet.
~Author Unknown

Sharing a common thread with those who love the art of hand embroidery

Thursday, August 30, 2018

I fell in love with this 1930s garden scene linen

that someone had started embroidery work on. I purchased 
a junk box of old linens, and this was inside. 
It was heavily stained

and I set about soaking it...........two times, yet 
the stains were still very noticeable.  I thought about
soaking it once again for a long term, but noticed
that the embroidery transfer was also fading and I did '
not want to lose the embroidery lines. 

So I retraced over all of the transfer design with a very fine
tip micron  pen, after that,


I lightly tinted the whole design , covering much of the stains.
Some of the embroidery work was also very loose and 
worn

and some of the design I did not like the choice of embroidery stitch,
So, some of the embroidery stitching I let stay, because it really is pretty.
For the frayed stitching, I removed and will work other embroidery over it.
I will show you different sections as I work on this piece over the next few weeks......months?
Such as the photoed section  above. I decided to work on this upper corner first.
  The black lattice was very frayed and 
I dd not like the turquoise roses   

I decided to work red bullion roses with a green spray of leaves
and  the pine shrub in the back 

I chose to work in a darker green

Along with this work I am also working on this set
that I received as a present many,many years ago.
I never seemed to "get around" to start embroidery work
with it.  I want so to have this completed by Halloween
or Thanksgiving

The only hurdle........this is how the chart is........sigh
The company double printed it.
Have any of you ever had this problem with a chart? 

and it is a struggle to read.  I had once emailed the company to see
if they could replace the chart for me......but they said it was 
out of print. However, I have a great sewing light and good
sewing glasses

and the embroidery is coming along well. 

I am embroidering both ends of the table runner at 
the same time. The reason??........
If I have a large design such as this on both ends of a table 
runner, I tend to tire after I have finished the first end and 
take a long time getting to work on the other. This way , I 
will have both ends finished at the same time!
Do you ever do that??

Now I just have to keep working at it to get it all done.........
as long as I prevent myself from getting bit by a rattlesnake.
You can read about what almost happened to me yesterday morning
on my country blog at this link
How about you?  Are you working on something 
to decorate with for the holidays? 
I would love to hear!


7 comments:

lil red hen said...

These pieces will be beautiful after your work. Perhaps the double printing was the reason someone never finished the embroidery? I totally understand about finishing one part of something, then putting off the rest. I do that a lot, and find it isn't easy to pick something up again. I'm into making aprons again.

Hill Top Post said...

I love the red bullion roses. I am supposing they are bullion roses because of the stitch used. I just recently learned this stitch. Stitch by stitch you will transform this piece in something truly beautiful. Take care and be very careful of those dreaded snakes.

Shirlee Fassell said...

You reminded me of an uncut jacket with the embroidery printed on it that I got at a flea market. I loved the pattern of the embroidery but when I got it home I realized the fabric looks gray. I know if I dye it I would loose the design so it went in a drawer. Perhaps I will do what you did and trace it, dye it, embroider it, cut it out and sew it together!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

You work on very hard pieces but you make everything beautiful! I'm still doing a little cross stitch every day and enjoying it! We had a Pygmy rattlesnake come into our courtyard this week....very scary! Be careful!

happyone said...

You do beautiful work.
I'm making another baby blanket of weave-its. Trying to do a gingham pattern.

Preeti said...

The embroidery design is very beautiful:)
It must be difficult with the overlapped printed design to refer for the cross stitch project, but it is looking great so far.
Your snake encounter was very scary. Be careful. Aren't there any snake repellents - plants or sonic devices? It is so difficult to always keep a check everywhere.

Laurie said...

I love your skill when it comes to repairing and restoring such a beautiful old piece. It'a going to be interesting seeing it completed!! Been painting and quilting, need to pick up my needles again.