Thursday, July 21, 2005

Butterfly Block


Butterfly Block1
Originally uploaded by Kitty And Me.
Well, this is my next block. It won't be part of the Peacock series. It seems to need a butterfly on it! I wasn't sure what technique to do it with. At first I thought I'd use one of my own little butterfly x stitch designs but to be honest, I really don't care for the way x stitch looks on CQ's. So instead, I'll probably embroider one on. I'll have to sketch one up first than use tracing paper.

Anyway, if all goes well, I'll have some work on it to share with you tomorrow!

Every Day Apron


ApronEveryDay
Originally uploaded by Kitty And Me.
The last of the aprons that I have to show you for now is an every day apron. I think my mom made this one as a gift for my Wedding Shower. I've used this one quite a bit as well, esp. when I bake cookies. The design on the bib is a goose done in counted cross stitch.

Christmas Apron


ApronChristmas
Originally uploaded by Kitty And Me.
Well, as promised, here is the Christmas Apron that my mom made for me. Sorry the photo is so blurry. The design on the bib is "Merry Christmas" worked in cross stitch. I have alway used this one during the holidays while I bake cookies, bread and make Chex Mix.

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Pam's Vintage Style Towel


Vintage Towel1
Originally uploaded by Kitty And Me.
Here's my towel! It's not original or unusual by any means but the unique thing about my towel project, is that this towel is vintage!

My sister found it in with some things from her mother in law. To quote my sister Kathi, "you're the one that likes all this moldy oldie stuff!" Ha, ha, ha! Yes, I just love old stuff!

Anyway, it had some stains on it but with some Spray & Wash and a good run through my washing machine, I was able to get most of it out.

The fruit design is from one of my vintage Vogart transfers. As you can see, it has the red lines down the sides. I couldn't get the whole thing on the scanner but it's enough for you to see.

For those you who are making your towels from scratch, if you can't decide on what size to make it, I cut mine 16 inches X 24 inches. I hope this helps.

I'm going to display this on top of my microwave with my Fire King Batter Bowl and a small collection of vintage kitty figurines. Next time I have the digi out, I'll try to remember to take a photo of it. Or maybe I can get Scott to take a photo of it for us! I can take great pictures of hummingbirds which are in constant motion but give me something standing still and I end up with a big blurry mess!

Crayon Tinting

I've mentioned Crayon Tinting several times in my blogging but I don't think I ever explained what it is.

Wax crayons were first manufactured in the late 1800's. Sometime in those early days, it was discovered that crayons don't wash out of fabric! The story I heard is that some mom somewhere found that her little one left a crayon in a pocket and we all know where this is going! I don't have children, but I'm sure many of you can relate to this!

Shortly thereafter, newspapers and women's magazines were suggesting color tinting as a quick and easy replacement for applique. And of course, needlework catalogs eventually began to offer pretinted linens. I've also read that due to hard economic times, crayon tinting became a good way to conserve embroidery thread.

Here's a beautiful example of crayon tinting. This piece was worked by Robin, one of the stitchers at my Ez Board. Robin was kind enough to allow me to share her photo with my readers. Robin's pattern is an Aunt Martha's Iron-On Transfer design.

Robin's Crayon Tinting Project

The technique for crayon tinting is quite easy. Simply apply your design to your fabric (I use muslin or quilter's cotton and it's suggested that you prewash to remove sizing) either by tracing your design with a washout blue pen or ironing on your transfer design.

Make a pad of several layers of fabric and lay your design piece on top of that. You won't want to color on a hard surface. To get the soft look you'll need the pad of fabric as a cushion. Using regular everyday old fashioned crayons (I use Crayola) color your design as if you were coloring on paper. When you're happy with how it looks, press it with your iron between two sheets of paper. The excess wax will come off on the paper rather than on your iron. Then stitch as desired.

It's very easy and quite charming! Thank you so much Robin, for allowing me to share your work with my readers!

A good book to start with is "Vintage Tinted Linens & Quilts" by Design Originals.

Add This To

Related Posts with Thumbnails