“Sweet Land of Liberty” FFO and Some Vintage Patterns

 

A few days ago I finished “Sweet Land of Liberty” by designer Lindsey Weight of Primrose Cottage Stitches and added it to my patriotic display which I put up for June and July.

Last night my friend Kathy stopped by with a large box filled with neatly filed vintage sewing, crochet, crafting booklets and patterns which belong to her mom. Kathy knew that I would enjoy going through the contents with her and I did! Just look at this awesome booklet which she gave me for my patriotic display. Isn’t the cover design great!!! It was a booklet published in 1940 by the White Sewing Machine Company of Cleveland, Ohio.

The cover apron was “Old Glory.” Here’s another of the pages with sewing directions and pattern layout. 

In my last post, I acknowledged that my blog readers are awesome, outstanding, and creative, but I forgot to mention that they are also sophisticated and very stylish. With that it mind, let me share this lovely design with you. It was in a booklet from 1950 published by the Boston Traveler.  This piece which was labeled “Sparkling Crochet Hat” called for knitting yarn and either silver or gold metallic thread. 

If you can see yourself strolling down the boulevard in this lovely chapeau, just email me and I will be more than happy to send you the pattern. :-) 

Also in the same booklet were instructions for making slip covers, crocheted rose slippers, and a Hug-Me-Tight or crocheted vest. The patterns in the back of the booklet could be ordered for 15 cents. ;-)

It sure was fun and interesting going through that box, and  Kathy also found patterns that she could use in her sewing and crafting projects.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning the NBA championship. Banner number eighteen will be raised to the rafters sometime in the fall. No other basketball team has won as many championships; the Los Angeles Lakers have but seventeen. 

Today was day one of a potential four day heat wave.  It hit 90+ but the next two days are expected to be worse. Wherever you are, try to keep cool. :-)

A Short Nearly Wordless Wednesday Post

An ongoing foot issue is still keeping me from working in my gardens, but I am loving the plants on my deck. Could this hibiscus be any more beautiful? 

I have no idea what kind of moth this is, but this little guy did pose nicely for this shot.

Quilt designer Jacqueline de Jonge posted this image on her instagram account, and I feel exactly the same about my awesome, outstanding, creative, nearly perfect blog readers. :-)

It’s Wednesday so I am now going to go do some Wool Applique Wednesday stitching. :-) 

Repairing a Vintage Quilt and a New Cross Stitch Finish

Whew! I finally finished repairing this vintage quilt that was made by my dentist’s grandmother. I’m no expert, but judging from the fabric, I think it was made in the 30s or 40s. My dentist treasures these quilts, and so I was happy to repair this one. This is the third quilt that I have worked on for him in the last few years. This one needed a new binding and patching and mending in places. With age, some of the fabrics are simply wearing out, but I was able to stabilize those areas. The top is machine pieced, but it was hand quilted with big stitches. The threads are breaking down and the batting has shifted so that in some areas the quilt is at least an inch thick while in other areas there doesn’t seem to be any batting. The backing was still in fine condition, so I didn’t deal with the uneven batting. Besides, I would not want to cover up the original hand stitching.

This cross stitch piece is “Simply Strawberries” by designer Simona Bussiglierin of Mani di Donna. This chart appeared in the spring 2024 issue of Punch Needle and Primitive Stitcher magazine. The textured red fabric is a piece of upholstery fabric. Someone in one of my quilt guilds once brought upholstery sample books to a meeting. The samples were small, but they are perfect for cross stitch finishing and other stitching projects.

 Now, let me tell you about this sweet little rocker. A friend of my aunt entrusted it to me about thirty years ago. The chair had belonged to her mother as a child, and she had always treasured it. This doll chair has to be well over a hundred years old. I remember my aunt’s friend telling me that her mother had had the seat rewoven at some point. My aunt’s friend had seen many of my various creative projects through the years, and since she didn’t want it to be thrown away when she passed, she had given it to me. I think she would be pleased that I often use it to display my cross stitch.

Finally, this was a very special weekend for our family as we had four graduates from high school: my cousin's triplets and Miss L., the older of the two ‘Ladies Lunch’ girls. The years have passed far too quickly.

Take care and have a good day. :-)