Antique patchwork skirts

I'm so sorry to have neglected my online friends for the past few weeks. Since Sylvia went home I have been really, really creative and produced plenty of new designs which I shall use for my card making business when I get it up and running. At the moment I am trialling it locally and the feedback has been amazing! People love to hear how each card is made and how I have created the background fabrics.

Here, I have used the vintage patchwork (I talked about last time) to make a skirt. The blue fabric is indigo dyed sheeting and over printed with white acrylic. My friend Harriet gave me a wonderful, WONDERFUL jar of pink, red and burgundy buttons. I LOVE them and have used them avidly in these projects.

The background here is cotton wool and wallpaper paste fabric. It is truly a nightmare to make and takes forever to dry. My stock is runing low sadly.....!

I dyed the paper first then screenprinted it. I wih I had dulled it down with some white emulsion before I did the applique.

Bother!!!!!

I still have loads of the buttons left so shall have to keep thinking of ways to use them. Some were very pale pink and didn't look right with the darker buttons so I shall have o come up with yet another project!

I was instructed by Hope to add hair to this girlie so I obligingly gave her long dark locks and sold a couple of cards on Friday. I have still to add a dog in the open area bottom left. Will get there one day....when I have mastered the art of doing dogs. I asked Hope draw me one but she told me a she can't do dogs so she drew a unicorn instead...Mmmmm....maybe we'll end up with a unicorn on a lead? Who knows

Here, I machined the design onto watercolour paper and then added the skirt and painted her. To be worked on.....

I promise to visit your blogs very soon but I am very aware of the fact I am no longer earning so I must get cracking on my new venture.Oh how I wish time would stand still for a moment!........

Vintage patchwork

I was given this delightful pile of vintage patchwork by Sue who had intended to remonve all the rotten patches and re-assemble it. She soon decided that as most of it is rotten she was on a loser so I won the pile as I drooled over them and loved the decay and wanted all the bits she was going to discard anyway! 

Here are some of the very worst pieces. It is interesting the way some of the fabrics have broken down completely. Either it is due to the dyes used in them or they have been old clothes and re-cycled for this project. I am holding onto them in case inspiration strikes and I can use them too!

There is such a variety of fabrics I think they must have come from a rag-bag spanning about 50 years!

When I have time I shall try and research the fabrics which I think range from the 1920's, perhaps earlier, to 1950's. Who knows?

The original quilt was made up of machined circles of patches sewn onto a calico background by hand using dark brown thread

Here is my idea to use some of it. I want to showcase the fabrics and make them central to the project so today I am working on my first one. I'm hoping to use vintage buttons, lace and old tatt alnog with my hand dyed and printed fabrics. Watch this space!