Using Vintage Crochet Today

Wonderful friend Dorothay sent me a HUGE box of vintage embroidery, crocheted collars, laces, hankies and table runners she had garnered from her late sister's priceless hand made needlework. Some pieces go back over 100 years to grandmothers and great-grandmothers on both sides of the family.

Talk about a pig in heaven ... I was thrilled!

Now what to do with this beautiful box of goodies. An internet search came up with over two million websites relating to vintage crochet. Here are a few I found especially interesting:

Craftown

vintage-crocheted-edgings

Anything with an edge is a candidate for adding some crochet to it. A nightdress with crochet edging at the Purl Bee showed this idea of using an I cord to attach a piece of crochet to fabric to create a shoulder strap. The original owner of the idea could not be tracked down (her name is Leah). So there is no website to visit for her idea, but what a cool way to create a feminine touch to any sleeveless blouse.

I am using this idea to add a unique touch to an existing ivory colored camisole. (pictures tomorrow if this works out!)

Thank you so much, Dorothy, for passing this needlework on to me.

Using Paper Doilies for Sachet Flowers

This time of year, lavender is in bloom. Gorgeous! I was fortunate enough to see fields of lavender in bloom in both the state of Hawaii and in Provence (France) while on vacations. The sight of those flowers was breathtaking with surreal colors of purple waving across cultivated fields.

One way to preserve the scent of lavender is to capture the petals between paper.
The picture of a doily sachet and information about making easy paper sachet packets was first published by All Freecrafts. Here is what you need to make the sachet from paper:

2 Round paper doilies [5 to 6 inches]
Rose pattern rubber stamp
Heart pattern rubber stamp
Gold stamping ink
Gold paint pen
Clear drying craft glue
Cotton balls
Red and green pencils

Making the sachet:

Rubber stamp images on each of the two round paper doily with gold ink. Allow the ink to dry. Using colouring pencils, colour the rose and leaf areas of the stamped images.

With wrong sides of the paper doily together, glue together around the outer edge, leaving an opening of approximately two inches. Allow the glue to dry completely. A glue stick will work for this as well as any clear drying craft glue.

Spray a few cotton balls with cologne or add a few drops of essential oil. Place the cotton balls inside the doily sachet and glue the opening closed.

Because I am now a pig in heaven with wonderfully scented Colorado lavender, courtesy of my friend Ronn, I added lavender to the sachets. They are tucked away ready to be used for little presents for friends, while currently bringing back memories of prior vistas of lavender fields.

This was a quick, easy project completed in less than an hour.

Knitting: The Magic Loop Method

Finishing up the week related to Scrabble: 1)National Scrabble Tournament 2009 First Place Winner in Division One: Congratulations to David Wiegand, 35 year old winner of a $10,000 cash prize. 2) Where did I place? Dead center, quite mediocre; but I had a ball in Dayton, Ohio and played 31 games in tournament play, many which were awful. Overall, the games I played were more fun than torture, and I did increase my Scrabble ranking by 25 points.

Now, back to crafts: what I learned from a knitting buddy there: investigate the Magic Loop method of constructing socks. This "Magic Loop" technique is a way to knit socks or small circumferences using one circular needle instead of five wooden needles. It is more portable, and the ends of the article in process will not slip off the needles. Go here for more detailed information.

This is a video on YouTube that explains the "magicality" of knitting in the round on a circular needle.



And this is a picture of the beginning of the Ty Dy sock started in Dayton a few days ago on a size 1, 32" circular needle, using hand painted, washable wool in the Evil Stepmother colorway yarn from Knit Picks:

The pattern for the sock is from Becca at A Hard Days Knit. She says:

No more socks that don’t fit! It took me years to perfect the best fitting socks. I love just plain stockinette socks in fun stripey yarn ( I think they fit the best and they are great for knitting while watching television and you can take them anywhere).

This is a very basic pattern and is intended as a guide for knitters who already have some sock knitting experience.

Can't wait to see how they turn out. Thank you for the Ty Dy Sock pattern, Becca.

Watch National Scrabble Play Live

Typing to you from Ohio, here is the website for live coverage for the 2009 National Scrabble Association. Tournament: 2009 NSC Live Coverage

Another link: National SCRABBLE Championship

See you on August 8!

Plain White Blouses - Jazz 'em Up

...have a plain, white shirt that needs a little jazzing up? Embroidery and vintage pieces of needlework did the trick on one of my staple white blouses.

The birds and hearts were copied from Sue's Tree House, cool designs for diverse uses.

This design was drawn up atop a linen handkerchief, embroidered, and ironed atop Wonder Under before being appliqued onto the blouse. The blouse was a very thin cotton, so adding the embroidered images helped with the "see-through" issue.

Here is a vest repurposed with appliques and embroidery:

This is a blog you might like to visit; it has lots of vintage items: Emmamyrtle's Blog.

Anxiety and Dogs: Possible Solution

Do you have a dog with thunder anxiety? Really, our Shih Tzu goes wild when she hears a hint of Mother Nature sending out a storm call. Apparently, this anxiety is not an unusual phenomenon in pets.

Yes, we have tried doggie tranqs on her. Yes, even a wee, tiny bit of Xanax has been used (be careful....animals get a minute shaving of a tablet, and sedation can be pretty serious). Obviously, psychotherapy is out of the question with a sentient being who cannot speak. So, what to do to help our furry, four footed kidlet?

The answer may be found in the Thunder shirt:

Thundershirt is a proven solution for most types of dogs coping with thunderstorm and noise anxiety. And no training is required! Simply slip on Thundershirt and watch the symptoms disappear. The price of Thundershirt is less than a single visit to the vets, and just one Thundershirt will treat your dog's anxiety for a lifetime. No drugs or training needed! Perfect for thunderstorm, noise anxiety, fireworks, vacuum noise or camera flash anxiety. Thundershirt (patent pending) does the following for most dogs suffering from noise anxiety: 1) The physical sensation of wearing Thundershirt distracts the dog from focusing on her fears, and 2) Being wrapped in a Thundershirt gives the dog a feeling of safety and comfort. Soon after putting on her Thundershirt, your dog will likely settle down and relax. Many dogs will lie down and weather the storms with little to no further symptoms of noise anxiety.

From a more scientific perspective, according to neurobiologists, many types of traumas can cause nerve damage, leading to dogs having exaggerated responses to stimuli such as loud noises. Applying constantly maintained pressure with Thundershirt provides an unchanging, quieting stimulus that allows the dog to relax

That explanation sounds like baby bundling! And if it works for humans, perhaps it will help our little dog.

You can buy a dog garment here at at Thundershirt. One user on that site reported:

I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant when I purchased this product on the recommendation of a friend. Ten minutes after putting it on my dog, I became a believer. Not only was my dog calmer, but for the first time ever, he didn't wake the neighborhood with his howling and barking. I don't know how it works, but it does!!! I highly recommend this product for any dog that has a fear of thunder or other loud noises.

The product should arrive in today's mail. Leave me a comment if you want to know if it works with our Mercy Dog, since we are expecting thunderstorms this afternoon.

Vintage Embroidery Uses

Vintage embroidery work fascinates the observant appreciator of the needle arts. Some gorgeous and intricately worked old pieces can be found at estate sales, rummage or garage sales, etc.

Many bloggers write only of embroidery. Here are a few blogs that showcase lovely snippets of such work:

Sue's Tree House
Lucykate Crafts
Karina's bird-embroidery
Cates Linens

This is a work shirt which I repurposed, using nine different pieces of vintage embroidery found on antique table runners and linen napkins to cover the front panels, back yoke and sleeve cuffs. Some of the embroidery was so old it was frayed, so using the Wonder Under product helped insure fabric stability.

Incorporating vintage hankies on pillows top: can be found at this post a year ago:

And here is a picture of a new pattern I am working on for application to the front of a plain white blouse, followed by embroidery work in various stitches, finishing off with crayon coloring on the shirt:

The fairie was sketched by Michelle at Michelle's Blog. She will dress up that shirt front, for sure.

After it is embroidered, I will color it with crayons using this technique from the TintedLinenTutorial:

...Trace your pattern onto your fabric very lightly with a pencil or a water soluble marker... Tape the fabric down on the corners to a flat smooth surface.Take out your crayons and color! You may need to color a little harder in the fabric because the ironing will soften the crayon. Experiment with shading to add depth or only color a few things to really make a bold statement. Try to color in the same direction because the strokes will show (unless this is the effect you are trying to achieve).

When you are satisfied with yourself, sandwich the fabric between 2 pieces of plain paper. Set your iron to the "cotton" setting. Press the fabric sandwich slowly and smoothly. This will 'set' the crayon. You may need to press a few times to get the results you want. I did mine a few times to soften and melt the crayon for a smoother effect. From this point you can either back the design with another piece of fabric or place in an embroidery hoop. Embroider your heart away! Use different stitches,beads, sequins, etc.

Thanks again to Tracy at GiggleFace Studios for her tutorial on using crayons on fabric.

I have several items of vintage embroidery that I would love to give to others. Drop me a comment or email me with your address if you would like some!

Alpaca and Llama Wool Yarns

Consider this free advertisement for Knitters Review, because that weekly magazine is a wealth of information. It has "timely, in-depth, and insightful reviews for knitting and fiber enthusiasts", and is chock full of goodies, all relating to products dealing with fiber.

This week, buffalo fiber is showcased on their webpage:

What do you knit for someone truly special? If you can, you save your pennies and splurge on a glorious yarn, taking your time to knit an equally glorious gift from it. You try to find a yarn that, even in its natural state, whispers sweet nothings into the ears of its wearer.

I love working with different animal fibers. New blogger friend, Brenda at Split Rock Ranch, raises, trains, shears, and sells llama furs, and she even dyes and spins their fiber. One smart cookie, that Brenda. Here is what she sold me yesterday:


You can find her Etsy Store at this website: Split Rock Llama and Alpaca on Etsy.

This yarn is merino wool, handpainted and handspun in colors of fuchsia, burgundy, black and gray. I will combine it with a purple merino wool to create another baby sweater.

I asked Brenda at Split Rock Ranch about the properties of alpaca wool, and she replied with this:

Llama and alpaca are hollow fibers so they trap air and act as an insulator, very much like down. They are best spun fine(r) and knitted in smaller projects like scarves, hats, etc. unless they are spun laceweight. Because they don’t have “memory” like sheep’s wool, they can tend to get stretched out of shape if your garment is too bulky and heavy.

An open-work shawl done in llama wool would be gorgeous. Tip to make that skein stretch a bit farther - use big needles! That leaves a bit of space between stitches so the garment doesn’t get too hot.

Llama fiber will be a new experience (in my limited repertoire, at least) to use in knitting winter garments, so come on cold weather... those knitting needles are anxious for a workout with animal fibers.

1941: Mom and Dad During Navy Years in War

OK, now it is sketched out.

Painting this portrait of my mother taken from a picture in the early 1940's has been slow work. It was started a year ago, and progess has stalled on it. Perhaps memories of an acrimonious divorce between my parents is creating hesitation on further painting, but I just can't get the impetus to finish it. By posting on this blog, maybe inspiration will come.

Don't they look happy? I especially like the Navy cap in the upper right corner of the original picture. That needs to be added into the canvas.

Dad was stationed in New York as an airplane test pilot when the top snapshot was taken.

Easy Crochet Flowers

Needing a specific color button, and wanting it knitted or crocheted, I looked for directions on how to make a button ornament. Here is an excellent tutorial video showing that within six minutes, one can be created:



So I got out my yarn stash, reviewed the video several times for accuracy, and made four buttons with beads as centers. I used a size G crochet hook and various weights of yarn in differing colors. Depending on the size crochet hook used, and the weight of the yarn and number of stitches, the flowers can be made as large or as small as desired.

Here is a picture of four of the completed flowers:

The center of the magenta colored ornament at the lower right of the picture was made with a small crochet hook and sock yarn, again using the same technique. Then the small pink rose was sewn into the center of the larger crocheted flower. If made about the size of a US quarter, they will look cute on a baby sweater.

Scrabble Tournament in Ohio

Competitive Scrabble playing is one of my time suckers. I. Love. It. If you'd like to play online with people from all over the world, go here to sign up, create a player name and begin the adventure. My name on the Internet Scrabble Club is "templeton7", so give me a shout and we can play an online game.

So, in two weeks I'm off to the beautiful city of Dayton, Ohio to compete in the 2009 National Scrabble Tournament (over five days, 31 games total). As of today, I will be competing with 483 registered entrants, having the opportunity to play with the best players from all over the world. If interested in this tournament and organization of players, visit Scrabble Players Organization.

While perusing a chat site for players who are addicted to this game, I came across the New York City Scrabble Club site. It gave me a laugh, and you might grin while reading it, too. Their website is: New York Scrabble.

Our mission, and what you should and should not expect from us:
1) To foster competitive Scrabble® play.

... our regulars include the highest percentage of the most skilled regular club attendees in NYC.

... all are welcome, we also have plenty of players at various lower levels of skill. Our players range from teenagers to octogenarians; from writers to chefs to dog-walkers. We also let in braggarts and blowhards, but we don't let them out without giving them their comeuppance.

... it's not a social club that also plays Scrabble, it's a Scrabble club that occasionally also fosters socialization outside of the club.

... you come to us because you're looking for a stimulating challenge, a genuine battle of wits, as you've run out of that among your relatives, friends and neighbors.

... we're not a substitute for something missing in your life, tho many do view competing at Scrabble as a form of therapy; we're the focal point of something you already had at least a minor obsession with.

... we're not going to take it easy on you just because you're a "beginner" -- lots of players are developing their skills online these days before they ever come in for face-to-face play, so we can no longer make assumptions that you're unskilled just because we've never seen you before. But if you are relatively unskilled, we hope you're mature enough to take a beating or several and view getting your revenge as an intellectual challenge, and we will gladly show you a few ideas to help you improve quickly.

2) To increase your awareness of the vastity of language, the variation in North American usage of English, and the amount of international culture it now absorbs.

... your degree in English doesn't mean you know the only way to use English, and more words than the average bear; our dictionary is THE dictionary, arguing with it is tiresome and pointless. Our dog-walker will defeat a surprisingly high percentage of English professors and scriptwriters, and he’s not even Hank Azaria.

3) To increase your understanding of how to mathematically optimize the application of your vocabulary and spelling skills in conjunction with values of the letter set and the geometry of the game board.

What a hoot. Those New Yorkers know how to say it.

This will be my third national tournament to attend. Over the past 13 years, I have competed in about 25 sanctioned tourneys; too bad my scores don't reflect that I am anything other than your average nerdy, obsessed, Scrabble player.