fabulous forties

These Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt blocks are another find from my recent trip to Magpie. On the shelf they didn't look like much—some of the blocks were missing from the center and some of the fabrics are damaged. But I fell in love with the gorgeous 1940s floral and geometric prints and was able to see past the flaws. All of us who love vintage have that ability, I think.



I'll take the blocks apart at some point—probably some cold night this winter in front of the television. Part of me feels guilty for watching tv at all—it's such a time-sucking activity—so I like to do something useful while watching.



Lately I've been watching the new series Mad Men on AMC. Love the costumes (amazing dresses) and atmosphere (cocktails in the office if you can believe that!) And, if you don't get what the big deal is about feminism, watch just to see what things used to be like in the early 60s.

just catching up

Amy asks if I can recommend some online shops that sell white, plain kitchen cloths, pillow covers, baby t-shirts and stuff to be embroidered. I've already mentioned Embroider This as a source for white cotton towels, and they have a good selection of other things to be embroidered, too. Vicki at Pattern Bee did a blog post that listed some of her sources for towels. And some of my fellow crafters have mentioned that Dharma Trading as a good source for baby tees. They also have aprons, pillowcases, tea towels, and a wide variety of what are called "blanks" in the trade.

In other news I'm a sponsor this month at Vintage Indie, a relatively new blog that features the work of crafters and artists who use vintage materials in their work (The Daily Swank), mentions must-visit vintage sources (Reader Shopping Reports), and generally talks about all things vintage and crafty. Thanks to them for the nice Stitch School mention this past week!

And thanks, too, for their mention of Magpie on Main, a shop that I was surprised (and pleased!) to discover, is just ten minutes from my house. Mom and daughter duo, Debbi and Amanda Vonson have a shop filled with all sorts of vintage treasures (including tons of cool jewelry and vintage clothing) and with buttons like these I'll definitely be stopping by on a regular basis!



Magpie on Main, 67 N. Main Street, Carbondale, PA 18407 570.282.1606

#%@%$! computers

The wireless router in our house went down yesterday—the one that hooks all of our many computers to the rest of the world. No email, no internet connection, and no work getting done. We got a new router and were back online last night but things are still a little wonky around here. It made me realize how helpless I am without the internet.

Today I'll be catching up on the graphic design work I wasn't able to do yesterday and will try to get a Stitch School post up later in the week. The good news is that I had time to make two pillows and finish the embroidery on an apron. I even started embroidering a vintage towel that I'll use for another pillow. Hey, I had to do something!

if you can't stand the heat...

...get out of the kitchen (in ten minutes or less)! Thanks to my SIL Patricia for telling me about a great article in Wednesdays New York Times. Titled "Summer Express: 101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less", and also available online here, it gives a huge list of simple recipes for those times when it's too hot to cook or you just want something simple. Sounds good to me!

Here are a few that sounded especially tasty:

4. Open a can of white beans and combine with olive oil, salt, small or chopped shrimp, minced garlic and thyme leaves in a pan. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are done; garnish with more olive oil.

13. Gazpacho: Combine one pound tomatoes cut into chunks, a cucumber peeled and cut into chunks, two or three slices stale bread torn into pieces, a quarter-cup olive oil, two tablespoons sherry vinegar and a clove of garlic in a blender with one cup water and a couple of ice cubes. Process until smooth, adding water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, then serve or refrigerate, garnished with anchovies if you like, and a little more olive oil. (LOVE gazpacho!)

51. Put a stick of butter and a handful of pine nuts in a skillet. Cook over medium heat until both are brown. Toss with cooked pasta, grated Parmesan and black pepper.

I have a folder on my computer for recipes and I saved this list for future reference!

Stitch School: Guilloche

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Guilloche Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

new items

I reorganized my pattern section this morning, breaking it into three sections and adding a new subcategory for vintage sewing patterns. I have just four patterns listed at the moment—three for dresses and one rare 1930s DuBarry artist smock pattern. This is one of the dresses (McCall's #9572 from 1953) Isn't it cool?



More patterns coming soon!

it's too hot...

..said with a whiny voice like the ones your kids use when there's nothing to do.

Sorry for my lack of blogging for the past few days. The heatwave left me feeling kind of queasy and weird and it was all I could do to get the things done that I really had to do. Like my "real" work (the graphic design kind) and that wholesale order for sachets that I need to deliver on Saturday. I'm working on those today.

Besides that I've been trying to keep the garden from drying out too much, and picking and freezing peas (of which we have a bumper crop this year). Mostly I've been lazy, spending the afternoons in the hammock reading—and under the ceiling fan, which moves the warm air around a little.

No, our old house doesn't have air conditioning. And that's usually OK with me. I don't really like it anyway and this hot weather is an exception where I live. The house was well designed to stay cool with a stone basement and windows placed for good circulation. And I leave all the windows open at night with fans to let the cool air in, then close up the house during the hottest part of the day. My studio, which is upstairs, gets too hot to work in so I try to spend some time there early in the morning and after the sun goes down. I'm so looking forward to the rain that's predicted for today!

Road Trip: Lambertville/New Hope

On July 4th we headed down to the Lambertville, NJ-New Hope, PA area for some flea marketing/antique hunting. I'll admit that this may not have been the best day to do this because a lot of shops were closed and the flea market was sparsely populated with vendors. But both towns are full of historical architecture and it was a pretty drive down along the Delaware River. We still managed to find a few things and had a nice lunch at The Landing, sitting outside on their deck overlooking the river.

Our first stop was the Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market on River Road, about a mile south of Lambertville. There were enough tables for 200 vendors so, on a day other than a holiday, this would be a good place to look for treasures. I saw a lot of jewelry and artwork (paintings, drawings, etc.) so it's good for those things. Not a lot of the kinds of things I look for, but I found a handful of vintage buttons for a dollar—



And from a very nice grandmothery woman who was selling some of her vintage linen collection, a pair of crochet-edged pillowcases ($8), an eyelet embroidered towel ($1.50) and this gorgeous embroidered towel with thousands of tiny cross stitches ($3).



Just look at those fruity colors and lollipop flowers!



We browsed in several shops (the ones that were open, that is) and I wanted to mention one that I particularly liked. It's called No. 63 and was a mix of antiques, art, and vintage-inspired accessories. Loved the typewriter key charms and fun things for kids! The shop is decorated much like I would do it if I had a shop, so it felt comfortable the minute I walked in.

I wish there had been more places open, especially some of the antique shops. But it's an easy drive so I'm sure we'll be back!

Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market, 1850 River Road, Lambertville, NJ 08530
No. 63, 10 N. Union Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530
The Landing Restaurant, 22 N.Main Street, New Hope, PA 18938

Road Trip: Shupp's Grove Flea Market

Each weekend, the Shupp's Grove Flea Market in Adamstown, PA has a theme weekend. Sellers have the option of bringing things to fit that theme knowing that there will be buyers looking specifiically for those things. For the three years I've been going to this, I've always gone on the Textiles-Linens-Buttons weekend. No surprise there, right?

That's next weekend. This year we decided to try one of their 3 day extravanganza weekends and I'm happy to report that from my perspective it wasn't much different. The same booths I like to shop at were there and the same things I like to buy were there. So I had a good day.

I always look for buttons and I found some great ones (look for them on my web site soon). I got lots of aprons (one with an unusual use of rickrack that I'll show you in a future post) and a couple with chicken scratch embroidery (still another post). The handkerchief lady was there and I bought a bunch with pretty crocheted edgings in bright colors. I'll layer these under all those print hankies I got this spring.



For myself (as opposed to for-the-business purchases) I got a white painted vintage step stool ($25) and two vintage painted folding chairs ($8 each). And my husband surprised me with a vintage painted shelf that he'd found while browsing ahead of me. I think he's starting to "get" what I like :)

The best find of the day? This quilt top (for $25) with what I think may be 1930s fabrics.



I love the brightly colored prints that were used on the edges and inner borders—they're actually three colorways of the same fabric.



I'll have another road trip post in a few days. We're heading to Lambertville, NJ tomorrow and who knows what treasures we'll find there!

Stitch School: Interlaced Running Stitch

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Interlaced Running Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

peas, please (and cherries, too)

I've been busy the past couple of days cleaning and preparing my house for guests, who will be arriving in a few hours. The guest bedroom has clean sheets and piles of towels have been set out. We have a simple menu planned for tonight—grilled lamb chops (that are marinating in olive oil and herbs), couscous with pine nuts, a green salad, and some of these gorgeous baby French peas that are just coming ripe in my garden.



I'll wait to pick and shell them until just before we start cooking. I'm also going to make a cherry clafouti for dessert. I've been wanting to try this recipe (from Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. 1) for years. The cherries at the grocery store were beautiful today and it's supposed to be easy to make.

(Updated to say that, unfortunately, this wasn't a big hit. I don't think I did anything wrong but it tasted very eggy, which is a bad thing in flan or creme brulee and now this, too). One of my readers commented that it's her favorite recipe so, as with all recipes, personal taste is key. The peas, however, were perfect.)

Cherry Clafouti

3 cups pitted black cherries
1/4 cup kirsch or cognac
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour

Let the cherries stand for an hour in a bowl with the kirsch and sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put remaining ingredients and the liquid that the cherries have been soaking in into the jar of your blender. Cover and blend on high speed for 1 minute.

Lightly butter an ovenproof 7- to 8-cup baking dish or 1 1/2 inch deep pie plate. Pour 1/4 inch of the batter into the bottom and set over moderate heat for a minute or two until a film of batter has set in the bottom of the dish. Remove from the heat.

Spread the cherries over the batter, then pour on the rest of the batter and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.

Place in the middle of the oven and bake for about an hour. The clafouti is done when it has puffed and browned and a knife plunged into the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle top with powdered sugar just before bringing it to the table. It doesn't need to be served hot but it's supposed to be better when warm. And it will shrink down slightly as it cools. Serves 6 to 8.

(If you want to make this without alcohol, don't marinate the cherries. Increase the amount of milk to 1 1/4 cups. Sprinkle 1/3 cup granulated sugar over the cherries before adding the rest of the batter.)

Tomorrow we're heading to the Shupp's Grove flea market in Adamstown, PA for one of their extravaganza weekends. Hopefully I'll have some treasures to show you next week!

depression-era aprons

While browsing at a local antique store I came across an 8-page newsprint flyer from the S. B. McCain & Son department store in Rush, PA. Called Facts and Fashions and dated April 1932, it's an interesting glimpse into depression era products and prices. In amongst the products for sale (everything from silk stockings and synthetic pearls to baby creepers and wave combs) are several small columns about fashion trends...

Fashion has the BLUES! Navy blue, bright light blue, chalky blue....wear them plain or combine them with white!

T'will be a White Summer! You had better prepare early with an extra box of soap flakes for this summer will be "whiter" than ever—plain or combined with color.

and housecleaning tips...

Don't throw away old wide mouth glass bottles. Use them as handy icebox bottles for protecting food.

An ordinary dish mop—well oiled—cleans out dust from coil bed springs in a jiffy.

Most of you won't remember ice boxes or beds with coiled springs. I'm not that old either but I remember those things from my grandmothers house.

I really bought the flyer for the beautiful black and white line drawings, and I'll show you some of the aprons today.



The Pickford Apron, which I believe is named for Mary Pickford, the silent film star who wore an apron in the film "My Best Girl" where she played a five-and-ten cent shopgirl who falls in love with the owner's son.



And the Hoover Apron, which wraps around and ties in the front and is more like a housedress than an apron. Named for Herbert Hoover, who was in charge of the FDA during and after WW1, and was elected President during the depression. His wife may have invented the apron—the story isn't very clear.



29 cents and 69 cents for an apron seems cheap to us now, but I'm sure women found this expensive at the time. I know that many women in the area served by this department store (rural and dotted with farms and small towns) must have sewn their own aprons and clothing. There are other ads within the flyer for fabric and sewing notions (which I'll post at another time)—perhaps they found inspiration from the drawings and came up with their own unique designs.

embroidered flower skirt

I love when readers send me pictures of their embroidery projects and I'm always happy to share, especially when it's something a bit more creative than the usual tea towel. Like Sarah's solstice skirt.



She designed the skirt herself in bright orange linen and then embellished it with rows of interlaced band and palestrina stitches in purple and pink. The flowers are done in a combination of satin, woven filling, chain, back, and raised herringbone stitches—all of which she learned from my Stitch School posts. And I think she deserves an "A+" for this project!

Read more about her process and see more photos on her blog Pacific Rain.

Stitch School: Monograms

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Monograms Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

black and white

And I'm not talking about those cookies made famous in that Seinfeld episode, although they're pretty good, too. Black and white as in buttons. In the comments to my post about my new button rack (which arrived yesterday and is as awesone as I thought it would be), Rosemary wanted to see some of the buttons that came along with the rack. Most of them are newer and pretty basic but I picked out some of the prettier ones to show you. All black and white, and the polkadots are my favorite—as if you couldn't guess that already :)



Some faceted black jet buttons by Streamline...



And a white pearl and black plastic, both with a square in circle design...



As with most groups of buttons I buy, I'll keep the ones I really like for my own work, then resell the rest on my website. I have nice groups of metal and pearl buttons listed now and just added another batch to the plastic button section (my biggest sellers) yesterday. If you see something you like grab it fast! I have regular customers, including a couple of people in Japan, who tend to snap up the good ones.

vintage button rack

My newest Ebay purchase is this vintage button rack from an old store. I'm sure I paid too much for it, but I couldn't help myself. It came with button cards attached (and I can resell some of those buttons to recoup my costs) but that's not why I bought it. It will make the coolest display rack for craft shows (if I ever get around to doing them) or for the shop I dream of having one day.



I don't sell them on my website but I make fabric-covered buttons with scraps of vintage fabrics left over from other projects. And I package them sewn onto cards and inside little plastic bags with heavy paper folded at the top. Which I could punch with a hole and hang from this rack.

Are you picturing how cute that would be? Especially if I paint the rack a fun color—like turquoise or hot pink :)

Stitch School: Braid Stitch

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Braid Stitch post here. Comments are now closed on this post; if you'd like to leave a comment please do so on the new one.

more ways to use rickrack

From a vintage baby pillowcase. Two rows of white rickrack attached along the edge with tiny tacking stitches at the points. It gives the illusion of crocheted or lace edging without being too frilly.



Updated on 7/2 to add this photo of the back so you can see how the rickrack has been sewn on.



Rickrack flowers that I found in a bag of vintage sewing things at the flea market. The points are gathered and tacked through to the back with tiny stitches to hold them in place.



A closeup of the back in case you want to try it for yourself. These would look cool combined with embroidered (or appliqued) leaves, maybe on a bag or clutch.



For those of you just discovering my blog (thank you Craft: magazine!), I did two posts about rickrack last year. You can find them here and here.

blog connections

When you have your own business, one of the hardest things is getting people to see your work. Do you spend money (which is always tight) on advertising that may or may not work? Do you send out postcards and newsletters to your mailing list? Do you send samples to magazines? Well, you do all of those things because you don't really know what's going to work. But, of all the things I do, I have to say that blogging has been the least expensive and also the most rewarding. I've met wonderful people that I may not have met otherwise and have found a forum for showing my work to a greater audience.

And sometimes it leads to unexpected opportunities. After being tagged by Charlotte a couple of weeks ago, then checking the blogs of the others who were tagged, I discovered T-Cozy and a kindred spirit in Susan who used to be a graphic designer, is also very tall, and who has very similar tastes in vintage things (sounds a lot like me). One thing led to another and I'm now selling some of my things in her shop in Connecticut. All of which happened in the space of two weeks! It's funny how some things just come together like that.

Susan is featuring some of her recent blog connections this week and wrote about Primrose Design today. I'm thrilled to be featured and to have the opportunity to be part of T-Party Antiques! So, if you live near Darien and want to see my things in person, plan to stop by. And do make a reservation for tea. It looks scrumptious and who could resist these tiny brownie cakes?

Some photos from the shop...


Pillows, handkerchief sachets, and tea towels.


Vintage eyelet sachets and sachet stacks tied with grosgrain ribbon.

I'm hoping to make the three-hour trip to Darien myself later in the summer, perhaps staying overnight and visiting the Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market in New Milford, CT on the way back. You know me, any chance to visit a new source for vintage goodies :)

T-Party Antiques and Tea Room, 2 Squab Lane, Darien, CT 06820

early morning in the garden

I like to take a short walk outside in the mornings, usually with camera in hand just in case I see something worth photographing. We have an old fieldstone wall across the front of our property and I often see the garter snake sunning himself and chipmunks running along it's length with their tails straight up in the air. I've always wondered why they do that.

This morning our columbines are in full bloom. These are the cultivated kind, not the wild (we have some of them, too, but I missed getting photos this year).



I'm always reminded how perfect and beautiful nature's creations are. We try to capture that in our own creations, whether in photos or needlework or whatever crafts we make, but it always comes in second to the real thing. That's not to say that we shouldn't keep trying :)