Vintage Christmas Needlework

Image 1: Vintage Christmas Reindeer Cross Stitch

It's the time of the year when Christmas needlework, linens, and textiles add a personal touch to the festive decorations in many homes and Christmas trees.  Today I am sharing three vintage Christmas linens from my collection. 

Image 2: Vintage Christmas Reindeer Cross stitch Detail

These creations are handmade peeks into a recent past that is very different from today.   I cherish these linens made with creativity and dedication in a women's free time, and I feel a connection to the women who poured love into these many stitches.   

Image 3: Vintage Christmas Reindeer Table Runner

My love of this red reindeer table runner has grown over time.  I've kept it safe and cared for over the years, though I haven't used it.  I've grown to love it like my own grandmother made it.  (She didn't.) 

Image 4: Christmas Reindeer Table Runner Detail

I never knew either of my grandmothers, and I don't have anything made by them.  Maybe they didn't have the time or interest in creating decorative items; or perhaps the items they created didn't last to be handed down; or perhaps items created were given to others.  So I've adopted needlework I've found at estate sales, and I mentally stitch connections to centuries of women relatives I've never met who must have created...

Image 5: Vintage Christmas Reindeer Table Runner

I can easily imagine the red reindeer runner being a favorite of some child in the household, who look forward to seeing the red reindeer reappear each Christmas. 

Older children and adults may have favored the two train tea towels below.  They are a set but are not mirrored patterns.  I think they were displayed but never used when I bought them.  The workmanship makes me smile - each stitch carefully crafted, and the creases firmly pressed in.

Image 6: Vintage Cross stitch Red Train Engine

These linens can send messages across time - carrying goodwill and the spirit of Christmas past into the present.  The styles of previous decades hint at the maker's interests (and available patterns), and could possibly be used to roughly date them, but instead I am happy to enjoy them and reflect on how those earlier holidays may have differed from mine today.

Image 7: Vintage Cross stitch Green Train Engine

At your Christmas gatherings this year and the future, take some time to notice any needlework if you are lucky enough to come across any.  Even if (and especially if) some of the needlework seems "dated", ponder the thought of the maker's love and effort carrying the spirit of the holidays across time to the current day, and appreciate the works for all they represent.  

May you share have a blessed Christmas, 

stitched together with beautiful memories 

from the past, 

and creating memories for the future. 

Image 8: Cross Stitch Red Reindeer

Leave a comment if you have time.  Thank you for visiting... 

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

(The images in this post should be good enough to print out on paper for an art journal, for the paper artists out there.)

 

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Spring Paper Tag Project

Framed tag holder with Spring tags

While waiting for spring to appear in Wisconsin, I recently started and completed the "framed paper tag holder" project above.  It was a fast and fun project that allowed me to play with and combine many of my loves - a vintage frame find, vintage linens, buttons, photography, and scrap booking papers and supplies. 

My Spring Tag Collection featuring my photography

I started with a fantastic frame purchased at an estate sale that I have been wanting to use for a long time.  I used a section of a stained vintage tablecloth for background fabric, and attached vintage clam shell buttons in rows as shown.  (I had purchased the bag of shell buttons some time ago and had never used even one of the buttons.)

The Framed tag holder without tags

Then came the fun part.  Creating a spring set of paper tags with my stash of scrap booking supplies, buttons and vintage linens and lace. 

Playing with supplies while creating tags

I wanted my paper tags to use my photographs, since I take many photos and can't display most of them.  Using small bits of existing photos reminds me of some of my favorites. 

Spring tags

Using the bright colored photography in the tags definitely makes the tags seem contemporary, so I interspersed the tags with lace, buttons and stitchery.

Spring tag details

The great thing about this project is that I can create so many seasonal sets of tags and change them out throughout the year.  I am already envisioning a set of beach tags, birthday tags, autumn tags, and of course Christmas and Valentines tag sets.  I also want to create sets of travel tags from France and other places I have been.  A set of family tags for Thanksgiving might also be lovely, and could feature vintage black and white photos as well.

Alternate tag ideas

The different tag sets and colors will result in a changing work of art throughout the year.


I hope you enjoyed the results of my project.  If you have made one of these holders, link it in the comments section below to share it with others.  

I was inspired by Rebecca Sower's project and her tag sets.  She gave instructions for her tag holder here in June 2008.  She posted her fantastic Christmas tag collection from December 2014 here, and an Autumn tag collection from September 2011 is shown here.  An ancestors tag collection from February 2007 is shown here.  I am inspired by her designs and indebted to her for her inspiration.  Some day I hope to meet her.




Click on the images to see them enlarged.

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Indulge yourshelf: Whats-on-my-worktable is gift tag inspiring!
Christmas tags from Trader Joe
 
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Spring Needlework

Image 1: Vintage Cross Stitch from a tea towel

Here in Wisconsin, the daffodils started blooming the last weekend in April - and the tulips had buds, the grass was green, but the trees were still bare.  Since spring is finally starting I decided to share some very spring-like vintage needlework linens I have collected.  One word that describes these linens is "Sweet".  

Image 2: Vintage Cross stitch detail from a pillowcase

The two photos above show two cross stitch samples. I love the coloration on these two projects - so beautiful and springy.  I have made a few cross stitch projects, mostly Christmas ornaments, and so I have an appreciation for the time cross stitch takes.  (About eight hours to make a small Christmas ornament).  So when I see a lovely project at an estate sale or rummage sale, I enjoy collecting it. 

Image 3: Vintage blanket stitch hand applique detail

The next type of needlework I am sharing I have only ever seen at estate or rummage sales, but now I have several examples.  The brightly colored blanket stitch hand applique is fascinating to me.  The blanket stitches are so tiny and nearly invisible on the back.  The fabric appliqued has beautiful variations in color, and the color is so pure.     

Image 4: Details from two hand appliqued tea towels

Above I am showing the two towels together so you can see the differences in the placement of the color, for example in the blue flower.  These towels may have been "mass produced", (I am guessing), but the needlework is still done by hand.   

Image 6: Needlework tree in bloom

This final example is machine done (I presume). A whimsical tree in bloom shines on the lightest weight pink fabric.  I like how the designer made the trunk detail have actual holes through the fabric.  This example is also from a towel, and I find the pink and gray combination sophisticated.  

I hope these springy needlework linens cheer you as much as they cheer me.

Click on the images to see them enlarged. 






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