Wednesday, April 29, 2009

My New Old Vintage Needlecase

To enter the not-a-contest giveaway at Apron Memories, you have to create something from vintage "fabric, hotpads, handkerchiefs, table coverings, curtain paneling, toweling, embroidery, doilies, placemats, napkins," so I took this vintage embroidered piece, some bias tape (pretend it's blue in the photo -- there was a change of plans after I took the picture) and some gingham...



...and, made this needlecase

Needlecase

No, I was not drunk when I stitched that.

Here it is, opened up, so you can see the inside.

Opened needlecase

I was inspired by the needlecase project that Barbara from Oodles and oodles shared on her blog awhile back. I modified her instructions a bit -- she forgot to include a step on attaching your bias tape with the most crooked and uneven hand stitches you have ever sewn in your life and then tell everyone your two yr old did it -- I had to come up with that one all by myself. And, I put my needlecase together differently and now see lots (tons!) of room for improvement. Next time I make one, I'll completely follow Barbara's directions.

And, can I just say it KILLED me to cut up that embroidery...um...piece. What is that anyway? It's from a set of three that was part of a larger group that I found on eBay and bought because one was a dresser scarf with puppies embroidered on it. (Got all that?) It wasn't stained or dirty but it was spending its days stuck in a drawer. At least now I'll get some use out of it.

I'm still laughing hysterically at my "sewing." (Why didn't I just blanket stitch it?)


Thank you, Barbara, for the bias tape, the gingham, and the inspiration to make this!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh, it is completely cute and th crooked stitches are charming! I think this was part of an armchair set-- pieces for the arms and one for the headrest--maybe!

barbara said...

Hey, you're more than welcome, and I love how it came out. I think the square shape really works. I'm with Dawn - the crooked stitches are cute. Orphan-rescue photos to come soon, I promise.

Coloradolady said...

This is so very cute!!

Jane said...

What a good way to be able to use some vintage embroidery.

Annie said...

That is really cute. I like the handmade look of the binding.

I could never apply binding as neatly as Barbara's. But I'm going to give this a try anyway since it's such a clever idea for construction. Thanks for the link.

barncat (Lisa) said...

It turned out cute, I've kind of had in the back of my mind to make one of these too, just didn't know if I could stand to cut into an old embroidery. I use my dresser scarves, but I'm never quite sure what to do with the smaller pieces. If you can do it, I can too!

Busym1 said...

How cute it that???? I love it! I found the greatest stash of bias tape, vintage rick rack and some other things at the thrift store the other day. I also have some of those vintage embroideries....might have to make one! Thanks for sharing! hugs, michelle

Anonymous said...

That's a sweet way to use old embroidery. Especially for those of us who have no use for doilies around the house, haha. Don't worry about the stitching, you can always pick it out and fix it. :)

Diane said...

It's wonderful! I love the repurposed vintage embroidery. It's now something that you'll actually use and enjoy!

Unknown said...

I like the drunken stitches, but I was thinking the same thing about the blanket stitch!

Miri said...

Very cute and I like the "drunken" stitching! Hope you saved that crochet lace edge :)

Twyla and Lindsey said...

I guess it's hard to recognize the charm in one's own work. Your needlebook is charming. What are you going to do with the other side of the embroidery ... piece? Twyla

Martha said...

I remember seeing this on Barb's blog and I loved it -- your version is so sweet. I've got some old pieces of embroidery that are a bit faded, but they'd be perfect for this project.

Unknown said...

that's really sweet ... so cute ... i love upcycled stuff

Melony at Whimsy Daisy! said...

I think it's seriously sweet with crooked stitches and all. It adds to the appeal in my humble opinion. I love the color combinations and A+ for finishing a project. I can't seem to get anything finished lately!

Yoyo said...

This is absolutely darling, I love it.

Hopblogger said...

I love vintage items and when I come across them - I have to buy them. Your vintage needlecase is adoreable! The crooked crafting just adds to the piece.
I hope that google will let this comment pass thru.