Good. From Vintage to Modern
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As children my sisters and I learned that if you were sitting down, you had better have a needle and thread in hand. My grandmother especially believed in using time wisely and my mother knew plenty about the trouble five girls could get into unless kept busy. We all learned to embroider tea towels and dresser scarves; one or two of us even crocheted. And we were not alone.
I am reminded of this when I browse antique shops and flea markets where hand-sewn treasures are abundant and usually cheap. There was a lot of stitching going on back in the day, much of it beautifully detailed. At an estate sale in Golden, I found a bag with 16 hand appliqued and embroidered squares, perhaps meant for a quilt. With mixed feelings, I paid three bucks for the bag. I love a bargain, but it seemed wrong that all this beautiful work could be so undervalued.
As I quilter my first thought was to take the 12 inch squares and plan a quilt. But then I started matching fabrics to flowers —isn’t that the most fun part of any project? Since my modern fabrics seemed to set off these 1930’s patterns, I opted for pillow shams instead.
This is an easy way to showcase needlework, whether it’s vintage or your own machine embroidery. I simply bordered each square with a three-inch frame and then did a little shadow quilting to set off the applique. I used a complimentary fabric backing and made shams which slip easily onto pillow forms. It’s easy to find step by step directions on Pinterest.
If you have a stash of vintage linens, you might think about brightening up a bed or chair by combining old stitches with new fabrics for a unique throw pillow. This is an easy project for a beginning sewer and the shams made great gifts. And the work just might keep you out of trouble!
I am reminded of this when I browse antique shops and flea markets where hand-sewn treasures are abundant and usually cheap. There was a lot of stitching going on back in the day, much of it beautifully detailed. At an estate sale in Golden, I found a bag with 16 hand appliqued and embroidered squares, perhaps meant for a quilt. With mixed feelings, I paid three bucks for the bag. I love a bargain, but it seemed wrong that all this beautiful work could be so undervalued.
As I quilter my first thought was to take the 12 inch squares and plan a quilt. But then I started matching fabrics to flowers —isn’t that the most fun part of any project? Since my modern fabrics seemed to set off these 1930’s patterns, I opted for pillow shams instead.
This is an easy way to showcase needlework, whether it’s vintage or your own machine embroidery. I simply bordered each square with a three-inch frame and then did a little shadow quilting to set off the applique. I used a complimentary fabric backing and made shams which slip easily onto pillow forms. It’s easy to find step by step directions on Pinterest.
If you have a stash of vintage linens, you might think about brightening up a bed or chair by combining old stitches with new fabrics for a unique throw pillow. This is an easy project for a beginning sewer and the shams made great gifts. And the work just might keep you out of trouble!