Happy World Embroidery Day!

 

Happy World Embroidery Day!

How about doing some embroidery today?

Above:  Close up of part of a South American arpillera.

Below:  Vintage embroidered textiles

I haven't embroiddered in a long while but I do have a pattern I've been wanting to prepare for embroidery.  Maybe I'll work on that today!  Hope you get a chance to slow stitch and embroider!  Stay cool!

Have a safe and happy day!

Stay Cool!

 

I won't be home today but I thought I would leave you with an image of this coverlet.

Honestly, it's so humid that I don't even want to look at a photo of a quilt right now.  The above top is circa 1955.  

Wishing you a cool and comfortable day!

Flower Friday: July 25, 2025

 

For once, the weather was perfect:  low humidity, cooler in the morning and sometimes even a nice breeze.  I spent the mornings on Monday and Tuesday out in the garden with Lucky and it was glorious!

And yes it was relaxing!

I weeded and weeded and weeded.  It was so much fun crawling around the garden that I really didn't feel that sore afterwards.

Sue sent this wonderful photo of her Turk's Cap-Lily.  I'm loving the colors on this photo!

From my garden:

Daylily:

Hydrangea and weeded out pathway:

Rudbeckia and Phlox:

Wishing you a safe and happy weekend!

Native Flowers

 

In my garden, I have a plant that I purchased many years ago called "Turtlehead".   As I continue to redo the gardens this year, I'm hoping to move it from the front yard to somewhere in the backyard where I can enjoy it more.

Turtlehead is a native plant and I thought about it when I read this article about using annual native plants in our gardens.  I've used a few of the plants mentioned but had forgotten about a few.  Are there any you are interested in?

Tomorrow is Flower Friday and if you would like to participate, please email me photos at allentownquilter@gmail.com

Thanks and have a great day!

Wayback Wednesday: Mobile Sewing

 

How many of you take sewing when you go out?  I used to always have a "roadie bag" by the front door in case I suddenly had to meet someone or take them to the hospital.  Often my portable sewing wasn't that glamorous.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that these days, I use a plastic zip-loc bag to carry my hexies or other hand sewing.

I intended to write about etuis today but I thought I would go down a few rabbit holes.  

An ETUI is a portable sewing case that held miniature sewing tools and maybe a few other things like a pen or a knife.  The etui is French meaning "to hold" or "to keep".   According to the Victoria and Albert Museum , the etuis were worn.  The antique ones I've seen sell for thousands of dollars and often were made of silver, ivory, bone, enamel, gold and other items.  They originated in the 17th century in Europe and were extremely decorative.

Some of you might be asking about the hussifs (or housewives) I wrote about a while ago (here).  The hussifs were usually made of fabric or leather and were much more utilatarian than the etuis.  The hussifs also originated later.

And if all that isn't enough, there is the chatelaine...

It was worn around the waist and held various things:

Yes, the chatelaine could have the etui hung from it but also a variety of other tools and necessities (see here).  I can't imagine the noise these things made when a woman was walking...

In the early 20th century, there were many ads for a silk ribbon chatelaine that possibly looked like this:

The chatelaine seemed to have become popular again in the 1930s.  These were pins and also decorative.  I can't say whether they were meant to be used as a sewing tool or not.  It seems like it was more for charms than sewing tools...

There are some sewists that make themselves chatelaines now.  One video I saw the crafter repurposed old jewelry to make hers.

Do you have a chatelaine?  Would you use one?

Have a great day!

Storytime Challenge

 

My Storytime Stitches posts were popular a few years ago.  So I thought you might enjoy knowing about the Cherrywood Fabrics challenge for 2026.

The rules and explaination of the challenge can be found here at the Cherrywood website.

Unfortunately, I doubt I will be able to participate.  I'm so behind now.  I have a memory quilt to do, a baby quilt and a quilt for my brother..not to mention whatever I can make for the guild craft show.  

Would you consider participating?  What was your favorite childhood story?

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: July 18, 2025

 

Happy Flower Friday!

Thankfully, Sue sent some photos for this week.  I'm unable to download my photos right now.  Thank you Sue!

Gladiola:

Bee Balm:

Double Road (Or Ditch) Lily:

Phlox and Lily:

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Wayback Wednesday: Spool Knitting

 

When I was a kid, I received a knitting spool for Christmas.  Do you know what I mean?

It was called a wide range of names including Knitting Nancy, Knitting Bob, and Dolly Bobbin to name a few.  The knitting spool was one of many crafts my mother bought that was intended to keep me busy.  Ironically, I had to learn from the instructions because my mother did not spool or knit.

A long chain comes out the bottom as you weave or knit the top of the spool.

My problem was that I wasn't sure what to do with the cording I made.  Eventually it disappeared like a lot of other toys that did not occupy us.

But apparently, this form of knitting was very popular in Canada and the USA.  Children learned it at school and partipated in school competitions:

Saskatchewan, Canada:  1938

Children often wrote to the local newspaper about their hobbies and spool knitting was among those interests.  But it wasn't just children who did spool knitting.  One of the surprising articles I found was a Nancy Page ad published in 1935:

It wasn't a craft that just fizzled out and died.  In 1969, an article was syndicated throughout the country about a teenager who spool knit as she recovered from spinal surgery:

 Ooh, look!  A Mickey Mouse one!

You can still buy brand knew knitting spools.  My question is did you have one as a child (or now).  Did you use it or like it?

Have a safe and happy day!

Humpback Highway

 

During the covid lockdown , I used to watch a youtube series that John Krasinski created.  It was called "Some Good News" and was wonderful for that dark and scarey time.  

We sure could use some of that now!

So how about this--Whales migrate towards warmer waters.  Right now along the Australian coast, about 40,000 whales are headed towards Queenland and better feeeding areas.

In Australia, commuter boat traffic stops for the whales.  The folks there appear to really cherish the "Humpback Highway" as it is called.  You can read an article about this phenomenon here .

Here is a map of different humpback highways around the world!

What is your favorite sea creature?

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: July 11, 2025

 

I'm praying for those that have been impacted by the dangerous flash floods.  I hope you are all doing well and are safe.

Sue said that not much beauty in her garden right now with all the rain we've been getting but here are some lovelies she did capture:

Morning Glory:

Gladiola:

Bee Balm:

My gladiola is also blooming but it is orange:

Out back, most of the hydrangeas are blooming:

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Reminder

 

Tomorrow is Flower Friday!  Email me photos if you want to participate!  

Have a safe and happy day!

Wayback Wednesday: Handmade Rugs

 

Wayback Wednesday this week is looking at handmade rugs.  I recently watched a British video about hooked rugs.  The lecturer mentioned that in Britain, people used what they had.  In contrast, she suggested that in the U.S. folks used kits instead.

I know that some printed rug backings were sold.  Some of them you can see hanging up in this old photo of a local drygoods store:

I don't know about the rest of the country, but I know in my state women didn't just rely on kits.  Many were designed by the makers and possibly because it was a more frugal way to create.  On this blog post at the Silly BooDilly, there are many rugs featured that weren't kits and women used what they had or drew things themselves.

I don't know if my great-grandmother made hooked rugs or if her own mother did.  But she sure did make braided ones.  Grandma was always making something and I remember watching her braid.  My mother has three of these pieces at her house.  Here are two I took photos of:

There's a lot of gray and dark green tones in these rugs from Grandpa's clothing.  One of the reds was an old coat of one of my great aunt's.  

Do you remember having handmade rugs in your world while you were growing up?

Have a safe and happy day!

Catching up

 

How was your weekend?

I took an extra day off yesterday because I had to go get bloodwork and some tests.

Our weekend was good and the weather was particularly good on Friday and Saturday.  Saturday was my gardening day.  The morning was so fresh and humid free.  I put in as much time as possible.  It felt great!

Lucky did not fare so well over the weekend.  Too many local fireworks really unglued him.  I ended up giving him Benadryl Thursday and Friday night to help take the edge off.  I always feel so bad for dogs during this time of year.  I bought this patriotic fabric a while ago but I still think it should illustrate dogs crying, howling, and shuddering...

Thankfully, that appears to have passed.

We are back to hot and very humid weather.  It's really uncomfortable in the sewing room so all I accomplished in the last few days was to cut all the pieces for Paula's quilt.  

The heat reminds me why I probably abandoned Christmas in July years ago.  It's just too dang hot to be sewing upstairs.

Fortunately I have plenty of handwork to complete in the cooler living room.  This past week I finished a number of table toppers including 2 Christmas ones.  For whatever reason, I can't get the photos to my computer.  I'll show them when I can.

So that is all for here.  Hope you are all staying cool and doing well!

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