This afternoon I finished the quilt top in memory of our dog, Lucy. For me, making a special quilt for occasions like this is sort of therapeutic. Four years ago I made a little mourning quilt for my cat, Jack, and after Lucy’s top is quilted, I’m going to hang it next to Jack’s in…
Making a little quilt in memory of my recently deceased pets really helps me in the grieving process. Because this is a mourning quilt, there are going to be several black prints from the 19th century, but I also wanted to include some antique pink pieces for Lucy, my sweet girl dog. On my cutting…
She was a shepherd/lab mutt puppy from the Humane Society — our first and only dog. I was really hoping she would make it to her 17th birthday, and she almost did. Lucy was such a sweet dog, and we will miss her. It’s time to make another mourning quilt. Lucy Gray 4/1/1997 – 2/6/2014
That’s it! This is the last vintage Laura Wheeler peacock embroidery transfer. Thank you Ethel E. Hughes for collecting and preserving these beautiful designs.
I am so happy to be hand quilting again. This top was finished in 2010, and was made to replace the fleece we’ve been using in our family room (we keep the temperature in our house on the cool side). The poor top has been sitting in the quilting queue for the longest time, and…
This is peacock embroidery transfer number 7. I’ve run out of things to say about them, and there are still three left to scan, clean and post. Below are links to all the previous peacock transfers. Laura Wheeler Designs: 688, 1022, 893, 664, 7107, and 777.
This peacock is different than all the rest because it’s completely done in two sizes of cross stitch. I spent several hours cleaning this one because cross-stitch patterns never scan very clearly. Since the thought of tracing all those tiny Xs freaks me out, an alternative method would be to print the design on water…
Vintage cotton organdy is the best fabric ever for making doll petticoats, and flocked cotton organdy (my favorite) makes a beautiful doll party dress. Unfortunately, the heart pattern on this remnant was a bit large for doll clothes. I was thinking of making an apron, but, since I just couldn’t see myself wearing a 1950s…
This is the transfer where Ethel wrote on the envelope “I think I have another peacock almost like this one.” At first I thought this peacock and #893 were the same bird design with different backgrounds. I was wrong because the birds are slightly different, but I can see why she made the comment.
Getting tired of peacocks? I hope not because, as I mentioned earlier, Ethel E. Hughes of Elwood, Indiana, loved peacocks a lot. I am going to share her entire collection of vintage peacock transfers, and you haven’t even seen half of them yet.
The third transfer from the Ethel E. Hughes collection is another group of three designs for “cloths, scarfs, pillowcases, towels and pillows.” The recommended fabrics are “linen, chambray, muslin, percale, or some similar material.” Sometimes there is a color key or a stitch guide; other times the instructions merely suggest floss colors and stitches for…
This is the second peacock transfer in the Ethel E. Hughes series (the previous design is here). The peacocks on this sheet were designed for use on “towels, pillowcases, cloths, scarfs and pillows.” By cloths, I guess they mean linens to cover tables or furniture. My grandmother always referred to her furniture cloths as antimacassars,…
Ethel E. Hughes of Elwood, Indiana, loved peacocks — a lot. She must have ordered every peacock transfer Needlecraft Services published. And she was organized, adding small floss and fabric samples to each pattern. I especially like the comments she wrote on the envelopes: “I like this peacock best for the quilt”, “pretty peacock for…
There are some lovely applique patterns in this old booklet, which includes all the templates and quilting designs for each project. The covers on my book are torn and stained, so I have attempted to digitally restore them. The pages were kept at their original dimensions, so enlarging each to its full size should allow…