Saturday, September 24, 2011

Vintage Embroidery...Patterns and Pieces

I am an energetic type of gal...I get itchy fingers if I sit in one spot too long.  The cats and dogs of the household must occasionally hate me because the minute they get comfy on my lap, and I start to hear the soft animal snores, I start to squirm.  So, I knit...I embroider...I hand sew...anything to keep the restlessness at bay.  And that, my friends, is where the vintage embroidery comes in.  Knitting is nice...until I have to concentrate enough to follow a pattern while being social or trying to watch tv.  Hand sewing is also nice, but takes forever when I know I could just turn around and whip the project out on my sewing machine.  Hence, embroidery.  The perfect sitting in my chair kind of activity.  I call it a coloring book for adults.  It is fairly mindless, but keeps the hands busy and produces something lovely in the end.

This is my market carry-all...a vintage pattern transferred onto a new canvas bag...

There are a lot of great contemporary embroidery patterns out there (I love to shop Acme Notions online...a great resource for embroidery patterns).  And that is what I started with, contemporary patterns or reissues of older ones (thank you Aunt Martha's).  Until I started spotting really old embroidery patterns and pre-stamped linens in the second hand and antique stores.  Then, the vintage purist kicked in and another collecting bug was born.  So, I still embroider great new designs and such, but I always have my eye out for that vintage embroidery pattern tucked into a dark corner of some antique booth, a vintage pre-stamped linen or some other such embroidery thing buried under lots of ugly stuff at the local thrift.
Another vintage pattern transferred onto a canvas bag...

A lot of times the older patterns I find will no longer transfer.  There are many ways to go about using the design from an older pattern, many ways to trace and transfer.  I suggest doing an internet search for techniques  as it is way too extensive to cover here.  Just search "transferring old embroidery patterns" and you'll find a way that works for you.






Vogart vintage are fairly easy to find...


These are 2 vintage pillow cases that I embroidered...I just need to hem the
bottoms and attach ruffles...


An apron that I found in a second hand shop...I love the dog with its tongue hanging out...  


Lady stamped on a linen runner...


A pile of old patterns...I pick them up whenever I see them...pieces here and pieces there...


A vanity set that I have every intention of one day embroidering and hemming... or framing...



HAPPY EMBROIDERING!






Friday, September 2, 2011

Vintage Kitchy Pottery




Hull, Sunglow pottery...

Kitchy...there is no other word that sums up this pottery better than kitchy.  It clutters my kitchen, is a pain in the butt to dust and wash, and every piece make me smile every time I look at it!  As a collector of vintage things, I buy what I love...what makes me happy...what I feel enriches my "vintage stylized" life.  These small pieces of pottery
are not very functional but are just there...to make me happy.  Whimsical is another good word for them.  Some are just little statues, while others are planters, creamers, or a cookie jar.
There is the little dog that peeks out at me in the morning from on top of the microwave...and the little DeeLee girl that daintily stands, partially hidden behind my kitchen window curtain.  There is the poodle that holds coffee stirrers and the cats that sit atop my refrigerator.  As I zombie my way to the coffee pot every morning, I am surrounded by happy, silly pottery figures...and I can't think of a better way to greet the day! 


microwave dog...




cat cookie jar and
creamer




The top of my kitchen cabinets...
pottery goes around 3/4 of the room!

To the left is a little wall-eyed dog
that I just love...

My little Lefton's poodle
holding coffee
stir sticks


novelty planters...

And the grand finale is Crazy Cat...one of my absolute favorites!