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!