I am the first to admit I am no seamstress, but I can embroider. When I was 6 my Mom and Grandma started to teach me. A red gingham and black dog that made a cute pillow when completed by plain straight stitches...small dresser scarf completed with a lazy daisy stitch. Pillow cases.....accenting a jacket with names of friends on it during grade school....wallhangings...By the time I was in High School embroidery was too time consuming and drawing, painting....that was much faster. Any way stores were now selling clothes with machine embroidered designs, sooo it was much easier to pick it up at the store. Embroidery was on the back burner. Now I have to admit vintage textiles were always my passion. That never changes. I was the girl in jeans with lace and calico. Jessica McClintock was my fashion designer...she did a lot of updated retro dresses taking cues from the 19th century. I was even able to fit some of my Mom's 50's outfits. But, hankies, dresser scarves, table linens, dish towels, potholders were fondly collected....yes I was 10 when my hope chest began...LOL... it quickly became my parents hope basement by the time I was 16...as they joked. Today embroidery is back in my life. I still do decorative painting in acrylics, but I find...maybe with age....'painting' with thread relaxing. As I've said before vintage textiles are a pasion. They hold a fascination. When I find a box of scraps....a pillowcase....a love worn tablecloth....an apron. I imagine who may have owned it...used it. Is this lace from a cotillion gown worn by a young lady soon to say goodbye to her fiance'.....Was this pillowcase stitched as a wedding present......how many parties has this cloth seen and oh if it could talk, what would that apron have to tell? I love to Rework-Repurpose-Recreate those vintage peices of time.
This is why 3 years ago I began Brown Gingham Creations, where I create designs using vintage textiles, patterns, and embellishments. I have done Wedding pillows for our flower shop Bride's to match thier flowers................
You can click the pics to enlarge.
1950 machined hankie with new pillow and flowers
And totes to put fresh bouquets into rather than just tissue........................................
1940's hankie hand-embroidered and beaded on new canvas tote
eventually my design ideas utilizing vintage embroidery and textiles started rolling.......................
Angelic Nightlights using vintage textiles. This Pretty in Pink 1960's spun plastic doll sports a dress made from a 50's hankie I hand-embroidered, a 40's hand-tatted doily, and her wings are a 40's heart shaped crocheted potholder.
This vintage inspired pillow, from my 'PillowTalk' collection, is a combo of a new pillow form accented with a 1940's hankie I again hand-embroidered, embellished with new sworovski crystals and a 1940's rhinestone ribbon pin, and finished with new matching trim.
My Anggelic Inspirations are vintage dolls recreated with vintage new dresses.
Like Autumn here. She looks good for being over 60. I find dolls that have been loved.....fix their booboos..and give them new fashions. Autumn sports a dress created from another 1950's hankie I hand-embroidered and them embellished with 1960's plastic flowers and new leaf sequins. Her wings are dried leaves and she holds a bouquet of dried statice.
I've added a new line called Placesetters. I combine vintage embroidered fabrics with paper embellishments to create unique placemats for the table. The fabric medallion on ths one is a 1940's transfer patterns.
I'll be quite for a minute and you can look at some photos..................................
1960's dishtowel hand-embroidered with new rick-rack
Vintage textiles I hand-embroidered and embellished. Vintage textiles used range in age from 1930's-60's
This tablecloth and napkins were reworked and hand-embroidered. The co-ordinating apron is from flour sack material and hand-embroidered
This 1930-40 apron was created with a new Mom in mind
This 1960's peice was reworked and repurposed into a new pillow
Again the textiles in this pic range from 1930's-1960's
The Chair is one of my hand-painted peices.
This wonderful 1940's tablerunner was fun to complete. I hope the lady that began it is pleased with the finished result.
This clothesline is filled with vintage charm from textiles of the 40's and 50's
This 1940-50 Bridge Table cloth was fun to complete.
Some of these designs have been sold, others are waiting to be put on my sites, and still others are available at
Brown Gingham Creations ,
Brown Gingham Creation , and
Apronation.
I will be linking to
Southern Lady Vintage Vintage Love Saturday and to Liz over at
Brambleberry Cottage for TIme Travel Thursday.
I can't wait to pop in and see all the vintage pretties.
