happy holidays

Somehow, not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
—John Greenleaf Whittier


Illustration ©1991 Sally Holmes from The Book of Christmas published by The Albion Press, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 1991.

miserable cold

Sorry for the lack of posting the past few days. Not sure where I picked up this miserable cold I have but my nose is running and I can't stop coughing. I haven't been sick for so long that I forgot how bad it feels. And how really awful cough medicine tastes! As soon as I get off the computer I'm heading to the sofa with a book and a hot cup of tea. Hopefully, none of my clients will need anything from me today.

Hope you all are enjoying the mad rush to Christmas and finding some time for yourself amongst all the shopping, baking, wrapping, crazy relatives, etc. Take some time to stop and smell the gingerbread :)

get your indie fixx

If you're looking for some great holiday gift ideas this year may I suggest the Indie Fixx Holiday Guide for inspiration. Yes, I'm participating (that's one of my tissue cozies in the bottom row up there) but you know about me already. There's a whole handmade world out there and this guide has a little of everything—from crochet sushi magnets to dog bandanas, beehive neckties, and monster pals finger puppets—there's something for everyone on your list.

mystery solved

Remember that cute laundry-themed fabric that I used for the cat pillow? The one that someone asked where I'd gotten it and I couldn't remember? This one...



Well, I was at Joann Fabrics on Saturday buying zippers for some little vintage fabric cosmetic bags I'm working on and I walked past the quilting cottons (which I always do because you just never know what's going to jump out and say "you must have me") and there it was. There wasn't a huge amount on the bolt but I told the cutting person I'd take 4 yards. And wouldn't you know it but there were exactly 4 yards left. Fate, I tell 'ya.

Unfortunately I can't tell you much more about it. On the selvedge are the words Our Family and the ten colored circles that show the number of colors printed and that's all. Usually when a fabric is manufactured exclusively for Joann it will say so, and this didn't, so I don't know. No other colorways either. OK, maybe we haven't solved this mystery after all.

paper cranes

Looking through an old Christmas issue of Better Homes & Gardens (December 1961), among the weird recipes for cookies made from peanut butter, butterscotch chips and chow mein noodles* (no kidding!) and the letters to the editor about the dangers of communism (this was during the "red" scare), there was a section on making homemade Christmas ornaments. Most seem kind of silly, but the origami cranes made from colored tissue paper still look modern today.



I like the directions for folding paper cranes on this page.

This is a one of the harder designs to make with lots of tricky folds, so if you need more help, try here (and read about the peace crane project), here, and here (this is a Greek blog so you probably won't be able to read it but she has a nice photo of the finished cranes on a tree).

I bought a package of origami paper (the folk art print kind) yesterday at AC Moore so I'm going to try a few of these for my tree. And I think a string of them along the top of a window would be kind of cool, too.

* OK, I guess I know nothing about cookies because yes, these haystacks are quite popular and can also be made with chocolate chips and no peanut butter. I didn't know. Maybe it's a regional thing? They still don't sound good to me but having never tried them—who knows? Anyway, I stand corrected :)

And the winner is...

Tammyca. Congratulations! I actually made this a two-day contest because I was sure I wouldn't get enough participants otherwise. Thirty six comments later and boy was I wrong. Thank you all for the wonderful comments and welcome lurkers—I knew I'd get a few of you to speak up :)

To answer some of your questions from the comments. No, I didn't embroider this—it looks machine-done as many handkerchiefs would have been. Yes, Stitch School will be back soon. My work load (the graphic design one, that is) got overwhelming and I just couldn't manage it every week. I can't promise I'll do it every week but I will be doing more of them.

Several of you mentioned handkerchiefs. You can always frame them (and they can be very pretty that way), but don't be afraid to use them either. Most of the ones I use for sachets are damaged in some way so I don't feel guilty cutting them up. As long as you have one corner that has no holes, stains, or frayed crochet, you're good to go. And even if there is a tiny hole or spot, you can always cover it with a button.

So, Tammy, email me (janet@primrosedesign.com) with your address. And watch for more contests in the future. This was fun and I'll probably do it again!

it's beginnning to look a lot like Christmas

I've been sewing like a mad woman and stocking the Primrose Design website with lots of goodies for holiday shopping. I tend to not make many holiday-themed things because, if they don't sell, I'm stuck with them until next year. But I had a cute handkerchief embroidered with poinsettias and holly in my stash and it was just crying out to become something holiday-related. Another hanky with green crocheted edging, some poinsettia fabric, and a red and white button stack were the perfect companions. Voila—a hanky sachet!



I've never done a give-away on my blog before but this seems like the perfect opportunity :)

So, leave a comment here before noon on Thursday (that's November 29th) and I'll throw all the names in a hat and pick someone to win this sachet. I'll announce the winner in another post and that person can then send me their mailing address. I'll wrap it up and send it on it's way the next time I go to the post office.

Sound like fun? Well, get writing :)

(Please note that I moderate all comments before they're published, so don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away).

happy turkey day

We're spending Thanksgiving with friends as we usually do. They have a big family and cook a huge turkey, so there's plenty for the various friends who don't have families of their own to celebrate with (or whose families are too far away). I've spent the morning baking my contributions to the feast—prosciutto and parmesan puff pastry palmiers for an appetizer and a linzer torte for dessert. I'm not crazy about the traditional raspberry jam filling so I substituted cherry preserves. I particularly like Bonne Maman brand preserves and the jars are cute for storing buttons and beads in your craft room, too!



Palmiers with Honey Mustard and Prosciutto

1 sheet puff pastry (the packaged kind is fine)
3 tablespoons honey mustard
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 teaspoons water

Place the puff pastry on a work surface and spread the mustard over the top. Arrange the prosciutto evenly over the mustard to cover all the pastry, and then sprinkle with the Parmesan. Lightly press cheese into the prosciutto with a rolling pin.

Starting on one end, roll up the puff pastry like a jelly roll just to the middle of the dough; then roll up the other side in the same fashion, making two rolls that met in the center. Squeeze the rolls together a bit with your fingers. Using a serrated knife, cut the rolls crosswise into ½-inch slices. Place the slices on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and press lightly with your hands to flatten. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat the egg and water together in a small bowl. Brush the top of each palmier with the egg wash. Bake until puffed and lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 20.

Since there will be ten people today (no way will they only want to eat two of these), I doubled the recipe, using the entire package of puff pastry.



Recipe courtesy of The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, Workman Publishing, New York, 1984.

first snow

Just enough to dust the leaves of the rhodedendrons with white...



Aha, but here's what the five inches that fell later and during the night looks like...



Now I wonder if I'll be getting to the post office today after all :)

I mentioned in passing a while back that I'd purchased an ad in a major magazine's winter issue. It was Adorn and it's out on the newstands now! I've been adding lots of vintage buttons and trims in anticipation of heavier web traffic from the crafty girls who read this magazine. And a special welcome if you're one of them!

I've recently added a smallish section for vintage sewing patterns on my website and will likely be expanding that soon. I kept finding cool patterns in my travels this summer and last weekend at a local antique mall I scored an entire box of 1960s patterns—at least 100 of them and all in perfect condition! I may end up selling them on Ebay but I'll announce that here if I do.

I've been spending some time cleaning up my studio and reorganizing my fabrics. With that flurry of sewing and orders recently it got to be quite messy. When I can't find things I know it's time :)

After that, who knows? I have some ideas to test out for new products. And I may still get a few more custom orders for the holidays. I can't believe how quickly that's approaching!

Don't forget Project Runway: Season 4 starts tonight—Bravo, 10pm!

no two are the same

My friend Anni recently sent me a link to an interview she did about her participation in the auctions to benefit Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure. Having two parents who died of cancer and being a cancer survivor myself, this is an issue that's close to my heart.



So, what's this all about? I couldn't describe it any better so here's what they say on the website:

Own a piece of art from your favorite children's book illustrator while helping to fight cancer. Participate in Robert's Snow: for Cancer's Cure, a unique fundraiser for cancer research. Since 2004, this online auction has raised over $200,000 for Dana-Farber, and with your help, we can continue this holiday tradition in 2007.

"Robert's Snow" is a children's story about a mouse not allowed in the snow. Children's book illustrator Grace Lin wrote the book, which was inspired by her husband Robert's battle with Ewing's sarcoma. After the book was published, Grace gathered artists from all over the children's book illustrating community to create special snowflakes to be auctioned off, with the proceeds benefiting sarcoma research at Dana-Farber. These snowflake auctions became known as the event "Robert's Snow."

When I worked as a children's magazine art director I had the opportunity (really more of an honor since these artists are so awesome) to work with so many wonderful artists and illustrators including Anni and several others who've I've since kept in touch with. Many of them made snowflakes for this auction and I'd like to give a special shout-out to those I've worked with personally—Stephanie Roth (whose snowflake you can see here), Ellen Beier, Philomena O'Neill, John Nez (see his snowflake here), Jane Dippold (see hers here), Judith Moffatt (my personal favorite snowflake—I'm keeping an eye on this one) and Anni, whose snowflake she generously allowed me to publish a picture of here.

Pop on over to see all the snowflakes and make a bid on your favorites if you're so inclined and finances allow. It's a worthy cause and you'll have a chance to own an original piece of art from some truly talented and creative artists. Auctions happen on November 19-23, November 26-30 and December 3-7.

cute baby stuff

One of my readers emailed me to say (nicely) that it's not fair of me to mention my cute Ebay embroidery finds without showing pictures. LOL! It's true that I often show the finished items but some people don't want to wait that long.

I've bought two kits for baby things in the last month that are going to be so cool when finished. This first one is a 4 piece baby layette that has a blanket, kimono, sacque, and bib—all in white flannel trimmed with bright yellow binding and featuring cats to be embroidered. Unbelieveably, no one bid against me on this. Maybe they were scared off by the few stains mentioned by the seller, but the kit was in a sealed package and I figured it was a combination of dust and sunlight and they'd wash out easily. It's always a bit risky to buy a stamped-for-embroidery project with stains because you can't wash it until after the embroidery is done. I once had a seller at a show tell me that wasn't true—that the stamping doesn't really wash out—but don't you believe it... it will.



The other kit I bought is also for baby and it has a top sheet and matching pillowcase, both in white cotton and stamped with a mama bird pulling her baby in a little wagon. The motifs on these are so small and the lines so fine that the instructions call for a single strand of embroidery floss. I've started this project and work in small doses because it make my eyes tired!



I don't know who made these kits, although they're obviously the same manufacturer. The instructions on the back call for O.N.T. 6 strand embroidery cotton—maybe that's a clue. I just love them, though. And they'll make super cute baby gifts, and easy ones, too. As it says on the package "Nothing to do but simple embroidery."

And since it's Halloween tonight...

Mondays are for washing

I've always been fascinated by the idea of day-of-the-week towels, or D.O.W. as they're often called. Did women really change their towels every morning?

Each towel depicts a household chore and the day of the week that corresponded to that particular chore rarely varied. The day for baking sometimes switches with shopping (Thursdays and Saturdays seem to be interchangeable) and perhaps that was a regional variation. But Sundays are always go to church or rest. And Mondays are always wash day.



Was there a rule that you had to do your chores on exactly those days? Who decided that? And were you considered a rebel if you mixed up the order? I could picture myself as a frustrated housewife getting some small satisfaction out of using a Saturday towel on Tuesday. So, there!

It just seems so silly. But the designs are wonderful. One of the new pillows I've just completed uses a Monday towel that features a cute kitty sorting her laundry—rather messily. When I found the laundry-themed fabric I just knew it would be perfect for this pillow.



Since I had to embroider this anyway I could work with colors to match. And remember those vintage French buttons I bought a couple of years ago from an Ebay seller in Paris? The blue and white ones look kind of like the soap bubbles in the fabric. How cute is that?



Happy Monday! And you do have laundry to do, don't you?

before there was television

I'm sure you've heard of hope or wedding chests (also called glory boxes in the UK and Australia)—all the linens and household goods that girls were expected to have (and often make themselves) before they got married. I found this list of hope chest items in the January 1926 issue of Needlecraft Magazine and it makes me tired just reading it. Even though girls started on these items as soon as they were skilled enough at embroidery and sewing to do it, and there was no television, it's an exhaustive list of items.

"I found the following hope chest list very satisfactory for my own little home: Eight sheets, eight pairs of pillowcases, four sheet-shams, four comforts, two pairs of double blankets, three pairs of pillows, two white tablecloths, two dozen white napkins, two Japanese luncheon-cloths, two dozen napkins to match, one between-meal centerpiece, four miscellaneous centerpieces, two buffet-scarfs or sets, four dresser-scarfs or sets, two machine-scarfs, two library-scarfs, one centerpiece and piano scarf, five cushions, three dozen dish towels, eighteen each of hand-towels and washcloths, one dozen bath towels, six holders for kitchen use, laundry—bag, combing—jacket and kimono, one each, three envelope-chemises, four camisoles, six petticoats, silk and washable, five each of nightgowns, house-dresses and bungalow aprons, and six slip-on aprons. This list was intended for four rooms and sleeping-porch, and is ample. It may, of course, be taken from or added to as required, but in a general way is very good."—Mrs. M. L. K., California

Now, imagine having to wash and iron all these things without modern washing machines and electric steam irons. Yikes!

embroidery tutorials

The Renaissance Store has a two-part tutorial on Viking embroidery by Gael Stirler, originally published in their newsletter—

Part 1
Part 2

This store is a great place to find costumes (or patterns if you want to sew your own) for medieval and renaissance gowns that are perfect for attending Renaissance Faires or for Halloween costumes. Long story, but I once dressed as a Celtic priestess for a Renaissance-themed party, and I found a number of accessories here. And lots of information as well.

new embroidery patterns

I've just added three new embroidery patterns, for a total of seventeen so far.


VP115, which I'm calling Lil' Angels, has 12 designs of little boys and girls. They don't have wings but are posed on clouds with stars sprinkled around. Plus, some of them are doing household chores! If your kids did that you'd think they were angels, too :)


VP116 is an older pattern, probably from the 1940s. Four cute designs, also of boys and girls. There's a girl feeding a lamb from a baby bottle, a boy watering flowers, a boy eating an ice cream cone (and just look at the expression on the cat), and a girl with a puppy on a leash. I especially love these!


VP117 are quilt blocks with fruits (peaches, plums, cherries, pears) and flowers (wild rose, tulip, morning glory, poppy).

I expect to add more to my offerings this winter when I'm stuck at home with nothing to do (hah!) but trace patterns. It's quite a lot of work but I'm too much of a perfectionist to settle for simply scanning them. I've been buying some of the cutest stamped projects lately on Ebay—many of them for baby things. So look for the cuteness to continue.

still here

Two magazines designed and shipped to the printer; one 84-page catalog three-quarters done; 34 tissue cozies made; 30 sachets made; 18 pillows sewn (including the cute 12 inch square ones I mentioned a few weeks ago and shown below); hundreds of product photos taken; many changes on the web site which is being stocked in time for the holidays. Only 8 weeks away (eeek!) And no time for blogging. By the time I get a chance to sit down in the evening it's all I can do to eat something for dinner, watch a few minutes of tv, and collapse into bed with a book that stays open for, like, 10 minutes. I'm so looking forward to a break, and maybe (fingers crossed), getting back to normal.

Back to the pillows for a minute. What I thought would be a challenge turned out not to be so. I found that I had lots of linens with small motifs that were perfect for these and I was able to use some of the smaller buttons that I had stashed away. These were done for a shop in California and I found out today that they arrived safely. So, if you're anywhere near Cotati, stop in to Cotati Clothing and check them out. They specialize in new and recycled clothing and accessories but also have a fair trade gift and boutique section.



And they have some of my sachets, too...



After a quick trip to Joann's for pillow inserts this afternoon I'm headed back to the studio to finish up some of those pillows. I hope to have them listed by the end of this week. And then get more vintage buttons, trims, and patterns up. See, it just never ends :)

Cotati Clothing, 8200 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, CA 94931

Road Trip: Weil Antique Center

For the second year, the Weil Antique Center has featured a special sale during the second week of October with most dealers offering 10 to 40% off their regular prices. And, if you're on their mailing list, they send you a postcard that's good for an additional 5% off everything that costs more than $15. And that makes October a great time to stop by. Housed in an old factory, there are 150 booths and it's a great place to find what are called "smalls" in the antique business. Small things like jewelry, linens, china, purses, and vintage toys. But don't worry—there's plenty of big stuff, too!

I bought too much stuff to show in one blog post, so check back after I get more things photographed. But I wanted to show you my coolest find from the trip. I paid $5 for a box of vintage flash cards!



You may have seen these around lately. The Sundance catalog is selling them framed with the words forming funny sayings. Like (picture these as stacked cards)...

go
go
boots

I
work
for
a
clown

Too funny. And, at $150 to $225, out of my price range. My cards are mostly nouns so they don't lend themselves to making phrases or sayings quite as easily. But mine have pictures and theirs don't. So there! Here are a few quick attempts :)





I'll show more of my finds in a few days!

Weil Antique Center, 2200 31st Street SW, Allentown, PA 18103

vintage magazines

Remember last spring when Irene asked about how to do the lazy daisy stitch with two colors? And I said that it must have been done with two needles. I was looking through some copies of Needlecraft Magazine that I found at the flea market yesterday (more about these in a minute) and found a reader comment about this subject. Here's what Mrs. W.C. from New Hampshire had to say:

" When desiring to hold down the tips of lazy-daisy petals with another color, instead of using two needles. I make the tiny holding-stitches first, all around the flower, then the other can easily be brought up and slipped in under."

So, now we know another way to do this without juggling two needles!



Now, about the magazines. If you ever come across these in your travels, and can find them at a good price (these were $4 each—which is incredibly cheap for their age), don't pass them up. Not only are they full of vintage patterns for embroidery, sewing, and crochet, but they're a unique slice of life from the period. And the ads are hysterical—like this one for "educated" canaries.



The issues I found yesterday are from 1926, 1929, and 1930, so lots of cool art deco-inspired designs. I'll see what else I can find in them to post about. I know there are pages of gorgeous dress designs in the fashion sections!

I made three dozen tissue cozies last week (yes, Susan, some of them are for you), and two dozen eyelet sachets after that. Well, those aren't quite done since I had to wait for a shipment of lavender. Which is here now—all 15.5 pounds of it! I'm also trying a couple of new fillings/scents—rose petals (which should go well with the floral fabrics) and balsam (kind of homey and Christmasy).

Yesterday I started on a wholesale order for a shop in California. They want six pillows but very small ones—just 12" square! I've gotten used to working larger so it's a challenge to think "small" again. But I'm liking that I'm able to use up smaller embroideries and fabric scraps—things that were too small to work with the larger sizes.

Of course, I'm still busy with graphic design but that should start to slow down soon. At least I hope so ;)