Pressing Work

I've been downloading lovely vintage embroidery patterns through the Hoop Love pool at Flickr for the past year and this is the year I'm finally getting around to scanning my own collection.

You can find them at Hoop Love or at my new website, French-Knots. Eventually, the site will also have free knitting and crochet patterns as well as applique for quilting.

I've been collecting this stuff for years and now it's time to share it with the world.

Slow Vines

I decided to machine stitch the veins in the leaves simply because I'd used this method on a quilt and liked how it turned out. I was hoping that I could do the vines in the same manner but nooooo, they looked pretty wimpy. So, I'm embroidering them by hand using the split stitch. I usually do this in front of the TV but since I haven't been watching lately, not much progress has been made. Yes, Miz Scattered is working on other projects. I hope to have the Japanese inspired tote up soon.

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

You might be a certain age if you remember the Iron Butterfly. I think In-A-Gadda was their only hit, but had that familiar drug induced sound like The Doors.


This was tucked in with some other vintage stuff from an estate sale, still hooped with the thread and about 90% finished. If I had started it myself I probably would have used variegated thread and still might in those blank spots. I'm thinkin' coral.

My first embroidery piece at age 13 was a peasant top. Of course, I still have those transfers!



Little blackie here was made from a foam stamp dipped in a bleach solution and applied to black fabric.



For now, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them but I like having elements as a jumping off point for new quilts or wearables. I usually start with a title and make up the rest as I go along.

Back to the Future

Ever have those days where you don't feel quite like yourself? I've been trying to re-connect the dots for the last 3 years and after reading this woman's blog I'm inspired to tell my own story in cloth. Well, I used to do that years ago but didn't realize it!

Instead of quilts, I'm telling my story in skirts. Less surface area to cover and hey, I like the fact they allow the wearer to make a public statement. Less blanket, more fashionista.

Anyway, I dug this one up from the archives. It's an old denim skirt embellished with embroidery and traveled with the Sulky challenge some years back. It's entitled "Home of the Brave" because we all know America was home to the Native American Indian braves. Uh, we used to be "land of the free" but that doesn't seem to apply in these troubled times.

All the embroidery is done on the machine, free motion style.