Soon To Be Discontinued.....

The following designs will be discontinued shortly:













There is one copy of each design available in my Etsy shop. When they're gone, I won't be relisting them. They will be retired permanently.

Elegant Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments Volume 1

I'm now looking at a tentative release date of February 1st for my E-Book titled, "Elegant Crazy Quilt Seam Treatments" Volume 1. The book will feature 60 charted seam treatments (plus a few bonus designs) along with instructions on working with Waste Canvas for perfect seams, what thread sizes are suitable to the various Waste Canvas stitch counts and how to do calculations.

I'd really prefer to publish this a "real" book but at the moment, doing it electronically is the most cost effective way. Perhaps, if it does well, I'll eventually be able to re-publish it as a "real" book.



Each of the seam treatments on this block are from the book. Basic stitches used in the designs are cross stitch, straight stitch, detached chain, french knot and satin stitch.

I will post updates periodically as the final stages take shape.

Tutorial - Washing Vintage & Antique Lace

I recently received an email from a stitcher who just purchased a bagful of Vintage Lace at an antique shop and she wanted to know the proper way to wash it.

I'm sure many people are intimidated by old textiles, fearful that washing them will somehow cause deterioration. Honestly, it's quite the opposite. Dust & mold is what causes damage to lace & fabric so washing it is indeed a good way to preserve it.

The proper way to wash lace is to do it by hand, just as you would any delicate hand-washable item. I fill my kitchen sink with warm water and a bit Orvus. Orvus is technically and chemically not a soap. What it does is, it makes the water "wetter". To read more about Orvus, visit Martha Beth Lewis' article on Orvus and Needlework. Orvus is available at most fine needlework shops.

I use Orvus to wash all of my needlework pieces that are indeed washable. Crazy quilting for the most part, is not.

With my old lace that I find at flea markets and antique shops, I put them in a large strainer which I then set down in the sink and I let it soak for about 1/2 an hour. I swish it around a bit and then drain the water from the sink. I then refill the sink with plain warm water and let the lace sit again for about another 15 minutes. After swishing one more time, I drain the water and let the excess drain out of the lace through the strainer.

Many times, you'll find that the water is extremely yellow or gray in color. You'll want to continue draining the water and re-soaking until the water is clear.

After draining for about 15 minutes, I lay it all out on a big, fluffy bath-towel and roll it up. After 1/2 an hour, I lay it out again on a dry bath-towel. This time, I don't roll it up, I just let it air dry a bit.

When it comes to pressing it, it's best to do that while it's damp. Use a cotton setting on your iron for crocheted & tatted pieces and a cooler setting for nylon or anything for which you do not know the content of.

If you like, you can use a bit of spray starch on your lace but please keep in mind that cottonworms and silverfish love starch. Which leads me to speaking of storage. Textiles of any kind should not be stored in plastic bags. They need to breathe. I store my lace in an old dresser. The drawers are lined with acid free tissue paper. A good way to prevent cottonworms and silverfish from dining on your lace stash is put a few cedar-balls in with your lace. Those icky bugs don't like the smell. Mothballs would work too but oh, I hate that smell! Cedar-balls are available at Wal-Mart.

So that's how you do it! It's very simple and well worth the effort if you like to use beautiful vintage and antique lace on your crazy quilting. One last thing that I should mention about deterioration is this: look it over before you buy it. Lace that's deteriorating will literally fall apart when you touch it. It will feel dry so to speak and dust will fly everywhere! That's the fibers breaking down. If you give it a very gentle pull and nothing happens, it's in good shape!

Valentines

As I mentioned last week, I'm working on a few little Valentine gifts. I finished up this little cat over the weekend:



I decided to stitch this all in Ecru and then embellished with red & gold. I may make a cat for my mom too. She's more of a dog person, but she likes these little cat dolls.

My next Valentine is a cellphone pouch:



I'll start on this later today.

I've often been asked how I get so much stitching done. Honestly, I make it a priority. Just like with cleaning and laundry, I make the time to stitch. I also make time to read and sew. It has to be a scheduled event. Many people don't set aside time for themselves. They take care of chores, kids, meals and errands but when it comes to themselves, they put it off. I don't do that. Yes, there are days that don't quite work out to my scheduled plan, but for the most part, the reason I get so much stitching time in is because I schedule it.

If you're having trouble getting some stitching time, set aside just 20 minutes today to start with. Find a quiet place, take your things and insist on having that 20 minutes of peace and quiet to yourself. If the TV has to babysit for that 20 minutes, then so be it! The world will not stop turning if you take a little time for yourself. My philosophy is this: if we don't take care of ourselves, we're no good to anyone else.

Goddess Cellphone Pouches

I finally completed these little cellphone pouches:





I don't know which one I like more! I think the Ocean Goddess is my favorite. I love doing seascapes!

These pouches are available here.

After doing my January Take It Further Challenge Block, I decided to do just a few small things for Valentine gifts. I'll start on this little cat later today.



I think I'll stitch and embellish this one all in white.

For now, my mom is coming over and we're going to run my beautiful antique treadle machine! Yep, I finally get to learn how to treadle and I can't wait. Once I get the hang of it, I want to piece some blocks just for the charm of it!