Valentine's Day

When this you see....Remember Me.

I made this when my grandson, Tyler, was seven years old.

(Drawings of our actual hands.)

 He will be thirty-four this July.  

Time really flies!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

until next time 

BE WELL

from 

Bird Nest Cottage

❤️❤️❤️

What is it about Vintage Embroidery?

 

 Early Morning Light.  You know I love it as it gives each little thing it touches a soft kiss and then silently moves on.  Yesterday morning, as I watched the light move across my bed, I got my usual thrill from seeing the "sun glorified"  embroidered pillow I had just added to the "pillowing," as the Old Navy Man used to call it.   There just can't be a better visual treat than the one provided by the morning light.  Don't you love it?

 

 And, just a few minutes later....that glow is gone,  the light in the room is less dramatic and morning has fully arrived.  This pillow was made from a vintage piece of embroidered linen...falling apart from age and use.  I do love it so when a piece of embroidery has been just loved to death and its parts rescued by some resourceful lover of embroidery.  

And, to keep the record straight, I did not stitch this, but I did rescue it on one of my gathering expeditions.  Also, I did not make the other two pillows....the embroidered one was given to me by my friend, Jean, and the small heart was given to me by my friend, Bibi.  And, I am grateful for their generosity.

 

 This is a fine example of Satin Stitch....one of my favorite embroidery stitches and one requiring a certain amount of skill and patience to stitch at this level.  I hope you enjoy these photos of vintage embroidery - beautifully made.

 

 OMG!  Aren't these leaves fantastic?

I hope you enjoyed seeing these...as I never tire of looking at them.

from

Bird Nest Cottage

until

next time!

♥♥♥

One of My Favorite Embroideries

 

Thought I'd slip out into the Nest this afternoon and try to post something...I haven't been heating the Nest because with the lousy weather the last two whole months....I've not been coming out here...so it's COLD in here.  I was thinking this would only take me a bit of time, so would hurry through the posting and get back into the house.  We are supposed to get more snowy/icy stuff later and I'm not coming back out here if the deck and patio are frozen over as they have been.  Spring?  Do you think we are going to have one?  Anyway, I chose some photos that have been shown before, but at least this way...you know I thought of you and wanted to say hi.

 

This pillow is one I made several years ago...looks like new though...don't think anyone has touched it but me.  I copied it from a small pillow purchased from the flea market.  It was falling apart and I decided to reproduce it...more or less, and this is the result.  I LOVED stitching it!!!  I'll let it speak for itself...to me, one of the best pieces I have ever made.

 

 

It's stitched on a piece of vintage fabric with a mixture of beads in a pearl color and a kind of bronze color as well.  It's all hand stitched and the beads were added one at a time.   The ribbon was stitched on with my favorite French Knots.  Great Fun!!!

Hope you are all safe and warm!  Just know I was thinking of you and hope to post real soon with a bit of warmer weather.  Take care, pat

Beaded Fringe and Silk Ribbon Roses

 

I intended to write about something entirely different tonight...but while I was looking for something this afternoon, I ran across this little pillow/pincushion I made way back in 1997 or '98, and since it has beaded fringe, I thought maybe I should show it to you.  Somewhere back in my archives, I believe you will find it again, but I didn't want to search for it tonight.    This was made 'back in the day' when I was teaching silk ribbon embroidery....as a sample...and it has been put away in the quilt closet ever since, only coming out once it a while for an 'event.'  I guess I have lived long enough now that making a simple post is now classified as 'an event.'  Since I'm sewing precious little these days...it's as close to one of those as I'm going to get I suppose.

 Anyway,  I still like it enough to 'show it off' - so if you often visit, pretend you haven't seen it and if you are a new visitor....I hope you enjoy it.

 

 

The pillow/pincushion (I would call it either) is 7 1/2 inches x 7 1/2 inches square.  The center embroidered design is 4 inches square and the fringe is 2 1/2 inches long.  As you can see, some of the ribbon is varigated and some not.    And, I've used seed beads for the flower centers...sometimes one, on the tiny flowers and multiples on the larger flowers.  It's funny, I never noticed until I took these photos tonight, that the negative space the center there under the bow charm...looks a lot like a heart to me.  Perhaps you might notice it in photo number one.  It took me sixteen years to see that??

 

 I don't want to say a whole lot here...just giving you the basics and letting you have a good look at it.  I wish the photos were a bit better....sometimes I can focus well enough to see if they are good or bad until I get them in the computer...and then, I get in a hurry and don't take the time to make more.  And, by the way...a storm is here...so let me get this done and get back in the house!!!!

 

 I loved making this fringe....you have to count each bead for this type of fringe....sometimes I have made fringe using random numbers of beads...that's fun too, but being OCD, you know I like counting them!!!

So, there you are....and I hope you enjoyed seeing them.  Going in now and I'll see you later in the week! Hugs, pat