Needle Notions

Yesterday I was working on a side project which included taking a few pictures of a collection that I owned. It could have been any collection but I chose to photograph some of my vintage needlework pieces.

These are the pictures that didn't make it into that project (I was limited to 3. That's like being limited to eat only one M&M!). Though "rejects", they were too pretty not to share...

I don't collect any one specific item...I've just acquired a number of specialty items throughout the years that are either antique pieces of embroidery themselves or tools related to anything needle.

This antique embroidered chenille basket is one of my favorites together with those french champlevé enamel buttons in the background...

My collection isn't large and some of my most precious pieces were given to me by my parents for Christmas or a birthday. Like this antique acorn thimble holder from Tiffany & Co...

And this gold scissor and stiletto set...

Wouldn't it be great if jewelry stores still sold such exquisite tools for our daily use?

I hope you have a beauty-filled day and thanks for stopping by...

Antique Textiles

Today the sun is shining and it makes me feel light and energetic, much in the same way that I felt when I read all of your kind and supportive comments regarding my bead journal Valentine. I feel so very good today and I'm pretty certain a lot of that is thanks to all of you, my kindred spirits, my friends. The power of the blogging and bjp community never ceases to amaze me...

And, so today, I'm sharing another amazing side of our blogging community...the sharing of information and images which there is no way we would be able to access if it weren't for the vehicle of blogs...Grap a cup of your favorite elixir, and here we go:

Trouvais --


Trish from Trouvais has a unique ability to combine images that she collects from print and digital media into the most cohesive and inspirational posts...


She has a love for antique beauty, French style and embroidery/textiles! Some of my favorite posts are Gilded Opulence; Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully Blue; Plum; Revelry and Reverie...not to mention the one of Fanny Brawne and Hogspear and many, many more! Thank you Trish for bringing us all of these found treasures!

Another find, yet completely different, is Sri Threads...the blog of a Textile Gallery in Brooklyn, NY specializing in antique folk textiles, particularly the indigo-dyed textiles worn by the everyday Japanese worker and the boro or pieces which have been patched or mended.


To me, these patched and mended pieces are some of the most beautiful examples of patchwork in the world. I particularly enjoyed this post on the intriguing story behind this magnificently pieced 19th century silk Han Juban - worn under a kimono.


And for those of you who aren't aware of Lacis, a little treasure of a shop for needleworkers in Berkeley, CA with the most significant library of international books on textiles, needlework and techniques I've found anywhere...not to mention their incredible textile collection housed in the Lacis Museum! I had the pleasure of visiting Lacis for the first time last Summer and three hours was not nearly enough!! They sell all forms of needlework supplies, often the very hard-to-find, on their website.

One of the greatest things about Lacis is their museum website where they photograph the current exhibition and put it into a slideshow. Check out the most recent slideshow on Bobbin Lace -- it's absolutely beautiful.


Not only that, they still have available all of their previous exhibitions online as well -- so, even if you missed one, you can go back and view it anytime. I particulary loved Memories in Beads, Beyond the Pattern and Whitework. And, if lace is your interest, there are oodles of exhibitions of the myriad types of beautiful laces made all over the world. Joining their mailing list is a MUST!

And last but not least, I found this little gem of a blog, The Helen Louise Textile Collection through Each Little World ( a magnificent garden blog with reading and textiles too!) . This blog is documenting the moving of a 13,000 piece textile collection to a new location. I have learned many interesting facts in caring for textiles from this new blog...and this post about the unique issues of conserving crazy quilts was very interesting...and this one on Chinese textiles, this one on a beaded bell pull, and this one on a German Sampler...

Phew! Hope you enjoyed your tour!

Fragments of Beauty

I've been on the hunt for tiny beads. I mean really tiny...like size 20/0 -- 22/0. And I found some at Beadcats...but they're very expensive when you want a lot of them. Luckily, a few weeks ago, I found this imperfect, magnificent remnant on Ebay. It's a bead-knitted cloche-style purse -- well, it was, in it's day. Now, the fibers are so dry rotted that it falls apart when you blow on it...


So, I'm using it for beads. But, I must send out a big thank you to three of my dear stitching friends, Bobbi, Carolyn and Mary, who reminded me to take pictures of the remnants before I proceeded to salvage the beads! Thank God for friends who save me from myself!

I've even thought of saving just one rose and framing it as a fragment...but I'm not sure the thread will hold up to that either...


OK, ever since I shared with you that antique button a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. And I need tiny beads to make an attempt at a reproduction.

Meanwhile, I've been working on charm school for tomorrow and studying my Berlinwork book with relish. Berlinwork was petit point embroidery done mostly in wool but the patterns....oh, my friends....the patterns, many of which were hand-painted, are simply stunning. So, why not use one of the patterns from the book to try to re-create that lovely button -- only this week, it will be a charm.

Due to copyright laws, I cannot share the patterns in my book. But, lucky for us, the ever-generous Pam Kellogg of Kitty and Me Designs posted three patterns from her personal collection here back in 2006!


And this excerpt from Needlework Through History, which is available online at Google Books, gives a good synopsis of Berlin work:

Berlin work patterns were made by a printer in Germany as early as 1804. Printed on paper in black and white and then hand-colored, they quickly were improved when done on charted paper, much like cross-stitch patterns today. The graph paper made the patterns easier to follow, and with the patterns published as single sheets, Berlin work was affordable to the masses. Exported throughout the world, it is estimated that 14,000 different designs were published between 1810 and 1840. Eventually, the patterns were painted or printed onto the canvas itself. Berlin wool work was primarily done in tent and cross stitch and embellished with silk thread, chenille yarn, and beadwork. It gained more attention when Berlin work was exhibited in England’s Great Exhibition of 1851.

So stay tuned tomorrow to see what happens. I'm not even sure yet though I do expect to post later in the day so don't look for me too early.

And another thank you to Bobbi, Carolyn and Mary for the pictures you see here today.

I hope they've inspired you too.

P.S. Does anyone know why the bead companies won't make beads smaller than 15/0? Won't anyone ever make these tiny 20/0-22/0 beads again? ***sigh

Note: I'm including an excerpt from a comment made by bead artist Robin Atkins for everyone's information:

I love seeing this old beadwork!!!! Having tried to crochet with size 12 pearl cotton and size 15 seed beads, I am filled with admiration and respect for women who worked complex pattern with even smaller micro beads (sizes 20 and 22) and extremely fine thread!

The method was to string the pattern on the thread first (following a chart) and then crochet (or knit), slipping one bead into each stitch. The hook (or knitting needles) must have been so small it would be difficult to hold. Drop a stitch or make mistakes stringing the pattern and it could take hours to make it right. I wish I had a first-hand diary or other account from someone who made one of these bags!

It's such a pity to see these works disintegrate as the thread rots. And they do get to a point where they can not be restored. If you have a bag like this in good condition, be sure you store it in archival (acid and dye-free) wrapping paper and box!

PS. When I was in the Czech Republic, I was told they would never make beads smaller than 13s (similar to Japanese 15s) again. The technology is lost, they said.

Charm School: Extra Credit and Research

A few years back, I had the lucky fortune of acquiring this little gem of vintage ribbonwork.


I was immediately infatuated with the idea of a stitchable ombre ribbon. See how the ombre is always going in the same direction? The effect is quite lovely. The trick was trying to find ombre ribbon that was only 2mm wide...

Well, when Allie and I visited Mokuba in New York in May, they had it! I had found a source...yippee! You may remember in the first week of Charm School I used the pink ombre ribbon to weave a zig-zag background for my charm.

Since then, I have been smitten with this little ribbon and itching to try out a leaf...So, I decided to make this extra charm this week...



Just one leaf...it was a little tricky because I sewed the ribbon onto crinoline and then attached the crinoline to the copper leaf finding...I then outlined it with pearl purl and added two other baubles to charm it up...


I would prefer working this technique directly onto my crazy quilt block rather than onto crinoline. That being said, I predict that this wonderful little skinny ombre ribbon has tons of beautiful uses...

The other thing that had me infatuated was this passage from Helen Gibb's Ribbonwork book...

During the 1920s, many of the formal gowns of the day were embellished with ribbonwork. One Paris design house, Boue Souers, who dressed the European aristocracy, was famous for its lace- and ribbon-trimmed gowns.

Boue Souers? I had never heard of it so I googled it and I found this wonderful, short and informative post about the sisters. It's really a delicious little read and the pictures are worth the visit alone.


Oh, but the creme de la creme (sorry, for some reason, I keep writing French words but I can't figure out how to make my accented "e"s...forgive my faux pas), comes to us from the study of Sacheverelle via fashionspot.com where she posts her study pics of a Boue Soeurs Court Presentation Gown that she undertook at the Met, NYC in 1997.


*sigh** It doesn't get much more charming than that...

There are more pics of the dress on the site if you find yourself intoxicated and hyperventilating after seeing all of those pictures...

Off to get my oxygen...

Faded Glory

This beaded antique button must have been a real stunner once...


I have been enamored of its faded beauty and can imagine what the whole set must have looked like. I have consulted my favorite antique button book-- Buttons by Diana Epstein and Millicent Safro. This book has gorgeous pictures of some of the most beautiful buttons ever made in the history of mankind. Each button is a work of art.

I looked throughout the book, trying to find a button that is similar....but, to no avail...Now, I'm going to contact the woman who sold it to me. And maybe, since the authors of the Buttons book own a great little store in New York City called Tender Buttons, they might be nice enough to help me...


I'm pretty certain that the beads were couched down onto a piece of fabric composed of real metal threads. The beads are tiny 15 degrees or smaller. The fabric was then "framed" by a cut steel circle that was riveted onto the steel back of the button. Maybe one of you might know something about it?

Until then, let's enjoy its beauty...