"Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by. Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery."
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
I was delighted and so touched to receive this amazing collection of embroidery transfers, kindly given to me by Lindsey. They had belonged to her mother and Lindsey wanted them to find a good home since she doesn't embroider (though she does quilt and knit!).
Embroidery is one of the first crafts I remember doing and in many ways it's the one that I most enjoy. My Nan created the most beautiful embroidered cloths and she loves seeing me stitching too.
The file of patterns is a treasure trove of designs with plenty of florals, borders and pretty motifs. They aren't all pictured here, this is just a few I quickly took snaps of. As I looked through them I was imagined all the projects I could add some stitching to - quilt labels, clothing, pouches etc. All the while with a longing that we still used handkerchiefs. Maybe if I start embroidering them? Because look at these gorgeous fonts:
And this horoscope sheet, from Woman's Own dated March 23, 1968.
My eldest daughter adores all things aquatic and the fish with the bubbles is such a sweet design.
I keep being drawn to this one too, I'm not sure what they are carrying on that bridge? Fishing rods with one catch?
It's not just the transfers themselves, the instructions / covers / articles and all the illustrations are simply lovely too.
Some of the transfers have ink that is so different to the kind I've seen used in modern printed transfers. It's glossy and just gorgeous to look at. And oh the florals! So many pretty flowers, simple shapes and lines with all the possibilities for texture, colour and details made with stitches.
Thank you Lindsey! I know I will thoroughly enjoy using these and now I just have to decide which one to stitch first. And I'm open to suggestions about what sort of project to embroider on, leave me a comment if you have any ideas.
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What a good friend Lindsey is to gift you with such a special gift. It was the first sewing I learned. I think my grandmother taught me as soon as I was able to hold a needle and sit still for a bit. We used to sew after church together. Such good memories! I still like adding hand stitching to my sewing project, even though I have a machine that will do it for me. Something very peaceful about it. The only problem I’m having at the moment is getting my needle threaded, UGH. Looking for a needle threader tonight. Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful gift your friend gave you.
They look fabulous patterns! I think a handkerchief is a great place to start. Call me old fashioned (although I am only 28) I still use a handkerchief. I have had one since been a small child and although slightly thread bare now, every time I have a cold it gets a few drops of olbus oil and normally ends up my sleeve!
I have embroidered since I was 8 years old. I love to do it. This is quite a great gift. Hope you enjoy using them.
Oh I so enjoyed this post, seeing all the transfers. I can imagine stitching each one. My favorite is the bird - 2nd favorite are the fish with bubbles. Did you notice on the apron that there is no tie for the top portion/bib? Maybe she pins it. So if I were starting a project it would be - kitchen towels or an apron - like she is wearing (with straps or a tie around the neck.) Hmmm...maybe I will start a new project and make that apron with embroidered pockets and bib. My babysitter taught me to embroider when I was in kindergarten. I still love it 53 years later.
Wow, seeing some of those transfers took me back immediately to being a child and embroidering similar things into the corner of handkerchiefs. The little men on the bridge could be like Willow pattern perhaps. I noticed a date of 1968 on one sheet but some of those would be earlier than that I think. Enjoy!