bodner017

I left home early in order to run an errand before my doctor appointment. After my errand it was still a bit early so I went to kill the time at an AC Moore (craft store) near by my doctor's office. So glad I did! These were only $5.00 per each set of two pillowcases in a pack! There were other designs I didn't get and there were also cross stitch ones. I definitely think I got the deal of the day! ;-) Couldn't wait long to post in case you'll like to check your local store ;-)... have fun!

This was a very enjoyable project! The stitching went quickly and I didn't work on it everyday. Here are a few close ups. This pillowcase brand was really nice to stitch, which means I will be looking into acquiring another set or two in the near future. By the way,... what do you consider 'percale' to be? I've seen 100% cotton bed linens and poly/cotton blend ones with this 'percale' description. Now a few photos of the back ;-). Here is the post where I talked about this pillowcase embroidery beginnings. The only thing I changed was working the stems with two strands of embroidery thread instead of three. This was my very first embroidered pillowcase and I can assure you that it will not be my last. Below are the beginnings of my second one :-). The pattern is courtesy of floresita's transfers on Flickr. I did some changes for it to suit my taste and size of pillowcase. Will definitely post updates! Enjoy your weekend! PS: Just sharing that www.colonialp...

Just sharing a motif from one of the vintage Vogart patterns in my personal collection (which is not that big... at the moment, Aunt Martha's transfers are my predominant collection). This motif is from the pattern below. The few Vogart transfers in my stash have been acquired online, I haven't experienced the thrill of finding them locally. Do you collect hand embroidery or any other type of vintage craft patterns? Do you have a blog post on your collection, are you planning to, or do you know of someone that does? Please do share! It's always exciting to see these little treasures!  I have a previous post on my Aunt Martha's collection, and may post in more detail in a future blog posts on it and on the others. Until next time!

Or are these table runners? I'm not very good identifying this type of vintage linen. These became mine a few years ago from a consignment store (not sure if that's the correct name for this type of shop). Beautiful stitches plus I love birds and flowers, there was no way I was leaving them behind!  For some reason I get the feeling that the person who embroidered these only used  two skeins of thread; a variegated blue one, a green one and then meticulously planned how to stitched with the variegated one. What do you think?  For example, look at this two birds below. This is where, to me, the used of a variegated blue becomes very noticeable since the birds are the larger individual motifs, more thread was used to stitched them which in turn lets the variegated effect show. Now, on the flowers it may seem as if the embroiderer/embroideress used a variety of blue threads, however I'm leaning more towards the idea that she/he was just smart and resourceful using the same v...

I love bringing to mine past embroidered projects and all the memories related to them!  On my previous blog I had a post on this Breath of Spring project and thought this blog needed it too. This project was a pleasure to stitch! From the time entering an area quilt shop to choose my background fabric, the time spent tracing the design, choosing thread colors, learning to use crayons to add color/tint, learning to make English daisies and, every single stitch made for a few Fall days out on the screened deck in the beautiful crisp breeze and brightness of sunny days until it was completed... truly a delight! I finish stitching this in Fall 2010. Can you believe I haven't frame it yet? Shame on me. I think an ornate frame in an aged looking white will work well... what do you think? Any suggestions? I'm all ears. Love the dimension of all the elements and techniques used in this project! This pattern also comes with 2 other designs. Perhaps one of these days I'll start one ...

Embroidering a pillowcase for my mom. All the tracing and the progress shown was done this evening. Started with a plastic oval hoop but it wasn't working (plastic hoops are not my thing) so I switch to a Hardwicke Manor hoop... ahhh much better now! Using a combination of motifs from Aunt Martha's booklet no.402 traced onto a piece of Sticky Fabri-Solvy. Using variegated thread or properly called; DMC Colors Variation no.4110 and no.4070. The roses and vine's stem with 3 strands, the leaves with 2 strands. The pillowcase is from Room Essentials (Target). My goal is to have this pillowcase done within a week. I'll be taking a short blog break. Until next time! Enjoy the week ahead!

Few months ago my sweet friend and spiritual sister J., sent me a vintage tablecloth WIP that she acquired and thought I may liked it. (Thanks again my dear friend J., for such a lovely vintage gift!) The 1st owner started to work on it but didn't complete it. It is a pre-stamped square-ish tablecloth with 4 napkins included in the pre-stamped panel. Here is a picture of the entire panel. I love, love, love, red poppies. However I most likely will have to change colors whenever the time comes to start working on this panel in order for it to match our home decor colors. The appliqué and hand embroidery combination is very eye catching... love it! The stitcher turned under a bit of seam allowance and used blanket stitch. Love blue and yellow together! Did you noticed the sequence in which the embroidery was worked? Or perhaps there was a 2nd embroiderer? I've learned a few tips from this unfinished tablecloth panel! I've also noticed that at some point the embroiderer ran o...

A Summer cold found it's way into our household, just when it seemed as if I was going to be able to enjoy some time working on my WIP's. Instead I've been wiping runny noses non-stop and cooking soup. Ingredients: applewood smoked ham, onions, green pepper, carrots, corn, potatoes, kale, bouillon cube, chicken drumsticks and breast tenderloins, seasoning(s) to taste and water. Accompanied by your favorite side dish for soup. We, the girls and I, like our rice in our soup but my husband likes it on the side. Hoping this nasty cold doesn't linger around! Until next time, be well!