Category: Other Needlework

Here are two more versions of the 1970s Simplicity pattern (#8429).  This dress is easy to put together, but I always obsess over the details — like deciding where to place the pattern pieces on the fabric to make the coloring (tie dye dress) or the design (elephant dress) just the way I want it. …

Sewing these dresses using vintage patterns is not only fun — it can also be a challenge.  A few of the patterns I’ve purchased no longer had their instructions, but even when they did, the instructions are quite different from modern versions.  I always end up making changes to the garment (usually to create a…

Tomorrow we are celebrating Emily’s 28th birthday, and I always like to make her a surprise gift.  A couple of months ago when I was showing her my newest vintage patterns, she pulled out this child size 4 pajama pattern from the 1960s, and jokingly asked if I could make them in her size.  I…

Here’s a dress that would be perfect for a little girl to wear on the 4th of July.  There isn’t much vintage action going on here, with the exception of the linen collar and cuffs and the vintage pattern.  The fabric is another print from Joann’s that I thought looked patriotic and reminded me of…

A couple of years ago I purchased a bolt of Irish linen manufactured by Belfast Mills.  The linen is off-white with a beautiful feel and nice light weight; probably produced in the 30s or 40s, but possibly earlier.  I’ve been hesitating to cut into it, but I finally got up the courage. The machine appliqued…

Do you have any of those embarrassing projects that were almost done, but then somehow never made it to the finish line?  My sampler should qualify, having been made for my (now 30 year old) son shortly after he was born.  I finished the sampler in a reasonable amount of time, but it has languished…

Today we had a big snowstorm, and I finished recovering my six dining room chairs.  There are several upholstery projects on my list, and this was by far the easiest.  The fabric I used was a mint condition vintage barkcloth slipcover for a couch with three cushions, purchased on Etsy for $50.  The 3 cushions…

These stockings took longer than I expected, but I’m sure I could streamline the process a bit.  Locating suitable graphics from vintage stenciled stockings was a challenge, because so many of the them have tiny details and lettering that cannot be duplicated with my fusible web process.  The Santa and reindeer were simplified from the…

This is my take on the classic red and white stenciled Christmas stockings from the 1940s and 1950s.  I remember seeing these in the the dime stores when I was little, and I always liked the stenciled pictures. I’m not sure how they applied the white paint, but stenciling just wasn’t an option for me. …

This little topper was created from a rectangular vintage embroidered tablecloth I purchased on Etsy.  There were a couple of rust stains on the linen that I could not remove, so I cut up the tablecloth, saving the four embroidered corners.  This was a great opportunity to use some of my cute vintage French fabrics…

Okay. . . Seattle is probably the most unlikely place I can think of to use a clothesline, but I love these old fashioned clothespin bags.  My very favorites are the ones that look like tiny dresses.  It took most of the day to make this bag, because I am not that great at drafting…

In the 70s, my sister and I tried making drawstring leather purses out of shammies on which we had sewn glass beads in Native American patterns — a project from McCall’s Needlework, I think.  It was tricky to keep the lines of bead work straight, and the design became more and more wonky as we…

When I’m on road trips, I like to buy stuff. On Sunday we drove 10 hours straight through the Oklahoma panhandle to reach pretty Taos, New Mexico. The old plaza is so cute, but also a bit touristy, with lots of souvenir shops.  However, there are also wonderful galleries and many shops filled with beautiful…