Stitch School: Scroll Stitch

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Scroll 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.

oh, Christmas tree...

Saturday found us tramping through the woods trying to find the tree we'd tagged the day after Thankskgiving. Luckily it was still there. The owners told us that three people's trees had been "stolen". There are about a million trees at this farm—plenty for everyone—so why do people have to take the trees that other people have already tagged? Are they too lazy to find their own? Hearing things like this saddens me, especially at this time of year.

Anyway, we got the tree home and adjusted in it's stand. With the job being supervised by one of my cats, of course :)



And that's about as far as we've gotten so far. Hopefully I'll have time today to get the lights adjusted and start decorating.

something from the oven

This weekend has been a flurry of cookie baking. I have three or four cookie trays to make up for neighbors and friends and a tin to ship to friends who live farther away. I used to bake cookies every year—and not just one or two kinds—more like ten! Then I hit a rough patch in my life—sick parents, then dying parents, moves and job changes—and for a few years I couldn't deal with Christmas. I did it but it felt like going through the motions. And baking seemed like too much work.

But this year I'm back and I made some of my old favorites—my grandmother's raisin cookies and layer bars, linzer cookies with strawberry jam in the middle, peanut butter with Hershey kisses, and ginger nuts. I tried a new almond sugar cookie recipe that sounded good, too.



Ginger Nuts

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon water
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 375°F. Beat butter in mixer bowl until smooth. Continue beating, adding sugar gradually, until mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg.

Dissolve baking soda in water; stir into butter mixture. Gradually stir flour and ginger into mixture. Continue stirring until dough is smooth and stiff.

Form dough into walnut-sized balls, using 1 tablespoon dough for each. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until bottoms are light golden brown, about 15 minutes. It's normal for them to crack on top so don't worry about it. Cool cookies on wire rack and store in airtight container.

Even with all this activity I managed to fit in a quick trip to the local indoor flea market where I scored a bunch of vintage buttons, rickrack, and old glass Christmas ornaments! Pictures to come. Hey, I think I have a Thrift Thursday contribution this week :)

Studio Friday: PURELY WHITE!

"All these colour combos have given me an idea, especially with christmas coming...to do a 'white christmas' studio friday...where artists put together whatever they want...only using neutrals...or to be really strict....white, (being a textile artist its great to get back to basics and to restrict oneself to just one colour, then see how many different surfaces or textures you can find.)" ~ Jo

Some white things from my studio...



Row 1: Pin-tucking, vintage button, vintage cutwork embroidery
Row 2: vintage crocheted doily, hairpin lace, pearl buttons
Row 3: white-on-white embroidery, white flower buttons, daisy trim
Row 4: embroidered eyelet, pearl buttons and seed pearls, white crocheted lace

It was nice to take a break from all that color of the past two themes. And white just makes me think of Christmas so it was the perfect theme for this week. Want to see more? Check 'em out here.

this is it

Last day to order. Over the past week or so I've been featuring products from my web site that would make perfect holiday gifts. This will be the last of those posts because today is the last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery. But, if you want to order next week I won't stop you. There's always Priority mail and it may get to you in time. Vintage fabrics are a very recent addition to my site. As you can imagine, I have stacks and stacks of vintage fabrics to use in my work. But I sometimes buy things that don't get used. Or I buy a lot of fabrics from someone who is getting rid of theirs and end up with too much or with patterns I'm not crazy about. So, the extras are put up for sale. The fabric shown here is a 2-yard length from a much larger piece I purchased this summer. It's cotton and probably from the 50s although I'm not sure of it's age. Mint condition. $10. You can see more vintage fabrics here. As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #10

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery. That's tomorrow, so better hurry!

We mustn't forget pillows—they're what started me off in this business of mine. Handcrafted from vintage embroidered linens and fabrics, and accented with vintage buttons and trims, each pillow is one-of-a-kind and unique. The one shown below showcases a gorgeous piece of vintage eyelet with embroidered red and green tiny flowers. Underneath is a white on white print and on the sides is a red poinsettia print. Tiny red buttons secure the layers on the front. Very Christmasy! $30. You can see more pillows here.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #9

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

Love vintage kitchen linens? How about a pair of embroidered pot holders? These feature golden yellow pears on a blue lattice background with blue binding. From the 1940s and in perfect unused condition. $18 for the pair (or is that pear?) You can see more kitchen linens, including a wide selection of vintage aprons, here.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #8

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

Here are some more great gifts for crafters and sewers—vintage trims! Like the vintage butterscotch-colored ball (or pom-pom) fringe shown here (3 yards, $4.00). I also have vintage rickrack in lots of colors, crocheted lace, eyelet trims, and appliques from the 70s. See them all here.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

Stitch School: Seed Stitch

Stitch School has moved to it's very own space on the web! You'll now find the Seed 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.

gift idea #7

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

For the knitters on your shopping list I have a great selection of vintage pattern books featuring everything from mittens and socks, to baby sweaters and shawls. The book pictured is from 1951 and features 16 pages of patterns for knit, crochet and hairpin lace shawls. $4.00 See them all here.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #6

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

What are the chances that you'll escape getting some kind of cold this winter? That's what I thought. So, while you're sniffling and sneezing, why not be fashionable and carry your tissues in a tissue cozy. Just $10 each and available in a variety of vintage and new fabrics. This one features a vintage feedsack print of orange poppies, purple lilacs and turquoise leaves. Each cozy has a tab and vintage button closure and comes with a new package of tissues. See them all here.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #5

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

For someone who loves vintage linens and appreciates fine embroidery I have this gorgeous pillowcase trimmed with variegated blue crochet. It features roses and flowers in an unusual color combination of rust, blue, brown, and lime green and the embroidery is exquisite. Unfortunately there's just one, but it would be perfect for a single guest bed. I bought this with the intention of making a pillow but it was just too pretty to cut up. $12. Click the photo to see detailed pictures of the embroidery and to order.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

Studio Friday: COLOUR COMBOS THAT MAKE YOU CRAZY!

" We all have combos we are uncomfortable with. Let's explore the *why* of it..." ~ Michelle

The list of colors I don't like together is much smaller than the one that I do. I think there's a place for most color combinations, even ones we don't use very often. Some people, for example, don't like to put bright hot colors together because they seem to vibrate. Personally I don't mind that.

I think the colors I don't like are the dull, muddy ones. A new quilt shop opened near where I live recently and I was so disappointed to learn that they are focusing on the "country" color palette—the deep dull reds, wedgewood blues, dark greens, mustard yellows, and browns and beiges that are used in this genre of quilting. I have no problem at all with the incredible quilting skills involved in the making of these quilts (in case anyone is offended by my opinion)—I just hate the colors that are so often used.

Here's an example that uses the Thimbleberries line of fabrics—



And some of the fabrics themselves.



I don't even have a problem with the prints, but the combinations just don't do much for me. Check out what others have to say on this topic here.

gift idea #4

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

Maybe you're shopping for a new mom who loves vintage things. Wouldn't she love this cute baby bib embroidered with a cat carrying a blue feeding dish? From the 1950s, purchased as a stamped-for-embroidery project and completed by yours truly, it's just $10. And I also have bibs with puppies, clowns, and a bunny playing an accordion!

gift idea #3

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

For the crafters and sewers on your list, how about some vintage buttons? Shown here are a set of three 1960s vintage colorful swirl buttons for $3 and a set of seven bright blue plastic ones with a ruffled edge for $2.50. And that's just two of about a hundred that I currently have listed. See them all here.





As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #2

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

For the girls on your Christmas list, how about a stack of little lavender sachets made from vintage and new fabrics and tied with coordinating grosgrain ribbon? The one shown here features two purple and coral vintage feedsack prints and a new purple and white polkadot cotton, all tied with a coral grosgrain ribbon. Also available in seven other color combinations. And they smell heavenly! $14. Just click the picture to see them all.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

gift idea #1

In case you need some last minute gift ideas, I'll be featuring an item that's available on my website every day until December 15th, my last day for ordering in time for Christmas delivery.

Need something for your little girl to wear on Christmas Day? How about this sweet red velvet vintage dress trimmed with green piping and embroidered white flowers and green leaves. Two pearl buttons close the back. 100% cotton, size 24 months. Perfect condition. $10. Just click the picture to order.



As a special thank you to my blog readers and newsletter subscribers, take 20% off your order with discount code INDIE06 from now until December 15th!

fruit coasters!

If you've been reading my blog for a while you probably know how much I love stamped-for-embroidery projects and also that I work a lot with fruit themes. It's so cool when I find both in the same item! I won this recently on Ebay and it arrived a few days ago. It's a single panel with a dozen little round coasters, each with a small bunch of fruit in the center—two each of bananas, strawberries, plums, cherries, grapes, and pears. Once they're embroidered, you cut them out, add a backing (and I have tons of fruity fabrics I could use for this) and then blanket stitch the edges. Or you could do a crocheted edge if you wanted to. I don't know how so I'll stick to the easier solution. Or perhaps I'll use them in the centers of small pillows.



I'm getting pretty stressed with the holidays rapidly approaching (and several custom orders on my work table to finish) so I'll be setting them aside for a while. But they look pretty simple—just outline and lazy daisy stitches, and a few French knots—so they should go quickly once I get started.

I have so many cool stamped-for-embroidery projects that I've been collecting for the past three or four years. I'm thinking of selling some of the patterns on my web site. Not to compete with others who offer copies of vintage transfer patterns—there's no reason to think I could do it any better than they already do. But, there are so many cool motifs on tea towels and runners and baby bibs that were never published as patterns—like these fruit coasters. And the chicken waitress patterns I showed you a few months ago. What do you think? Is there room out there for more patterns? Would it bother you if they weren't actual transfers and you had to transfer them to fabric yourself? Just trying to figure out which direction to go so feedback is appreciated.

Stitch School: Couching

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

Studio Friday: Favorite Color Combos

" I make jewelry and I find that I have certain color combinations that tend to be my favorite and I use more often. So I would love to see what color combinations everyone likes to use". ~ Sharla

Since I use fabrics that coordinate with the vintage linens I use, the linens themselves often dictate my color choices. I'll pick up a couple of the predominant colors from the embroidery or accent it with buttons in one of the minor colors.

But, looking back over the past years work, and not counting custom work since that's always customers choice, I do see patterns and certain combinations that I'm drawn to. I use red much more than I would have admitted because it's not a color that looks good on me clothes-wise. It goes really well with its companion primary colors of yellow and blue—



And I seem to use purples a lot and love them combined with turquoise like in this recently completed pillow—



Here's one of my favorite feedsack fabrics that has the same combination with a bit of orange thrown into the mix—



I suspect that purple and orange only go well together with the addition of another color like the bright green leaves in this fabric, or perhaps with a lot of white—



I love black with almost anything (true for clothes as well) because it makes the colors really pop—



And grays seem to do the same, although not quite as intensely—



I've never been a fan of pink but it's starting to grow on me. In small doses, that is. A lot of my customers love pink so I continue to use it in my work.

Perhaps it would have been easier to talk about what I don't like together—although I can't think of much. This post certainly would have been a shorter one :)

More colorful Studio Friday posts here.