Linen and Lace Collage
Over the years, I've gathered many wonderful bits of linen, lace, mother of pearl buttons and antique trims. When I look at these things, I feel so lucky to have them because they were stored in virtually the only place in the house that wasn't terribly damaged or destroyed when we had the house fire in 1999. At times it has been hard to contemplate using them because they are survivors and my tendancy is to want to tuck them away for safe keeping. But I've been learning that things tucked away in boxes tend to become a burden, so for the past few months, I've been thinking about a project to showcase these lovely bits. Inspired by several women's work on Flickr and various blogs (skblanks, Pam Garrison, Rebecca Sower and Suzanne Duda among others), a collage quilt seemed just the thing!
This morning, I've been arranging and rearranging the center section. It is about two feet square and eventually I'll add a crazy quilted border with pieced fans in the corners. I'm working on some small pieces of embroidery that I also hope to incorporate, so the layout will undergo some changes before it is complete. I'm including some of the crocheted and tatted lace from my Aunt Lois, tiny crocheted medalions from the great aunt of my Uncle Jake, pieces from some old linens that were damaged in the fire, bits of French lace from Corey Amaro, an assortment of old mother of pearl buttons I've been collecting since I was a girl, antique trim, ruching and cording that dates to the Victorian era and a bit of embroidery from a worn out pillowcase that I embroidered for my hope chest when I was in high school. I'll keep you posted as I make progress on it!
Comments
Wow! I was just browsing a couple of your older posts that were linked at the bottom of current ones. This project uses all the colors and elements that I adore! Old linens, lace and mother of pearl buttons can just make me swoon! And I, too, embroidered pillow cases for my hope chest. I've been debating whether to re-stitch the worn-away pink roses on one. (I can't remember how long I've followed your blog but I think I remember this post and having the same reaction to it at the time! )