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Stitching & Crafting Room:  Any Cross Stitchers Here???  |
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The Farmers Daughter
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Sherry
LeRoy
Kansas
USA
46 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 16 2005 : 08:28:48 AM
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Are any of you on this forum cross stitchers? I'm the most un-talented person you have ever met and counted cross stitch is one of the few things I'm good at. I love to do reproduction antique samplers on fine linen and then "antique" them in a tea bath to give them that old look. If any of you have other ideas for giving linen an old look, please share. Thanks!
Sher, The Farmer's Daughter |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 16 2005 : 10:12:14 AM
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I love counted cross stitch and do at least one or two projects a year. Usually near Christmas time. I like to do bread cloths and did really neat samplers for both my brother and sister when they got married. I like to tea dye things too...love that look!
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things! |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 4:44:49 PM
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I have been working on one from the museum in Doylestown , Pa that is 36" x 36" and is a copy of one done by Hannah Gilbert. I love to cross stitch and I like the reproduction samplers too! My inlaws gave this to me one year for Christmas and my father in law made a beautiful cherry frame for it so it will be extra special when done. I love the even weave fabrics and I will buy old linen dish towels and linens from the thrift to use for smaller projects and it gives the old fashioned look I love. I will let you in on another secret...
coffee makes a great antiquer too! Try it but rinse well so the acid doesn't eat through your fabric in years to come!
with a happy heart |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 7:40:19 PM
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For 15 years, I was art director for a company called Country Cross-Stitch in Florida. We published over 100 booklets of cross-stitch designs, papercutting designs, and doll making patterns. I still love to stitch and my deep love is for antique sampler reproductions on fine linen. I have 14 of them going up my staircase wall. One of them I designed with our house on it plus the names of my family. The samplers hang there perfectly and do not get exposed to large temperature changes or extreme sunlight, which is a great way to preserve them.
Bramble is right. Let me suggest this: If you must dye your fabric at all (there are wonderful tea colored linens on the market) tea dye the fabric before beginning to stitch. Rinse it well and iron it dry. Then use floss that is antique in hue. Oftentimes the acidic or tannic nature of tea can ruin your needlework fabric and even rot the floss as time goes on.
I have also stained parchment paper in tea or coffee before doing papercutting designs. Again you must be careful if you are wanting to preserve your work for the coming years. I hate to think of someone lovingly stitching a sampler, making it priceless with hours spent and then framing it without acid free mats or not prewashing the linen as needed. Also, you want to stretch your sampler using floss when framing. Never apply tape or adhesive of any kind. A purist will actually stitch their finished sampler onto another piece of linen and use that piece to stretch it for framing.
From a fellow sampler lover....if you feel as I do, we are stitching the legacies of tomorrow, as women in the 1700's and 1800's did. There is something about a sampler that transcends any other kind of embroidery, for me anyway. It tells of the person who worked it, many of whom were small girls in finishing schools, or pioneer girls who learned their stitches by putting them on a cloth and adding a new row each time they learned a new stitch. Their samplers were their way of displaying and keeping track of the stitches they knew. Then they began to tell stories and family histories through their samplers. What a rich heritage samplers provide when you think on it.
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jul 18 2005 7:54:11 PM |
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citygoatlady
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
82 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2005 : 9:35:39 PM
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Now I really like that story, JP. When I was about 12 there was an artist couple who ran a craft shop in their home, and a white haired lady held a stitchery group every Saturday. I loved riding my bike over there and doing counted cross stitch. The patterns in those days were all from Denmark, and featured realistic and colorful birds and flowers. I also did a couple with Amish motifs, bought about 20 years ago, very pretty. Todays counted cross stitch is pastel with outlines, and I do not like that style. I haven't cross stitched a thing since my kids were born and since I started farming. My daughter is using up my embroidery threads, some which were used by my mom and grandmother. She makes macrame bracelets and ankle bracelets. I'm glad the thread is being used!
Find local raw milk on www.localharvest.com. "If you complain about farmers, don't do it with your mouth full." |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2005 : 05:22:07 AM
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Yes, the patterns from Denmark are really beautiful. They have hardly any outlining, which is a sign of a really good design...if it does not require a lot of outlining in order to delineate what it is! The shading on the flowers, etc. is wonderful for the Danish designs, and the Danish people I have known are all excellent stitchers. The backs of their pieces look as good as the front!
Twenty years ago you did Amish designs! That was about the time I started working in cross-stitch, and also when it was very popular. I remember several Amish books out. We did one depicting Amish quilt designs done in cross-stitch.
As you can see, we have hit on a topic I am passionate about! As well as gardening and quilting! :)
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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citygoatlady
True Blue Farmgirl
82 Posts
82 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2005 : 5:28:41 PM
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I wonder if you designed those ones i bought. One had a family in "the harvest". Another had a garden and kids in a row - I still have this kit, and I never sewed it.
Bloom where you are planted. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2005 : 6:57:45 PM
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NO, I remember those designs, but cannot remember the designer right off hand. We never did a lot of kitting for direct sale, but did a lot for kit catalogues.
It is so good to talk to other cross-stitchers!
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2005 : 8:09:17 PM
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I did some Amish cross stitch too! It had two people holding an egg basket and another with Amish washday with the quilts on the line. I still have them both, it's funny to think they are over 20 years old, but they are! I also did a Shaker Tree of Life and "Shaker Garden Seeds",both simple looking designs but very time consuming!
Anyone discovered Sheepish Designs? They have repro and original samplers that are done in all the soft old colors of the old samplers and I just love them, they look like antiques when you are done.
Every July my crazy friends have a girls only "Christmas in July" party and you are supposed to bring a Christmas present for whoever is your pollyanna person. We pick at New Years so you have a long time to come up with a good gift. They only stipulation is that it can't cost more than $20.00 and you have to have made some part of it. I cross stitched a Victorian Santa Jeannie designed and made a crazy quilt pillow to go around it. The pillow was very well received and someone has already borrowed the design book, Jeannie! Your work lives on here in central NJ!
We started this kooky party as our families began to grow and although we wanted to do alittle something for each other at Christmas it just became too overwhelming. This way we have a piece of each other with us during the holidays even when we can't be together. We always sign whatever it is with the year and to and from filled in. I usually do some kind of stitching and no one has complained yet!
with a happy heart |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jul 19 2005 : 8:51:24 PM
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I remember when the amish stuff was so popular too. I still have a little washboard that I stitched an insert for that has amish women and a clothesline on, with quilts hanging..I love it.
Jenny in Utah
The best things in life arn't things! |
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The Farmers Daughter
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Sherry
LeRoy
Kansas
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2005 : 5:01:15 PM
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I LOVED reading all your replies! It's so heartwarming to know there are so many stitchers on here and you all sound soooo talented! I'm empressed!!!! Now I know where to go when I run into trouble with something! ;-) Right now I'm trying to stitch up a bunch of crow things to display in my shop, "Old Crow Farm". I love them when they look realistic and work up fast! Any neat ideas for something different??? Hugs, Sher
Sher, The Farmer's Daughter |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2005 : 11:19:49 PM
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I sometimes do cross stitching...It is one of my favorite "winter" activities as I love to read in the sun during my summer "downtime" but sitting by the fire and stitching is nice when it is cold or icky outside!
Cheers
Alee |
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CelticCoyote
True Blue Farmgirl
111 Posts
Heather
Illinois
USA
111 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2005 : 11:25:54 AM
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I LOVE cross-stitch! Especially the antique samplers...I hope to do many antique samplers & eventually frame them all & hang them in a grouping on the wall. There's a really neat book at our library called Historic Samplers that has about a dozen or more samplers that were made more than 100 years ago (some as old as the 1600s) by children. They include information about each child, a photo of the sampler itself (all are in museums), and best of all, a chart to recreate the samplers yourself. There are a couple done by small boys, and some really exquisite work by surprisingly young girls. I HIGHLY recommend this book...the samplers are lovely, and the stories & history is so wonderful!
Oh, and I also wanted to mention that I'm part Amish. I'm not hugely familiar with Amish cross stitch, but I'd love to see some examples, if anyone has photos to share! |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2005 : 11:50:32 AM
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CelticCoyote - The Amish designs mentioned above are mostly designs that depict the Amish lifestyle in a simple and appealing way. The designs I remember would show an Amish family, an Amish farm or buggy, a quilt on a clothesline....it was a form of country.
I know the Amish are skilled needleworkers, but most often embellished linens or made quilts, right? I doubt if they did much cross-stitch. But the Amish designs that were popular were very homey and cozy.
Our company did a paper-cutting design book on that subject. One of the cuttings was of a windmill, one a horse and buggy, one of a woman hanging clothes on a line. One was of two small children walking down a road. Perhaps I have over-explained, just wanted to clarify.
jpbluesky
Heartland girl |
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CityCat
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Catherine
Toronto
Ontario
Canada
198 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2005 : 4:44:17 PM
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Can someone direct me to a good source for cross-stitch patterns? And resonably priced (or free?) My Mom stopped cross-stitching recently because she doesn't have any new patterns. She goes to craft shows and can't bring herself to pay a lot of money for patterns. And she doesn't consider herself creative enough to make up her own patterns. She really likes patterns with a country motif. No samplers though. Farm scenes, ones with girls in aprons, old town/country scenes. Ones that look like they were paintings, almost cartoonish, sorta like Lego characters? I'm hoping this description is enough...
Cat
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Jana
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Jana
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - Aug 22 2005 : 9:55:36 PM
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Sher,
I was reading through an old cross stitch pattern leaflet that had repro schoolgirl samplers in it and they had the tea dying in it, but also taking the wet tea bag and dabbing it on the fabric randomly. Also using instant coffee crystals dropped randomly to leave darker specks. Sounds interesting!
Jana |
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The Farmers Daughter
Farmgirl in Training
46 Posts
Sherry
LeRoy
Kansas
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 06:03:19 AM
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Hi Jana! I have done both and both made the samplers look super old! Right now I'm working on a Notforgotten Farm pattern. When it's done I'll put it in a distressed black frame and hang it by two little nails and wire. Hopefully that will give it another old look! IF I can get my nerve up, I'll even try clipping some of the threads to make it look worn...Not sure I can bring myself to do that after this much work! HA Are you a stitcher too Jana? Sounds like we have some very talented gals on this board! Hugs,
Sher, The Farmer's Daughter |
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Bridge
True Blue Farmgirl
814 Posts
Bridgette
Southern
Indiana
USA
814 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 3:08:58 PM
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I also love to stitch, I have tons of patterns. I think I collect patterns more than I stitch!!
I will never be able to stitch them all!!
I love Paula Vaughns patterns.
I also like to do the printed x-stitch, such as runners and pillow cases.
I do those when I need a break from reading the charts!! |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Aug 23 2005 : 7:54:28 PM
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I am with you on needing a break from reading the charts. I think I like samplers because once I get started on a border, or an alphabet, it is a little easier to anticipate what is coming and that relieves the chart reading fatigue!
To our friend in Canada who is looking for soimmple and inexpensive country patterns - Ebay has lots of cross-stitch books for sale, and sometimes you can get a whole group of them for very cheap. Here in the states, cross-stitch pattern books are a common garage sale find, but do not know if that holds true in Canada.
Also, look online for Hoffman Distributors. If I get the website URL, I will edit this later and link it.
jpbluesky
heartland girl |
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a native
Farmgirl at Heart
1 Posts
erma
radcliff
ky
1 Posts |
Posted - Jan 07 2006 : 9:32:33 PM
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| Hi my name is a native, Iam new to the group i was wondering if you know if the amish have pin pals I just moved to ky, state from id, also do any you know anythink about soap makeing.well ithank you .Erma leonard |
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mustbeteatime
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Colette
MN
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2006 : 5:14:08 PM
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Questions for anyone with the know-how:
I have a couple pieces of cross-stitch for framing, but I don't know what to mount them on. I would think that foam-core wouldn't be archival. When the directions refer to mounting board, is that like mat board used in framing?
Also, jpbluesky, you mentioned stitching your linen to another piece for mounting - would that be a larger piece across the whole back or is that strips attached to the edges?
As you can tell, I am really new to stitching, but really enjoy the time I spend doing it. I am not the neatest stitcher, but I sent my mom-in-law a fingertip towel for her birthday with a hummingbird on it and she loves it. I've also done a few jar lids and plan on doing more of those very soon as my Mom's birthday is coming up and I want to give her some of those.
I'd love to see some Danish designs as mentioned here - I have a booklet on stitching on linen by Ginnie Thompson and she is quite pro-Dane! I do not think I will ever be as neat as she describes how the back should look!
I have more stitching projects than experience (hardanger, embroidery - esp. monograms, many more cross-stitch pieces, and now my mom has turned me on to something called needle-darning and I have a pamphlet on it although I haven't tried it yet). This is a great thread! (pun intended!)
Colette
Enjoy the good things in life! |
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RachelLeigh
True Blue Farmgirl
635 Posts
Rachel
Rainier
WA
USA
635 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2006 : 6:12:48 PM
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My mother and I both mount our cross-stitch work on the mounting boards with the sticky stuff on them (I don't know the technical term.) It's very easy to just lift the fabric off and re-center. It holds secure and work I did in 1992 still looks fabulous today!
My blog: mycountryhome.blogspot.com |
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Bridge
True Blue Farmgirl
814 Posts
Bridgette
Southern
Indiana
USA
814 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2006 : 08:57:31 AM
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From what I have read it is best to not use the "sticky" boards because thay can yellow & weaken your piece over time.
If you go to a framing shop you can get a piece of mounting board that is acid free and then stretch and mount your piece on to that board. You basically wrap the piece around the board and then lace it with a good thread like you would a shoe. Tighten and tie/stitch it off. |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2006 : 06:03:54 AM
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Colette - When mounting needlework for preservation, and we all want our work to look nice through the years, here is the safest method. It will also allow you to "undo" it if you should ever want to re-frame it or save it out of the frame.
First of all, always stitch on a piece of fabric at least 3 inches larger than your stitched work all around. This will leave you plenty of extra space to work with when framing.
The following is the method I use most often. I stretch my finished work around a piece of non-acid light-colored matte board (not the sticky kind). I do not use foam core, because it is too thick and hard to fit into a frame later. I stretch the fabric snugly around the board by inserting straight pins in the matte board along the edges, sticking out. This secures the piece to the board, so you can now turn it over and work on the back without holding it in place. Turn it over onto a clean surface after pinning it, and lace your fabric by using a threaded needle and lacing the two sides together like you were lacing shoe strings. The sides of the fabric do not have to meet. Snugly lace the sides, and then do the top to the bottom. Fold the corners neatly like a bedsheet when you get to them. Remove your pins. Now you have your needlework nicely stretched around the matte board. This board should be cut larger than the opening of the decorative matte that will frame your work, or cut to the same size as the frame you will use. For instance, samplers many times have no decorative matte frame. They are most historically correct just being fitted into a frame.
If you are using glass in your framing, you can get "spacers" that run along the very sides of your frame, behind the glass but on top of your needlework. This lifts the needlework off of the glass, so it is not mashed.
I have also used the method of sewing my stitched linen on all four sides to another piece of linen, and then stretching that second piece of fabric around matte board. I use one large piece of linen underneath the stitched one, not cut strips on each side. This really helps preserve the work, as it is totally untouched by matte board at all, and it looks very antique when finished.
Hope this helps. Oh, and I use quilting thread to lace. It is strong and will not break as you pull it snug.
I did a cross-stitch design book of jar lids once called the Jar Lacy Collection. It was really fun, and we filled our jars with candy, shells, jellies, baby cottonballs, pot pourri, everything we could think of and had great fun with the project.
"Sell cleverness and buy wonder" |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Jan 10 2006 06:17:27 AM |
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mustbeteatime
Farmgirl in Training
39 Posts
Colette
MN
USA
39 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2006 : 2:32:06 PM
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Thanks so much for the information. One of these days I really will get those pieces framed, if only to preserve the first things I ever did. They are both kits and stitched on Aida - I didn't know about linen when I bought the kits - and I intend to replace the Aida with linen for the other couple of kits I haven't done yet. I have a small piece on linen in progress now and like it so much better. Your advice has really given me a much better sense of what I need to do next.
I intend to eventually stitch up lids to correspond with some of the things I store in mason jars in my pantry just to make me smile when I see them and others as gifts - jars filled with homemade chocolates. So I hope to eventually create some of my own designs for those.
I'd love to hear more about samplers and "useable" stitched items from all of you.
-Colette
Enjoy the good things in life! |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2006 : 2:40:51 PM
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Colette-you can stretch Aida too lacing it the way we explained.
I am so glad you are stitching and enjoying it! Cross-stitchers are rare and endangered now....:)
"Sell cleverness and buy wonder" |
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Stitching & Crafting Room: Any Cross Stitchers Here??? |
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Any Cross Stitchers Here???
