May 14, 2014
It has been rainy in Vermont lately. As gardeners, we relish the rain this time of year, especially after a dry winter. The garden bursts with life after a good rain. But for a nice rainy afternoon, inside, we relish the opportunity to finish a few sewing projects for the summer, and to take a break from outdoor work.
We have been working on two darling Tasha Tudor-style bonnets for quite some time. Hopefully, this is the year they will be finished and wearable!
Tasha's illustration that accompanies the very loose pattern found in Tasha Tudor's Old-Fashioned Gifts, a lesser-known book of Tasha's. There are many wonderful project ideas in this book illustrated by Tasha and longtime friend, Linda Allen.
The floral bonnet brim on the left was top-stitched using some fun embroidery stitches on our machine. The brown leaf fabric brim on the right was hand-stitched with invisible top-stitching. Both are almost finished, but they need lots of hand-sewn buttonholes, a perfect project for a rainy spring day!
And that pretty pink background fabric? It's a reproduction 1800s fabric. We're thinking of sewing it up into a new apron for the summer. Bright and cheerful, don't you agree?
While antiquing this weekend, we came across these stunning jacquard ribbons. You can't imagine our excitement, because we've been long envisioning creating a ribbon collection much like this, inspired by Tasha. To see similar ribbons come to life, created by a now-out-of-business New England mill, was so exciting we snapped them right up! Don't you think the reds are reminiscent of Turkey Red tablecloths, and the blues, of indigo? Would you like to see us produce similar ribbons, inspired by Tasha, for your own projects?
Oh! There might be a break in the rain! Perhaps we'll slip on our wellies and take a walk.
Take joy!