Embroidering, embellishing, and making it you own.............

You have selected the perfect towel.............

and have embroidered the perfect design onto it..............

but even though it is pretty...........does the design look to small for the towel.....

causing all of your creative work to look.........

plain??

Sometimes, I feel this way about something I have embroidered...........

How about adding a small flower.....here and there......around the design?

Looks much better........don't you think?
But look at that bottom edge.............

How about adding a simple crocheted edging and then a strip of coordinating fabric?

Just cut a 4 inch wide strip of fabric, fold in half..........turning under raw edges........

cut it the length of your towel and stitch it on to the towel........

underneath the crocheted edge.

and your towel will look like this.............

the hen has been stitched the same way

and now the perfect " his and her" towel set!

This design is very pretty.........but once again.......

it looks very small on the towel ...........

but by adding a few small rose buds...........

coordinating crocheted edge and fabric edging...........

the towel has turned out lovely......

don't you think?

Sometimes the design is big enough or busy enough and extra things are not needed........

but there is that plain edge again..................

\

a coordinating crochet and fabric edging

makes the set complete!

It does take a little extra time..........but you can make your embroidery stand out and look more lovely by just adding a few extra touches.

What do you think??

I would love to hear!

When I purchased these vintage transfers from a shop.........I had no idea how old they really were............

they were lying crumpled in between vintage dress patterns.......

and I was surprised

to find not one........but 7 sheets of transfers in excellent condition.

The designs are so beautiful

full of flowers, scallop edgings, 

baby bibs, alphabets and much more...........

but the real surprise???

they are a 101 years old!

Dated June 3, 1913!!

                       

I am finding it difficult to find out the history on Winifred Clark.....

do any of you know about her or this company?

I have found a lot of  transfers and booklets of crochet on Ebay......

but not much else.

If you have any history on this........I would love to hear!

While I will preserve these sheets,

I am also tracing them off and you will soon be seeing hand embroidered linens that I create from these wonderful designs.

I can't wait!

Don't you love mornings

 when you don't have to rush to work.........you don't have to rush the kids to school......

and you can take the time to make a wonderful breakfast to enjoy with your family?

This is what I thought about while designing this piece for my embroidery book..........

(which I am still currently working on to show to a publisher)

A cheerful and colorful rooster, perched on a pole that has flowers climbing up around it......

and his crow seems to say

"Rise and shine!, 

I stitched this phrase onto a couple of the corners 

Of this vintage cloth with hand drawn work around the edges,

turning this into a delightful tray cloth to serve breakfast with.

I also included these little coasters that I hand embroidered a while  back.

and added a vintage orange juice pitcher, 4 vintage juice glasses, and a vintage glass press.

All on sale in my vintage shop.............and on my Etsy.

(do you like my sign?)

Speaking of my shop..........I opened the doors to the public this past  Thursday and Friday. 

I hammered signs out on our lonely road and posted about it on my Facebook. 

I live a good ways out of town.........the only traffic that is usually out here is work men driving their trucks back and forth and probably not at all interested in embroidery or dishes.

Thanks to Facebook, I did have a few come to visit...........but the sweetest thing of all.............is my friends.

Though the months of getting this shop ready, I have had friends come to visit and to look and to put their seal of approval onto this shop. This meant so much!

On my "opening  sale " day..........my friends drove all the way out to see my shop and to cheer me on with my sale.............how blessed and wonderful that made me feel.

This brought to mind the scripture that states:

A friend loveth at all times......

Proverbs 17:17

What would we do without our friends?

I have given 4 very old chairs a new life.............

I have had these chairs for around 30 years. They were given to my husband and I when we were first starting to make our home. There is also an octagon table in storage that goes with them.

I did not want to use the table, but I love the chairs. They were black with gold velvet seating and backing, which I removed, and then added paint..........

When we moved to our country home, we had a dining room set...........so these chairs have been put aside.

I decided to put some life back into them...............

I got very brave and painted each one in a vibrant color..........

what do you think??............

There is a reason I painted each a different color............

I also had cross stitched these 4 pieces a  little while back. They depict the different seasons with items on a clothesline. I have always loved this design set.

So I fixed each cross stitched piece to the back of each chair..........with coordinating fabric.... 

fall...........

winter............

spring...........

summer.........

And I am going to sell them in my vintage shop. 

Don't they look cute around the table?

I am hoping someone out there loves them and will want to take them home.

How about you?

Would you dare paint something bright and wild , when it really should be neutral for what it is made for?

Have you painted a room..........or even a chair this way??
I would love to hear!

Something old..........something new...........something added...........

(right click on photos for a better view)

I found this pretty little vintage dresser scarf in a pile of linens at a thrift store...............

waiting for me to embroider it. It has a beautiful hand crocheted edging around it. 

My flower garden is full of the wild purple Prairie Aster and yellow daisy........

So I embroidered the flowers in those colors and embroidered the little bird in blue.

So here is an old piece with new embroidery and it looks pretty...........

but you all know me...........

I have to add something................

like a little bee..............

and a cute little inch worm............

I did this on one end of the scarf and had intended to embroider the same thing on the other end..........

but I want it to be different, so on the other end I embroidered a small ladybug .........

and a spider web,..............

just the kinds of things one would find in a garden. 

I also signed embroidered my name underneath the web.

and now this end looks like this.............

just a few changes to the whole scarf..........maybe some won't care to have a piece like this......

but these are the kinds of linens I am always looking for in flea markets............

those little personal touches left behind by the artist of stitches.............

Now it has been added to my vintage shop. I wonder if anyone will notice these added designs?

How about you?

Do you ever see a quilt.........an embroidered item........or even a painting........

and think about something that could have been added?

Wishing all of you a very happy Mother's Day!

In all of the years that I have attempted to grow roses,

this is the first year that all bushes have bloomed abundantly.

last year I planted 4 different rose bushes in this larger metal container.

I covered the whole thing in plastic sheeting to wait the winter through and now the roses are blooming in brilliant colors. 

There is a climbing Joseph's coat

that blooms an array of beautiful colors of orange coral, pink, 

and rust.

There is also old fashioned looking blooms........

as well as this delicate and  petally tea rose

This looks like the roses in the story of Alice in Wonderland.....don't you think?

I also have miniature roses like this peach dwarf. There is also a miniature red rose, but it is shy and just now starting to bud. 

The container has worked out much better than planting the bushes in the ground.

How about you?

 Do you grow roses? If so, do you use containers or flower beds?

What is your favorite rose??

Stop by my county blog to see the latest furry and feathery visitors to the grounds!

just click onto this link 

Eggs In My Pocket