Valentine's Day is a coming

I love this little Valentine. I was just putting some Valentine's on my Etsy to sell and ran onto this photo. Alas, I don't own it anymore, but I still think it is cute as it can be. That little boy kissed her and she got so jarred that she dropped her daisies.

So Happy Valentine's Day to all who read here.

Photo Transfer sans Computer

For some family gifts this year, I found these "vintage" photo transfers that I had copied many years ago. Since they were appropriate for our daughter and my sister-in-law, I embellished them, we found frames for them and they became Christmas gifts. Haven't heard how well they were received yet. Actually, I had to wait until after Christmas so that the we assured they would be a surprise.

These photo transfers were done by burnishing commercial photocopies onto 100% silk using gum turpentine as the solvent. I don't even know if we can still buy gum turpentine, but we could about 15 years ago. The solvent allows the copy ink to transfer off the photocopy and onto the silk. It is an old fashioned process and it looks well with these 1950 and 1960's photos.

Here are some details and closeups of the pieces.

And another detail.

Since these were special gifts, I allowed the use of really old buttons, silk threads some old keepsake lace that I had, and some cultured pearls.

Pink Card Case

A Funny Shaped Card Case

As usual things don't always turn out the way we think they are going to and instead we have something a little more whimsical and sometimes nicer. At some point in the past I was making a clutch handbag. Then, it got stalled, probably because is wasn't a very good one and I cut parts off the main piece of crazyquilting that I had done for the clutch. It became this strange shaped little card case.

The front of the card case is in the photo above.

The back of the card case is in the photo above. Admittedly it is kind of a "goofie" shape.
Below is a detail from the front.

Here is the card case open waiting to receive your credit cards, money and for me my Burt's and Bees lip gloss. I guess a short comb would fit in there.

The Hankie Pillow, of course it's white.

This pillow began with a button that I had decorated with silk ribbon ruffles and some white glass pearls. I had no particular use for it, I just wanted to see what could be done with a button form and some silk ribbon. The button was just lying on my work table and then I started this "hankie pillow" that a very nice lady had asked me to make for her.

So, I began to cut up hankies feeling quilty the whole time for cutting up those beautiful old things. Not that all of each hankie is beautiful, sometimes they are stained and we can use that part and cover the stain.

With the piecing done, I started the fun job of stitching, beading and sewing on buttons. This was an order for all white. So, I tea dyed some silk ribbon and began to see how many shades of white there are, knowing of course that there really is only one shade of white.

As I added roses and ruffles, buttons and beads, things did take shape, but the main focus bouquet lacked a little something. AHA, there was the button I had made. That pretty button now had a use and it knew its purpose in life. And at last the pillow was finished.

Here is the button,

Here is a little color, color is a good thing.

Silk Ribbon Embroidery for the Ages

While cleaning out today, I was going through some old magazines, Piecework and Threads to be exact. There were some photos of some wondrous Silk Ribbon Embroidery. Here are some photos to share with you. These are from Piecework, Mar/Apr of 1995.
The photo with the "foot" was worn for presentation to the court of George V of France in June, 1928, by Mr George Henry O'Neill, and she gave it to the Metropolitan Museum in 1968. Here is the description: "White net embroidered in silver cord over pink chiffon trimmed with silk ribbon flowers, front hemline."
The pink dress.petticoat, circa 1760. The description: "Detail, petticoat, with ornament of ruched ribbons, fly fringe,and rosettes, Inset detail, right sleeve." It was donated in 1959 by Irene Lewissohn.
Both photos by Sheldan Collins.

It is interesting that these are magnificent works of art and we do not know the artist. We know who purchased them and donated them to the museum and we know the name of the photographer. But the little lady sat and embroidered for hours without proper lighting, with very little convenience and did this marvelous embroidery? Maybe it was a man, he probably had more convenience if that was true?