'Embroidery' Category

• Alice in Wonderland Redwork Quilt Blocks #5 and #6

  

  This is the project I took on my long vacation immediately after my daughter’s wedding last year.  This type of embroidery is so perfect for traveling; it’s even better than hand piecing because there are no little pieces to keep track of, and only one color of thread.  The Alice blocks go very slowly (especially [...]

  May 1st, 2012

• Antique Redwork Tablecloth

  

  This is an item I purchased on ebay ages ago, and although it was advertised as a tablecloth, I thought it might actually be a quilt top. I was wrong, though, because it is hemmed all around, it’s only one layer (so probably not meant to be a summer spread), and the seams are finished on [...]

  December 3rd, 2011

• Vintage Crocheted Pillowcases — New Embroidery

  

  The Christmas present projects are going fairly well now.  I am hand quilting the Cross-Stitched Tulips quilt top, and adding more organisms to the Charley Harper water drop quilt.  It’s actually beginning to look doable after all. These pillowcases with the beautiful crocheted edging were purchased on Ebay.  The crochet design is so unusual with [...]

  November 3rd, 2011

• Bride and Groom Chair Backs

  

  I’m happy to have a diversion from making napkins and crepe paper flowers.  This was actually a really fun project, and it was quick and easy to make from stuff you probably already have (if you’re anything like me).  Both backs are constructed from one vintage pillowcase with a crocheted edge, and the embroidery is [...]

  July 23rd, 2011

• Hand Embroidered Wedding Napkins

  

  I have no idea what’s going on in blogland these days, but here at the Gray home, it’s all about napkins.  Trimming, hemming, pressing, and tying 130+ napkins with a little gold bow.  Although I have 2 weeks until the shower and 6 weeks until the wedding, there is still so much to do.  I [...]

  July 21st, 2011

• Embroidered Ring Bearer Pillow

  

  Emily really liked the vintage transfer I posted recently, and I think it works well on the pillow.  The design is stitched with one strand of floss on a silk decorator sample (one of a lot of hundreds I purchased in a wonderful ebay auction).  For the back I used scraps from the pennants, some [...]

  February 18th, 2011

• Painted & Embroidered Christmas Ornaments

  

  This is my February project for Allie’s “Christmas Through the Year” club.  It’s inspired by another one of those Flickr images I’ve had in my favorites for a long time. Each day in December, 2008, Barbara at Oodles and Oodles added a different vintage Christmas wrap image to her sidebar. This was probably my favorite [...]

  January 19th, 2011

• Happy Thanksgiving!

  

  Obviously it’s a little late to stitch this up for Thanksgiving, but I just found this cute vintage transfer. Thank you to all of my online friends who have given me tons of support, advice, inspiration and friendship.

  November 25th, 2010

• Alice in Wonderland Redwork Quilt Block #4

  

  It’s been quite awhile since I posted an Alice block. I have so many different projects going on right now, it doesn’t seem like much progress is being made on any of them. Thankfully, Alice’s face on this block went pretty smoothly and I didn’t have to do the normal unpicking and re-stitching. I am [...]

  September 3rd, 2010

• Our First Grandchild — Cross-Stitch, 1982

  

  This is a picture I stitched for Gordon’s parents when Elliott was born. Gordon, Sr. (“Big G”) just turned 89 and Gail was 81 on the 4th of July. Big G continues to play golf every week, and Gail works part time at the Bellevue Square Mall information booth. We just celebrated their 60th Wedding [...]

  July 12th, 2010

• Alice in Wonderland Quilt Block #3

  

  Maybe I should have pressed this a little better because it’s looks a little wrinkly. I do like Alice’s eyes on this one — the facial features are always the most challenging, especially the eyes. There is still no plan for how I’m going to set these blocks — whether I’m going to make alternate [...]

  June 7th, 2010

• Alice in Wonderland Redwork Quilt Block #2

  

  I am really enjoying working on these redwork blocks. It’s challenging to get all the tiny details in each picture (especially the face, which I had to rip out several times just like in the previous block), but that’s what makes it interesting. Also, I like the way it’s looking with the darker thread. This [...]

  April 25th, 2010

• Alice in Wonderland Quilt Block #1 and Painting Book Pages 6 & 7

  

  Thank you everyone for your kind words regarding Jack’s death. It is hard to lose a pet, but I am feeling much better now. This embroidered block was very enjoyable to stitch — the tiny outline work really appeals to me, although I did struggle with Alice’s face. The whole piece is stitched with one [...]

  April 14th, 2010

• Needlecraft Magazine Embroidery – December, 1933

  

    Since I am working on a Christmas quilt and am still sort of “in the spirit,” I thought I would post this darling pattern just in case someone would like to stitch it up for Christmas, 2010. This may be my all-time favorite cover of Needlecraft, The Home Arts Magazine.  The designer’s name is [...]

  February 6th, 2010

• Vintage Valentine Embroidery Transfers

  

  Just in case you want to stitch one of these up for that special someone on Valentine’s Day.  Click on the gallery images to enlarge them.  

  January 20th, 2010