If you are planning for Hallowe’en festivities, you will be pleased with this appropriate design. It can be easily and quickly worked in outline, with heavy thread. The natural, bright colors of Autumn should be used. A table runner and sofa pillows would be novel and once made, could be used for several Hallowe’ens. Candle…
Do you think home sewers and crafty people in the 1920s could actually create these costumes with the unbelievably limited directions the publishers give in these articles? I have my doubts. Still, the illustrations are pretty cute. Most of the costumes have no instructions at all (simply suggesting you apply fabric or crepe paper to a foundation garment), and there…
I’m so happy to have finished the quilting on this lovely turn-of-the-century quilt top which I purchased from my friend Patty (Patalier on Etsy). The quilter did an amazing job hand piecing the curves and matching points, and the top was perfectly flat, clean and crisp. I wish I knew the pattern name, but Patty and…
Mother Goose Quiltie #20 Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, Eating his Christmas pie; He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum, And said, “What a smart boy am I.” Here we are to the very last corner and Little Jack Horner to sit in it. If you enjoy this apread…
I’ve had several requests from readers who wanted to make the Halloween screen I gave to my sister a couple of years ago, which I copied from an embossed 1920s Halloween decoration that I found online. Since my sister has the screen, I can’t provide detailed photos, but I can give you a pattern, a list of supplies, and…
Mother Goose Quiltie Pattern #19 Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater, Had a wife and couldn’t keep her; Put her in a pumpkin shell And there he kept her very well. Perhaps you never knew before how Peter Peter kept his wife in a pumpkin. Pumpkins aren’t big enough for houses, but this was a very…
Mother Goose Quiltie Pattern #18 The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, All on a summer’s day; The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, And took them all away. You would think any one would be good to the Queen of Hearts, she is so pretty and sweet. But the tarts that…
Mother Goose Quiltie Pattern #17 Little Boy Blue, Come blow your horn. The sheep’s in the meadow, The cow’s in the corn. And first thing you know, the cow and the sheep will be marching all over this quilt, and then how will it look? But there, Little Boy Blue is blowing his horn,…
When I was little and sang this song to my baby brother, I imagined the cradle was hung on a very low branch, just inches above the ground (ignoring the words “tree top”), because otherwise the baby was going to be horribly injured. Wikipedia’s explanations were not entirely satisfying. Mother Goose Quiltie Pattern #16 Rock-a-bye…
This was not one of my favorite rhymes when I was little, because I felt sad for Old Mother Hubbard and her dog. It was hard for me to imagine having no food in your cupboard, not even a bone for your poor dog. Note: In Sharrie’s comment below, she points out that there are additional verses that are…
Here’s some random basket designs from the 1910s that I cleaned up long ago, and forgot about. The first drawing is kind of amateur looking, but I like it — the basket is so unusual. More basket designs can be found in my Embroidery Transfer category (now located above in the menu bar).
I was not familiar with this nursery rhyme, so when I saw the illustration, I assumed it was “Rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub.” Wikipedia has an interesting article about the history of this rhyme, and the connection between New York City and the “Gotham City” of Batman fame. One of the wise men looks like he…
Each week I marvel at the way Ruby McKim manages to add so much detail to these illustrations, using only vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines. This Bo-Peep design is one of my favorites — I love her hat with the ribbon, her staff, and her little snood. With just a few well-placed lines, you can…
This week I’ve been sewing little pillowcase style dresses for my blog friend, Lori, to take to Bolivia. There are links to patterns and instructions on Lori’s blog, Humble Quilts, so contact her if you would like to make one or more of these dresses. It’s a great way to use up stash fabrics and small pieces of…
Finally caught up, and now I’m more than halfway done stitching my 20 blocks. I’m not going to sew any more squares into the quilt until they’re all done, just in case I decide to change their placement in the pattern. Mother Goose Quiltie Pattern #12 Jack be nimble, Jack be quick; Jack jum over…