Infamous UFOs

Now that I know what is going to be happening in the Crooked Cottage, I am going to have to fill it.

First I did a bit of searching and found that the English  embroidery guilds go back to the 12 and 13 centuries.  The guild that I was aiming for was the Worshipful Company of Broiderers. it was founded in 1561.  I found out that, just as in France, both men and women worked at it.  They all  worked at the same jobs and the men got paid more...Nothing has changed....

Next, I went looking through my UFOs(Un Finished Objects).

I found a few that qualify for what I have in mind.

The first photo is of the crewel bedspread that I started years ago....Why didn't I finish it?

It was just before we moved to this house.  I had foolishly drawn the pattern on the material with one of those disappearing ink pens that quilters use.  Then somehow the original sketch of the pattern that I designed disappeared....Oops....

That means, if I ever intend to finish it, I have to redraw the whole top two thirds of it...As I said before....Oops!


The two smaller pieces are a Sharon Garmize pattern for a firescreen or sampler...I can't remember which.  Just like I can't remember all of the flowers that were on the coverlet...

I used the excess to do a small band of flowers.  No particular reason that I can remember.  Other than the fact that I can't stand to see a piece of unused silk gauze left over.

The piece to the right, you might recognize....At least the other half of it.  It started out to be a cushion cover for an Elizabethan bench.  I needed a square of embroidery for the stool for my dressing table.  So, this will have to be a cushion now...

The next group is a carpet that I designed from the scrap of paper that you see at the right.  Again, I did this a long time ago.  I think that it was one of the first attempts at making my own patterns.  I did it by hand and later put it in the Pattern Maker program for ease of reading.  After doing some of it, I realized that I over simplified the pattern.  At the time I was working on larger canvas and it would have been huge if I had put all of the details in.  I am going to have to modify the pattern.  I really like it because it is true to the Elizabethan period.

While I was digging through the UFOs I found this... I really do want to finish it.  It is a lace collar for myself.  As you can see, I have a way to go.

Tessie and Lettice were admiring it and, as usual, Tessie was making plans of her own....I heard her say, "Look Lettie!  If we are really nice to Casey, maybe she will make us both new collars..."

Don't hold your breath, Tessie....I still have a couple of years of work to do on that one....Shrink it down???  I think not!

See you tomorrow.  I have to go stitch for a bit now.