Thursday, June 17, 2010

Summer Days.......

I hate summer colds! I had a lovely vacation back in the midwest but caught a cold on the way home unfortunately. I think it was the germs at the casino I visited in Minnesota - but I won $150 so I guess it was worth it! Husband and I flew into Minneapolis and rented a car - we put over 1000 miles on it traveling through 4 states visiting various family members in parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin & Illinois. Aside from the rain and humidity which we're not used to much anymore, everything was nice. We really enjoyed taking a lot of the smaller highways around and relaxing in the peaceful farm country. I stopped at 3 quilt shops but didn't buy a whole lot - it's just fun to see different things.

I picked up my framed Peppermint Twist piece right before I left on vacation so here it is - they did a nice job with it. Now it's just wrapped up in tissue paper waiting to come out at holiday time. :)



My adrenaline is going ......I am getting near the finish line with Plymouth Sampler - woohoo! I am about 90% done I'm guessing. I worked on it during the plane ride and when I could while husband was driving (some roads were too bumpy to do 40-ct stitching!) Luckily we got upgraded to first class both ways on our trip - oh it was so nice and spoiled me for next time! There is so much more room especially if you want to stitch. Here's a sneak peak at the pilgrims from Plymouth Sampler - hope to post a finish soon!

I must tell you a little story about the photo below. My mom taught me to embroider when I was about 8 or 9 - she got a pattern of ducks doing housework and we ironed the transfers onto those white flour-sack dish towels like people did back then. They were supposed to be for my "hope chest". I can remember sitting with Mom learning and her telling me to make my stitches smaller and neater. :) Well, I didn't get married young and the towels went with me when I moved out for a single life in Chicago after college. They got used and gradually thrown away when they got stained and old. For sentimental reasons, I cut out and saved the embroidery part from the last towel before I threw it out. You can see it here looking old and stained. For the last 4 years or so I looked online to see if I could find the patterns - searching vintage embroidery sites and eBay. No luck - my ducks seemed very obscure and weren't published by any of the major brands back then. A few weeks ago I was buying something on eBay and did my usual search for vintage embroidery duck patterns - up came my patterns! I almost fell off my chair. Since these old embroidery patterns are out of copyright now people are recreating the transfers and selling them again. I ordered the set of 6 for $5.99 and here they are! I am so thrilled - I've ordered myself a new set of towels and I plan to recreate my set. The seller says these patterns were sold out of newspapers which makes sense - I recall seeing those little ads in the back pages of our local newspaper when I was a kid - you could buy all sorts of crafting patterns for around 50 cents so my mom must have sent away for the transfers. Can you believe I found the same set of patterns after 46 years?!? I feel like I've come full circle!

13 comments:

  1. Your framed design is gorgeous, congratulations! What a brilliant story about the duck patterns, isn't it funny how things you've been thinking about pop up out of the blue :)
    Happy Stitching.

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  2. The mat on Peppermint sets it off perfectly! The piece is so cute. Hope you keep it displayed for as long as possible at Christmas! So glad you found your embroidery patterns. It's a great story.

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  3. Love your Peppermint piece! And the Plymouth Sampler! It's looking so pretty -- can't wait for the finish! That embroidery -- what a great story!!

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  4. I am so excited for you. Finding a link to your past is a wonderful thing, especially a link to your early stitching. How fun is that. I love how pretty your Peppermint Twist is, stitched and frame just perfect. I cannot wait to see the finish on Plymouth sampler. I love the colors on that and I just can't wait to see the finish. Wonderful work, thanks for sharing.

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  5. Those patterns are like a blast from the past. That is so cool that you were able to find them, and also that you kept one of the old embroidered ones.

    Your Peppermint Twist looks wonderful. I'll bet you can't wait for Christmas to show it off.

    And I just love your Plymouth Sampler. That has been one of my favorites for a long time! I hope that you finish it soon so we can see the whole thing.

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  6. Peppermint Twist looks wonderful as does your Plymouth Sampler! What fabric are you stitching PS on?

    How incredibly special to find the embroidery patterns! I love hearing about things like that.

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  7. The Plymouth Sampler is beautiful! Can't wait to see it finsihed. Love your framed Peppermint Twist..very pretty.

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  8. Glad you had a nice vacation, and congratulations on your win of $150!

    Peppermint Twist is beautiful! And, your Plymouth Sampler is amazing! Can't wait to see the entire stitched piece.

    I think your duck is just adorable, and your towel project sounds like so much fun! Embroidery is the first technique I learned as a kid, and I have several vintage linens waiting for me to embroider them. I'll have to get those out some time soon! Have fun!

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  9. Peppermint Twist looks gorgeous and your Plymouth Sampler is fantastic!

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  10. what a great post Jeannie - LOVE your Peppermint Twist - Looks awesome and your now officially ahead of the christmas rush LOL ! I'm glad you had a nice time on vacation and had time to get so much done on Plymouth - I have that going too but don't work on it much and am only on the 2nd house. Love the childhood embroidery story - so sweet to remember where we started. Mel

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  11. Peppermint Twist looks beautiful!

    Can't wait to see your finish on Plymouth.

    What a great find on e-bay. How exciting.

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  12. great framing on Peppermint Twist, it looks gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing the completed Plymouth Sampler and what a great story about the ducks.

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  13. Peppermint Twist is so beautiful....I have been thinking about stitching it myself. If you want to sell your pattern let me know...if not I will pick it up when I get to my LNS...have a great day. Blessings, Dianntha

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