Vintage Textiles and More Treasures I Find. Ready to Sew Soon.....

Vintage Matching Heart Shaped Doilies.

I had deserted sewing back before Christmas although it had not deserted me!  I had just too too much going on to get organized and Grandpa Powell has gifted me with way more fabric than I will ever live long enough to use up.  At one point late last summer I had it all organized but she has since given me at least another 2 trunk loads of totes and boxes of fabric which I have not sorted through yet.

My list of things I need to sew is piling up which includes mending for my granddaughters, a baked potato bag for my sister-in-law, and a tote bag and bibs for some new Moms in our family.  Actually it would be very wise to just get some of these things made up ahead of time for future gifts.  Here is a link to one of the bags I have made.  I never make 2 just alike so there are several others but this one probably gives the best illustrated directions.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/06/finnished-bag-for-diane-birthday.html   

There Are Three of These Hand Made Lovelies.

And then there are the baked potato bags.  That link is     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/01/other-drawers-in-my-pantry.html

Dark with age yet spotless.

At any rate I have lugged my big heavy vacuum  down the stairs after finishing the top floor and am getting ready to sweep after which I will grab a bite of lunch and start in on the fabric sorting.  I hope to put together some cute and appealing fabric color combinations in the process of the sorting so I can get started yet today and resume tomorrow on the fore mentioned projects.  (10:00 A.M. 6/25/13)

Well it is 3:00 P.M. and I have 4 big boxes and a bag to load into the back of the truck and take to the nursing home activities director as a donation for the crafts department.  I took a big bag to the trash bin too.  Actually I again found treasures!!  I love old textiles and I found hand crotchet "doilies" as Mother called them as well as very old hand embroidered "doilies and an embroidered tablecloth.  Plus 3 very very nice vintage tablecloths.

I love this old hand embroidered tablecloth.

Forgot to mention tons of lovely fabric, some in small portions and others are nice big uncut portions she has bought with something in mind and never gotten to it.  Also tons and tons of lace, notions, and trims and ribbon.  Just like Christmas!  I still have more to do another day.

Tea stained Dollie on the top of the stack.

More crocheted treasure.

 Dogwood blossoms.

Very retro!

This one is machine embroidered.

Since the vacuuming and laundry is all done I can work on it again tomorrow most of the day!  Might even get to start sewing!

If you know what this is please leave me a comment and share!

Does anyone know what this is?  It feels like a heavy suede and it says, " Made in Japan" on a cloth label on the back.  It is about 7" across and darkened with age.  I really like but do not have a clue what it is.

Sewing Baked Potato Bags, Sleep Sacks, Tote Bags, and Stuffed Mice

I have been toiling with the fact I do other things besides cook as does everyone and there are times I have much more interest in other things.

Since I started this blog I spent a good deal of time sewing. Not necessarily for me but I have made a whole collection of tote bags. Which I have mostly given as gifts.

I have made tons of rice bags. These are filled with rice and sometimes essential oils are added for a special fragrance. This year one of my daughters-in-law gave them as Christmas gifts to the doctor and nurses at the medical office she works at. I made something like 14 total and had requests for more. You can heat them in the microwave and they hold the heat very well with no electrical cord to mess with plus it can be wrapped around or scrunched up to anyplace that needs a bit of warmth.

Over the last year I did a big Christmas stocking project and since Christmas have finished an embroidery project of lace edged pillow cases and started another in cross stitch. I also made cute little potato bags for fluffy baked potatoes in the microwave oven.

I made dozens of zippered sleep sacks for my grandsons in their first two years and have mended and repaired lots of clothing for my granddaughters. I made a few rice bag toys and a silk purse.

Currently I am interested in felting and am in the beginning of making some little blind mice and perhaps the three pigs.

At any rate I am wondering if I should start an additional blog or incorporate all my "stuff" into this one?? Say maybe adding a sewing and a felting drawer to my pantry???

I really do enjoy taking all of the pictures for the blog. It is the most fun of all. Just because I had to learn to do these new things with my new camera and on the computer and then again on the new computer.

I also like to sketch and watercolor a bit.

So if you have an opinion and would like to share it I would like to hear it.