25 November, 2006

My new etsy shop RedworkInGermany.etsy.com

RedworkInGermany.etsy.com

A little over a year ago I got my etsy account as I wanted to open my own etsy shop and just didn't find the time or - more truthfully - the courage to set it up.

But then, this year was the second time I offered my Redwork on a local craft fair and the positive feedback on my work was so encouraging I finally "opened" my shop, albeit very small...


Schokoladenmädchen Pattern Kit
La Belle Chocolatiere - Redwork embroidery kit
available in my new etsy shop RedworkInGermany.etsy.com

The set has my original embroidery pattern I created based on the painting “Das Schokoladenmädchen / La Belle Chocolatiere" from Étienne Liotard (1744/45).

The original painting by the way can be admired at the Gemäldegalerie alter Meister in Dresden.

The Redwork pattern is pre-printed on a piece of white cotton that perfectly fits the wooden frame which is also part of the set as well as the embroidery floss I used for my version of the Redwork piece: Anchor #1005 and an embroidery needle.

04 November, 2006

Vintage hand pieced Album Block aka Chimney Sweep Block

Vintage Album Block


This is a vintage block I bought from Jane Lury of Labors of Love at the Carrefour de Patchwork in the Val d’Argent a few years ago. Again, as usual, it was the red&white color combination that made me notice it. But I also really liked the simple and grafic block pattern.

Back in Germany I started to research the pattern a bit and found some very nice quilts on the web pieced with this block pattern.

A beautiful example –

and the one I liked most…guess why… - can be found in an an article on the Quilt History site, which is by the way a great source if you are interested in vintage quilts!

Another example of a beautiful Album Quilt is on the RMSC site

As with quilt projects and me it take ages before I am ready to start. Sometimes I think the research and planning of a project is what I love most about this craft…However, I want to use the vintage block in my quilt and so far I haven’t found “the” idea, yet.

Nevertheless, I keep looking for Album Block Quilts and already marked a few sites with the pattern piecing instructions to be ready to go when I am ready to start…

If you find out more about this block pattern please let me know.....

Hand piecing detail of the Album Block aka Chimney Sweep Block

Album Block Back Piecing Detail

29 October, 2006

W. W. Denslow's Humpty Dumpty

I love the online "libraries" on the web, especially the Project Gutenberg where I found a book by the illustrator and caricaturist W.W. Denslow. The pictures in his Mother Goose book from 1901 are just beautiful.

And I fell in love with his 1903 version of Humpty Dumpty, a book not part of the Project Gutenberg though. He spinned a story from the orignial nursery rhyme, made the unfortunate Humpty Dumpty to "Old Humpty," the father of this children books main charater Humpty Dumpty a wandering ministrel who travelles the world as the "hard boiled" version that learned from his father's raw egg foolishness. ..

My Redwork designs are adapted from Denslow's Humpty Dumpty illustrations.

Humpty Dumpty Senior

Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall...



Humpty Dumpty Junior

Humpty Dumpty before the fall...

03 October, 2006

Halloween Redwork Pattern

halloween stealing the gate


I found the orginal Halloween postcard in KellyLWatson flickr file and thought it would be a very nice Redwork pattern for Halloween.

Download my original pattern in a larger size for your own Redwork project.

20 September, 2006

12 Carrefour Européen du Patchwork - Val d'Argent 200

12 Carrefour de Patchwork in the Val d’Argent was again – as every year has been so far – an amazing gathering of quilts and quilter from all over the world and across all quilt, patch and textile art disciplines. I just love it.

The old churches, public buildings like theatre and exposition halls scattered in the 4 adjoining villages are a rather unusual and very beautiful setting for the patchwork exhibitions. And a week-end spend with hundreds of other quilter which you meet in the exhibitions, shuttle busses, sidewalk café, hotels etc. is just as inspiring as the quilter’s shopping mall with international vendors and the textile artists that top this event off. What awed me was the fact that even though we seldom spoke each others language quilter’s of all countries seem to understand each other perfectly in front of the quilts they unanimously admired.

This year there were almost no Redwork quilts on display. Too bad, but it obviously is a quilt style just too simple for most of the avid quilter. The elaborate appliqué or colourful textile art quilts with lots of batik fabric and fabric manipulation still seem to be the thing among the patchwork community.

I prefer the vintage quilts (beautiful examples shown in the Villa Burrus – Collection of vintage Australian Quilts from Annette Gero) and the few examples of simpler / traditional quilts especially in red&white (very nice Quilts in the Austria Exhibition - this year’s guest of honour ).
Nevertheless, like many I was impressed by the craftsmanship of the quilts in the “Japanese Exhibition”. Yoko Saito showed amazing appliqué quilts with so many delicate details all stitched and quilted by hand


Yoko Saito - 1


and the colourful quilts by Suzuko Kosegi were just as beautiful and an example of almost intimidating skills.


Suzuko Kosegi - 8c detail


But also all the other quilts on display in the different exhibition venues were amazing. Léa Stansal work was another extraordinary example. According to the program her exhibit in the Espace Exposition in Lièpre (Venue No.) “Philosophical Tales” was “…inspired by Alsatian tales and particularly Hansel and Gretel. Léa has built either a fictitious world with original scenarios that include embroidered and simple stitches patchwork objects or large narrative quilts….” Nothing prepared you for the colourful explosion and almost pop art-like quilts.


Léa Stansal - La trousse à couture 18


Léa Stansal - La trousse à couture 11


Léa Stansal - La trousse à couture 16


I had great fun to see her work life and in “technicolor”. Most of it is in her latest pattern book “La trousse à couture Petit conte philosophique pour 20 objets à réaliser soi-même” which I am sure is available via amazon. If you are in to “something different”, funny and modern in quilts, especially for children, you’ll love her work.

There wasn’t a single exhibition that wasn’t worth seeing and even though many of the quilts and textile art pieces weren’t exactly “my cup of coffee” I enjoyed seeing the vast variety of patchwork techniques.

If asked for my favourite exhibitions that really impressed me most I would choose “Face to Face” by “Pascale Goldberg” in Rombach le Franc and the already mentioned presentation of vintage Australian Quilts from the collection of Annette Gero.

“Face to Face” by “Pascale Goldenberg”
I was intrigued by a quote in the exhibition program”“…new materials don’t interest me, they don’t appeal to me! It is not their “virginity”, but their “inexperience” that I don’t like…” Pascale Goldenberg prefers recycled materials that “sublimate a life” for quilts dedicated to life….”” A statement I can wholeheartedly relate to. I also love fabrics with a life and history.

Pascale Goldenberg - exhibit 1 detail

And as an icing on the cake she used my favourite red&white color scheme in quite a few of her pieces. I just loved her work.


Pascale Goldenberg - exhibit 3 detail


Antique Australian Quilts from Annette Gero

A quilt historian collection of vintage quilts and interesting pieces of history of the women in Australia presented in the Villa Burrus.

Not a single Redwork quilt (not counting two Kate Greenaway kids in this crazy quilt)


Crazy Quilt with two Redworks - Annette Gero Collection


but a wonderful appliqué nursery rhyme quilt from the 1940ies.

It looks like Mother Goose was well known all around the English speaking world.




Nursery Rhymes Quilt 5 - Annette Gero Collection





Not exactly quilt or patchwork but another interesting exhibit I enjoyed was from the “France Point de Croix”; a textile artwork called “Recycled Clothing”. Unfortunately the rather long description was all in French and the ladies “guarding” the display weren’t able to give an English or German translation/explanation. However, I liked it even without knowing the deeper meaning….


Recycled Clothing - 2

And then there is Jane Lury of “Labors of Love” all the way from Hillsdale, New York who sets up shop in the “Ancienne Sogenal” in Ste Marie aux Mines at least for the last three years. I always pay her a visit and look through the vintage quilt blocks she brings with her to the Val d’Argent which are the only items within my budget. Last year I found a few niece Redwork blocks and a “love at first site” traditional red&white patchwork block. Her collection (for sale) of antique quilts is breathtaking. She even had two Redwork quilts this year but then I am not able to spend several hundred dollars for a vintage piece (yet…). I envy Deborah Harding (author of one of my favourite Redwork books “Red & White American Redwork Quitls” who obviously purchased this beautifulRedwork quilt from Jane Lury. Unfortunately, other than in all exhibitions where photos are aloud, Jane asked not to take any photo, so no picture samples I could share with you.++++ little update +++ Apparently, this was not true, I must have mixed up the "please no photo" signs of the commercial exhibits/vendors I tried to respect. Jane was so kind to mail me and said I could have taken photos....too bad! But then there is the 13th Carrefour du Patchwork next year.
************************************************************

But now on to this year’s Val d’Argent booty of mine: I was looking for a French Redwork embroidery book and did indeed find it for surprisingly little money (8,90 €)!


broderie rouge cover


“Broderie Rouge” by Agnès Delage-Calvet (ISBN 2501-04657-99 has an almost “Japanese craft book” look and very nice, simple Redwork ideas. I wished there where more Redwork books like these on the market….

Another book or rather pattern collection I found by chance actually is “Le nappe de Gertrude” (Gertrude’s table cloth).


le nappe de gertrude - cover


I saw a Redwork tablecloth in the booth of www.abcedaires.com and the very nice shop told me the story of this collection of vintage Redwork pattern used in this tablecloth. She also allowed me to take this photograph.



La Nappe de Getrude - Motifs pour broderies rouges - Group ReMake



To my surprise, as it was a Redwork piece stitched in France, I already knew some of the pattern from vintage American Redwork quilts. The world a village already in 1899….



le nappe de gertrude - content



Notions (the “most wanted” rubber thimble – … and a few more pieces for my red&white fabric collection also went home with me.


Notion - fabric booty


Unbelievable but true, not a single vendor was selling the sulky cotton 12wt. But I found an Italian brand “AuriFil” with nice red 12wt cotton tread. All the other floss, especially the overdyed ones which I was really looking forward to, just didn’t appeal to me.

All in all I had a great time in Alsace and I am already looking forward to next year’s Carrefour the Patchwork.

Just to give everyone a glimpse of the vast array of quilts on display in the Val d’Argent I added a few of the 200+ photos I shot to my flickr file even though most of them are not “my cup of coffee”…

25 August, 2006

Finished UFO #4

Ninepatch Leafs - Finished - Redwork Quilt

The first of many UFOs on my list - finally - finished.

It has been a long time with little to no internet time for me latley. Now that I up-date my flickr file I can see how much I missed. There are so many beautiful new pictures of crafty things in the group files and other flickr members photofiles that I haven't seen yet...

25 July, 2006

Floyd's Rose Twigs Block

Life is beautiful with happy and sad times
and while working on recreating Jayne’s quilt
so many things happen.

In memory of the little boy for which the original Redwork Quilt
was made by his loving mother.

Rose Twigs Floyd Block

05 July, 2006

Vintage Redwork Collection – Three Dutch Kids

This is a vintage Redwork splasher from my little collection. I like the Dutch themes on Redwork pieces. Dutch boys and girls or the “Delft” sceneries were very popular in Gemany at the turn of the last century.


Splasher - 14-10-2005


But it wasn’t only the pattern of this fleamarket find that made me buy it. This Redwork piece is very neatly stitched with only a thin sewing thread. It gives this Redwork a very delicate "line drawing" effect. Rather unusual and I haven’t seen anything like it in Redwork so far.

Three Dutch Kids - Splasher

I am always trying to find out more about my collection pieces. Up to now, I have not found the pattern source, it might have been a pre-printed pattern which were available from magazines and catalogues also in Germany;´but it could also be that someone created it herself.

What I did find out is that the pattern is a pretty close copy of a picture by the female illustrator Florence Hardy. It was published on postcards approx. 1916 or ealier and was part of a series of pictures featuring the little Dutch girls and boy in different scenes. I know that those postcard where available at least between 1913 and 1918 by the German publishing house Dondorf.

Florence Hardy - Dutch Redwork Piece

25 June, 2006

Waldspaziergang NinePatch

Waldspaziergang NinePatch

This is number 4 on my RedworkStitchers Group UFO list. A ninepatch I finished quite some time ago; I just couldn't decide what Redwork pattern to stitch.

I found the 2005 BOM on www.sulky-international.de/ Waldspaziergagn (walk throught the forest) with lot's of different leaves as applique and embroidery pattern. And as my patchwork group exhibition theme this summer is "Trees" it is the perfect match....

In the meantime I finished 7 1/2 blocks but don't have a current photo, therefore, here is the 4 1/2 blocks picture:

WIP - Ninepatch Leafs -Redwork Quilt

My nine patch has 17 white blocks to stitch and as the pattern only has 16 leaves I will add a little saying for the remaining block. Needless to say, it will be something about trees and in Geman...

Jayne's Quilt - some more pictures of the finished blocks

Jayne's Quilt - The first 5

The finished blocks so far and given my day job and other craft projects always intefering ;-) I really did good....

Jayne's Quilt - Flower 1925

The "date block" which I think shows an aster but I am not too sure about the names of the flowers in this quilt. Nice little frenshknots in the blossoms middle by the way....


Little Girl with Flower Bouquet

Another one of the "little girls" block, the most recent one and yet soo many more blocks to stitch.

15 June, 2006

Floor-Standing Quilt Frame for my Missouri Puzzle Quilt

Missouri Puzzle Block Detail

My quilt is large, 2 x 2 m and I am still determined to do all the quilting by hand. When I took quilting lessons with Ester Miller in Berlin we worked on those wounderful floor-standing scroll quilt frames which I loved but was not willing to spend that much money on. Besides, those frames are like a bulky piece of furniture which I wouldn’t know where to put when I am not working on a quilt.

That’s why I was using a larger hoop frame at first and also tried one of those plastic klip frames a friend gave me. But to be honest once you worked on a large floor-standing quilt frame anything else just doesn’t feel right. And with the technique we learned from Ester Miller you need both hands free for quilting which doesn’t work with frames you have to hold in one hand.

I always thought about the quilting bees in the old days on frames they made themselfs and kept looking for “how-to’s” for a frame that would fit into my appartment. I did not find anything I liked that is when I started to make up my mind about my own version of a two poles floor-standing scroll frame and here it is:


Nachdem der PDF link meiner deutschen Anleitung verloren gegangen ist hier jetzt in rot einfach die kurze deutsche Übersetzung der Bauanleitung meine IKEA Hacks - Quiltständer / Quiltrahmen.

Quilt Frame 9

The Material I used is:
  • my kitchen table ;-) ( actually it is the table legs Vika Artur  new name is FINNVARD  MITTBACK from IKEA which look a little bit like sawhorses but have two seperate top bars for adjusting the hight of your table. Between the two bars you can easily secure the side poles of your quilt frame)
  • two wooden poles approx. 30 cm longer than your quilt (you need 15 cm minimum on both ends to hold the poles between the bars of “Artur”, smooth sanded otherwise your quilt fabric might get damaged. In my example I used flat ones but if I’d do is again I would choose round poles.
  • 4 screwclamps
  • 4 smaller “regular” clamps
  • two pieces of 30 – 50 cm long string (I used cotton fabric string)
  • two stips of Linen (or any other strong material) a little shorter than the length of your poles, widths 10 cm
  • Only tool needed is a tacker with staples long enough to secure the fabric strips on the poles

Das Material, das ich verwendete habe:
  • mein Küchentisch ;-) (eigentlich sind es nur die Tischbeine Vika Artur [Ikea hat sie umbenannt, sie heißen jetzt FINNVARD] von IKEA, die ein wenig wie Sägeböcke aussehen, nur  haben sie zwei separate „Balken“ oben mit denen die Höhe des Tischs eingestellt werden kann. Zwischen den beiden „Balken“ kann man ganz einfach die Seitenpole des Quiltrahmens befestigen)
  • zwei Holzstangen ca. 30 cm länger als der Quilt selbst (es werden mindestens 15 cm an beiden Enden der Stangen benötigt um sie zwischen den Balken von "Arthur" FINNVARD zu befestigen, darauf achten dass das Holz glatt geschliffen ist sonst könnten sie den Quilt beschädigt. In meinem Beispiel habe ich flache „Stangen“ verwendet, würde aber beim nächsten Mal sicher runde Stangen nehmen
  • 4 Schraubzwingen
  • 4 kleineren "normalen" Klemmen
  • zwei 30 - 50 cm lange Stück Stoffband  (ich habe Baumwolleband verwendet)
  • zwei Streifen Leinen (oder ein anderes festes Material) etwas kürzer als die Länge der Stangen, Breite ca. 10 cm
  • das einzige benötigte Werkzeug, ist ein Tacker mit Klammern die lang genug sind, um die Stoffstreifen an den Polen sicher zu befestigen

Quilt Frame 1
Quilt Frame 2

Tacker the fabric on to the wooden poles.

Befestige die Leinen/Stoffstreifen an den Stangen.

Quilt Frame 5

Now you are ready to attach the quilt to the frame. As my quilt was a work already in progress it was “properly” prepared. The quilting design was marked and the backing, wadding and top where tacked with basting stitches. (on the website of Cotton Patch you can find a very good description of how to prepare your quilt and they offer the “real frames” too) couldn't find it on that website any longer you will have to google for an instruction)
 
Jetzt kann der Quilt auf dem Rahmen/Stangen befestigen werden. Mein Quilt war bereits "richtig" vorbereitet. Das Quiltmuster hatte ich bereits aufgezeichnet, die Rückseite mit dem Vlies und dem Quilttop waren bereits sauber zusammen geheftet.  


All three layers of your quilt need to be attached to the fabric stips on the poles. The fabric strip should be facing up ( see picture above) and the entire quilt needs to be smooth and flat between the two poles. If you are in doubt do it again otherwise you might regret it when you quilt it in your frame later.

Das gesamte Sandwich (alle drei Schichten des Quilts) müssen an den Leinen/Stoffstreifen der Stangen befestigt werden. Der Leinen/Stoffstreifen sollte nach oben zeigen (siehe Bild oben) und das Quiltsandwich sollte glatt und ohne Falten zwischen den beiden Stangen liegen. Wenn Du Dir nicht ganz sicher bist, befestige es lieber noch einmal sauber und glatt, sonst bereust Du es später beim Quilten im Rahmen.


Quilt Frame 6

Roll up the enire quilt on one of the poles and give it a little tension. First, put the “empty” pole between the sidebars of the “Vikar Artur” "FINNVARD" table leg (see picture below) and secure it on both ends with a screwclamp. Then roll off just as much of the quilt to barely fit the lenght of “Artur”. Pull it tight and now secure both ends of the second pole with a screwclamp.

Roll den gesamten Quilt jetzt gleichmäßig und ruhig ein bisschen fester auf einer der Stangen auf. Dann befestige die „leere“ Stange zuerst zwischen den „Balken“ von Arthur FINNVARDs Tischbein (siehe Bild unten) und sichere sie mit einer Schraubzwinge an beiden Seiten. Dann einfach so viel von dem Quilt abrollen das er gerade so bis an die andere Seite von Artur FINNVARD passt. Ziehe ihn leicht stramm und sicherer nun die beiden Enden der zweiten Stange ebenfalls mit den Schraubzwingen.

Vikar Arthur double side bars

With the “regular” clamps and the string I pulled the sides of my quilt tight (which is optional I think, see if you need to).

Mit den "normalen" Klemmen und dem Stoffband habe ich die Seiten meines Quilts etwas stramm gezogen (was eher optional ist, einfach selbst beurteilen ob Du es brauchst).



When you finished quilting the part of your quilt in the frame just open the screwclamps, roll the finished part on the "empty pole" and put all clamps back on.

Wenn Du den Teil deines Quilts im Rahmen fertig gequiltet hast, einfach die Schraubzwinen öffnen und den Quilt entsprechen weiter auf die „leere“ Stange aufrollen und wieder festklemmen.


Now when I finished the quilt or want to take a longer break I just disassemble the frame. I can put the quilt rolled-up on the poles under my bed and Artur will become my kitchentable again.

Und wenn mein Quilt fertig gequiltet ist oder ich eine längere Quiltpause einlege, zerlege ich den Rahmen wieder in seine Einzelteile. Artur FINNVARD wird wieder mein Küchentisch und die Stangen lege ich unter mein Bett.


Creative Commons License
Quiltrahmen von Redwork in Germany steht unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung-Keine kommerzielle Nutzung-Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen 3.0 Deutschland Lizenz.



This instruction is almost 10 years old, in the meantime you can find alternative versions on the web:
Diese Anleitung ist jetzt schon fast zehn Jahre alt, in der Zwischenzeit gibt es bereits alternative Versionen im Netz:  


Other sites with  just pictures of finished IKEA Hack quilt frames for inspiration:
Andere Seiten nur mit Bildern des fertigen Quiltrahmen / Quiltständer IKEA HACKs als Inspiration:

Nice pictures of rolled up quilt and IKEA Quilt Frame “legs”
http://quarterinchmark.blogspot.de/2011_11_01_archive.html

Beautiful version, I like it in white better than mine in birch
http://onlyangelika.blogspot.de/2011/08/ikea-hack.html




07 May, 2006

UWYH – Revisiting my Stash

Vintage Monogram Stencils

Monogram Stencils


In my vintage sewing notion collection I have quite a few copper (as well as tin and brass) monogram stencils. I have a thing for monograms and letter/abcdaire embroidery pattern in general.

One of my Redwork WIPs is an alphabet sampler.

ABC Collection for


I can’t keep from buying monogram stencils and collecting ABC embroidery pattern whenever I come across some interesting or old...

By now I also own a complete set with blue and white fabric ink cakes in little porcelain bowls as well as the proper stencil brushes in it's original packaging with instruction.

Schablonen für die Wäschestickerei

I did use the stencils for embossing or printing on fabric but so far I have only once embroidered a monogram with them.

For this monogram I even took a lesson in a local embroidery school to learn how to do it “properly”. It was fun, very intersting but also a lot of work.

To think that young women would embroider their entire dowery linens with monograms ....


Copper Monogram Stencil and tools

Some time ago I started to transfer most of my copper monogram stencils with red fabric paint on white cotton.

This is one of my non-Redwork UFOs:

Monogram Stenciled Quilt - UFO

The final quilt with alternating natural linen and stenciled white cotton blocks I planned to finish with a white cotton backing and thick batting for a warm and cosy lapquilt. It was planned to be finished by last christmas...but then I am not going to feel guilty as it is my UFO finishing time and I should have it ready to quilt this summer.

Those are not copper but still monogram stencils. It is a little collection of pinprick monogram patterns which I suppose are from approx. 1954 (The envelope they were stored in has a poststamp from that year).

Parchment Pinprick Monogram Pattern

I read about this method of transferring Redwork pattern. And interstingly enough in a tour of an old traditional porcelain manufacturer I saw porcelain painter who used the same technique with pattern pinpricked into metalfoil and charcoal as the painting medium.

From the number of pinprick patterns and the dark blue fabric ink on most of them it looks as if they where used quite often. I will have to give it try just see how it works out.

I also found an older German craftbook - “Das Grosse Buch der Handarbeiten” from 1978 - it has a nice description on how to use the copper stencils in it.

1978 Craft Book Article on Copper Monogram Stencils

In the German magazine Living & More special edition „Country-Träume“ from 2005 (I think) I found a little feature about copper monogram stencils. They even mentioned Kirsch Interior as a current source to buy brand new vintage copper monogram stencils. They can be found under "bei Heidi und Großvater - Etwas selbermachen"

Now and then I found articles and creative how-to projects for embroidered monograms in craft books or magazines. In 1991 the “Brigitte” magazine claimed in one of their “Brigitte Kreativ” supplements that copper monogram stencils would be readily availabe in all craft shops and department stores (Beck in Munich was given as an example) – which unfortunately was not true. It seems that any producer of copper monogram stencil went out of business by now.

A good source for monogram / alphabet emboridery pattern is the Italian embroidery magazine
RAKAM. They regularly have beautiful ABCs also as iron-on transfers in their editions.

A wounderful book – unfortunately out of print – is Eva Maria Leszner “Monogramm Stickereien” (Publisher: Rosenheimer). It is in German and the text is indeed very interesting reading but it also has a lot of wounderful pattern and examples for every letter of the alphabet. Furthermore she gives very clear directions how to embroider them.

An online source for free downloads of vintage “Sanjou” (Frensh) monogram embroidery pattern is
la maison danael. Most of the old booklets are cross stitch ABCs but it has also one “regular” monogram embroidery pattern.

An old German letter alphabet I found on this
site...

And another wounderful Frensh site is
Netmadam with an article (all in Frensh) on “Weißstickerei” / “Broderie Blanche”, don’t know the English translation but it is the embroidery technique / stitches used for classic monogram embroidery

Netmadam offers a few very beautiful vintage Redwork and monogram pattern as free downloads:

Among others two 1912 ABCs:
broderie 1912 riche and broderie 1912 simple as well as an Art Deco ABC

eBay Stores specialized on vintage copper monogram stencils I know are

“Grandma’s Antique German Monograms”
“Antique Linens Monograms and More” and

01 May, 2006

My Month of May Resolution # 2

UWYH - Month of May

Calm and collected I am sitting at my computer and musing about whether or not. But yes, May will be the “Use What You Have” month of mine.

With all the preparation for my Redwork UFO list I looked through my stash and fell in love again with so much of the stuff I collected – and have not been using. Remembering all my enthusiam and motivation when finding that special red fabric tape, the umpteens copper monogram stencil or the vintage baskets that would look so beautiful once I touched them up with a little new fabric lining.... And then it was neetly stored with all the other stuff on my stash shelfs and forgotten.

Now I bought enough of the embroidery thread in that special color I need for Jayne’s quilt on Saturday. Got my last fix of fleamarket “need to have” this week-end and couldn’t help but had to buy two beautiful vintage “Überhandtücher” on an antique market on the last day of April.



Überhandtuch - Dutch Girl with Umbrella - Detail






Überhandtuch - Dutch Girls with Tiles



But this is it. It is May 1st and until the very last day of this month I will use what I have and only what I already have...

I know I will not be able to finish all of my UFO that way. There is not enough batting for the Redwork quilts I want to work on but then I haven’t finished the stitching anyway and with 7 UFOs to work on and off I am sure I won’t be left without something to do just because I wont’ buy anything new this month, right?

And revisiting the long “lost” stash collection will be fun and help clearing “the clutter”. There is so much stuff I just know I won’t ever use so it will also be a month of eBay and this years first fleamarket visit as a “vendor”. Yes, it is time to “release” some things.

Thank you Simple Sparrow for this inspiration.