Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewing. Show all posts

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Covid-19 Life: Vaccination Day!

Thursday I received my first Pfizer vaccination through Henry Ford Health Systems! As the nurse prepared my shot, I was nearly in tears with relief. In three weeks, both my husband and me will have had our second vaccination dose. And in mid-April, we will be able to begin to resume activities we had put on hold. 

We dream of simple things like visits with the dentist and eye doctor, senior hour shopping in the grocery stores, visiting indoors with our son and his girl and the grandpuppies and Gus, visiting our brothers.

The Pandemic is not over, life will not be 'normal' any time soon, and the virus is mutating, but the vaccinations along with double masks will protect us and curtail transmission of the virus.

Overall, life is quiet. We are walking outside every day now. I don't have any hand work prepared....must get on that. I have everything ready to machine quilt a project, but first I am sewing curtains for my brother's tear-drop, retro travel trailer.  He found this cool Alexander Henry fabric.

And this is his trailer!

The Robins are using the heated water bowl for a bird bath! The weather is warmer, 40 degrees today, the snow is melted. In a few weeks we will be able to bring out the hoses and the bird bath. Meantime, Robin is making do.

I bought a new vacuum cleaner because the rubber in my 1990 Royal upright is stiff and won't hold the filter bag. It would come off and the dust collect in the cloth bag! I have mostly hard flooring, but carpet in the living room and some area rugs. So, I bought a Miele canister vac. It is pretty cool!

Book mail from Little, Brown & Company is A Shot in the Moonlight by Ben Montgomery, whose last book, The Man Who Walked Backward, I read.



Bookish First Top February Reviews included my review of the Genome Odyssey! That was exciting.

I am reading April NetGalley books. Currently, The Bookseller of Florence by Ross King, whose on Monet, Mad Enchantment,  I read, and The Sound Between the Notes by Barbara Linn Probst, whose Queen of the Owls I have read, and also BookishFirst memoir Finding Freedom by Erin French. (And I am now about 60% through Barack Obama's memoir A Promised Land.)

After purchasing The Little Women Cookbook I ordered The Secret Garden Cookbook! When I reviewed these books I thought they were charming and the recipes looked very tempting.


I will end with a pic of Sunny and Gus. Moments later, I was told, Gus was chewing on Sunny's neck in play!
And I just love this pic of Ellie and Sunny begging for a walk.

Stay safe. Find your bliss.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Threads of Life by Claire Hunter

"Sewing has a visual language. It has a voice. It has been used by people to communicate something of themselves--their history, beliefs, prayers and protests."~ from Threads of Life by Claire Hunter

Twenty-eight years ago I made my first quilt and it changed my life. As I honed my skills I was inspired by historic and traditional quilts but also by art quilts.

Early on I dreamed of being able to make quilts that represented my values, interests, and views. I eagerly learned new skills, from hand embroidery and hand quilting to surface design, machine thread work, and fusible applique. I have been making a series of quilts on authors I love. I have created a Pride and Prejudice storybook quilt, an Apollo 11 quilt, and embroidered quilts of the First Ladies, Green Heros, and women abolitionists and Civil Rights leaders.
With my quilt I Will Life My Voice Like A Trumpet,
2013 AQS Grand Rapids quilt show

I was excited to be given an egalley of Claire Hunter's book Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle. 

Hunter identifies themes in needlecraft including power, frailty, captivity, identity, connection, protest, loss, community, and voice. She shares a breathtaking number of stories that span history and from across the world.

Hunter begins with the history of the Bayeux Tapestry, a panel of wool embroidery showing scenes from the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Its history illustrates the ups and downs in cultural attitudes toward needlework.
detail from Bayeux Tapestry 

It was forgotten, nearly upcycled, and used for a carnival float backdrop. Napoleon put it in a museum until it fell out of fashion and was again relegated to storage here and there. Himmler got a hold of it during WWII and publicized the artifact and saved it from destruction. Then the French Resistance took possession of the Louvre and the tapestry.

900 years later, the tapestry attracts thousands of viewers every year, a worldwide cultural icon, and inspired The Games of Thrones Tapestry.

Yet, we don't know who designed the tapestry or embroidered it, the challenges and tragedies they faced. They remain anonymous.

I was familiar with the Changi prison camp quilts created during WWII by women POWs in Japanese camps. Hunter explains how the women created images with personal and political meaning to tell loved ones they survived.
quilt made in the Changi Prison Camp

I have seen Mola reverse applique but did not know it was an invention of necessity. Spanish colonists in Panama and Columbia insisted the indigenous women cover their chests. Traditionally, the women sported tattoos with spiritual symbols which they transferred to fabric. In many cultures, cloth has a spiritual element.
Mola Blouse, c. 1990, from the International Quilt Museum
Hunter also touches on Harriet Power's Bible Quilt, Gees Bend quilters, the Glasgow School of Art Department of Needlework, and Suffragists banners.

There was much that was new to me. How  Ukrainian embroidery was forbidden under Soviet rule as they systematically dismantled cultural traditions. Or how the Nazis used Jewish slave labor to sew German uniforms and luxury clothing.

Hunter tells stories from history and also how needle and thread are employed today as therapy and as community engagement and to voice political and feminist statements. She tells the memorable story of guiding male prisoners in the making of curtains for a common room and how she worked with groups, Austrian Aboriginies and Gaelic women, to make banners addressing displacement and community disruption.

We also read about the history of sewing, the impact of industrialization and the rise of factory production, the home sewing machine, the shift from skilled craft to homemade decorative arts.

Art quilters and textile artists like Faith Ringgold and Judy Chicago are discussed.

Social awareness needlework included the quite well known Aids Quilt but also the little known banner The Ribbon, created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Justine Merritt organized the sewing of peace panels to be stitched together. 25,000 panels were made. 20,000 people collected on August 4, 1985, to wrap the 15-mile long Ribbon around the Pentagon, the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Lincoln Memorial, and to the Capital and back to the Pentagon. The media and President Reagen ignored it.

Threads of Life may seem an unusual book, a niche book, but I do think it has a wide appeal that will interest many readers.

I was given access to a free egalley through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle
by Clare Hunter
ABRAMS
Pub Date 01 Oct 2019
ISBN 9781419739538
PRICE $26.00 (USD)

from the publisher

A globe-spanning history of sewing, embroidery, and the people who have used a needle and thread to make their voices heard 

In 1970s Argentina, mothers marched in headscarves embroidered with the names of their “disappeared” children. In Tudor, England, when Mary, Queen of Scots, was under house arrest, her needlework carried her messages to the outside world. From the political propaganda of the Bayeux Tapestry, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, and the maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, to the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and pink pussyhats, women and men have used the language of sewing to make their voices heard, even in the most desperate of circumstances. 

Threads of Life is a chronicle of identity, protest, memory, power, and politics told through the stories of needlework. Clare Hunter, master of the craft, threads her own narrative as she takes us over centuries and across continents—from medieval France to contemporary Mexico and the United States, and from a POW camp in Singapore to a family attic in Scotland—to celebrate the age-old, universal, and underexplored beauty and power of sewing. Threads of Life is an evocative and moving book about the need we have to tell our story. 

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Antique American Needlework Tools by Dawn Cook Ronningen

Antique American Needlework Tools by Dawn Cook Ronningen is the culmination of a lifetime's fascination with all forms of needlecraft and the tools women used to make their needlework masterpieces.

The book is encyclopedic in coverage, starting with the basic tools that date back many thousands of years--needles and thread.
from the chapter on sewing needles in Antique American Needlework Tools
Women created decorative storage for her tools. So, along with the history of pins from the earliest bone to industrialized manufacturing, Dawn covers pin storage including papers, boxes,  poppets, folders, discs, cushions, and rolls.
examples of sewing rolls and box storage

Chapters cover thimbles and thimble holders; scissors and cutting; bodkins, awls, and stilettos; sewing rolls, reticules, bags, and waist pockets; sewing sets including chatelains, baskets, and boxes; clamps; threadwork; hoops and darning; closures and fasteners; measuring, marking, patterns and templates.
crochet and crochet tools

Readers can learn the history of each tool in her chapter essay. The book is richly illustrated with 750 color photographs from Dawn's collection and from personal and institutional collections.

Some storage items were manufactured, like the thread holders in the page below. But I was most interested in the storage items made by women, often as fundraisers or gifts.

Textile storage cases were easy to make out of scraps. But women also used embellished perforated paper, ring needle books, wool and felt folders, cases made out of sea shells and nuts, and hollow bone or wood cylinder cases. Not only were storage cases made for needles and pins but for thimbles and scissors too. Portable sewing containers for multiple items included bags and pockets and baskets and chatelaines (a collection of tools worn on the body). 
examples of thread storage boxes


I asked Dawn to talk about her passion.

Nancy: How did you begin your collection?

Dawn: My collection began as a young girl with my first sewing basket. I have always been fascinated by what can be created with a needle and thread. Add some colorful fabric and the opportunities are endless.

From the simple to the complex the needlework tools themselves are also works of art. Be it folk art or fine art.   

Nancy: I found myself very interested in the handmade storage for sewing tools, such as needle cases, sewing rolls, and tool storage. Women could show off their creativity in making them, and I imagine that many were made for gifts and fundraisers. Can you talk about how today’s sewers can recreate these objects?

Dawn: Makers can recreate many of the items themselves with patterns we've created to compliment the book. They can be done by traditional hand methods or contemporary machine techniques. All stitchers have their roots in early stitching tools.                 

Nancy: I know you are a reproduction quiltmaker. How do you use these tools in your own projects? Why do you make reproduction quilts?

Dawn: My personal choice is handwork. I enjoy "setting a pretty table" near my work chair with antiques. Some[of the tools] I use, others I enjoy seeing. 

Nancy: What advice can you give to people who want to start their own collection of needlework tools?              

Dawn: I would encourage a new collector to start with pieces they can use and build their collection with pieces they love.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about antique American needlework tools! Learn more about Dawn, her blog Collector with a Needle, and her patterns at these websites:

Dawn has antique quilt patterns and more at her blog Collector with a Needle at
http://collectorwithaneedle.blogspot.com/

Visit Dawn's Etsy shop for reproduction quilt patterns and supplies, sewing pockets, and pin-holders:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/cwaneedleorder?ref=listing-shop-header-item-count#items

I received a free book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Antique American Needlework Tools
Dawn Cook Ronningen
Schiffer Publishing
$34.99 softcover
Size: 8 1/2″ x 11″ | 750 color & b/w images | 240 pp
ISBN13: 9780764355493

from the publisher:
Featuring exquisite examples from museums and private collections, including many rare items, this treasure trove explains and illustrates the history and beauty of American sewing tools. Exhaustively researched, it is the first publication to focus on the topic and shares the story of the American industries, innovations, and uses related to hand sewing and embroidery tools. Insights spring from well-documented primary sources like eighteenth-century American newspaper advertisements or a twentieth-century thimble patent. The book offers historical background, detailed descriptions, and photographs of needles and threads, bodkins and awls, chatelaines, hoops, lucets, and more. The strong link between women’s history and needlework tools is captured as well. Many one-of-a-kind handmade examples represent American subcultures and regional tastes. With more than 750 color photographs, this is an invaluable resource for historians, scholars, collectors, and embroidery and sewing enthusiasts.

Dawn Cook Ronningen is a historian, needle worker, and long-time collector of sewing and embroidery tools as well as antique textiles. She uses her needlework tool collection in her own stitching projects, focusing on historic techniques and designs. She lectures on her collections in the US and abroad, meeting and sharing information with embroiderers, quilters, sewers, and antiques enthusiasts.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Gifts You Can Sew from 1942

Gifts You Can Sew from the Spool Cotton Company sold for 10 cents in 1942. It offered 71 gifts which "you can make yourself at one tenth the cost and ten times the fun." Some of these gift ideas were still floating around in my childhood.

Romantic Notions for the Bride-To-Be included a powder mitt and covered hangars. I remember being given a powder mitt as a girl.


I remember the Hillsdale quilters made a version of hanger covers in the 1990s, some which encased the hanger and included a zipper lining for a secure hiding place.
 It was a time when aprons were still worn.
 The chicken potholder was another item I recall seeing in many homes when I was a girl.



Aprons were also used by men, who ruled the Barbeque. Several types of bags for sewing and needlework were offered.
 Decorating napkins, placemats, and table covers for gift linens was popular.
 Applique and embroidery patterns were provided.

WWII was on everyone's minds, and everyone knew a man in service. Gifts for GIs included a duffle bag, money belt, and sewing kit.
Embroidery patterns in a patriotic theme were offered for a boy's fabric belt.
The necklace in crochet for teens seems quite odd to me. Also the mittens and sock-slippers. It was a different time.
 A rag doll and stuffed animals were suggestions for children's gifts.


 I love these vintage finds.


Saturday, March 28, 2015

Remember This? Part II: 1965

The March 1965 issue of Woman's Day was likely laying on the coffee table in my childhood home fifty years ago. It's no wonder I love the advertising artwork and feel comfortable with the trends. There was a great article on new hair styles with diagrams for cutting and rollers.
We wore 'falls' to achieve this 'new' hairstyle:
 It reminds me of Meghan in Mad Men. I sure remember wearing a scarf or headband with this look.


 Oh, those rollers! I had slept in large ones and I don't know how I did it.
No one can forget those iconic Breck Girls. 
 
Basements were being tricked out for youth parties. That bright pink wall color is unbelievable.
'Early American decorating' was undergoing a 'tweak'. The painted furniture reminds me of today's trends. 

 There were ads for home sewers.

 And patterns for spring suites in spring colors.

 Embroidered pillow patterns.

I never heard of "Frank Fritters." I guess they didn't catch on in my part of the country.
Nor did Mom ever make me a Jelly Stack.
 I do love 1960s art. These two were pics in a pullout section of recipes.
 I will spare you the Brains Barbizon recipe.

Bermuda Casserole
  • 4 Bermuda onions cut in 1/4" slices
  • 6 slices day old bread
  • 1 cu finely crimbled blue cheese
  • 1 cup undiluted evaporated milk or light cream
  • 3 beaten eggs
  • salt
  • hot pepper sauce
  • butter
  • paprika

Parboil onion slices for 10 minutes. Trim crusts from bread and cut bread into small squares. Butter a shallow 1 1.2 quart baking dish. Put onion in dish and cover with bread squares. Sprinkle with the cheese. Mix milk and eggs and season with salt and hot pepper sauce. Pour over ingredients in baking dish. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Serves 6.

And these illustrated a page on Potato dishes from Finland.

Pyttipannu
  • Cold cooked potatos
  • onions
  • fat
  • mean leftovers
  • sliced cooked sausages
  • cucumber pickles
  • apples
  • grated Cheddar cheese
Chop all the ingredients, but cheese, into 1" cubes. Saute the onion in a small amount of fat until golden. Add the other ingredients and sate until golden. Before serving sprinkle the dish with grated cheese. Serve with fried eggs and ketchup.

 A shared advise column called Neighbors has this lovely tea illustration. Mary Weberg of Paulina, OR suggested keeping a blank recipe file card in one's purse. When you want a friend's recipe you hand it to them.


"When you use a recipe, of course you think of the person who gave it to you and the occasion of the giving."

An article on Georgetown was illustrated in line art. The original pages were pink!

An advertisement for Bell Telephone.

 This is a sweet illustration for a three column article on March gardening.
 Note the pill box hat on the beauty counselor. I never heard of this business.
Yowser! There were theater reviews in this woman's magazine! The Subject was Roses on Broadway starred Irene Dailey, Martin Sheen and Jack Albertson. The review by Hollis Alpert went on a whole page after this page:

Oh, my! I am feeling pretty old. I should follow Margret Merril's advice and damp a cloth in lemon jelvyn freshener and press over my face, lie back and let the lemon tone and refine my skin. Followed up with oil of olay I will have a day-long dewy look.