Stay, stay at home, my heart, and rest.

Homekeeping hearts are happiest.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

No matter how much time I have spent , lost in my stitching,

the worry of the uncertain times the coronavirus has 

placed on our health, our well being, and the stability of our

nation/world,

 still looms over me like a cloud.  So many people

suffering and struggling.  All we have is each other

and our faith to get us through this. 

I finally finished the cross stitched roses on linen that I had started a while back.

I am pretty sure I will frame this piece. I had at first thought

about placing it on the back of an antique chair.  

But no....I will frame it.

The weather has turned warmer and the gardens

outside need my attention. There is so much that is needing to 

be done that I will slow down on my stitching to enjoy

the outside world.  

However, in the late afternoon and up into the night,

I will once again have my needle for company.

For if my faith in faith be strong,

No doubt can enter in

My mind to make me ill and sad,

And let old Satan win!

Gertrude T. Buckingham, "Have Faith in Faith"

. I hope this finds pretty weather on  your shoulders and  

that  you and your loved ones are all safe and well.

It is all finished........well........for now

I have finished decorating each room of the dollhouse.

This is the children's bedroom. Since I have 3 children,

I made 3 beds.

The bed in the front of the photo is for a little boy.

The baby's bed has a decorated wall with little animals.

And there is a little girl's bed.

The dining room had to share the space with the living room 

I still need to paint the chairs and make cushions. 

The oven bake clay foods, dishes, and the handmade napkins and tablecloth

makes it all look like it is time to eat! 

So...from it's bare frame

to what it is now......I'm happy with it.

There is always room for wall hangings and such along the way. 

The days have been sunny , and warm, but also filled with 

rain showers. Leaving me to stay inside to do my handwork.

I usually toss all of our worn flannel shirts to the rag box after 

I have removed buttons, collars , and cuffs. And I usually cut them into squares

for rags. 

"Wear it out, use it up, make it do"

but I love flannel and I love the different plaids and colors. 

So this time, I removed all of the unworkable items, 

and cut the pieces into strips.

I then sewed the strips together and made a pretty

floor rug. (looking at the photo.......I realize my lens is dirty!)  

I hand painted flowers to give it some cheer.

It dresses up the bare floor perfectly!

I also made some hot pads.......

and then some chair cushions.....

which are really too thin to be cushions

but they look pretty.  They could also be placemats.

I am always surprised at what just a small strip or snippet of fabric

can be made into.  Have you repurposed old clothing into

something different?  I would love to hear! 

Dollhouse bathroom and bedroom

I have finished the bathroom for the dollhouse.

I chose a blue floral print wallpaper and a tile print floor........

next I made a tiny little toilet paper holder with 

tiny little toilet paper

I made a wall shelf, a cabinet for towels,

and homemade towels

Another cabinet for towels and small items

with a towel hanger

the "small" items are hand made tiny pieces of soaps (oven bake clay)

and other bath products that I made and glued 

miniature labels onto.

The little mirror is real. It is made from the top 

of a tiny concealer compact with decorative

trim added.

I added a small bath rug

and printed rug for the floor. Now the bathroom 

is complete.

I chose a pretty pink floral wallpaper for the dollhouse 

bedroom, with pink decorative flooring and then made

lace curtains. 

I made a bed from twigs out in the yard

I made mattress, matching sheets and pillows

and I made a quilt from a vintage fingertip towel. 

I had this vintage precious moments trinket box

in my shop.......but it looked perfect for the dollhouse 

bedroom.

It has had it's vase of flowers broken off....

so I got creative with my beads.......

and made tiny perfume bottles for the dresser instead

They glisten in the light

I also made a little lamp from beads

and it all looks perfect for the bedroom

Now the dollhouse bedroom is complete, except the rocker

and table need painting, and the shelves need items.

That will come later. 

I will show the dining room and child's room

in my next posts, as this post is already pretty lengthy.  

Dressing Up A Space With Vintage Linens

It has been a few weeks with lots of soaking and hundreds of stitches.......and now I can happily say that my workbasket is completely empty and that the whole stash of embroidered linens has been
repaired, cleaned, and ready for another use.

Some vintage linens, I sell in my vintage shop.........but there 

are some that I just cannot let go of and keep to 

decorate my home with.  I won't  use these lovely potholders for 

anything else but to decorate with. 

They add such sweet character to the corner by the stove.

Many times I change things around, including the vintage linens.

The apron in the front with the embroidered basket is vintage.

It's neckline was completely ripped and there was a hole in the body.
So I repaired the whole and repaired the neckline as best I could.
Now it is a pretty piece to decorate with

  

The embroidery on this piece is lovely, and I want to be

able to enjoy looking at it when I am cooking.

So it is hanging with my newer apron that I have made for 

myself to wear during cooking

When I am not using the stove or oven, I like to keep

pretty vintage linens hanging on it.

This "lunchtime" cloth is perfect for this use.

I also use vintage tablecloths to dress the tables in other rooms.

If you have some vintage linens that you think have too many stains, too 

many holes and too badly torn crochet edging..........

Take your time soaking the piece to remove the stains. 

Lately, I have found rubbing salt and lemon juice onto the stains,

then laying them out in the sunshine on the grass for a few hours is the 

best way to get rid of stubborn stains without ruining the fabric. 

Gently hand wash the piece afterwards. 

If you are worried about the torn edging, 

you can remove it from the piece.........

but with needle and thread, you can most of the time

repair it and it looks like new. 

Just work with your needle

matching up as much as you can , weaving in and out

and it is restored!

Holes are the biggest common problem in vintage linens.

cut matching color fabric and stitch around the hole and 

hem the fabric onto the back and the holes ........the piece 

looks whole again. 

If the embroidery is missing or pulled out, 

Just re embroider the missing part or re enforce the loose stitches.

After all of  your patience and work, you will have a lovely

vintage linen, ready for another use. As  you can see in the photo

the stains are gone......the patched holes are barely noticeable and the 

edging is complete.

Vintage embroidered linens are perfect to just place somewhere

to be seen.  They add such prettiness and character to any spot.

Do you agree?