Embroidered Pillowcases

   Awhile ago I found this image on Pinterest. I just loved how the letters in "dream" where created with flowers. I also really liked the colors and the addition of pink crocheted trim. I decided to search for a similar pattern and found the exact same design here! I just knew that my little girl would love to rest her head on such a pretty pillowcase.

In the evenings I would spend time embroidering this set of pillowcases, and Jemimah would often watch me working and tell me how pretty they were. Adam also took notice, and commented on how much fun it looked. He asked if it was like coloring in a coloring book and I agreed it was a little like that. : )

 Growing up I remember seeing pillowcases that my great-great grandma from Germany had embroidered and crocheted. I thought they were so pretty and wanted to learn to make something like that myself.

The pillowcase set above is a set I made as a teenager. When the set was completed I tucked them away in my hope chest (which can be seen in this picture).

 Currently they are being used decoratively on our bed. They look so lovely and old-fashioned.

This was also my first attempt at adding crocheted edging to a pillowcase. Here is a link to a post from last year about creating your own crochet edged pillowcase!

 And to close, I thought I would share some pictures of my very first embroidery project!

I will never forget the warm summer day I learned to embroider. I was nine, and was feeling a little bored that day, so I decided to tinker with some old sewing thread and scrap fabric. Much to my mom's surprise I had satin stitched a little flower on the fabric. Mom was so pleased she took my sisters and I to the store where she purchased two sets of pillowcases to be embroidered, a box of embroidery thread, along with needles and hoops.

I was a little overwhelmed, but tried to work on the stamped design. However, within the next few days we went to visit my great grandma and she taught me the basics of embroidery: how to separate my thread, make a French knot, etc.

Grandma ended up having as much fun teaching me as I had learning! She embroidered this pillowcase while I embroidered mine.

 I was so proud of my finished pillowcase! My great grandma was too. For my tenth birthday she gave me two embroidery kits. I am so grateful to have such sweet memories of sitting beside my great grandma learning to embroider with both of us working on our matching pillowcases. I look forward to someday soon passing along this gift to my own little Jemimah. : )

My Dutch Inspired Kitchen

Growing up I always loved my mom's blue and white decor throughout the house. Mom has a lovely set of Wedgewood dishes that she has always displayed on a china rack that my dad built for her when I was little. All throughout the house there are hints of blue and white, but most predominately  in the kitchen. Mom even has a little Delft windmill. I guess mom's love of blue and white has been an inspiration to me.

I love Delft windmills and pretty blue and white dishes. With the cream walls and wood accents in my kitchen I think it is a nice combination. It is fun to find little treasures when I am shopping at antique stores or estate sales. My sister found this lovely little porcelain bunt pan at a garage sale last summer.

As a teenager I spent countless hours embroidering this table runner! I actually made it exactly as the kit recommended, which is something I seldom do.

I just loved how the various blues created depth and shading. I also have four embroidered napkins I made to match.

About 10 years ago my mom gave me three Dutch tiles, then before marrying I bought two others at a barn sale. This year, for Christmas, Adam tiled the space above my kitchen sink with my Dutch tiles and some white tiles he purchased. He finished the grouting last night, these photos were taken before he had finished.

                                                   It truly make washing dishes more pleasurable!

 Some of you may remember my post about this sweet little table cloth. It adds some cheer and color to the kitchen while still carrying on the Dutch theme.

                                               I am grateful for place mats to help preserve my tablecloths!

                                                                                   A little cat to hold my spoons. : )

                                        And here is a magnet we found while on our honeymoon is the Catskills.

I hope you are all enjoying a lovely start to your week. Where I live it is quite cold, but it make the wood fire in our stove and cup of tea in hand all the cozier!

What colors have used to decorate your kitchen? Do you have a particular theme?

Hand Embroidered Dresser Scarves

Earlier this week I was looking through my collection of dresser scarves, to select one for the top of my dresser. I only recently retrieved my dresser from my mom's house, time and weather had prohibited us from collecting it sooner.

I really do love dresser scarves they add such a "homey" touch to a bedroom. I have a few antique dresser scarves, and then three that I hand embroidered in my single days. Each one had been carefully tucked away in my hope chest.

Currently I have the mauve embroidered dresser scarf on my dresser. I was hoping to place the coordinating blue embroidered scarf on Adam's dresser, but since he has his 1929 "Pa Kettle" radio displayed there I thought it best to wait until I had some clear vinyl to protect my handiwork.  For those of you who have watch the "Ma and Pa Kettle" movies, Adam has a radio that looks just like Pa's radio that seemed to always play "Hold That Tiger". Thankfully Adam's radio does not have that problem. : )

I certainly had fun embroidering these three dresser scarves. On a quiet Sunday afternoons it was always a pleasure to work on my current embroidery project, while sipping a cup of tea. And now I am so pleased to have things I have made sprinkled throughout our home.

And to close I'd like to share a scripture that I would often reflect on while working on projects for my hope chest. In fact I taped this scripture to the inner lid of my hope chest the day I purchased it.

'"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."' Jeremiah 29:11

Embroidery

Recently I completed embroidering this beautiful pattern from Clementine Patterns. It had been a while since I had worked on an embroidery project for myself. This was so enjoyable! I anticipated the arrival of each Sunday afternoon, as this was my designated embroidering time.

The "raspberries" were created by stitching french knots in different thread strands, two strands towards the center and one strand around the outer edges. This really gave them a wonderful dimension.

The instructions were easy to follow, and the presentation lovely! I would highly recommend Clementine Patterns to anyone who enjoys embroidery.

This pattern is part of a series representing the four seasons. I originally ordered "summer" which is "His Merceis are New". I was delighted when the shop owners offered me second complimentary pattern since the wait was longer than originally estimated.

Here is a photo of the second pattern I began recently, "Praise God" (spring). I look forward to seeing both framed. They will be a lovely addition to my home, especially since they will be a beautiful reminder of God's great mercies and blessings!

Folded Star Hot Pad

Recently I purchased a pattern for a folded star hot pad on Etsy. I have quite the stash of scrap fabric from years of sewing, and I found that this was one great way to use some of that scrap fabric.

The pattern is from Plum Easy Designs, and I must say that it was very fun and easy to sew. The instructions and interfacing guide made piecing together the triangles a breeze.

I found that I had some pretty Christmas fabrics that I had forgotten about. I have set that aside with the intent of sewing them up into hot pads. : )

Vintage Laundry Basket

Lately I have been on a mission to find a vintage clothes basket. They just don’t make clothes baskets like they used to. Old baskets are larger and sturdier. But when I began looking for vintage clothes baskets on Etsy and Ebay I discovered they were rather expensive.

The other week Adam and I were out for the day to visit a craft market. On our way to the market we saw several cars parked alongside the road in front of a lovely white farm house. A sign reading “Estate Sale” was enough to gain our attention. : ) It was the last day of the sale and there wasn’t a lot left, but there was a somewhat dirty clothes basket sitting on the floor of the garage. I was very excited! Then as I turned around I noticed some wooden clothes drying racks. This too was something I was hoping to purchase for my future home. I was able to purchase both items for only $11.

Then the following week when visiting a barn sale my mother and I found this adorable basket cart for $3. The wood appears to be the same as the drying rack. I was so very pleased! The LORD is so good to provide me with such a lovely set. I felt it was truly a gift from Him as He does know the desires of my heart.

Now I am envisioning how all three pieces will look so charming in an old-fashioned, country laundry room.

When I had my laundry room finds out to photograph I could not resist digging into my hope chest to pull out these dishtowels I embroidered when I was 15. I have always always loved chickens, and I had a lot of fun embroidering these dish towels.

The iron-on transfer set was entitled "Barnyard Romance". They chronicle the love story of two chickens. I imagine that the image above is the rooster proposing to the hen. : )

Here is a little article that an elderly pen pal sent to me several years ago.

Old Recipe

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Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe for washing clothes. It appears below just as it was written, and despite the spelling, has a bit of philosophy. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrap book (with spelling errors and all).

1.Bilt a fir in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. 2.Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. 3.Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water. 4.Sort things make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags. 5.To make startch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water. 6.Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then bile. Rub colored don’t bile, just rinch and starch. 7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and starch. 8.Hang old rags on fence. 9.Spread tea towels on the grass. 10. pore rinch water in the flower beds. 11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. 12.Turn tubs upside down. 13.Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

***Paste this over our washer and dryer and next time when you think things are bleak, read it again and give thanks for your blessings!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

The Joys of Autumn

After an especially hot summer I am welcoming the cool breezes of early autumn. September has a wonderful smell that makes me think of falling leaves and fresh crisp apples. The cool mornings and evenings have me reaching for my favorite shawl or sweater, and a knitting project! All summer was so hot the thought of handling wool did not appeal to me in the least, but now nothing could be more delightful than sitting on our chair swing in the side yard with a hot cup of tea and my knitting. I love to sit on our swing with my mother, sisters and new little nephew, chatting, watching the golden leaves flutter from the trees against a clear blue sky.

This weekend I hope to try a new apple pie recipe. Nothing tastes more autumnal than an apple pie. : ) Here is the recipe I plan to bake: Butter Crumble Apple Pie

This past weekend I tried a delicious new recipe for Pumpkin Lattes made in the crock pot. Absolutely wonderful! Here is that recipe: Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes .

Another cozy project I have been working on is a patchwork quilt for my hope chest. With a little over 8 months until my wedding I am hoping to have it completed in time. I sew a couple squares a day with the goal of having the squares all assembled before winter, so that I can spend the winter month hand quilting. All of the fabrics used to sew the squares are scraps of fabric I have collected over the past 10 plus years. Each is a memory of a special sewing order for our family business or a dress I sewed for myself.

Beautiful days like we have enjoyed of late make me think of this hymn:

This Is My Father's World-

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

By Maltbie D. Babcock

Scrubbies

Several years ago I began crocheting scrubbies. They have always been a big hit with my family. Crocheted from nylon netting (also know as crinoline the material petticoats are made from) scrubbies are perfect for all of your pans, even those with protective coatings. You can wash scrubbies in your washing machine with Clorox, they are very durable and nothing works as well on hard to clean pots and pans. Once you have given scrubbies a try I am sure you will be a fan too. : )

To begin you must cut your nylon netting into 2” wide strips. At first I found this the most challenging step; nylon netting has a way of slipping about. Somewhere along the way I began pinning my neatly folded material to the carpet. I would then mark every 2” with a black marker and cut.


Using a size 9/I crochet hook chain 4. Slip stitch to first chain to form a ring.

Round 1: Chain 2, 6 dc (double crochet) in ring. Sl st (slip stitch) to first chain.

Round 2: Chain 2, dc in same space, 2 dc in each dc of previous round. (I always add one extra dc, as I feel there is a space between where I began and where I am to end. There should be a total of 15 sts counting the first two chains as a dc.) Sl st to first chain.

Round 3: Chain 2, dc in same space, 2 dc in each dc of previous round.

Round 4: Chain 1, sc (single crochet) in each dc of previous round. Sl st to first chain.

Round 5: Chain 2, dc in each sc of previous round. Sl st to first chain.

Round 6: Chain 2, dc in every other dc of previous round.

Round 7: Chain 2, dc in every other dc of previous round.

You will now have a small opening in the back of your scrubbie. I simply slip stitch from one side of the opening into the other side 2-3 times. Cut material and draw material through the loop on your hook. Pull excess material into the inside of the scrubbie, I do this by pushing my hook through the front of the scrubbie and drawing the excess material through to the inside.

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloths

I thought that today I would share two of my special vintage finds. Above is a photo of a tablecloth I found at an antique shop last year. I love blue and white and I thought this would look so very pretty with tea and cookies displayed on it!

I love the hand embroidery, and admire all the work that someone put into it.

 I found this tablecloth recently at a weekly craft market, called the Windmill. I thought what a perfect keepsake from a really fun day, especially considering the lovely hand embroidered windmills.

Oh, this dutch theme is just so cute! The details are so pretty.

I am now inspired to make a hand embroidered tablecloth of my own. Once I get started I will post photos. : )